were bidden shall taste of my supper.' They were but once invited, and for their first denial this ciuse clapped upon their heads. It is not said, they shall never come where the supper stands on the board, but they shall never taste. Many sit under the ordinances, where Christ in prospel dishes is set forth admirably, but througli the efficacy of this curse upon them never taste of these dainties all their life ; they hear precious truths, but their hearts are sealed up in unbelief, and their minds made reprobate and injudicious, that they ai-e not moved at all by them. There is a kind of frenzy and madness, I have heard of, in which a man will discourse soberly and rationally, till you come to speak of some one particidar subject that was the occasion of his distemper, and first broke his brain ; here he is quite out, and presently loses his reason, not able to speak with any understanding of it. O how many men and women are there among us (frequent attenders on the word) who, in any matter of the world, are able to discourse very understandingly and rationally, but when you come to speak of the things of God, Christ, and heaven, it is strange to see how soon their reason is lost, and all understanding gone from them ; they are not able to speak of these matters with any judgment ! Truly I am afraid in many (who have sat long under the means, and the Spirit hath been making some attempts on them,) this itijudiciousness of mind in the things of God is but the consequence of that spiritual curse, which God hath passed upon them, for resisting these essays of his Spirit. I beseech you, therefoi-e, beware of opposing the Spirit. Doth he beam any light from his word into thy under- standing, whereby thou, who wert before an ignorant sot, comest to know something of the evil of sin, the excellency of Christ, and canst discourse rationally of the truths of the Scripture ? Look now to it, what thou dost with this candle of the Lord that is lighted in thy mind; take heed thou art not found sinning with it, or priding thyself in it, lest it goes out, and thou, for ' rebelling against the light,' comest at last 'to die without knowledge,' as is threatened. Job xxxvi. 12. If the Spirit of God goes yet further, and fortifies the light in thy understanding, that it sets thy conscience on fire with the sense of thy sins, and apprehensions of the wrath due to them, now take heed of resisting the Holy Spirit, that in mercy to thy soul kindles this fire in thy bosom, to keep thee out of a worse in hell, if thou wilt be ruled by him. Thou must expect that Satan, now his house is on fire over his head, will bestir him what he can to quench it : thy danger is, lest thou shouldst listen to him for thy present ease. Take heed, therefore, where thou drawest thy water with which thou quenchest this fire, that it be out of no well but out of the word of God. In thinking to quiet thy conscience, thou mayest quench the Spirit of God in thy conscience, which is the mischief the devil longs thou shouldst pull upon thy own head. There is more hope of a sick man, when his disease comes ovit, than when it lies at the heart, and nothing is seen out- wardly. You know how Hazael helped his master to his sad end, who might have lived for all his disease, 2 Kings viii. 15 : ' He took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died ;' and it follows, ' and Hazael reigned in his stead.' Thus the wretch came to the crown : he saw the king like to recover, and he di-ove his disease, in all probability, to his heart by the wet cloth, and so by his death made away for himself to the throne. And truly, Satan will not much fear to recover the throne of thy heart, (which this present combustion in thy conscience puts him in great fear of losing,) can he but persuade thee to apply some carnal coolings to it, thereby to quench the Spirit hi his ccmvincing work. These convictions are sent thee mercifully in order to thy spiritual delivery, and they should be as welcome to thee as the kindly bearing pains of a woman in travail are to her : without them she could not be delivered of her child, nor without these, more or less, can the new creature be brought forth in thy soul.
Again, May be the Spirit of God goes yet further, and doth not only dart light into thy mind, hell-fire into thy conscience, but heaven-lire also into thy affections : my meaning is, he, from the word, displays Christ so in his own excellences, and the fitness of him in all his offices to thy wants, that thy affections begin to work after him ; the frequent discourses of him, and the mercy of God through him to poor sinners, are so luscious, that thou l)cginnest to taste some sweetness in hearing of them, which stirs up some passionate
458 ABOVE ALL, TAKING THE SHIELD OF FAITH.