be escaped, if thou wouldst turn thy hack on the creature, and face about for heaven. Labour to get Christ, and through him hopes of heaven ; and thou takest the right road to content, thou shalt see it before thee, and enjoy the prospect of it as thou goest, yea, find that every step thou drawest nearer and nearer to it. Oh what a sweet change wouldst thou find! as a sick man coming out of an impure, imwholesome climate, where he never was well, when he gets into fresh air, or his native soil, so wilt thou find a cheering of thy spirit, and reviving thy soul Vv'ith unspeakable content and peace. Having once closed with Christ, first, the guilt of all thy sins is gone, and this spoiled all thy mirth before : all your dancing of a child, when some pin pricks it, will not make it quiet or merry ; well, now that pin is taken out which robbed thee of the joy of thy life. Secondly, Thy nature is renewed and sanctified, and when is a man at ease, if not v^hen he is in health? And what is holiness but the creature restored to his right temper in which God created him ? Thirdly, Thou becomest a child of God, and that cannot but please thee well, I hope, to be son or daughter to so great a King. Foiu-thly, Thou hast a right to heaven's glory, whither thou shalt ere long be conducted to take and hold possession of that thy inheritance for ever : and who can tell what that is ? Nicephorus tells us of one Agbarus, a great man, that hearing so much of Christ's fame, by reason of the miracles he wrought, sent a painter to take his picture ; and that the painter when he came was not able to do it, because of that radiancy of Divine splendour which sat on Christ's face. Whether this be true or no, I leave it; but to be sure, there is such a brightness on the face of Christ glori- fied, and that happiness which in heaven saints shall have with him, as for- bids vis, that dwell in mortal flesh, to conceive of it aright, much more to express ; it is best going thither to be informed, and then we shall confess we on earth heard not half of what we there find, yea, and that oiu- present con- ceptions are no more like to that vision of glory we shall there have, than the sun in the painter's picture is to the sun itself in the heavens. And if all this be so, why then do you spend money for that Avhich is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not, yea, for that which keeps you from that which can satisfy ? Earthly things are like some trash, which do not only not nourish, but take away the appetite from that which would: heaven and heavenly things are not relished by a soul vitiated with these. Manna, though for deliciousness called angels' food, was yet but light bread to an Egyptian palate. But these spiritual things depend not on thy opinion, O man, whoever thou art, as earthly things in a great measure do, that the value of them should rise or fall as the world's exchange doth, and as vain man is pleased to rate them : think gold dirt, and it is so, for all the royal stamp on it ; count the swelling titles of worldly honour that proud dust so brags in, vanity, and they are such; but have base thoughts of Christ, and he is not the worse; slight heaven as much as you will, it will be heaven still ; and when thovi comest so far to thy wits with the prodigal as to know which is the best fare, husks or bread ; where is the best living, among hogs in the field, or in thy Father's house ; then thou wilt know how to judge of these heavenly things better. Till then go and make the best market thou canst of the world ; but look not to find this pearl of price, true satisfaction to thy soul, in any of the creature shops ; and were it not better to take it when thou mayest have it, than after thou hast wearied thyself in vain in following the creature, to come back with shame, and may be misg of it here also, because thou wouldest not have it when it was offered?
Verse 13. Wherefore take unto you the tvhoJe armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having dune all, to stand.
The apostle in these words resumes his former exhortation, mentioned ver. 11, and presseth it with a new force from that more particular discovery which he gives of the enemy, ver. 12 ; where, like a faithful scout, he makes a fall report of Satan's great power and malice, and also discloseth what a dan- gerous design he hath upon the saints, no less than to despoil them of all that is
THE WHOLE ARMOUR OI' GDI). IQ.S
heavenly: from all which he gives them a second alarm, and bids them 'Arm ! arm ! wlierefore take unto you,' &c. In tlie words consider,
First, The exhortation with the inference, ' Wherefore take luito you the whole armour of God.'
Secondly, The argument with which he ui'geth the exhortation, and that is double. '
First, ' That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.'