Sii/ii 7. Again, a man may know that he is guided by grace, that he doth everything by gracious wisdom, when lie doth provide for himself best in the best things, out of a sanctified judr/inent, when he doth judge aright of differ- ences ; when he considers that there is a difference between the soul and the body, between this life and eternal life. There is a main difference between the glorious eternal life in the world to come, and this fading life which the soul communicates to the body in this world. When a man judgeth the difference between tnie riches and these things that we are so set upon, that are but lent us for a little while ; when he judgeth between the true honour to be the child of God, and the fading honours of this world that shall lie down in the dust with us, and shall all depart and be gone, it appears then he hath a sanctified judgment ; he ' discerns of things that differ,' Heb. v. 14.
And according to this, if he lead his life in gracious wisdom, he makes his provision. He makes his provision as his judgment leads him. His judgment leads him to the best things, therefore he provides for the best things. As Christ saith of the children of this world, ' they are wise ' in their courses, ' in their generation.' They provide against beggary, they make friends beforehand, as we see in that unjust steward, Luke xvi, 8. So a Christian pro%ddes for his soul, ho looks to that, he ' makes him friends of his unrighteous mammon,' xvi. 9 ; he makes him fiiends of his earthly things, that is, he doth deserve well of men that they pray for him, and so help him to heaven. He daily makes his account ready, he cuts off impediments that he meets with in the waj^, he troubles not himself with impertinences, he spends not more time than needs about worldly things ; he useth them as they may help his work to be better and better in grace, to be fitter and fitter for glory. As he discerneth difierences, so he makes his provision answerable ; he provides for the best in the first place. Or else he were a foolish merchant, a foolish builder, a foolish man every way. The Scripture saith he is no better that cannot discern the difference, and provide well for himself when other things fail.
The Scripture doth well call wicked men fools. They have no judgment, they do not provide for themselves ; they prefer these things, say what
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 12, 203
they will, before better things ; they are fools in their provision. Ahitho- phel, he made provision, he sot his house in order, and what became of him after ? He hanged himself. He made much provision for the world, and at last he knew not how to forecast and provide for his soul. The Scrip- ture calls the rich man in the gospel, ' a fool,' Lukexii. 20. He was wise enough to contrive for himself, yet he was but a rich fool. ' The fool,' as the wise man saith, ' knows not the way to the city,' Ecclcs. x. 15 ; so a wicked man he knows not the way to heaven, ho discerns not the dill'orcnce, he provides not, he knows not the way thither. He cannot do one thing that is gracious, not one action that may further his account.
I might be very large in the point. It is profitable, because we do in- finitely deceive ourselves in that point, which is of more consequence than the whole world ; for the man is, as the rule that he is led by is. Carnal men are led by carnal rules ; gracious and holy men guide their_lives by heavenly wisdom, by a gracious rule.
Now if you find yourselves defective, for a good Christian may be defec- tive in this ; but if he have hearkened to carnal wisdom, if he have for- gotten himself, if he have troubled himself too much about the world, he will come to his centre again, he will come to his old way again, he will not be long out of it ; his way and course is by grace. Sometimes he may have a policy that is not good, as David had, yet his way is gracious. I say, if you find yourselves defective, I will shew some helps how we may guide ourselves, ' not by fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God,' that is, by gi-acious wisdom, by the Spirit.
Now the Spirit leads us not immediately, but works graces in us, and stirs up those gi-aces in us. The Spirit guides a godly man, by working grace in him, by making him better, by using those graces in him. Some- times the Spirit of God moves a wicked man, but it makes him not better. He puts conceits into his head, and makes him do that which otherwise he would not ; but he is not bettered. The Spirit guides a good man by making him better, he works a gracious disposition, a gracious bent in him, that his judgment concurs with God's, his afiections concur with the Holy Spirit, and make him holy and pure. There is a disposition wrought in a good man like to the Spirit that sanctifies him, and like to the disposition of Christ to whose image he is renewed.