But the main use that I shall make of this point, shall be to exhort and stir you all up, to make a blessed improvement of your graces.
And indeed it is a point of most singular use to us all our days, a truth that is every day of very great concernment to our souls.
Now there are seven considerations that I shall propound by way of motive, to stir up your souls to make a blessed improvement of the grace and gifts you have received.
[1.] And the first is this : seriously consider, that the exercise and improvement of grace in your souls, will he more and more the death and ruin of sin in your souls.
Take it from experience ; there is not a choicer way than this for a man to bring under the power of his sin, than to keep up the exercise of his grace. Sin and grace are like two buckets at a well, when one is up the other is down ; they are like the two laurels at Eome, when one flourishes the other withers. Certainly, the readiest and the surest way to bring under the power of sin, is to be much in the exercise of grace : Rom. viii. 10, ' And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin : but the spirit is life because of righteousness.' The life and activity of Christ and grace in the soul, is the death and destruction of sin in the soul. The more grace acts in the soul, the more sin withers and dies in the soul. The stronger the house of David grew, 2 Sam. iii., the weaker the house of Saul grew. As the house of David grew every day stronger and stronger, so the house of Saul every day grew weaker and weaker. So the activity of the new man is the death of the old man. When Christ began to bestir himself in the temple, the money- changers quickly fled out, Mat. xxi. 12-14. So when grace is active and stirring in the soul, corruption quickly flies. A man may find out many ways to hide his sin, but he will never find out any way to subdue his sin, but by the exercise of grace. Of all Christians, none so morti- fied as those in whom grace is most exercised. Sin is a viper that must be killed, or it will kill you for ever ; and there is no way to kill it but by the exercise of grace.
[2.] Secondly, Consider this by way of motive to provoke you to exercise and improve your graces. The exercise and im2)rovement of your graces luill provoke others to bless and admire the God of grace. ' Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,'^ Mat. v. IG, — the light of your conversation, and the light of your graces. Oh how many thou-
^ Cupid complained he could never fasten upon the muses, because he could never find them idle. No Christians so free from Satan's assaults as active Christians are, nor none so templed as idle Christians. The Jewish liabbins report, that the same night that Israel departed out of Egypt towards Canaan, all the idols and idolatrous temples in Egypt, by lightning and earthquakes, were broken down. So when grace and holiness is set up in the heart, all the idols of Satan, which are men's lusts, are thrown down.
* The exercise of virtue will draw love from a man's very enemies. Tilligny, for his rare virtues, was reserved from death by his greatest enemies at the massacre of Paris ; as you may see in the French history in the Life of Charles the Ninth.
142 THE UNSEAKCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
sand souls be there now triumphing in heaven, whose gifts and graces shined gloriously when they were on earth. And ah ! how many thou- sands are there now on earth, that bless and admire the Lord for the shine of their graces who are now in heaven ; that bless the Lord for the faith of Abraham, and the zeal of David, and the meekness of Moses, and the patience of Job, and the courage of Joshua, &c. Ah, Christians ! as you would stir up others to exalt the God of grace, look to the exercise and improvement of your graces. When poor servants shall live in a family, and see the faith of a master, and the love of a master, and the wisdom of a master, and the patience of a master, and the humility of a master, &c., shining like so many stars of heaven, oh how doth it draw forth their hearts to bless the Lord, that ever they came into such a family ! It is not a profession of religion, but the exercise and improvement of grace, that contributes so much to the lifting up the glory of the Lord, and to the greatening of his praise in the world. Many saints have had their hearts warmed and heated by sitting by other saints' fires, by eyeing and dwelling upon other saints graces. Ah ! when men's graces shine as Moses his face did, when their lives, as one speaketh of Joseph's life, is a very heaven, sparkling with variety of virtues, as with so many bright stars ; ah ! how are others stirred up to glorify God, and to cry out, These are Christians indeed ! These are an honour to their God, a crown to their Christ, and a credit to their gospel. Oh ! if they were all such, we would be Christians too. It is a very great stumbling-block to many poor sinners, to see men that make a very great and large profession of Christ, never to exercise and shew forth the virtues of Christ. They profess they know him, and yet by the non-exercise of his virtues they deny him.'
It was one of Machiavel's principles, that the appearance of virtue was only to be sought, because the use of it, saith he, is a trouble, but the credit of it a help. I am afraid that this cursed soul-darnning principle is the best flower that grows in many men's gardens in these days. Though there is no virtue but is as a bright stone in a dark night, it shines and shews its clearness and beauty ; it is as pure gold, the brio-hter for passing throngh the fire ; yet how do most covet rather the name of virtue, than to be really virtuous ! Such, I believe, shall have the hottest and the lowest place in hell.^ Well, Christians, remember this, it is not a show of grace, but the exercise of grace, that will pro- voke others to glorify the fountain of grace. That is a very remarkable scripture, 1 Thes. i. 2, 3, 8, compared, ' We give thanks to God always for you, making mention of you in our prayers ; remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, and our Father. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad.' In this eighth verse you have an elegant metaphor, which signifies, that their faith was so lively, that with its sound, as it were, it -stirred up other nations. The Greek word is to sound as with tlie sound of a
1 Those in whom virtue is extinguished are like unto painted and printed papers, which ignorant men honour and worship instead of Oiirist. — Raleigh.