Use 1. Therefore, lest we deceive om-selves, let this be an use of trial from the order, that if tee find not grace wrought in our natures to restrain sin, and alter our former lewd courses, our sins are not yet forgiven. For, where- soever God takes away sin, and ' loves freely,' there also he gives the best finiits of his love, bestows the dew of his grace, to work upon and alter our natures. Christ came not by blood alone, to die for us ; but by water also, to sanctify us, 1 John v. 6. He will not only ' love freely,' but he will be ' as the dew,' where he loves freely. Therefore, if we have not sanctifying grace, we have not as yet pardoning grace. For we know the prophet joins them both together. ' Blessed is the man imto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile,' Ps. xxxii. 1,2. If we retain a guileful, false spirit, our sins are not forgiven. We see both these are put together.
Use 2. And seeing all these good things come from God, it is necessary to take notice of what hath been said of God's goodness, that we do 'not rob God of his due glory, nor ourselves of the due comfort that we may draw thence. The Egyptians had the river Nylus, that overflowed the land every year, caused by anniversary winds, which so blew into the mouth of the river, that it could not discharge itself into the sea ; whereupon it over- * See Note b, vol. I. p. 289.— G.
HOSEA XrV. 5, 6.] THE BETUENING BACKSLIDER. 835
flowed the banks, and left a fruitful slime upon the ground, so that they needed not rain as other countries, because it was watered with Nylus. Hereupon they did not depend upon God's blessing, nor were so holy as they should ; but were proud of their river, as is intimated by Moses unto the people. ' But the land whither thou goest in to possess it, is not as the land of Eg}pt, from whence ye came out, where thou sowest thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of herbs : but the land whither ye go to possess it is a land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven : a land which the Lord thy God careth for,' &c., Deut. xi. 10, 11. The}' having more immediately rain from heaven, saw God's hand in watering it, whereas the Egyptians did not. And what makes a papist to be so unthankful ? He thinks he can with his own industry water his own ground with somewhat in himself. What makes another man thankful, on the other side ? Because he knoweth he hath all things by dependence from the first Cause : for as in nature, ' In God we live, move, and have our being,' Acts ^vii. 28, much more in gi-ace. We have all our nourishment, spiritual being, moving, and life fr-om the dew of heaven. AH our heat is from the Sun of righteousness,' Mai. iv. 2, which makes a Christian hfe to be nothing else but a gracious dependence. ' I can do all things,' saith St Paul,' Philip, iv. 13. Big and great words ! Oh, but it is ' through Christ that strengthens me.' These things must not be forgot- ten. For a child of the church is a child of grace. By grace he is what he is ; he hath all from heaven. Suitable to the former place is that in Ezekiel, ' And the laud of Egj-pt shall be desolate and waste ; and they shall know that I am the Lord ; because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it,' Ezek. xxix. 9. He shall be desolate, because he boasts and brags of his river, and depends not upon God for the sweet showers of the former and the latter rain. They boasted because it was a fat, fruitful country, which the Piomans called their granary. But we must look for all fr-om heaven. God by his Spfrit will be as the dew.
You know in paradise there were four rivers that watered the garden of God, that sweet place, and made it fruitful ; but the heads of all these rivers were out of paradise. Gen. ii. 10. So it is with the church of God, ' There is a river, the streams whereof makes glad the city of God,' as the Psalmist speaks, Ps. xlri. 4 : many precious comfortable graces, the parti- culars whereof follow. But where is the head-spring of the river ? It is in heaven. We have all from God, through Christ the Mediator. So, though we have of the water and dew, yet notwithstanding the head and spring of all is from ^vithout the church ; in heaven, in Christ, in the Mediator. And, therefore, in all the excellent things we enjoy in the church, let us look to the original fii'st cause, Christ by his Spirit. He is ' as the dew' to his church.
Use 3. This affords likewise an rise of direction, how to come to have grace to sanctify and alter oiu* natures.
Alls. Do as the chm-ch doth here ; desire it of God, Lord, teach me to see and know my sins : Lord, ' Take away all iniquity, and receive me graciously ; ' Heal my soul, for I have sinned against thee. 0 love me freely. Turn away thy angry face from my sins, and be as the dew unto my barren soul ; my dead soul, 0 quicken it ; make good thy promise, come swiftly, come speedily, come unresistibly, ' like rain upon the mown grass,' Ps. Ixxii, 6 ; as showers, to water with the dew of grace, and fiiic- tify my dry, parched soul. Thus we should be earnest ^4th God for grace for ourselves, and for the churches abroad, for our church and state at