356 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. XVIII.
glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly ; ' Mat. v. 19, ' Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.'
4. It reproveth those that profess themselves children of light, but live at large ; though they do not scoff at strictness, yet they slight it, and so show themselves fools rather than wise ; they miss the com- fort of the spiritual life, and are only acquainted wuth the toil and trouble of it.
Use 2. Is to exhort us to this duty. You have had motives enough before, now I shall give you some helps.
There are some graces necessary, and some practices.
First, For graces which are necessary, such as these —
1. Knowledge ; for without knowledge neither heart nor life can be good : Prov. xix. 2, ' That the soul be without knowledge is not good.' David prayethjPs. cxix. 34, ' Give me understanding, that I may keep thy law.' It is a matter of much skill to be a thorough christian.
2. Not only knowledge, but prudence. That differeth from know- ledge, as folly doth from ignorance. That referreth all things to practice: Prov. ii. 10, 11, 'When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul, discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee ; ' Hosea xiv. 9, ' Who is wise, and he shall understand these things ? prudent, and he shall know them ? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them.
3. Watchfulness, and heed that nothing unseemly pass from us. Those that are rash and indeliberate, and live at haphazard, can never walk accurately : Prov. xix. 2, * He that hasteth with his feet, sinneth.' In the text /SXeVere, 'See that ye walk circumspectly;' that is, use great caution. Conscience must act the part of the watchman, and stand porter at the door, examine what goeth in or out, that nothing may be a snare or an offence : Prov. iv. 23, ' Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.' That the heart may be still kept pure and loyal for God.
4. The fear of God : Acts ix. 31, ' They walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.' This is a grace never out of season : Prov. xxiii. 17, ' Let not thine heart envy sinners ; but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long ; ' Prov. xxviii. 14, ' Happy is the man that feareth always ; ' that is, with a fear of reverence, for slavish fear is a terror. Set yourselves always in God's sight ; our whole time is spent in it.
5. Diligence, that we may both remove impediments of good and avoid occasions of evil, that you may take an accurate inspection of your whole life and conversation. Frequently examine your w^ays, whither they tend : Prov. iv. 26, 27, ' Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left ; remove thy foot from evil.'
6. A tender conscience. Make conscience not only of gross sins, but lesser escapes. Some walk ara/cTct)?, disorderly, 2 Thes. iii. 11, but do you walk a/cpiySw?, circumspectly. Do not wittingly tread one
VeR. 15,] SEUMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 357
hair's-breadth out of the way, nor run into any sin, much less live in it, be it never so small and profitable in the esteem of the world : Prov. vii. 2, ' Keep my commandments, and live, and my law as the apple of thine eye.' The eye is offended with the least dust. Secondly, Helps by way of practice.
1. Fix your end ; for when the end is fixed, the means may be the better suited ; it shineth to us all the way along : * If thine eye be single, thy whole body is full of light,' Mat. vi. 22 ; Prov. iv. 25, ' Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.' We should mind all things with respect to our end.
2. Take an account of the way you walk in: Ps. cxix.59, 'I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies ; ' Lam. iii. 40, * Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord.'
3. Seek a good guide. Use much prayer to God, that he may direct you : Prov. iii. 5, 6, ' Trust in the Lord with all thine heart ; and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknow- ledge him, and he shall direct thy path ; ' Ps. cxliii. 10, ' Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God : thy Spirit is good ; lead me into the land of uprightness.'
4. Eenew your covenant, and often engage yourselves afresh to this strict and holy walking, because the strength of former resolutions is soon spent : Ps. cxix. 106, ' I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.'