believing soul in the day they shall come to Christ, and receive him for their Prince and Saviour; so that from the hour thou didst come under Christ's shadow, all the sweet fruit that grows on this tree of life is thine ; with Christ, all that both worlds have falls to thee ; all is yours, because you are Christ's. O Christian, look upon tliyself now, and bless thy God to see what a change there is made in thy state, since that black and dismal time when thou wast a slave to the prince of dai-kness; how couldst thou like thy old scvdlion's work again, or think of returning to thy house of bondage, now thou knowest the privileges of Christ's kingdom ? Great princes, who from baseness and beggary nave ascended to kingdoms and empires, to add to the joy of their present honour, have delighted to speak often of their base birtli, to go and see the mean cottages where they were first entertained, and had their birth and breeding, and the like. And it is not unuseful for the Christian to look in at the grate, to see the smoky hole where once he lay, to view the chains where- with he was laden, and so to compare Christ's court and the devil's prison, the felicity of the one and the horror of the other together. But when we do our best to aflect our hearts with this mercy, by all the enhancing aggravations we can find out ; alas ! how little portion of it shall we know here ? This is a nbnium excellens, which cannot be fully seen, unless it be bj- a glorified eye ; how can it be fully known by us, where it cannot be fully enjoyed? Thou art translated into the kingdom of Christ, but thou art a great way from his court; that is kept in heaven, and that the Christian knows, but as we far countries, which we never saw, only by map, or some rarities that are sent us as a taste of what grows there in abundance.
Use 3. Thirdly, This, Christian, calls for thy loyalty and faithful service to Christ, who hath saved thee from Satan's bondage. Say, O ye saints, to Christ, as they to Gideon, Come thou and rule over us, for thou hast delivered us from the hand, not of Midian, but of Satan. Who so able to defend thee from his wrath, as he who broke his power ? Who like to rule thee so tenderly, as he that could not brook another's tyrannj- over thee ? In a word, who hath right to thee besides him, who ventured his life to redeem thee? 'That, being deli- vered from all thine enemies, thou mayst serve him without fear in holiness all the days of thy life.' And were it not pity that Christ should take all this pains to lift up thy head from Satan's house of bondage, and give thee a place among those in his own house, who are admitted to minister unto him, (which is the highest honour the nature of men or angels is capable of,) and that thou shouldest after all this be found to have a hand in any treasonable practice against thy dear Saviour ? Surely Christ may think he hath deserved better at your hands, if at none besides. Where shall a prince safely dwell, if not in the midst of his own courtiers ; and those such who were all taken from chains and prisons to be thus prefeiTcd, the more to oblige them in his service ? Let devils and devilish men do their own work, but let not thy hand, O Christian, be upon thy Saviour. But this is too little, to bid thee not play the traitor. If thou hast any loyal blood running in thy veins, thy own heart will smite thee when thou rendest the least skirt of his holy law ; thou canst as well carry burning coals in thy bosom, as hide any treason there against thy Sovereign. No, it is some noble enterprise I wouhl have thee think upon, how thou mayest ad- vance the name of Christ higher in thy heart, and the world too, as much as in thee lies. O how kindly did God take it, that David, when peaceably set on his throne, was casting about, not liow he might entertain himself with those pleasures which "usually corrupt and debauch the court of princes in times of peace, but how he might show zeal for God, in building a house for his worship, that had reared a throne for him, 2 Sam. vii. And is there nothing. Christian, thou canst think on, wherein thou mayst eminently be instrumental for God in thy generation ? He is not a good subject that is all for what he can get of his prince, but never thinks what service he may do for him. Nor he the true Christian, whose thoughts dwell more on his own happiness than the honour of his God. If subjects might choose what life stands best for their own enjoy- ment, all would desire to live at court with their prince; but because the prince's honour is more to be valued than this, therefore noble spirits, to do their pi-ince service, can denv themselves the delicacies of a court, to risk their lives in
9(5 AGAINST PRINCIPALITIES.