God, through faith unto falvation,' 1 Pet. i. 5. Hypocrites may fo fall, fo as to fall off, and fall into the pit, as a bucket falls into a well when the chain breaks. But though the child of God may fall, and that so low as the water goes over his head; yet there is ftill a bond of union betwixt Chrift and him the chain is not broken: he will not go to the ground: he will be drawn up again, Luke xxii. 31. 32. And the Lord faid, Simon, Simon, Satan hath defired to have you, that he might fift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' (2.) The falls of the faints flow from their not improving their union with Chrift; their not making use of him by faith, for ftaying or bearing them up, Pfal xxvi. 13. I had fainted, unless I had believed.' While the nurfe holds the child in her arms, it cannot fall to the ground: yet if the unwary child hold not by her, it may fall backwards in her arms, to its great hurt. Thus David's fall broke his bones. Pfal. li. 8. but did it not 'break the bond of union betwixt Chrift and him: The holy Spirit, the bond of that union, was not taken from him, ver. 11.

The laft benefit I fhall name, is, The fpecial care of the hufbandman, John`xv. 1, 2. ' I am the true vine, and my Fa ther is the husbandman. Every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit,' Believers, by virtue of their union with Chrift, are the objects of God's fpecial care and providence. Myftical Chrift is God's vine, other fo cieties in the world are but wild olive-trees. The men of the world are but God's out-field; the faints are his vineyard, which he has a special property in, and a fpecial concern for, Cant. viii. 12. My vineyard, which is mine, is before me," He that Jumbers not nor fleeps, is the keeper of it, he does keep it left. any hurt it, he will keep it night and day' he in whose hand is the dew of heaven,' will water it every moment,' Ifa. xxvii. 3. He dreffeth and purgeth it, in order to further fruitfulness, John xv. 2. He cuts off the luxuriant twigs that mar the fruitfuluefs of the branch. This is done, especially by the word, and by the cross of afflictions. The faints need the miniftry of the word, as much as the vineyard needeth one to drefs and prune the vines, 1 Cor. iii. 9. We are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." And they need the crofs too, 1 Pet. i. 6.

And therefore, if we fhould reckon the crafs amongst the benefits flowing to believers from their union with Chrift, I judge, we should not reckon it amifs. Sure I am, in their fuf forings they fuffer with him, Rom. viii, 17. And the affurances

they

they have of the crofs, have rather the nature of a promise, as of a threatning, Pfal. Ixxxix. 30, 31, 32, 33. If his children förfake my law,-then will I vifit their tranfgreffion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes. Nevertheless, my loving kinduefs will I not utterly take from him: nor fuffer my faithfuefs to fail. This looks like a tu:or's engaging to a'dying: father, to take care of his children left upon him; and to give them both nurture and admonition, for their good. The covenant of grace does truly beat the fpears of affliction into pruning: hooks, to them that are in Chrift, Ifa. xxvii. 9. ' By this there. fore fhall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit: to take away his fin. Why then fhould we be angry with our crofs? Why should we be frighted at it? The believer muft take up his crofs, and follow his leader, the Lord Jefus Chrift.. He must take up his ilk-day's crofs, Luke ix. 23. If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his-crossdaily. Yea, he must take up his holy. day's crofs too, Lam. ii. 22. Thou hast called, as in a folemn day, my terrors round: about." The church of the Jews had, of a long time, many a. pleafing meeting at the temple, on folemn days, for the worship of God: but they got a folemnity of another nature, when God: called together, about the temple and city, the Chaldean army; that burnt the temple, and laid Jerufalem on heaps: And now. that the church of God is yet militant in this lower region, hows can it be but the clouds will return after the rain? But the cross of Chrift (which name the faints troubles do bear) is a kindly, name to the believers. It is a cross indeed: but not to the be liever's graces, but to his corruptions. The hypocrite's feem ing graces may indeed breathe out their laft on a crofs, as thefe of the ftony ground hearers did, Mat. xiii. 6. And when the fun (of perfecution, ver. 26.) was up, they were scorched : And because they had not root, they withered away.' But never did one of the real graces in a believer die upon the crofs. yet. Nay, the candle fhines brightest in the night, and the fire burns fierceft in intenfe froft: So the believer's graces are,, ordinarily, moft vigorous in a time of trouble.

There is a certain pleasure and fweetness in the cross, to them: who have their fenfes exercifed to difcern, and to find it out.. There is a certain sweetness in one's feeing himself upon his trials. for heaven, and ftanding candidate for glory. There is a pleafure in travelling over thefe mountains, where the Christian can fee the prints of Chrift's own feet, and the footsteps of the flock,.. who have been there before them. How pleafant is it to a faint

in the exercife of grace, to fee how a good God croffeth his
corrupt inclinations, and prevents his folly! How fweet is it to
behold these thieves upon the cross! How refined a pleasure is
there in obferving how God draws away provifion from unruly
lufts, and fo pincheth them, that the Chriftian may get them
governed! Of a truth there is a paradife within this thorn hedge.
Many a time the people of God are in-bonds, which are never
loofed, till they be bound with cords of affliction. God takes
them, and throws them into a fiery furnace, that burns off their
bonds; and then, like the three children, Dan. iii. 25. they are
loofe, walking in the midst of the fire. God gives his children
à potion, with one bitter ingredient: If that will not work
upon them, he will put in a fecond, a third, and fo on, as there
is need, that they may work together, for their good. Rom.
viii. 28. With crofs-winds he haftens them to the harbour.
They are often found in fuch ways, as that the cross, is the
happieft foot they can meet with and well may they falute it,
as David did Abigail, faying, Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael,
which fent thee this day to meet me,' 1 Sam. xxv. 32. Wordly
things are often fuch a load to the Chriftian, that he moves but
very flowly heaven-ward. God fends a wind of trouble that
blows the burden off the man's back and then he walks more
Speedily on his way; after God hath drawn fome gilded earth
from him, that was drawing his heart away from God, Zeph.
iii. 12. I will alfo leave in the midft of thee, an afflicted and
poor people, and they fhall truft in the name of the Lord." It
was an obferve of an heathen moralift, That' no history makes
mention of any man, who hath been made better by riches.' I
doubt
if our modern hiftories can fupply the defect of ancient
hiftories in this point. But fure I am, many have been the
worfe of riches; thousands have been hugged to death, in the
embraces of a smiling worid; and many good men have got
wounds from outward profperity, that behoved to be cured by
the crofs. I remember to have read of one, who having an im-
pofthume in his breaft, had in vain ufed the help of physicians:
but being wounded with a fword, the impofthume broke; and
his life was faved by that accident, which threatned immediate
death. Often have fpiritual impofthumes gathered in the breasts
of God's people, in time of outward profperity, and been thus
broken and difcuffed by the crofs. It is kindly for believers to
be healed by stripes; although they are ufually fo weak as to
cry out for fear, at the fight of the pruning-hook, as if it were
the deftroying ax and to think the Lord is coming to kill them,
when he is indeed coming to cure them.

I

I shall now conclude, addreffing myself in a few words, first to faints, and next to finners.

I. To you that are faints, I fay,

FIRST, Strive to obtain and keep up actual communion and fellowship with Jefus Chrift; that is, to be ftill deriving fresh supplies of grace, from the fountain thereof in him by faith and making fuitable returns of them in the exercife of grace and holy obedience. Beware of eftrangement betwixt Chrift and your fouls. If it has got in already, (which feems to be the cafe of many in this day,) endeavour to get it removed. There are multitudes in the world, that flight Chrift, though ye should not flight him: many have turned their backs on him, that fometimes looked fair for heaven. The warm fun of outward peace and profperity, has caufed fome caft their cloak of religion from them, who held it faft when the wind of trouble was blowing upon them and will ye alfo go away?" John vi. 67. The greatest ingratitude is ftamped on your flighting of communion with Chrift, Jer. ii. 31, Have I been a wilderness unto Ifrael; a land of darkness Wherefore fay my people, We are lords, we will come no more unto thee? Oh beloved, Is this your kindness to your friend? It is unbecoming any wife, to flight converfe with her husband, but her especially who was taken from a prifon or a dunghill, as ye were, by our Lord? But remember, I pray you, this is a very ill-chofen time to live at a diftance from God:-it is a time in which divine providence frowns upon the land we live in; the clouds of wrath are gath ering, and are thick above our heads? It is not a time for you. to be out of your chambers, Ifa. xxvi. 20. They that now are walking most closely with God, may have enough ado to stand when the trial comes; how hard will it be for others then, who are like to be furprised with troubles, when guilt is lying on their confciences unremoved. To be awaked out of a found fleep, and caft into a raging fea, as Jonah was, wil be a fearful trial. To feel trouble before we fee it coming, to be paft hope before we have any fear, is a very fad cafe. Wherefore, break down your idols of jealoufy, mortify thefe lufts, thefe irregular appetites and defires, that have ftolen away your hearts, and left you, like Samfon, without his hair, and fay, I will go and return to my first husband; for then it was better with me, than now,' Hof. ii. 7.

Secondly, Walk as becomes thofe that are united to Chrift. Evidence your union with him, by walking as he alfo walked,' 1 John ii. 6. If ye be brought from under the power of dark

nefs,

nefs, let your light fhine before men. Shine as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life,' as the lanthorn holds the candle, which being in it, fhines through it, Philip. ii. 15. 16. Now that ye profefs Christ to be in you, let his image fhine forth in your converfation, and remember the bufinefs of your lives is to prove by practical arguments what ye profefs.

1. Ye know the character of a wife, She that is married, careth how she may please her husband,' Go you and do likewife Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleafing,' Col. i. 10. This is the great bufinefs of life; you must please him, though it fhould difplease all the world. What he hates, must be hateful to you, because he hates it. Whatever lufts come in fuit of your hearts, deny them, feeing the grace of God has appeared teaching fo to do? and you are joined to the Lord. Let him

be a covering to your eyes: for you have not your choice to make, it is made already; and you must not dishonour your Head. A man takes care of his feet, for that, if he catch cold there, it flies up to his head. • Shall I then take the members of Chrift, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid,' fays the apoftle, Cor. vi. 15. Wilt thou take that heart of thine, which is Chrift's dwelling place, and lodge his enemies there? Wilt thou take that body which is his temple, and defile it by using the members thereof, as, the inftruments of fin?

2. Be careful to bring forth fruit, and much fruit. The branch well laden with fruit, is the glory of the vine, and of the hufbandman too, John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, fo fhall ye be my difciples." A barren tree ftands fafer in a wood, than an orchard: And branches in Chrift that bring not forth fruit, will be taken away and caft into the fire.

2. Be heavenly minded, and maintain a holy contempt of the world. Ye are united to Chrift, he is your Head and Husband, and is in heaven; therefore your hearts fhould be there also, Col. iii. 1 If ye then be rifen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Chrift fitteth at the right hand of God.' Let the ferpent's feed go on their belly, and eat the dust of this earth but let the members of Chrift be ashamed to bow down and feed with them.

4. Live and act dependently; depending by faith on Jefus Chrift. That which grows on its own root, is a tree, not a branch: It is of the nature of a branch, to depend on the tock for all, and to derive all its fap from thence. Depend on him

for