Such a commodity, saith the tradesman, if I had bought with that money in my bags, would have brought me in so nnich gain, which is now lost ; so the Cliristian may say. My dawning knowledge, had I followed on to know the Lord, might have spread to broad day: ' I have more understanding,' saith David, ' than all my teachers.' How came he by it? He will tell you in the next woi'ds : 'For thy testimonies are my meditation,' Psa. cxix. 99. He was more in the exercise of duty and grace. The best wits are not always the greatest scholars, because their study is not suitable to their parts ; neither always proves he the richest man, that sets up with the greatest stock. A little grace, well husbanded by daily exercise, will increase, when greater, neglected, shall decay.
Secondly, As exercise increaseth, so it evidenceth grace. Woidd a man know whether he be lame or no ? let him rise ; he will be sooner satisfied by one turn in a room, than by a long dispute, and he sit still. Wouldst thou know wliether thou lovest God? be frequent in exerting acts of love; the more the fire is blown up, the sooner it is seen ; and so of all other graces. Sometimes tlie sold is questioning whether it hath any patience, any faith, till God comes and puts him into an afflicted estate, (where he must either exercise this grace or perish,) and then it appears like one that thinks he cannot swim, yet being thrown into the river, then summoning all his strength, he makes a shift to swim to land, and sees what he can do. How oft have we heard Clmstians say, I thought I could never have endured such a pain, trusted God in such a strait ; but now God hath tauglit me what he can do for me, what he hath wrought in me ? And this thou mightst have known before, if thou wouldst have often stin-ed up and exercised thy grace.
Thirdly, Exercise of grace doth invite God to communicate himself to such a soul. God sets the Christian at work, and then meets him in it. ' Up and be doing, and the Lord be with you.' He sets a soul a reading as the eunuch, and then joins to his chariot ; a praying, and then comes the messenger from heaven : ' O, Daniel, greatly beloved ! ' The spouse who lost her beloved 'on her bed,' finds him as she comes from the sermon. Cant. iii. 4: ' It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth.'
Section III. — Use 1. This falls heavy on their heads, who are so far from exercising grace, that they walk in the exercise of their lusts ; their hearts are like a glass-house, the fire is never out, the shop-windows never shut ; they are always at work, hammering some wicked project or other upon the anvil of their hearts : there are some who give scope to their lusts ; what their wretched hearts will, they will have ; they pamper their lusts, as some their children, deny them nothing, who, as it is recorded of David to Adonijah, do not so much as say to their souls. Why dost thou so? why art thou so proud, so covetous, so profane ? They spend their days in making provision for these guests ; as at some inns, the house never cools, but as one guest goes out, another comes in ; as one lust is served, another is calling for attendance. As some exercise grace more than others, so there are greater traders in sin, that set more a-work than others, and return more wrath in a day than others in a month. Happy are such (in comparison of these) who are chained up by God's restraint upon their outward man or inward, that they cannot drive on so furiously as these, who, by health of body, power, and greatness in place, riches and treasures in their coffers, numbness and searedness in their con- sciences, are hurried on to fill up the measure of their sins. We read of the Assyrian, that he ' enlarged his heart as hell,' stretching out his desires as men do their bags, that are bursting with money, to hold more. Hab. ii. 5. Thus the adulterer, as if his body were not quick enough to execute the commands of his lust, stirs it up by sending forth his amorous glances, which come home laden with adultery, blows up this fire with unchaste sonnets and luxury, proper fuel for the devil's kitchen ; and the malicious man, who, that he may lose no time from his lust, is a tearing his neiglibour in pieces, as he lies on his bed, cannot sleep unless some such bloody sacrifice be offered to his ravening lust. O how may this shame the saints ! How oft is your zeal so hot, that you cannot sleep till your hearts have been in heaven, as you are on
44 PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.
your beds, and thei-e pacified with the sight of your dear Saviour, and some embraces of love from him !