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5. You might more convert the world if you had more grace and holiness in your hearts, and did discover it more in your conversations. By your purity : Mat. v. 16, ' Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven,' The more we live holily, the more we commend our profes- sion. So by your constancy and courage : 1 Peter iv. 14, ' If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye ; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.' On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. By your deadness to the pleasures of the flesh : 1 Peter iv. 4, 5, ' Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you. Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.' By your fidelity in your relations. The apostle, speaking of the- faithful behaviour of servants, saith, Titus ii. 10, ' Showing all good fidelity, that ye may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.' What is the reason that the hearts of men are not more freely drawrt out to the doctrine of Christ ? Doubtless one reason is it wanteth adorning and beautifying by the carriage of its professors. They that carry themselves holily in their relations, they make religion a beauti- ful lovely thing in the eyes of the world : 1 Peter iii. 1, ' Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives ; ' that is, preparatively induced, prejudices vanish at least.
6. You harden the wicked while you continue in your weaknesses,. and are so like them, so feeble in the resistance of sin, and the govern- ing of your own passions, appetites, and desires. You should condemn, the world ; as Noah : Heb. xi. 7, * By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the- saving of his house, by which he condemned the world.' But you justify the world, as Israel is said to justify Sodom: Ezek. xvi. 51, 'Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins, but thou hast multiplied thine- abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine- abominations which thou hast done.' You differ more in your pre- tences than in your conversations whilst you are weak and not thoroughly moulded and commanded by religion. If you are overcome by sensu- ality, pride, worldliness, envy, and malice, wherein do you differ from^ the ungodly world but only in the name, and some little grace, which is buried under an heap of sin ?
7. Your hearts will never serve you to do any excellent things for God, but you will betray his honour upon all occasions by your weak- nesses and infirmities, either by foolish opinions, vain desires, carnal projects, or turbulent practices. These are only mastered by growth in grace, and God hath most honour from the strong and fruitful christian i John xv, 8, ' Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.' Produce the genuine fruits of godliness, and produce them in plenty, and you will mightily honour God in the world. A man acts most zealously and self-deny ingly when the love of God beareth rule in his heart : 2 Cor. v. 13, 14, * For whether we be beside our- selves, it is for God ; or whether we be sober, it is for your sakes ; for the love of Christ constraineth us.' There is none of us but might have acted much better and wiser, and carried on our profession more to the
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honour of God, if we had yielded more to the sovereign power and empire of grace.
Use 5. Try whether Grod's grace be decayed or increased in you ; if according to our years and standing we are advanced in the way to heaven ; if for every year of our lives we have passed a station of the wilderness to Canaan ; if with the decaying of the natural life there hath been a growth of the life of God in us : 2 Cor. iv. 16, ' Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.* Thus do God's people do, go on from strength to strength : 1 Thes. iv, 1, ' Furthermore we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus Christ, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.' As you are nearer to the grave, are you a step nearer to heaven ? Are we every day more careless than another or more serious ? What hath been our profi- ciency ? A man may be long at sea, yet make a short voyage ; so it is with most men; they live long in the world, but they make little progress. Are we stronger in resisting temptations to sin, from the devil, the world, and the flesh ? 1 John ii. 14, * Ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.' In bear- ing afilictions and molestations of the flesh, upon the hopes of another world : Prov. xxiv. 10, ' If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.' In promptitude and readiness of obedience. Do you serve God with that readiness of mind that will become love to God and faith in his promises? Heb. xiii. 21, ' The Lord make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well- pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ. ^