' My conversation hath been in the grace of God,' saith the apostle. Thereifore let us sanctify God in our hearts this way. And when we stand in need of any direction, desire God of his grace to give us wisdom, and to give us the grace that we stand in need of. This is for the phrase. The point as I told you was this, that
All ivisdoni comes from grace, and God is ready to give us his grace.
For saith St Paul, ' My conversation ' hath been in grace, which God did minister to me, and hath ministered to me to lead my life by.
The reason is this — Christ hath undertaken to give us grace if we be his. Men under grace shall never want grace to lead a Christian life. For Christ hath undertaken to be our head, to be our husband, to be our guide in our way to heaven. As our head, he is to give us motion, to move us as his members. As he is our shepherd, as he saith, ' I am the good shepherd,' John x. 11, so he is to lead us in our ways and passages, in his paths, to conduct us to happiness. And as he is our hustand, so he is to be the head of his wife. To guide us, it is his office. And he works ac- cording to his own office. He is a king to subdue in us whatsoever is con- trary to his good Spirit, to subdue our rebellions, and to bring all our imaginations under his Spirit ; as well as to be a priest to make peace be- tween God and us. He is a king to rule us, and to overrule in us whatso- ever is ill. And he is a prophet to teach us and to guide us. He is the angel of the covenant, the great counsellor, that hath the spirit of counsel in him, Isa. ix. 6, not for himself only, but for his church.
Therefore as all things that we need come from grace, and from the favour of God ; so we need not doubt of the grace of God in Christ. Being reconciled, he is willing to give us grace.
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VEE. 12. 285
^ This I observe, to cut off all cavils of flesh and blood, and to arm us against all discouragements.
There are two things that gi'eatly hinder us from a Christian course, — presumption and despair.
PresiiniptioH, to set upon things, without asking grace of God, without depending upon his direction, by the strength of natural parts, of natural wit.
And then despair, when a man saith. What should I go about these things ? I shall never bring them to pass. No. First, consider thy standing, thy place and calling ; and then consider the abilities that God hath given thee. Consider thy parts, consider thy duty that thou art to do. And beg of God assistance and strength ; and if it be a thing that belong to thee, go on, set on all the duties that belong to thy place, in this confidence that thou shalt have grace.
Go to the fountain, to Christ, for grace for the direction of thy life. He is the light of life, he is the way, he is ' all in all ' to bring us to heaven.
Wherefore serves all the promises, not only of life everlasting, but even of grace ? but to encourage us to set on holy duties in confidence, that if we have a will to be out of Satan's kingdom, and if we have a will to be out of ' fleshly wisdom,' God will take us into his kingdom, and into his government. ' He will give the Spirit to them that ask him,' Luke xi. 13. Now the Spirit is a Spirit of direction, a Spirit of assistance, a Spirit of strength and comfort. It serves all turns. How many promises are wrapped in that promise of the Spirit ? In want of direction he shall be our counsellor ; in want of strength, to assist us. In perplexities, when we know not which way to turn us, to advise us. In extremities, when we are ready to sink, to comfort us. He wall give us his Holy Spu'it to supply all our defects in a fit time if we ask him ; if we find our need, and if we will renounce our carnal wisdom. Therefore set on those duties that God calls you to.
And withal, do as St Paul doth here (he sets the negative before the afiirmative), renounce carnal wisdom, be not guided by that; trust per- fectly to the word of grace, and to the Spirit of grace. For the word of gi'ace and the Spirit of grace go together. And then you shall find that God will do ' abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think,' Eph. iii. 20. Luther when he set on the work of reformation, those that saw him at the first might have said, ' Get thee into thy cloister,' and say, ' Lord, have vtiercj upon thee,' for thou settest on a work impossible. But he saw the parts that God had given him, that he had wit to understand the abuses of the times, and he had given him courage. He saw by his profession he was called to be a divine. His conscience was awakened to see the abominations of the times, and he set on to discover these things. Did Christ leave him ? No ! He did not, but gave success to him to be admired* of all. When all the world was set against one man, yet he prevailed against them all ; even be- cause he walked as St Paul did here, ' in sincerity and simplicity,' that is, he looked to the truth of the cause, and not to his own honour, or profit, or pleasure. He was content to be no wiser than the book of God would have him to be ; to be no richer or greater in the world than God would have him; but committed himself to God ' in simplicity and sincerity.' How did God maintain him ? Wondrously, to admiration ! I instance in him to shew how base distrust causeth things to be no better carried than they are.