179. Sincerity is the perfection of Christians. Let not Satan therefore abuse us. We do all things, when we endeavour to do all things, and
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purpose to do all things, and are grieved when we cannot do better, tbau* in some measure we do all things.
180. A Christian is able to do great matters, but it is in Christ that strengthens him. The understanding is ours, the aflections are ours, the will is ours ; but the sanctifying of these, and the carrying of these super- naturally, to do them spirituall}', that is not ours, but it is Christ's.
181. We have not only the life of grace from Christ at the first, and then a spiritual power answerable to that again, whereby our powers are renewed, so as we are able to do something in our will, but we have the deed itself : the doing is from Christ, he strengtheneth us for the performance of all good.
182. God preserves his own work by his Spirit : first, he moves us to do, and then he preserves us in doing, and arms us against the impediments.
183. Though Christ be a head of influence that flows into every member, yet he is a voluntary head, according to his own good pleasure, and the exigents!" of his members. Sometimes we have need of more grace, and then it flows into us from him accordingly. Sometimes we have need to know our own weakness, and then he leaves us to ourselves, that we may know that without him we cannot stand ; and we may know the necessity of his guidance to heaven in the sense of our imperfections, that we may see our weakness and corruptions, that we had thought we had not had in us ; as Moses, by God's permission, was tempted to murmur, a meek man, and David to cruelty, a mild man, that thought they had not had those corruptions in them.
184. God is forced to mortify sins by afflictions, because we mortify them not by the Spirit ; and in the use of holy means God doth us favours from his own bowels, but corrections and judgments are always forced.
185. AVe may for the most part read the cause of any judgment in the judgment itself; as, if the judgment be shame, then the cause was pride ; if the judgment be want, then our sin was in abundance : we did not learn to abound as we should when we had it.
186. As we say of those that make bold with their bodies, to use them hardly, to rush upon this thing and that thing ; in their youth they may bear it out, but it will be owing them after ; they shall find it in their bones when they are old : so a man may say of those that are venturous persons, that make no conscience of running into sin, these things will be owing to them another day ; they shall hear of these in time of sickness, or in the hour of death ; and therefore take heed of sinning upon vain hope, that thou shalt wear it out, for one time or other it will stick to thee.
187. When God visits with sickness, we should think our work is more in heaven with God than with men or physic. When David dealt directly and plainly with God, and confessed his sins, then God forgave him them, and healed his body too, Ps. xxxii. 5.
188. It were a thousand times better for many persons to be cast on the bed of sickness, and to be God's prisoners, than so scandalously and unfruitfuUy to use the health that they have.
189. It is an art wherein we should labour to be expert, to consider God's gracious dealing in the midst of his corrections ; that in the midst of them we might have thankful and cheerful, and fruitful hearts, which we shall not have, unless we have some matter of thankfulness. Consider, there- fore, doth God make me weak, he might have struck me with death ;
* Qu. ' then ' ?— Ed. t That is, ' exigeucies.'— G.
206 DIVINE MEDITATIONS
or, if not taken away my mortal life, yet he might have given me up to a spiritual death, to an hard heart, to desperation.
190. In this latter age of the world, God doth not use the same dispen- sation. He doth not always outwardly visit for sin ; for his government is now more inward. Therefore we should take the more heed, for he may give us up to blindness, to deadness, to security, which are the great- est judgments that can befall us.
191. We should labour to judge ourselves for those things that the world takes no notice of, for spiritual, for inward things ; as for stirring of pride, of worldliness, of revenge, of security, unthankfulness, and such like unkiudness towards God ; barrenness in good duties, that the world can- not see. Let these humble our hearts ; for when we make not conscience of spiritual sins, God gives us up to open breaches that stain and blemish our profession.
192. Many men put off the power of gi-ace, and rest in common civil things, in outward performances ; but when we regard not the manner, God regards not the matter of the things we do ; and therefore oftentimes he punishes for the performance of good duties, as we see in 1 Cor. xi. 30, 81.