Peter, a little after Iiis sad fall in denying of his master, had the testiniDny of his uprightness, John, xx. 17 : 'Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.' After Christ had thrice put it to the question, he could con- fidently voucli his sincerity ; but we nuist know, first, that his sin was not a deli- berate sin — the poor man was surprised on a sudden ; and secondly, there had intervened his bitter sorrow between his sin and this his profession ; and the renev/ing of his repentance so speedily conduced much to the clearing of his sincerity to his conscience. But Da\ id found it harder work, who shnied more deliberately, and lay longer in his guilt, as you may perceive, Psa. li. 10, where he pleads so earnestly that God would ' renew a right spirit in liini.'
Again, the gospel shoe will not come on thy foot so long as swelled with any sinful humour, (I mean any unrighteous or unholy practice,) till assuaged and purged out by repentance. Consider the gospel in its preparation ; art thou in a fit case to sufter cheerfully for (Jod, or patiently from God, as thou art? No more than a soldier in a disease sick in bed is to take a hard march. Un- holiness affects the soul as much as sickness doth the body, and indisposeth it to endiu-e any hardship. ' O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength before I go hence, and be no more,' Psa. xxxix. 13. David was not yet re- covered out of that sin, which had brought him exceeding low, as you may perceive, ver. 10, 11. And the good man cannot think of dying with any willingness till his heart be in a holier frame : and for the ' peace of the gospel,' serenity of conscience, and inward joy ; alas, all unholiness is to it as poison is to the spirits which drink them up; thi-ow a stone into a brook, and though clear before, it presently is stirred up and muddy. ' He will speak peace imto his people; but let them not turn again to folly,' Psa. Ixxxv. 8. Mark here, what an ifeiti he gives, ' But let them not turn ;' as if he had said, Upon their peril be it ; if they turn from holy walking to folly, I will turn from speaking peace to speak terror.
Again, by thy negligence in thy holy walking, thou endangerest thy faith, which is kept in a good conscience as the jewel in the cabinet ; faith is an eye ; all sin and unholiness casts a mist before this eye. A holy life to faith, is as a clear air and medium to the eye ; we can see farthest in a clear day ; thus faith sees farthest into the promise, when it looks through a holy, well-ordered conversation; faith is a shield, and when does the soldier drop that out of his hand but when dangerously wounded? And if faith fail, what will become of hope, which hangs upon faith, and draws all her nourishn^ent from her, as the sucking child does from the nurse ? If faith cannot see a pardon in the promise, then hope cannot look for salvation ; if faith cannot lay claim to sonship, then hope will not wait for the inheritance ; faith tells the soul it hath ' peace with God,' then the soul ' rejoiceth in the hope of glory,' Rom. v. And now, Christian, what hast thou yet left for thy help ? wilt thou betake thyself to tlie sword of the Spirit ? alas, how canst thou wield it, when by thy unholy walking thou hast lamed thy hand of faith that should hold it ! Tliis sword hath two edges; with one it heals, with the other it wounds ; with one it saves, with the other it dannis. O, it is a dreadful weapon when it strikes with its wounding, damning side ; and the other side thou hast nothing to do with, while in any way of unholiness. Not a kind word in the whole Bible spoken to one sinning. Now, poor creature, think and think again, is there any sin worth hazarding all this confusion and mischief, which if thou art resolved to have it, will ine\ital)ly befall thy soul ?
Thirdly, Be humble when thou art most holy. Which way soever pride works, (as thou shalt find it like the wind, sometimes at one door, and sometimes at another,) resist it. Nothing more baneful to thy holiness. It turns righteous- ness into hcndock, holiness into sin. Never art thou less holy, than when puffed up with the conceit of it. When we see a man swelled with the dropsy, we can tell his blood is naught and waterish, without opening a vein for the trial ; the more pride puff's thee, the less pure blood of holiness hast thou running in the veins of thy soul. ' Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright,' llab. ii. 4. See an ecee, like a sign, is set up at the proud man's door, that all passengers may know a wicked man dwells there. As thou wouldst not, therefore, not only enfeeble the power of holiness, but also call in question the truth of thy holiness, take heed of pride. Sometimes possibly thou wilt be
Q,^2 ^^^ HAVING ON