' Covet rather graces than gifts ; as to pray more fervently, though less notionally or eloquently. Stiimmoring Mosos must pray rather than well-8pok(3n Aaron. The Co- rinlliiun.s caino Lfliiuti in no gift, 1 Cor. i. 7 ; yet were babes and carnal, chap. iii. 2, 3.
* Vide Lyra and Juniu.s on the words.
^ Tliat ii', tliey shall bo advanced by ine to great ha]ipino8s and glory, to groat dignity and felicity ; for in tlie Hebrew dialeet, adverbs of denying signify the contrary to the import of that verb whereunto they are joined, as might be sliewcd by many aoripturea.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 91
the appointed .season will speak life and love, mercy and glory, to the waiting soul.
And so I have done with the third use, which was to stir you up to look upon your graces with cautions.
4. To ijersuade iveak saints not to turn aside from the ivays of God, 7iorfrom the service of God, because of any hardships or difficuUies that they meet tvith in his icays or service.
There is a very great aptness in weak saints to take offence almost at everything, and to be discouraged by the least opposition, affliction, and temptation, and so to turn aside from the good old w^ay. Now that no difficulties nor hardships may turn you out of the way that is called hol}^ consider seriously of these few things.
[1.] First, Consider this, the Lord will sweeten more and more his services to you.
He will make his work to be more and more easy to your souls ; he will suit thy burden to thy back, and thy work to thy hand. . O weak soul ! thou shalt find that his grace will be sufficient to hold thee up and carry thee on, notwithstanding any difficulties or discouragements that be in the way. He will shed abroad that love that shall constrain thy soul, both to keep close to his service, and to delight in his service, 2 Cor. xii. 9 ; v. 1 4. He will make all his services to be easy to thee ; he will vouchsafe to thee that assisting grace that shall keep up thy head and heart from fainting and sinking under discouragements, as you may see in Ez«k. xxxvi. 25-28, ' And I will put my Spirit Avithin you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judg- ments, and do them.' So in Ps. Ixiii. 8, ' My soul followeth hard after thee,' (ay, but how comes this to pass ?) : ' Thy right hand upholds me.' I feel thy hand under me, drawing of my soul off after thee. Oh ! were not thy gracious hand under me, I should never follow hard after thee. The Lord will j^ut under his everlasting arms, O weak Christian ! and therefore though thy feet be apt to slide, yet his everlasting arms shall bear thee up. Therefore be not discouraged, do not turn aside from those paths that drop marrow and fatness, though there be a lion in the way.^
[2.] Secondly, Consider this, O weak saint ! that there is less danger and Jtardship in the ways of Christ, than there is in the ways of sin, Satan, or the tvorld.
That soul doth but leap out of the frying-pan into the fire, that thinks to mend himself by turning out of the Avay that is called holy. Oh ! the horrid drudgery that is in the ways of sin, Satan, or the world. Tliy worst day in Christ's service is better than thy best days, if I may so speak, in sin or Satan's service. Pro v. xi. 18, 19, and xxi. 21. Satan will pay the sinner home at last with the loss of God, Christ, heaven, and his soul for ever. ' But in the way of righteousness is life, joy, peace, honour, and in the pathway thereof there is no death,' Prov. xii. 28. ' His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all his paths are peace,' Prov. iii. 17.
^ The philosopher told his friends when they came into his little low cottage, Tlie gods are here with me. Surely God, and Christ, and the Spirit are, and will be, with weak saints, to aid and assist them in every gracious work.
92 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8
[3.] Thirdly, Remember, O weak saint ! that all those hardships that thou meetest ivith, do only reach the outward man.
They only reach the ignoble, the baser part of man ; they meddle not, they touch not, the noble part. ' With my mind I serve the law of God, though with my flesh the law of sin,' Ro"m. vii. 22. And verse 25, ' I delight in the law of God, after the inward man.' And indeed many of the heathen have encouraged themselves in this very consideration, against the troubles and dangers of this life.^ All the arrows that are shot at a Christian stick in his buckler, they never reach his conscience, his soul. The raging waves beat sorely against Noah's ark, but they touched not him. The soul is of too noble a nature to be touched by troubles. Jacob's hard service under Laban, and his being nipped by the frost in winter, and scorched by the sun in summer, did ouiy reach his outward man ; his soul had high communion, and sweat rellowship with God, under all his hardships. Gen. xxxi. 40. Ah, Christian ! bear up bravely, for whatever hardships thou meetest with in the ways of God, shall only reach thy outward man ; and under all ''.hese hardships thou mayest have as high and sweet communion with »_ od, as if thou hadst never known what hardships meant, Hosea ii. 14.
[4.] Fourthly, Tell me, 0 iveak saints ! have not you formerly en- joyed such siveet refreshings ivhile you have teen in the very service of God, as hath outiveighed all the troubles and hardships that your souls have met ivith ? I know you have and you know that you have often found that scripture made good ipon your hearts, Ps. xix. 11, 'More- over, by them is thy servant warned, and in keeping of them there is great reward.' Mark, he doth jiot say, 'for keeping of them there is great reward,' though that is a truth ; but, ' in keeping of them there is great rew;ud. While the soul is at work, God throws in the reward. Do not yon remember, O weak Christians ! when you have been in the service and way of God, how he hath cast in joy at one time and peace at another ■ &c. Oh ! the smiles, the kisses, the sweet discoveries that your souls have met with, whilst you have been in his ways. Ah, poor souls ^ do not you know that one hour's being in the bosom of Christ will make you forget all your hardships ? Heaven at last will make amends for all ; and the more hardships you find in the ways of God, the more sweet will heaven be to you when you come there.* Oh, how sweet is a harbour after a long storm, and a sunshine day after a dark and tem- pestuous night, and a warm spring after a sharp winter ! The miseries and difficulties that a man meets with in this world, will exceedingly sweeten the glory of that other world.
[o.j Lastly, consider, What hardships and difficvlties the men of this v:orld run throurj/t, to get the world, and undo their oum souls.