346 THE EETUKNING BACKSLIDER. [SeRMON VIII.
ifc for such a man to think of a change, when it is not a change for the better ?
Here is wisdom. If we will be wise to purpose, let us be wise this way. [ Labour, in the first place, to prize God's favours, and to know how to come ' by them in the use of all means. Look to God for the perfoiTuance of these gracious promises. For they ai'e not of what we shall do in our- selves, but what God will do in the covenant of grace. And if a Christian should not be rooted and grow stronger and stronger, we should not fail, but God and Christ should fail, who is our root and bears us up. There- fore, God hath taken upon him the pei-formance of all these things. "What remaineth for us but a careful using of all means ? and in the use of all, a going out of ourselves to God, that he would be ' as the dew to us,' and cause us, by the dew of his Spirit, to grow more and more rooted in grace as long as we live in this world ? And then our rooting and stability lies upon God, not upon us. He fails if we fail, who hath undertaken that * we shall grow as the lily, and cast forth our roots as Lebanon.'
THE EIGHTH SERMON.
His branches shall spread, his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return ; they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the vine of Lebanon. — Hos. XTV. 6, 7.
We have heard at lai'go heretofore what petitions God put into the heart and mouth of his church, as also what gracious answer God gives his own petitions. He cannot deny the prayers made by his own Spirit ; and as he is goodness in itself, so he shews it in this, that he goes beyond all that we can desire, think, or speak. His answer is more transcendent, as the apostle speaks. He does ' exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,' &c., Ephes. iii. 19, 20. For whereas they in particular and in brief say, ' Do good to us, and receive us graciously,' he tells them, ' He will be as the dew unto them.' And from thence, being dew to them, is their spreading and growing as a lily, and casting of their roots as Lebanon. ' And their branches shall spread,' &c. And all this to encourage us to come to so powerful and large-hearted a God, who, as he is able to do more than we desire of him, so he will also do it. ' He will be as the dew unto us.' This is the general of all, for all other fruitfulness comes from this : 1. God will be as the dew; and then, 2. They shall grow as the hly, and cast their roots as the cedars in Lebanon. They shall not only grow up- ward, but downward, for the lily quickly spreads itself forth ; but they shall be like the trees of Lebanon for stedfastness, and then spread in breadth, grow in all dimensions, which is fulfilled of the church in general, and of every particular Christian, when once he is in Christ, using sancti- fied means. They grow, then, in the root, and upright, and in every dimen- sion. ' His branches shall spread.' And then,
' His beauty shall be as the olive-tree.'
Which, though fruitful and excellent, yet because it hath no sweet smell, it is added,
' His smell shall be as Lebanon.'
HOSEA XIV. G, 7.] THE RETURNING BACKSLIDEB. 847
These excellencies promised to the church of God are not all in one tree, l)ut yet they are in some sort in every Christian. Wl«it agi'ees not all to one plant agi'ees to the ' plants of righteousness.' They gi-ow upwards and downwards, spread, and are savoury and fruitful. All agi-ees to a tree of righteousness. "We say of man. He is a little world, a compendium of this 'jjroat world, as indeed there is a comprising of all the excellencies of the world in man, for he hath a being with those creatures who have only that, and therewith he hath growing sense and reason, whereby he hath com- munion with God, and those understanding spirits, the angels. So that he i.s, as it were, a sum of all the excellencies of the creatm-es, a little world indeed (h). The great world hath nothing, but the little world hath the same in some proportion. So it is in grace. A Christian hath all excellencies in him, that are in the world. There is not an excellency in any thing, but it is an higher kind in a Christian. He hath the beauty of the lily, and he grows up in spreading, smell, and fiTiitfulness. His wisdom exceeds that of all the creatures. There is not an excellency in nature, but we have some proportionable excellency in grace which is above it. God useth these outward things to help us, that we should do both body and soul good by the creatures. Whatsoever doth our bodies good, either by necessity or dehght, they help our souls ; as plants and trees not only refresh the outward man, and the senses, but also they teach our souls, as here the Holy Ghost teacheth them by outward things. First it is said,