lono- time followed with these horrid temptations, at last he thought to get rid of them, by yielding to that he judged the least, and that was to be drunk ; but when he was drunk, he did both lie with his mother and murder his father.' Why, such a hellish nature is in every soul that breathes ! and did God leave men to act according to their natures, men would be all incarnate devils, and this world a perfect hell. Such is the corruption of our nature, that propound any divine good to it, it is entertained as fire by water ; but propound any evil, and it is like fire to straw. It is like the foolish satyr that made haste to kiss the fire ; it is like that unctuous matter, which the naturalists say that it sucks and snatches the fire to it with which it is consumed. There was a holy man that rarely heard of other men's crimson sins, but he usually bedewed the place with his tears, considering that the seeds of those very sins was in his own nature. In thy nature thou hast that that would lead thee with the pharisees to oppose Christ ; and with Judas, to betray Christ ; and with Pilate, to condemn Chnst ; and with the soldiers, to crucify Christ, &c. Oh, what a monster, what a devil wouldst thou prove, should God but leave thee to act suitable to that sinful and woful nature of thine !
[4.] Fourthly, Dwell much upon the imperfectmi that foUoivs and cleaves to thy best actions.
Oh the wanderings ! Oh the deadness, the dulness, the fruitless- ness of thy spirit in religious duties ! Man is a creature apt to hug himself in religious services, and to pride himself in holy duties ; and to stroke himself after duties, and to warm himself by the sparks of his own fire, his own performances, though he does lie down in sorrow for it, Isa. 1. 11. Whenever thou comest off from holy services, sit down, and look over the spots, blots, and blemishes that cleave to your choicest services. The fairest day has its clouds, the richest jewels their fiaws, the finest faces their spots, the fairest copies their blots, and so have our finest and fairest duties.
Plutarch tells of a private soldier of Julius Caesar's, who fought so vahantly in Britain, that by his means he saved the captains, which otherwise were in great danger to be cast away, being driven into a bog, then marching with gi-eat pain through the mire and dirt : in the end he got to the other side, but left his shield behind him. Caesar, won- dering at his noble courage, ran to him with joy to embrace him ; but the poor soldier, hanging down his head, the water standing in his eyes, fell down at Ca?sar's feet, and besought him to pardon him, for that he had left his shield behind him.^ You know how to apply it. He had done gallantly, yet he falls down at Caesar's feet, after his brave ser- vice, with tears in his eyes, upon the sense of his leaving his shield behind him. When we have done our best, we have cause to fall down at Jesus's feet, and with tears in our eyes sue out our pardon.
[5.] Fifthly, In the day of thy 2^'i'osperity, forget not thy foi'Tner 2)overty.
In the day of thy present greatness, forget not thy fomner meanness. Humble Jacob, in the day of his prosperity, remembers his former poverty : ' With my staff I passed over Jordan, and now I am become
' Given in ' Precious Remedies.' Cf. Vol. I. p. 20, and note. — G. * Plutarch. [^Julitu Coesar .- Britain.— G.]
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 39
two bands,' Gen. xxxii. 10. And so David, in his prosperity, remem- bered that his sheep-hook was changed into a sceptre, and his seat of turf into a royal throne, Ps. Ixxviii. 71, 1 Chron. xvii. And when Joseph was a royal favourite, he remembered that he had been an im- prisoned slave. And when Gideon was raised to be a saviour to Israel, he remembered how God took him from the threshing-floor, Judges vi. 11, and how God changed his threshing instrument of wood into one of iron, to thresh the mountains, as God liimseif phraseth it, Isa. xli. 15.
Primislaus, the first king of Bohemia, kept his country shoes always by him, to remember from whence he was raised.
Agathocles, by the furniture of his table, confessed that from a potter he was raised to be a king of Sicily.
We live in times wherein many a man hath been raised from the dunghill to sit with princes ; and oh that such were wise to remember their former low and contemptible beings, and to walk humbly before the Lord ! otherwise who can tell but that greater contempt shall be poured forth upon them, than that which they have poured upon princes.
[6.] Sixthly, Look wpon all that you have received, and all that you shall hereafter receive, as the fruit of free grace.
Look upon thy adoption, and write this motto. This is the fruit of free grace. Look upon thy justification, and write this motto, This is the fruit of free grace. Look upon all thy graces, and write, These are the fruits of free grace. Look upon thy experiences, and write, These are the fruits of free grace. Look upon thy strength to mth- stand temptations, and write. This is the fruit of free grace. Look upon divine power to conquer corruptions, and write. This is the fruit of free grace. Look upon the bread thou eatest^ the beer thou drinkest, the clothes thou wearest, &c., and write. These are the fruits of free grace. 1 Cor. IV. 7, ' Who maketh thee to differ from another ? and what hast thou that thou hast not received ? and if thou hast received it, why dost thou glory as though thou hadst not received it ?' Who maketh thee to differ ? Episcopius, a great insolent Arminian, answered, Ego me ipsum discerno, I make myself to differ, to wit, by the improve- ment of nature.
This age is full of such proud monsters, ; but an humble soul sees free grace to be the spring and fountain of all his mercies and com- forts ; he writes free grace upon all his temporals, and upon all his spirituals, &c.
[7.] The seventh direction is, Meditate much upon these two things :
First, The great mischief that sin hath done in the world.
It cast angels out of heaven, and Adam out of paradise. It hath lain the first corner-stone in hell, and ushered in all the evils and miseries that be in the world. It hath threw down Abraham, the best believer in the world ; and Noah, the most righteous man in the world ; and Job, the uprightest man in the world; and Moses, the meekest man in the world ; and Paul, the greatest apostle in the world. Oh, the diseases, the crosses, the losses, the miseries, the deaths, the hells, that sin hath brought upon the world !
Basil wept when he saw the rose, because it brought to his mind the
40 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
first sin, from whence it had the prickles, which it had not while man continued in innocency, as he thought! Oh, when he saw the prickles his soul wept ; so when we see, hear, or read of the blood, misery, wars, and ruins that sin has brought upon us, let us weep and lie humble before the Lord.