Ver. 9. xxvth Chapter of St. M A T T H E W. . 5 5 they do not more than needs ; but Love bath an amplitude and largenefs in ir, it thinks it can never do enough. 2 "OS E, Is to excite us ; Phil. 2. 13, 14. Forgetting thole things that are behind, and reaching to the things that are before : I prefs towards the mark of the high prize of God, in Cbrifi 7efus: You have not anfwered your holy rule, nor done things worthy of your bleffed hope, nor anfwerable to the great obligations laid upon you, nor becoming the glorious Salvation which you expe& : if thefe things were well thought of, you would fee a need of making a fpeedy addition to your flock every day : Oh then as to the internal habits of Grace, we befeech you let your Love abound more and more, Phil. 1. 9. and as to the external aas of Obe- dience, 1 Thef. 4. 1. As ye have received of us how to walk, and how to pleafe God, fo you would abound more and more : Let your Veffel be fuller, and your Lamps burn brighter ; you owe God a thoufand times more than ever yet you have pay- ed him, he hath both deferved and required more at your hand ; you cannot make out your Gofpel qualification of fincerity, unlefs there be a lamenting of defe&s, and a ftriving after perfe&ion. Thirdly, We come to the Advice and Counfel, But go ye rather to them that fell, and buy for your felves : Go to them that fell, that is, goe where it may be had ; for felling and buying are put improperly for getting into our hand : Emptum ce- dit in jus emptoris ; things are fiid to be bought when they are made ours, as if we had paid a juft price for them, as Prov. 23.23. Buy the Truth, and fell it not: That is, keep it, and do not part with it : fo Ifa. i5. s. Buy Wine and Milk : and Revel. 3.18. I Counfel thee to buy of me Gold : Calvin is of Opinion, Non admoni- tio eft, fed exprobratio ; and Auffin before, Not confulentium, fed irridentium eft i/fa Refponfio; 'cis a Check and Rebuke to their negligence ; as if it were faid, Goe buy now if you can, heretofore. you had time of buying, which you negleaed, the Shops were open, but now the opportunity is loft and fo think it not a Coun- fel but a Rebuke, You fhould have bought for your felves : I rather think 'tis an Advice, direâing them to the Remedy, or the true Courfe that muff be taken if we would get Oyl, as appeareth by the praaice of the foolifh Virgins in the next Verfe ; and if they ufed this Remedy too late, it was their own folly. 3 Do&. Thofe that would have Grace, mutt have recourfe to the Ordinances. (r.) Mark 4. 24. Take heed how you hear, for with what meafure ye mete, it Aid be meafured to you again : And you that attend upon hearing, more (hall be given to you ; with what meafure ye mete, that is a proper rule for Commerce between man and man, and our Saviour urgeth it, Math. 7. r2. But 'tis true alto in Com- merce between God and Man ; if yóu take heed how you hear, and do what yod hear, that is, ferioully weigh that Divine and Heavenly Doctrine in your deep and ponderous thoughts ; if they would ufe fuch confcionable care to profit as was fit, the Lord would recompenfe their diligence with an anfwerable blefling on the Soul. Another place is 1 Thef 5. 19, 20. wench not the Spirit, defpife nut Prophejying : If you would not Quench the Spirit, his Convi &ions, Excitations, and Counfels, you muff ufe the means, they are inftituted to this end, and God inftituteth nothing in vain ; they have 'a tendency to that end, the formality of the Inftitution is a word of Command and a word of Promife. (z.) Chrift bath fanktified Ordinances to this end, Eph. 5. 26, 27. and john 17. 8. SanEtifre them by thy T7úth, thy word is Truth. 3 'VS E, If we would have the Graces of the Spirit begotten, ftrengthened and inereafed in us, let us ufe the Means, Ads 17. ra. Let us ufe them more confcio- nably, and fee that by every Convulse with God we may get force new biding from him. SERMON
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