(4.) Fourthly, That they may imitate the Lord Jesus Christ, that they may be the more conformable to Christ their head, luho pro- poses his holiness to believers as a pattern for them tofoUoiv, as a copy for them to write after: 1 John ii. 6, ' He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked.' Now saith the believer, oh how holy, how humble, how heavenly, how meek, how compassion- ate, how zealous, how exemplary, how convincing, how winning, how obedient was he when in tliis world ! and therefore, O my soul ! look to it, that thou makest it thy business, thy work, thy heaven, to imitate
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 3.51
the Lord Jesus to the utmost that thou art able to reach to, Mat. xi. 28, 29.
(5.) Fifthly, Though not for the obtaining of salvation, that being made sure to vs by Christ, yet for the obtaining of a^ssurance of sal- vation, and for the inaldng of our calling and election sure, accord- ing to that luord, 2 Peter i. 5-11.
(6.) Sixthly, That they may keep up their communion luith God; for though the union the saints have with God by Christ depends wholly upon that which is without, viz., their being married to Christ, and clothed with his righteousness, yet the communion which the saints have with God through the Spirit hath much dependence upon a saint's walking, and upon his obedience ; so that, if a saint shall dare to walk carnally and loosely, though he shall not break the marriage-knot, and lose his union, yet he will by such sinful practices grieve the Spirit, and lose his communion with God, Jer. iii. 14, Isa. xlix. 1, 2. But on the other hand, when a believer walks spiritually, graciously, obedientially, oh what sweet communion ! what delightful communion ! what hio-h communion, what commodious communion ! what soul-satisfyino-, soul- ravishing, soul-filling, soul-contenting communion with God does he then enjoy! When the child walks wisely and obedientially before his father, what sweet and delightful convei'ses and communion is there between the father and the child ; but if the child walk foolishly, stub- bornly, rebelliously, disobediently, the prudent father will carry it severely, strangely, frowningly, and at a distance. Though his heart be still full of love to his child, and though he won't disinherit him, yet he will not be familiar with him. The application is easy, &c.
(7.) Seventhly, To keep dovm the body, and to bring it into subjec- tion to the soul : 1 Cor. ix. 27, ' But I keep under my body, and brino- it into subjection.' By spiritual exercises the apostle did subdue his flesh to the obedience and discipline of the Spirit. In former times they had several exercises, as wrestling, and running for the prize. Now, such as were slow, pursy, unwieldy, and lazy, were cashiered; they would not admit such to be of their society or company, who wrestled and run for the prize. Them that were admitted to those exercises kept their bodies at an under, and did not pamper their bodies with dainties and delicates. To these the apostle alludes ; of idleness there comes no goodness. When the spirit is not acting in that which is good, that the flesh may be kept under, the flesh will take an advantage to be very- active in those things that are evil, that the spirit may be kept under ; the flesh is like an unruly beast, which through rest, idleness, and high feeding, grows ■s%dld and masterless. Now, the only way to tame this beast is to work him hard ; so the way of ways to keep the bodv under is to keep up the soul as much as may be, in the full exercise of holi- ness and obedience. Such as have most pampered their bodies, have been the greatest enemies to their own souls ; and how many are there this day that pamper their bodies, but starve their souls ; that adorn their bodies, but defile their soul ; that trick and trim up their bodies with gold, and silver, and silks, whilst their souls are naked of all grace, holiness, and goodness, like the Laodiceans of old.^ The body itself, if you set too high a price upon it, will make a cheap ' Deut. xxxii. 13-17 ; Jer. v. 7, 8, &c. ; Rev. iii. 16-18.
852 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.
soul ; a man may be as happy in russet as in tissue ; and he is cer- tainly an unhappy man whose outside is his best side. Our bodies are but dirt handsomely tempered, and artificially formed ; we derive our pedigree from the dust, and are akin to clay ; and therefore we need not scruple the keeping of it under by holy exercises, and by all ways of gospel obedience, &c. 11
(8.) Eighthly, To the profit and advantage both of sinners and saints. [1.] To convince sinners, to silence sinners, and to stop the mouths of sinners. Let but one man that walks wisely, humbly, cir- cumspectly, convincingly, exemplarily, blamelessly, come into a town, a parish, a family, made up of drunkards, swearers, Sabbath-breakers, whoremasters, &c., and his holy walking will convince them and con- demn them, 1 Peter ii. 12, 15; chap. iii. 13, 16. [2.] To the profit, advantage, and encouragement of the saints. The strict, exact-walking Christian provokes the slight, loose Christian to mend his manners, and to order his steps and conversation aright ; and the lively active Christian puts the dull, heavy, sluggish Christian to a blush, and spurs and quickens him up to a more lively walking -with. God; and the warm, flaming, zealous, burning Christian puts heat and warmth into the cold, formal, frozen Christian ; and the free, liberal, bountiful Christian pro- vokes others to be free, noble, and liberal for the supply of the necessi- ties of the saints, 2 Cor. ix. 1, 2; chap. viii. 1, 2, 3, 4, 19, 20, &c.