ver. 7. and the Lord's confident expectations of suitable returns from them, ver. 8. I said, i. e. (speaking after the manner of men in like cases) I made a full account, that after all these endear. ments and favours bestowed upon them, they would not offer to be disloyal and false to me. I have made them sure enough to myself, by so many bonds of love. Like to which is that expres- sion, Zeph. iii. 7. " I said, surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt re- " ceive instruction." Oh ! how great are the expectations of God from such as you ! I know Abraham, there is no doubt of him ! And again, they are children that will not lie, i. e. they will not jhttere fidem datam, break their covenant with me. Or they are my people that will not shrink, as Mr. Coverdale well translates, jilil rion ncgarites, such as will be true to me, and answer their covenant-engagements. And again, surely thou wilt fear me, thou wilt receive instruction. And shall not all this engage you to God ? What ! Neither the ancient and bountiful love of God, in contriving your redemption from eternity, nor the bounty of God, in rewarding all and every piece of service you have done for him ? Nor yet the pleasure he takes in your obedience and upright walk- ing ? nor the encouraging promises he hath made thereto, nor yet his confident expectations of such a life from you, whom he hath so many ways obliged and endeared to himself? Will you forget your ancient friend, contemn his rewards, take no delight or care to please him ? Slight his promises, and deceive and fail his ex- pectations ? " Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this ! and be hor- " ribly afraid." Consider how God the Father hath fastened this five-fold cord upon your souls, and shew yourselves Christians ; yea, to use the prophet's words, Isa. xlvi. 8. " Remember this " and shew yourselves men."
Secondly, You are further engaged to this pre- n7J. . „ cise and holy life, by what the Son hath done ™^*°™jrom for you ; is not this pure and holy life the very aim, and next end of his death ? Did he not shed his blood to " redeem you from your vain conversations?" 1 Pet. i. 18. Was not this the design of all his sufferings ? " That being delivered out " of the hands of your enemies, you might serve him in righte- " ousness and holiness all the days of your life," Luke i. 74, 75. And is not the apostle's inference, 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. highly rea- sonable ? " If one died for all, then were all dead, and that he " died for all, that they which live, should not henceforth live to " themselves, but to him that died for them." Did Christ only buy your persons, and not your services also ? No, whoever hath thy time, thy strength, or any part of either, I can assure thee, Christian, that Christ hath paid for it, and thou givest away what is none of thine own to give. Every moment of thy time is his ;
542 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SERM. XLII.
every talent, whether of grace or nature, is his ; and dost thou defraud him o£ his own ? O how liberal are you of your precious words and hours, as if Christ had never made a purchase of them ! O think of this, when thy life runs muddy and foul. When the fountain of corruption flows out at thy tongue, in idle frothy dis- courses ; or at thy hand, in sinful unwarrantable actions ? Doth this become the redeemed of the Lord ? Did Christ come from the bosom of his Father for this ? Did he groan, sweat, bleed, en- dure the cross, and lay down his life for this ? Was he so well pleased with all his sorrows and sufferings, his pangs and agonies, upon the account of that satisfaction he should have in seeing the travail of his soul? Isa. liii. 11. as if he had said, "Welcome " death, welcome agonies, welcome the bitter cup and heavy " burden ; I cheerfully submit to all this. These are travailing •• pangs indeed, but I shall see the beautiful birth at last. These " throws and agonies shall bring forth many lovely children to " God ; I shall have joy in them, and glory from them, to all " eternity. This blood of mine, these sufferings of mine, shall " purchase to me the persons, duties, services, and obedience of " many thousands that will love me, and honour me, serve me, " and obey me, with their souls and bodies which are mine." And doth not this engage you to look to your lives, and keep them pure ? Is not every one of Christ's wounds a mouth open to plead for more holiness, more service, and more fruit from you ? Oh ! what will engage you if this will not ? But, r, n Thirdly, This is not all ; as a man when
theYfrU * he.weiSh'eth a thinS' casteth in wei?ht after
. " l weight, till the scales are counterpoised ; so
doth God cast in engagement after engagement, and argument upon argument, till thy heart, Christian, be weighed up and won to this heavenly light. And therefore, as Elihu said to Job, chap, xxxvi. 22. " Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee what I have " yet to speak on God's behalf." Some arguments have already been urged on the behalf of the Father and Son, for purity and cleanness of life ; and next I have something to plead on the be- half of the Spirit. I plead now on his behalf, who hath so many times helped you to plead for yourselves with God. He that hath so often refreshed, quickened, and comforted you, he will be quenched, grieved, and displeased by an impure, loose, and care- less conversation ; and what will you do then ? Who shall comfort you when the Comforter is departed from you ? When he that should relieve your souls is far off? O grieve not the holy Spirit of God by which you are sealed, to the dav of redemption, Eph. iv. 30. There is nothing grieves him more than impure practices, for he is a holy Spirit. And look, as water damps and quenches
SEEM. XLII. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 543
the fire, so doth sin quench the Spirit, 1 Thes. v. 19- Will you quench the warm affections and burning desires which he hath kindled in your bosoms ? If you do, it is a question whether ever you may recover them again to your dying day. The Spirit hath a delicate sense. It is the most tender thing in the whole world. He feels the least touch of sin, and is grieved when thy corruptions within are stirred by temptations, and break out to the defiling of thy life ; then is the holy Spirit of God, as it were, made sad and heavy within thee. As that word w a^s/7s, Eph. iv. 30. may be rendered. For thereby thou resistest his motions, whereby in the way of a loving constraint he would lead and guide thee in the way of thy duty ; yea, thou not only resistest his motions, but crossest his grand design, which is to purge and sanctify thee wholly, and build thee up more and more to the perfection of holiness. And when thou thus forsakest his conduct, and crossest his design in thy soul, then doth he usually withdraw as a man that is grieved by the unkindness of his friend. He draws in the beams of his evidencing and quickening grace, withholds all his divine cordials, and saith, as it were, to the unkind and disingenuous soul,