14-8 SERMONS tspon Sethi. >< . this time cry, My Father, thou art the Guide of my Tbuth? You have an Intereft in God yet. Thus do, and your Fall will be like theta that go back to fetch their Leap more commodioufly. 21íe;. When you Rand, let it incite you to Love and Thankfulnefs. Nothing ma- keth the Saints more love God, than his Unchangeableneis. His Mercy made you come to him, and his Truth will not Puffer you to depart from him. Mercy and Truth are like Jachin and 'Boaz. Micah 7.2o. Thou wilt perform the Truth .to Jacob, and the Mercy to Abraham, which thou haft fworn unto our Fathers, from the days of old. The Cove- nant was made with lbraham, and made good to Jacob. You may rejoyce notwith- flanding your Weaknefs, and Satan's daily Affaults ; as Daniel in the Lion's Den, to fee the Lions ramping and roaring about him, yet their Mouths muzzled. 2 Sam. 2. 9. By flrength Thal! no Man prevail; that is, by his own. That any of us have flood hither- to, let us afcribe it wholly to God; we might have been vile and fcandalous, even as others.. Many of better Gifts may fall away, and thou keepeft thy [landing ; what is the reafon ? We have done enough a thoufand times to caufe God to depart from us: Deut. 23. r4. If he lie any unclean thing among thee, he will turn away from thee ; And is it not ['range that the Spirit of Grace fhould yet abide with us hitherto, when there is fo much uncleannefs in every one of us ? The great Argument of the Saints, why they love and praife him, is, the Conflancy and Unehangeablenefs of his Love. Pfal. 136. For his Mercy endureth for ever.; and, Pfal. so6. r. Praife the Lord, Ogive Thanks unto the Lord ; fbr he is good, for his Mercy endureth for ever. No Form more frequent iri the Mouths of his Saints. Zile 4. If any fall often, conflantly, frequently, and eafily, they have no Intereft in Grace. 1 John 3.9. Whoföever it born of God, doth not commit Sin ; is 701'4 álievixv, he maketh not a Trade of Sin, that is the force of that Phrafe. God's Children flip often, but not with fuch a frequent confiant readinefs, into the fame Sin : Therefore he that liveth in a court of Prophanenefs, Worldlinefs, Drunkennefs, his Spot is not theSpot of God's Children. Dent. 32. 5. You are tried by your confiant Conde : Tom. 8. r. That walknot after the Fle fh, but after the Spirit. What is your Road and Walk ? I except only thofe Sins which are of umual incidence, and fudden furreption, as An- ger, Vanity of Thoughts ; and yet for them a Man [hould be more humble. If it be not felt, nor firiven againft, nor mourned for, it is a bad Sign. What is your Course and Walk ? There is an Uniformity in a Chriflian's Court ; It is nothing to have Come Fits, and good Moods and Motions. Z)fe 5. It provoketh us to get an Intereft in fuch a fuse Condition. Be not contented with outward Happinefs ; things are worthy according to their duration. Nature hath inch a fenfe of God's Eternity, that the more lofting things are, it accounteth them the better. The immortal Soul muff have an eternal Good. Now all thíngs.in the World are frail, and patting away, therefore they are called uncertain Riches, r- Tim. 6.17. compared with Troy. 8.18. ¶iches and Honour are with me, yea, durable Riches and Righteoufnefs. The Flower of thefe things perifheth, their Grace paffeth away in the mid[} of their Pride and Beauty, like Herod in his Royalty, they vanifb, and are blalled. The better part is not taken away. Luke ro. 42. Mary bath chofen the better part, which cannot be taken away from her. A Man may outlive his Happinefs, be [tripped of the Flower of all. Worldly Glory is fuse to end with Life, that is tranfr- tory : And [till they are uncertain Riches, uncertain whether we [hall get them, uncer- tain whether we flail keep them. By a care of the better part, we may have there Things with a Blefling. Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye fill the Kingdom of God, and the Righ- teoufnefs thereof, and all theft things fhall be added to you. Gifts, they are for the Body, rather than the Perron that hath them. Men may be carnal and yet come behind in_ no Gifts. Judas could caft out Devils, and yet afterwards was calf out among Devils. r Cor. I a. 31. the Apoffle had difcourfed largely of Gifts, but faith he, Tet I thew you a more excellent Way, and that is Grace, that abideth. Many that have great Abilities to pray, preach, difcourfe, yet fall away; according to the Place which they fuftain in the Body, fo they have great Gifts of Knowledg, Utterance, to comfort, dive&, inftru& others, to anfwer their Doubts, to reafon in holy Difcourfe, and yet may fall fouly. Heb. 6.4, 5. Theymay be once enlightned, and have tailed of the heavenly Gift, and were made Partakers of the Holy- Gholl, and have tailed the good Word of God, and the
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