Lam. hi. 24.] an ark for all god's noahs. 1 07
to seek after an interest and propriety in God ! All true propriety and interest in God is of a diffusive nature ; it is like light, that will spread itself over all ; it is like leaven, that will run through all ; it is like Mary's box of sweet ointment, that filled all the house with the sweet scent thereof If thou art a minister, evidence thy propriety in God in doing all thou canst to provoke those that are under thy charge to secure their propriety in God; other things cannot be secured, but propriety in God may be secured, Acts xxvi. 29. If thou art a magis- trate that hast a propriety in God, evidence it by doing all thou canst, by thy commands, and by thy counsel, and by thy example, and by thy prayers, to persuade and win others over to be restless till they have secured their interest and propriety in God, Joshua xxiv. 15. If thou art a father that hast interest and propriety in God, oh, then, let thy soul be still in travail for thy children, till Christ be formed in them, till they are new born, and till they have experienced the power and sweet of propriety and interest in God. But,
[2. J Secondly, Evidence your propriety and interest in God, hy keep- ing far off from all such sinful courses, practices, and compliances, that may any ways put yourselves or others to question the ti^th of your propi^ety and interest in God. Thus did those worthies, * of whom this world was not worthy,' in that Heb. xi. It is very ob- servable that when the holy things belonging to the sanctuary were to be removed, God commanded Aaron and his sons that there should be a special care had to cover them all over, lest in journeying dust should any ways soil them. Num. iv. 5-13. O beloved ! it highly concerns you that have an interest and propriety in God, to look narrowly to your hearts, words, works, and ways, and to see that there be such a cover- ing of grace and holiness, such a covering of care, fear, wisdom, watch- fulness, and circumspection over your whole man, that no scandalous sins, pollutions, or defilements be found upon you ; according to that exhortation of the apostle, in that Philip, ii. 15, ' That ye may be blame- less and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine (or shine ye) as lights in the world.' Rev. x;iv. 3-5, chap. iii. 4. I have read of the dove, that there is such a native dread of the hawk implanted in her, that she is afraid of every feather that hath grown upon a hawk, and that she so detests and abhors the very sight of any such feather that she will fly from it, and keep at the greatest distance imaginable from it. And shall not that divine fear, O Christians ! that is planted by the hand of the Spirit in your hearts, be of as great force and preva- lency to keep your souls from all those enormities and wicked com- pliances that may in the least occasion you or others to question your propriety and interest ? Remember Francis Spira, and tremble ! You know a scrivener may by one great blot at last spoil all that he hath done for many days before upon a large patent or lease ; so a man may by one foul blot, by one enormous crime, by one wretched act of com- pliance, dash and obliterate the fairest copy of a virtuous life, and raze out all the visible golden characters of divine graces that once seemed to be printed upon the soul. Look, as one drop of ink coloureth a whoLe glass of water, so one gross sin, one shameful action, one hour's compliance with anything of antichrist, will colour and stain all the great
108 AN ARK FOR ALL GOD's NOAHS. [LAM. Ill 24.
things that ever you have suffered, and all the good things that ever you have performed ; it will stain and colour all the good prayers that ever you have made, and all the good sermons that ever you have heard, and all the good books that ever you have read, and all the good words that ever you have spoke, and all the good works that ever you have done. And therefore, whatever you do, keep off from sin, and keep off from all sinful compliances, as you would keep off from hell itself But,
[3.] Thirdly, Declare and evidence your propriety and interest in God, hy maintaining and keeping up the sense of your interest and propi^ty in God, in opposition to all other interest whatsoever. Maintain your interest in God in opposition to sin's interest, and in op- position to Satan's interest, and in opposition to the world's interest, and in opposition to antichrist's interest, and in opposition to all carnal and superstitious interests, Ps. Ixiii. 1, Rev. xiv. 1-4 : as Moses did, and as Joshua and Caleb did, and as Mordecai and Nehemiah did, and as Daniel and the three children did, and as the apostles and the primi- tive Christians did. Certainly the heart of a gracious man cannot but rise, and his anger and indignation cannot but swell, against every thing and every interest that threatens to make a breach upon his inte- rest and propriety in God, Ps. Ixix. 9. A man that hath an interest and propriety in God, in the midst of all oppositions, is like a man made up all of fire, walking in stubble and straw : he overcomes and consumes all oppositions, and all difficulties are but whetstones to his fortitude. He encourages his soul in the face of all oppositions and dangers, as Hezekiah once did his soldiers in that 2 Chron. xxxii. 7, 8, ' Be strong and courageous, be not dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him : for there be more with us than with him. With him is an arm of flesh ; but with us is the Lord our God, to help us, and to fight our battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of Judah.' He is a fool, we say, that will be laughed out of his coat ; but certainly he is a fool, in folio that will be laughed out of his skin, nay, out of his soul, out of his profession, out of his eternal salvation ; but doubtless such fools as these have never experienced the sweet of propriety and interest in God. Without all peradventure, there were many broad jests and many bitter scoffs broken upon Noah, whilst he was a-building of his ark. The people laughed at him, and derided him, and thought the poor old man doated and dreamed, not, as we say, of a dry summer, but of a wet win- ter ; but yet Noah's propriety and interest in God being clear, Noah begins his work, and goes on his work, and never ceases till he had finished that work that God had set him about.