Many a valiant person dares fight in a battle or a duel, who yet will ' Many of the English have in this been like the Israelites, &c.
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 1G9
be timorous and fearful if suddenly surprised in a midnight alarm. Many precious souls, when they have time to consider of the evil of sin, the holiness of God, the eye of God, the honour of God, the glory of the gospel, the joys of the saints, and the stopping of the mouths of sinners, will rather die than sin ; they will rather suffer anything tlian do the least thing that may be a reproach to Christ. Oh ! but when a sudden occasion or temptation is presented, why, then they often fall ; as David, by chance, spied Bathsheba washing herself, and falls before the tempta- tion ; he is conquered and earned captive by that sudden occasion. But that is a more comfortable and considerable passage that you have concerning Joseph, in Gen. xlix 23, 24, ' The archers sorely grieved him,' saith the text, ' and shot at him, and hated him : but his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.' Joseph never wanted counsel nor courage when he was at the worst. Souls rich in grace usually stand firm under the greatest and suddenest pressures, assaults, and invasions, as you may see in Paul, 2 Cor. i. 9-12 ; and so the three ciiildren ; and so Daniel ; and so those worthies, Heb. xi. 35, ' They would not accept of deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.' Many sudden assaults and attempts were made upon them ; their enemies would fain have stormed them, and overcome them ; sometimes by golden offers, sometimes by terrible threats, but they are invincible ; nothing stirs them, nothing takes them. Really, friends, it must be much grace that will make a man live up to this principle ; and there is nothing that speaks out more the strength of grace m a man, than his standing against sudden assaults and invasions that by the devil and the world are made upon him. You may talk of this, but without much grace you will never be able to do it, &c.
(7.) Seventhly and lastly. It is your principle, that your hearts are to he ready for every work that God shall iinpose upon you.
You are not to choose your employment, neither are you to refuse any employment that God shall put upon you. You are always to have an open ear, a ready hand, an obedient heart, and a willing cheerful soul to fall in with what work or service soever it is that God shall put upon you ; this is your principle. Ay, but tell me. Christians, Avill a little grace enable a man to live up to this principle ? I judge not. You are to stand ready to change your employment from better to worse, if the Lord shall be pleased to order it so. You are to be ready to change your crown for a cross ; to change that employment that is lionourable, for that that is mean and low ; and that which is more profitable, for that which is less profitable : as it were from the ruling of a province, to the keeping of a herd ; from being a lord, to be a servant ; from being a servant to great men ; to be a servant to the meanest servant, yea, to the poorest beast. Certainly a little grace will never enable a man l:)ravely and sweetly to live up to this principle. Their hearts that are poor in grace, are like a wounded hand or arm, which being but imperfectly cured, can only move one way, and cannot turn to all postures and all natural uses.
Weak Christians are very apt to three things, to choose their mercies, to choose their crosses, and to choose their employments.
They are often unwilling that God himself should choose out their way
170 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
or their work. But now souls that are rich in grace, they are at God's beck and check ; they are wilhng that God shall choose their work and their way ; they are willing to be at his dispose ; to be high or low ; to serve or to be served ; to be something or to be nothing, &c. Now I beseech you, Christians, that you would seriously and frequently re- member this, that there is nothing in all the world that is such an honour to God, and a glory to the gospel, as for Christians to live up to their principles ; nor nothing such a reproach to God and his ways, as this, for men to live below their principles, and to act contrary to their principles. And you will never be able to live up to your principles, nor to live out your principles, except you grow rich in grace ; therefore labour, I say, labour as for life, to abound in grace, &c.
[5.] Now the fifth motive is this, consider that souls rich in grace are a mighty blessing to the land and place where they live.