Henry the Second of France, being present at the martyrdom of a certain tailor burnt by him for religion, was so temfied by beholding the wisdom, courage, faith, and constancy of the said martyr, that he
' They shall shine as so many suns in heaven, who arc much in stirring and provoking of others to the exercise of grace and holiness, Dan. xii. 3, vi. 1, 2.
2 So what a deal of respect and honour did Alexander the Great put upon Judas the high priest, Theodosius upon Ambrose, and Constantine upon Paphnutius, ki.ssin}? that eye of his that was bored out for the cause of Christ, &c. ' Qu. ' contestation ' ? — Ed.
EpH. III. 8.] EICHES OF CHRIST. 145
swore at his going away, ' that he would never be any more present at such a sight/'
[5.] Fifthly, Bivell much iipon the sweet nature of grace, if you would have your souls carried out to the exercise and improvement of graxie.
The name of grace and the nature of grace is very sweet. The Hebrew word that is rendered grace signifies favour and mercy ; and it answers to the Greek word yj^^'i, that signifies favour and mercy ; and some derive the Greek word from a word that signifies joy,^ because grace begets the greatest joy and sweetness in the spirits of men that possibly can be.^
Grace is compared to the sweetest things ; to sweet spices, to wine and milk. Grace is a beam of the Sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is a sweet flower of paradise, a spark of glory, &c. It is cherished and maintained by that sweet word, that is sweeter than the honey or the honey-comb, and by sweet union and communion with the Father and the Son.* It is exercised about the sweetest objects, viz., God, Christ, promises, and future glory. It sweetens all your ser- vices and duties. Your best performances are but stinking sacrifices, if they are not attended with the exercise of grace. Grace is that heavenly salt that makes aU our services savoury and sweet in the nostrils of God. Grace is of the greatest and sw^eetest use to the soul ; it is an anchor at sea, and a shield at land ; it is a staff to uphold the soul, and a sword to defend the soul ; it is bread to strengthen the soul, and wine to cheer the soul ; it is physic to cure all diseases, and a plaster to heal all wounds, and a cordial to strengthen the soul under all faintings, &c. Grace is thy eye to see for Christ, thy ear to hear for Christ, thy head to contrive for Christ, thy tongue to speak for Christ, thy hand to do for Christ, and thy feet to walk with Christ. Grace makes meo of the fro- wardest, sourest, crabbedest natures, to be of a sweet, lovely, amiable, pleasing temper, Isa. xi. 7-9. It turns lions into lambs, wolves into sheep, monsters into men, and men into angels, as you may see in Manasseh, Paul, Mary Magdalene, Zaccheus, and others. Yet sometimes grace, in a rugged unhewn nature, is like a gold ring on a leprous hand, or a diamond set in iron, or a jewel in a swine's snout, &c.^
[6.] Sixthly, By way of motive, consider this, that tvicked men do eocercise and improve to the uttermost, all those principles of ttncked- ness that be in them, against the ways of God, the honour of God, and the comforts of the saints.
Now shall wicked men improve all their principles to the uttermost against God, his truth, and saints, &c. ; and shall not saints improve then- graces to the honour of God, the advancement of ti'uth, and the joy and benefit one of another ? You may see the activity of wicked men's spirits in Pro v. iv. 16, ' They sleep not unless they have done mis- chief, and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.' Epit. Hist. Gal. 82.
' Cf. Sibbes, note e, vol. iii. p. 529, on x"-^'' ^^^ XHl^'^- — ^•
' Grace is a panoply against all troubles, and a paradise of all pleasures.
' Cant. iv. 10, 14, 16, vi. 2 ; Isa. Iv. 1,2; Ps. cxix. 103 ; 1 John i. 3, 4.
' Latimer told the clergy and the bishops, that if they would not learn diligence and vigilance of the prophets and apostles, they should learn it of the devil, who goes up and down his diocese.
14-6 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
Oh, they cannot rest ! ' The wicked are like the troubled sea,' as Isaiah speaks, ' when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt,' Isa. Ivii. 20, 21.^ So in 2 Pet. ii. 14, ' Having eyes full of adultery, that can- not cease from sin, beguiling unstable souls.' An heart they have, exer- cised with covetous practices ; cursed children,' they break all promises and covenants with God and man, as Samson did the new ropes. So in Prov. xix. 19, ' A man of great wrath shall suffer punishment, for if thou deliver him, yet thou must do it again.' The Hebrew word tos/p/i signifies to add. Saith he. Thou must add deliverance to deliver- ance, for he will still be a-adding sin to sin. So the Radix, jasaph, is used, Deut. xxix. 19, and in several other scriptures. Such sinners make God a god of clouts, one that will not do as he saith. Ahab, after he was threatened with utter rooting out, begat fifty sons, as it were to cross God, and to try it out with him. Let God thunder in his judg- ments, yet he will add sin to sin, he will proceed from evil to evil, tiil he comes to the very top of evil, viz., to be hardened in sin, and to scoff at holiness, &c., Jer. ix. 3.
The old Italians were wont, in time of thunder, to shoot off their greatest ordnance, and to ring their greatest beUs, to drown the noise of the heavens. So let God thunder from heaven, yet wicked men will so improve their wicked principles, that their consciences may not hear the noise of the thunder-claps of divine displeasure.^ The covetous man will improve his earthly principles, and. the ambitious man his ambitious principles, and the voluptuous man his voluptuous principles, and the unchaste man his unclean principles, and the erroneous man his errone- ous principles, and the blasphemous man his blasphemous principles, &c. Ah sirs ! shall wicked men thus improve their wicked principles to the uttermost against God, Christ, and religion, and against the prosperity, peace, joy, and happiness of the saints ? And shall not saints improve their graces to the utteimost for the honour of the Lord, the advance- ment of religion, and the mutual profit and benefit of each other ?
[7.] Seventhly, The more high and excellent any man is in grace, the more highly he shall be exalted in glory.
Oh ! therefore, exercise your grace, improve your grace. As you would be high in heaven, labour to improve your graces much while you are here on earth ; for glory will be given out at last according to the exercise and improvement of your grace.