man may lay hold upon all the reft, and may know that his hold is fure, and this is that way wherein we may attain, and ought to feek that comfortable affurance of the love of God. Therefore, make your calling fure, and by that your election; for that being done, this follows of itself. We are not to pry immediately into the decree, but to read it in the performance. Though the mariner fees not the pole-ftar, yet the needle of the compass that points to it, tells him which way he fails: Thus the heart that is touched with the loadstone of Divine love, trembling with godly fear, and yet ftill looking towards God by fixed believing, points at the love of election, and tells the foul that its courfe is heavenward, towards the haven of eternal reft. He that loves, may be fure he was loved first; and he that chufes God for his delight and portion, may conclude confidently, that God hath chofen him to be one of those that fhall enjoy him, and be happy in him for ever: For that our love, and electing of him, is but the return and repercuffion of the beams of his love fhining upon us.

Find thou but within thee fanctification by the Spirit, and this argues neceffarily, both juftification by the Son, and the election of God the Father, 1 John iv. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. It is a most ftrange demonftration, ab effectu reciproco, he called those he hath elected; he elected thofe he called. Where this fanctifying Spirit is not, there can be no perfuafion of this eternal love of God; they that are children of difobedience, can conclude no otherwise of themselves but that they are the children of wrath. Although from prefent unfanctification, a man cannot infer that he is not elected, for the decree may for part of a man's life run, as it were, under ground; yet this is fure, that that eftate leads to death, and unless it be broken, will prove the black line of reprobation. A man hath no portion among the children of God, nor can read one word of comfort in all

the

the promises that belong to them, while he remains unholy. Men may please themselves in profane fcoffing at the Holy Spirit of grace; but let them withal know this, that that Holy Spirit they mock and defpife, is that Spirit that feals men to the day of redemption, Eph. iv. 30.

If any pretend they have the Spirit, and fo turn away from the ftraight rule of the Holy Scriptures, they have a spirit indeed, but it is a fanatical fpirit, the spirit of delufion and giddinefs: But the Spirit of God that leads his children in the way of truth, and is for that purpose fent them from heaven to guide them thither, fquares their thoughts and ways to that rule, whereof it is author, and that word, which was infpired by it, and fanctifies them to obedience: He that faith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 1 John ii. 4.

Now this Spirit that fanctifieth, and fanctifieth to obedience, is within us, the evidence of our election, and earnest of our falvation. And whofo are not fanctified, and led by this Spirit, the Apostle tells what is their condition, Rom. viii. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Chrift, he is none of bis.

Let us not delude ourselves; this is a truth, if there be any in religion, they that are not made faints in the eftate of grace, fhall never be faints in glory.

The ftones that are appointed for that glorious temple above, are hewn, and polished, and prepared for it here, as the ftones were wrought and prepared in the mountains for building the temple at Jerufalem.

This is God's order, Pfal. lxxxiv. 11. He gives grace and glory; as moralifts can tell us, that the way to the temple of honour is through the temple of virtue. They that think they are bound for heaven in the ways of fin, have either found a new way, untroden by all that have gone thither, or will find themfelves deceived in the end. We need not then that poor Thift for the preffing of holiness and obedience

upon

upon men, to reprefent it to them as the meriting cause of falvation. This is not at all to the purpose, seeing without it the neceffity of holiness to falvation is preffing enough; for holiness is no less neceffary to falvation, than if it were the meriting caufe of it, it is as infeparably tied to it in the purpose of God. And in the order of performance, godliness is as certainly before falvation, as if falvation did wholly and altogether depend upon it, and were in point of juftice deferved by it. Seeing then there is no other way to happiness but by holiness, no affurance of the love of God without it, take the Apoftle's advice, study it, feek it, follow earnestly after holiness, without which no man fhall fee the Lord.

Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.] It hath always been a civil cuftom among men, to feafon their intercourse with good wishes one for another; this the Apostles use in their epiftles, in a spiritual divine way, fuitable to their holy writings. It well becomes the meffengers of grace and peace to with both, and to make their falutation conform to the main scope and subject of their discourse. The Hebrew word of falutation we have here, peace; and that which is the fpring both of this and all good things, in the other word of falutation ufed by the Greeks, grace. All right rejoicing, and profperity, and happiness, flows from this fource, and from this alone, and is fought elsewhere in vain.

In general, this is the character of a Chriftian fpirit, to have a heart filled with bleffing, with this fweet good-will and good-wishing to all, especially to those that are their brethren in the fame profeffion of religion. And this charity is a precious balm, diffufing itself in the wife and feasonable expreffions of it, upon fit occafions; and thofe expreffions must be cordial and fincere, not like that you call court holy-water, in which there is nothing else but falfehood, or vanity at the beft. This manifefts men to be the fons of bleffing, and of the ever-bleffed God, the Father VOL. I.

F

of

of all bleffing, when in his name they blefs one another: Yea, our Saviour's rule goes higher, to bless thofe that curfe them, and urges it by that relation to God as their Father, that in this they may resemble him: That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.

But in a more eminent way, it is the duty of paftors to blefs their people, not only by their public and folemn benediction, but by daily and instant prayers for them in fecret. And the great Father who feeth in fecret will reward them openly.

They are to be ever both endeavouring and wishing their increase of knowledge and all spiritual grace, in which they have St Paul a frequent pattern.

They that are meffengers of this grace, if they have experience of it, it is the oil of gladnefs that will dilate their heart, and make it large in love and fpiritual defires for others, especially their own flocks.

Let us, 1. Confider the matter of the Apoftle's defire for them, grace and peace. 2. The measure of it, that it may be multiplied.

ift, The matter of the Apoftle's defire, grace. We need not make a noife with the many school distinctions of grace, and defcribe in what fense it is here to be taken; for no doubt it is all faving grace to those difperfed brethren, fo that in the largest notion that it can have that way, we may safely here take it.

What are preventing grace, affifting grace, working and co-working grace, as we may admit thefe differences in a found fenfe, but divers names of the fame effectual faving grace, in relation to our different eftate? as the fame fea receives different names from the different parts of the fhore it beats upon. First, it prevents and works; then it affifts and profecutes what it hath wrought: He worketh in us to will and to do. But the whole fenfe of faving grace, I conceive, is comprehended in these two: 1. Grace in the fountain, that is, the peculiar love and favour of God. 2. In the streams, the fruits of this love; for it is not an

empty,

empty, but a moft rich and liberal love, viz. all the graces and fpiritual bleffings of God, bestowed upon them whom he hath freely chofen. The love of God in itself can neither diminish nor increase, but it is multiplied, or abounds in the manifeftation and effects of it; fo then, to defire grace to be multiplied to them, is to wish to them the living fpring of it, that love that cannot be exhaufted, but is ever flowing forth, and instead of abating, makes each day richer than another.

And this is that which should be the top and fum of Chriftian, defires, to have, or want any other thing indifferently; but to be refolved and refolute in this, to feek a fhare in this grace, the free love of God, and the fure evidences of it within you, the fruit of holinefs, and the graces of his Spirit. But the moft of us are otherwife taken up: We will not be convinced how bafely and foolishly we are bufied, though in the best and most respected employments of the world, fo long as we neglect our nobleft trade of growing rich in grace, and the comfortable enjoyment of the love of God. Our Saviour tells us of one thing needful, importing that all other things are comparatively unneceffary, by-works, and mere impertinencies; and yet in these we lavish out our fhort and uncertain time, we let the other ftand by till we find leifure. Men who are altogether profane, think not on it at all; fome others poffibly deceive themselves thus, and fay, When I have done with fuch a bufinefs in which I am engaged, then I will fit down seriously to this, and bestow more time and pains on these things that are undeniably greater and better, and more worthy of it. But this is a flight that is in danger to undo us: What if we attain not to the end of that business, but end ourselves before it; or if we do not, yet fome other bulinefs may ftep in after that. Oh then! fay we, that must be dispatched alfo. Thus, by fuch delays, we may lofe the prefent opportunity, and in the end our own fouls.

Oh!