Polybius, speaking of Horatius his keeping of the field against his enemies' forces, saith, ' That his enemies were more afraid of his faith than of his warlike strength.' And truly there is nothing that renders men more dreadful to an understanding enemy than their faith. Oh ! it is brave for men to believe down the power of darkness, to believe down those that war against the Lamb, &c. No way to get an enemy down like this ; nor no way to keep an enemy down like this ; no way to save a kingdom like this ; nor no way to keep a kingdom like this. The nation is beholden to none so much as to believing souls. O Eng- land ! England ! thou hadst long before this been a prey to men that
' Mary Queen of Scots, that was mother to king James, was wont to say that she feared Master Kuox's prayers, who was a man of much faith, more than au army of tea thou- sand men.
188 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
delight in blood, had it not been for the faith of the worm Jacob, &c. Christians ! as you would have Christ, go on and do more and more for England; as you would be crowned with the choicest and the chiefest blessings, and as you would have vengeance executed upon all that hate, that wage war against and persecute Christ and the saints, be mighty in believing.
(9.) Ninthly and lastly, Faith is a root grace; and will the branches flourish if the root luither ?
Oh ! therefore, water this root, have an eye to this root. If you have a choice root in any of your gardens, oh how careful are you of it ! you will mind it and water it and look to it, &c. Well, of all graces faith is the root grace, and if this die you will find your graces to lan- guish. Your hope, love, fear, patience, humility, joy,- &c., can never out- ,.. live your faith. These live together and they die together ; therefore, l| above all, labour to be rich in faith, for this is a root grace, and if this flourish all other graces will flourish ; but if this decay, all other graces will lose their strength, beauty, glory, &c.
And thus much for the fifth proposition. We come now to the si^th proposition, and that is this :
[(5.] That no gracious souls do at all times cdike grow and thrive in spiritual riches.
A child sometimes shoots up more in a month than he doth at other times in many months, and sometimes more in a year than he does after- wards in many years. And do not plants and trees sometimes shoot up more in a week than in many, &c. So,, many a Christian thrives more, and gets more spiritual riches in one month than in many, in one year than in many. I appeal to your experiences, Christians ! don't you find it so ? I know you do. To cite Scripture to prove this would be to cast water into the sea^ and to light candles to see the sun at noon. Sin and Satan do sometimes wark more violently and more strongly in the souls of saints than at other times. Now, when sin and Satan work most, and prevail most, then grace thrives least. As the life of grace is the death of sin, and the growth of grace the decay of sin, so the increase of sin is the decay of grace, and the strengthening of sin is the weaken- ing of grace.
Again, No saints have at all times alike gales of the Spirit of God, and therefore they do not grow in spiritual riches at all times alike. No ships have at all times the same gales of wind, &c. A man thrives in spiritual riches as the gales of the Spirit of God are upon him, and no otherwise. When the Spirit of the Lord doth blow most sweetly and strongly upon his heart, then his graces thrive and flourisli moat, then those beds of spices do yield the most fragrant smell ; but wlien the Spirit of the Lord doth withdraw and withhold his influences, how doth the strength and glory of grace wither and decay ! Latimer said of the Spirit, that it is coming and going, &c.
Tlie herb heliotropiuni doth turn about, and open and shut, accord- ing to the motion of the sun ; so do the graces of the saints according to the internal gales, motions, and operations of the Spirit, &c.
Again, no saints have at all times the like external advantages and opportunities of growing rich in spirituals. They have not the word, it may be, in that power and life as formerly; or it may be they enjoy
EpH. III. 8.] RICHES OF CHRIST. 189
not the communion of saints as formerly ; or if they do, yet perhaps those that have formerly been as fire to warm and inflame them, are now become water to cool them, and deaden them ; or it mav be they have not those advantages for closet duties as formerly ; or it may be, the course of nature is changed ; and if so, it is no wonder that they thrive not in spirituals as formerly. When children have not as o-ood food, and as good lodging, and as good looking after as at other times, no wonder if they thrive not as at other times. When men have not the same advantages and opportunities to grow rich in the world as for- merly, do Ave wonder that they thrive not as before ? Surely no.
And sometimes this arises from the breaking of some bone by sin. David found it so. Many a man, by breaking a bone, is much hindered from thriving in the world. Oh ! this broken arm, this broken leg, hath cost me many a fair pound which otherwise I might have got. Oh friends ! sin is the breaking of the bones, the breaking of a man's peace and communion with God ; it is the breaking of his hope and confidence in God ; it is the disjoining of a man from God ; and so it hinders a man's spiritual growth : Isa. lix. 1, 2 ; chap. Ixiv. 7 ; Gal. vi. 1. Believe it, Christians ! if you play and dally with sin, if you fall in with sin, if you make one with sin, you will never grow rich in spirituals. Sin will cause such a breaking of bones, as will undoubtedly hinder the pros- perity of your souls. And so much for the sixth proposition.
[7.] The seventh and last proposition that I shall propound is this : A man may groiv rich in those graces that are more remote from Christ, that are less conversant about Christ, ivhen he doth not grow rich in those graces, tho.t, as special favourites, stand always at the elbow of Christ, and are most busied and conversant aJjout Christ. Let me open it thus to you :