pardon from his gracious prince's liand : but here is one infinitely surpassing both ; a soul pining and jierishing in sin, and yet rejecting the mercy of God, and the helping hand of Christ to save him. Though Abigail did not tliink her- self wortliy to be David's wife, yet she thought David was worthy of her, and therefore slie humbly accepted his offer, and makes haste to go with the mes- sengers : that is the sweet frame of heart indeed, to lie low in the sense of your own vileness, yet to believe ; to renounce all conceit of worthiness in ourselves, yet not therefere to renounce, all hope of mercy, but the more speedily to make haste to Christ that woos us. All the pride and unmannerliness lies in making Christ stay for us, who bids his messengers invite poor sinners to come, and tell them ' all things ai-e ready.' But may be thou wilt say still, it is not pride that keeps theeoff, but thou canst not believe that God will ever entertain such as thou art. Truly, thou mendest the matter but little with this ; either thou keepest some lust in thy heart, which thou wilt not part with to obtain the benefit of the promise, and then thou art a notorious hypocrite, who, under such an outcry for thy sins, canst drive a secret trade with hell at the same time ; or if not so, thou dost discover the more pride in that thou darest stand out, when thou hast nothing to oppose against the many plain and clear pro- mises of the gospel, but thv peremptory unbelief. God bids the wicked forsake his ways, and turn to him, and promises he will abundantly pardon him ; but thou sayest, thou canst not believe this for thy own self. Now who speaks the truth? one of you two must be the liar ; either thou must take it with shame to thyself, for what thou hast said against God and his promise, and that is thy best course ; or thou must proudly, yea, blasphemously cast it upon God, as every unbeliever doth, 1 John v. 10.' Nay, thou makest him foresv/orn, for God (to give poor sinners the greater security in flying for refuge to Christ, who is that hope set before them, Heb. vi. 17, 18,) hath sworn they should have strong consolation: 0 bealos quorum causa Deus jurat ! 0 miserrimos si nee juranti credamus! — Tertidl. de Pcenit. O happy we, for whose sake God puts himself under an oath ; but O miserable we, who will not believe God, no, not when he swears.
Secondly, When the soul hath shot the great gulf, and got into a state of peace and life by closing with Cln-ist, yet this mannerly pride Satan makes use of, in the Christian's daily course of duty and obedience, to disturb him, and hinder his peace and comfort. O how imcheerfully, yea, joylessly, do many precious souls pass their days ! If you inquire what is the cause, you shall lind all their joy runs out at the crannies of their imperfect duties, and weak graces ; they cannot pray as they would, and walk as they desire, with even- ness and constancy : they see how short they fall of the holy rule in the word, and the pattern which others more eminent in grace do set before them ; and this, though it doth not make them throw the promises away, and quite renounce all hope of Christ, yet it begets many sad fears and suspicions, yea, makes them sit at the feast Christ hath provided, and not know whether they may eat or not. In a woi-d, as it robs them of their joy, so it robs Christ of that glory which he should receive from their rejoicing in him. I do not say. Christian, thou oughtest not to mourn for those defects thou findest in thy graces and duties ; nay, thou couldst not approve thyself to be sincere, if thou didst not. A gracious heart, seeing how far short his renewed state, for the jn-esent, falls of man's primitive holiness by creation, cannot but weep and mourn, as the Jews to behold the second temple ; yet. Christian, e\en while the tears are in thy eyes for thy imperfect graces, (for a soul riseth with his grave-clotlies on,) thou shouldst rejoice, yea, trmmph over all these thy defects by faith in Christ, ' in whom thou art complete,' Col. i. 10, while imperfect in thyself. Christ's presence in the secoiurtemple, which the first had not, made it, though comparatively mean, more glorious than the first. Hag. ii. !>. How nnich more doth his presence in this spiritual temple of a gracious heart, imputing his righteousness to cover all its uncomeliness, make the soul glorious above man at first? This is a garment for which, as Christ saith of the lily, we neither spin nor toil ; yet Adam, in all his created royalty, was not so clad as the weakest believer is with this on his soul. Now, Cliristian, consider well what thou dost, while thou sittest languishing under the sense of thy own weaknesses, and refusest to rejoice in Christ, and live comfortal)ly on the sweet l)rivileges thou art interested in by thy marriage to him. Dost thou not liewray
146 AGAINST SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS.