nations were m heaven, whilst they tabernacled on earth. Whilst this lower world had their bodies, the world above had their hearts, and their affections. Their actions and their designs were all for heaven. Men that improved troubles and comforts ; losses and grains, smiles and frowns, and all for heaven. Men that did extract heaven out of spirituals, out of temporals, out of all things ; their hearts were full of heavenly meditations, their mouths of heavenly communications, and their practices of heavenly inclina- tions : O what singular help is this ! Where they followed Christ, and kept the way, they are propounded for your imitation ; and where any of them turned aside, you have a mark set upon that action for your caution and prevention. Doth any strange or un- usual trial befal you, in which you are ready to say with the church, Lam. i. 12. " Was there ever any sorrow like unto my " sorrow ?" Here you may see " the same affliction accomplished " in your brethren," 1 Pet. v. 9- Here is a store of good com- pany to encourage you. Do the world and the devil endeavour to turn you from your duty, by loading it with shameful scoffs, or sufferings ? In this case you may look to Jesus, who despised the shame ; and to your brethren, " who counted it their honour to be " dishonoured for the name of Christ*,'" as the original of the text, Acts v. 41. may be translated. Is it a dishonour to thee, to be ranked with Abraham, Moses, David, and such as were the glory of the ages they lived in ? Art thou at any time under a faint fit of discouragement, and ready to despond under any bur- den ? Oh, how mayest thou be animated by such examples, when such a qualm comes over thy heart? Some sparks of their holy courage cannot choose but steal into thy breast, whilst thou con- siderest them. In them, God hath set before thee the possibility of overcoming all difficulties, thou seest men of the same mould, who had the same trials, discouragements and fears, that now thou hast, and yet overcame all. How is thy unbelief checked, when thou sayest, Oh ! I shall never reach the end, I shall one day utterly pe- rish ! Why dost thou say so ? Why may not such a poor creature as thou art, be carried through as well as they ? Had not they the same temptations and corruptions with you ? Were they not all troubled with a naughty heart, an ensnaring world, and a busy devil, as well as you ? Alas ! when they put on the divine, they did not put off the human nature ; but complained, and feared, as you do ; and yet were carried through all.
O what an advantage have you this way ! They that first trusted in Christ, had not such helps as you. You stand upon their shoul- ders. You have the benefit of their experiences. You that are
* Or/ ufffcg ra ovo/Aaroc aura xuTvjQotirrfav an^a,Srtvai.
SERM. XLIT. THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. 553
fallen into the last times, have certainly the best helps to holiness ; and yet, will not you live strictly and purely ? Will you put on the name and profession of Christians, and yet be lofty in your spirits ; earthly in your designs; neglective of duty ; frothy in your com- munications ? Pray, from which of all the saints did you learn to be proud ? Did you learn that from Christ, or any of his ? From which of his saints did you learn to be earthly and covetous, pas- sionate or censorious, over-reaching and crafty ? If you have read of any such evils committed by them, have you not also read of their shame and sorrow, their repentance and reformations ? If you have found any such blots in their lives, it was left there de- signedly to prevent the like in yours. O, what an help to holiness is this !
Thirdly, And this is not all. You have not only a principle within you, and a pattern before you, but you have also an omni- potent assistant to help, and encourage you throughout your way. Are you feeble and infirm ? and is every temptation, even the weakest, strong enough to turn you out of the way of your duty ? Lo, God hath sent his Spirit to help your infirmities, Horn. viii. 26. No matter then how weak you are, how many and mighty your difficulties and temptations are, as long as you have such an assistant to help you. Great is your advantage for a holy life this way also. For,
(1.) First, When a temptation to sin presses sore upon you, he pleads with your consciences within, whilst Satan is tempting with- out. How often hath he brought such scriptures to your remem- brance, at the very opportunity, as have saved you out of the temptation ? If you attend his voice, you may hear such a voice within you, as that, Jer. xliv. 4. " O do not this abominable thing " which I hate !" What mighty strivings were there in the heart of Spira, as himself relates ? He heard, as it were, a voice within him, saying, Do not write, Spira, do not write. To this purpose is that promise, Isa. xxx. 20, 21. " Thine eyes shall behold thy " teachers, and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, " This is the way, walk ye in it ? when ye turn to the right-hand, " and when ye turn to the left."11 Here you have a two-fold help to holiness, the outward teaching of the word, verse 20. and the inward teachings of the Spirit, verse 21. He shall say this is the way, when ye are turning aside to the right-hand, or to the left. Alluding to a shepherd, saith one, who, driving his sheep before him ; whistles them in, when he sees them ready to stray.
(2.) Secondly, When ye walk holily and closely with God in your duties, and the Spirit encourages you to go on, by those inward comforts, sealings, and jovs, you have from him at such times;
551 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE. SEEM. XLH.
how often does he entertain your souls in public ordinances, in private duties, with his hidden Manna, with marrow and fatness, with incomparable and unspeakable comforts, and all this to strengthen you in your way, and encourage you to hold on ?
(3.) Thirdly, When you are indisposed for duties, and find vour hearts emptv and dry, he is ready to fill them, quicken and raise them ; so that oftentimes the beginning and end of your prayers, hearing or meditations, are as vastly different, as if one man had begun, and another ended the duty. O then, what as- sistances for a holy life have you ! Others indeed are bound to resist temptations, as well as you ; but, alas ! having no special as- sistance from the Spirit, what can they do ? It may be, they reason with temptation a little while, and in their own strength re- solve against it ; but how easy a conquest doth Satan make, where no greater opposition is made to him than this ? Others are bound to hear, meditate, and pray, as well as you ; else the neglect of those duties would not be their sin : But, alas, what pitiful work do they make of it ! being left to the hardness and vanity of their own hearts ; when you spread your sails, you have a gale, but they lie wind-bound, heart-bound, and can do nothing spiritually in a way of duty.