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Christians who scorn to learn this good lesson, though of a heathen. And O that all who write themselves Christians, were so good as to imitate the good that shined in many heathens! To me it is sad, that Christians who live and act below the very heathen, should be offended to hear now and then of those excellencies that sparkled in the very heathen. I think that is a very evil spirit, which cannot endure to hear of those excellencies in others, that he wants in himself. Certainly he is a brave Christian, and has much of Christ within, who accounts nothing his own, that he does not communicate to others. The bee does store her hive out of all sorts of flowers for the common benefit, and why then in this should not every Christian be like a bee?

Synesius speaks of some, who having a treasure of rare abilities in them, would as soon part with their hearts, as their corruptions. I think they are rather monsters, than real Christians, who are of such a spirit.

3. The third and last thing to which you are to improve your gifts and graces, is to the benefit and profit of your own souls.

Not to improve them to your own internal and eternal good, is with a high hand to cross the main end of God's conferring them upon you. Ah, Christians, you must improve them to the strengthening of you against temptations, to the supporting of you under afflictions, to the keeping under of strong corruptions, to the sweetening of all mutations, and to the preparing and fitting of you for the days of your dissolution.

I shall content myself with giving you this hint, because I have before spoken more fully to this head

And thus we have done with the doctrinal part. We shall come now to make some use and application of this point to ourselves.

If this be so, that it is the duty of Christians to improve and exercise the gifts and graces that the Lord has given them; then this looks very sourly and wishly upon all lazy, idle, negligent Christians, that do not stir up themselves to lay hold on God, that do not stir up the grace of the Lord in them. It is sad to consider how many Christians can stir up themselves to lay hold on all

opportunities to make themselves great and rich in the world, and yet suffer their golden gifts and graces even to grow rusty for want of exercise. It is sad to see how busy many men are to exercise and improve a talent of riches, who yet bind up their talents of gifts and grace in a napkin. By these God loses much honour and praise, and themselves lose much comfort and content, and others lose much profit and benefit, and the gospel loses much credit and glory.

But the main use that I shall make of this point, shall be to exhort and stir you all up to make a blessed improvement of your graces: and indeed it is a point of most singular use to us all our days, a truth that is every day of very great concernment to our souls.

Now there are seven considerations that I shall propound by way of motives to stir up your souls to make a blessed improvement of the grace and gifts you have received.

1. And the first is this-seriously consider that the exercise and improvement of grace in your souls, will be more and more the death and ruin of sin in your souls.

Take it from experience. There is not a choicer way than this, for a man to bring under the power of his sin, than to keep up the exercise of his grace. Sin and grace are like two buckets at a well, when one is up, the other is down; they are like the two laurels at Rome, when one flourishes, the other withers. Certainly the readiest and the surest way to bring under the power of sin, is to be much in the exercise of grace. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sin, but the spirit is life, because of righteousness, Rom. viii. 10. The life and activity of Christ and grace in the soul, is the death and destruction of sin in the soul. The more grace acts in the soul, the more sin withers and dies in the soul. The stronger the house of David grew, the weaker the house of Saul grew. As the house of David grew every day stronger and stronger, so the house of Saul every day grew weaker and weaker. So the activity of the new man, Is the death of the old man. When Christ began to bestir himself in the temple, the money-changers quickly fled out. So when grace is active and stirring in the

soul, corruption quickly flies. A man may find out many ways to hide his sin, but he will never find out any way to subdue his sin, but by the exercise of grace. Of all Christians, none so mortified as those in whom grace is most exercised. Sin is a viper that must be killed, or it will kill you for ever; and there is no way to kill it, but by the exercise of grace.

2. Consider this by way of motive to provoke you to exercise and improve your graces the exercise and improvement of your graces, will provoke others to bless and admire the God of grace.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven, Matt. v. 16; the light of your conversation, and the light of your graces. O how many thousand souls are there now triumphing in heaven, whose gifts and graces shone gloriously when they were on earth! And ah! how many thousands are there now on earth, who bless and admire the Lord for the faith of Abraham, and the zeal of David, and the meekness of Moses, and the patience of Job, and the courage of Joshua! O Christians, as you would stir up others to exalt the God of grace, look to the exercise and improvement of your graces. When poor servants live in a family, and see the faith of a master, and the love of a master, and the wisdom of a master, and the patience of a master, and the humility of a master, shining like so many stars of heaven, O how does it draw forth their hearts to bless the Lord, that ever they came into such a family! It is not a profession of religion, but the exercise and improvement of grace, that contributes so much to the lifting up of the glory of the Lord, and to the magnifying of his praise in the world. Many saints have had their hearts warmed and heated by sitting near other saints' fires, by eyeing and dwelling upon other saints' graces. Ah, when men's graces shine as Moses' face did; when their lives, as one speaks of Joseph's life, is a very heaven, sparkling with variety of virtues as with so many bright stars; ah, how are others stirred up to glorify God, and to cry out, 'These are Christians indeed! These are an honour to their God, a crown to their Christ, and a credit to their gospel. Oh, if they were all such,

we would be Christians too.' It is a very great stumbling block to many poor sinners, to see men who make a very great and large profession of Christ, never to exercise and shew forth the virtues of Christ. They profess they know him, and yet by the non-exercise of his virtues, they deny him.

It was one of Machiavel's principles, that the appearance of virtue was only to be sought, because the use of it is a trouble, but the credit of it a help. I am afraid that this cursed, soul-damning principle, is the best flower that grows in many men's gardens in these days. Though there is no virtue but is as a bright stone in a dark night; it shines and shews its clearness and beauty; it is as pure gold, the brighter for passing through the fire; yet how do most men covet rather the name of virtue, than to be really virtuous! Such, I believe, shall have the hottest, and the lowest place in hell. Well, Christians, remember this-it is not a shew of grace, but the exercise of grace, that will provoke others to glorify the fountain of grace. That is a very remarkable scripture, in 1 Thes. i. 2, 3, 8, compared. We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; remembering without ceasing, your work of faith, and labonr of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God, and our Father; for from you sounded out the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad. In the eighth verse you have an elegant metaphor, which signifies, that their faith was so lively, that with its sound, as it were, it stirred up other nations. The Greek word is to sound as with the sound of a trumpet, to make to sound afar off. Says the apostle, 'Your graces made a noise like a trumpet; they stirred up others to be gracious and active, as the trumpet stirs up men to war.' So in 2 Thes. i. 3, 4; We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth. So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God, for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. This is the character of the an

gelical nature, to rejoice in the graces and gracious actings of others. He that acts otherwise, holds forth the image of the devil, and declares himself a native of hell.

3. Consider that the exercise and improvement of grace, may be a special means to stir up the exercise of grace in

others.

Your improvement of grace may be a special means to stir up others to improve their graces also. So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia; or as the Greek is, You were types, moulds, patterns of piety, to them that were in Christ long before you; 1 Thes. i. 7. So in 2 Cor. ix. 2; For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal hath provoked very many. I knew you were forward, and this I boasted of; I made it my glory to tell how grace shined in your souls. And your zeal hath provoked many. When they saw how warm and lively, and active, how open-handed and open-hearted you were to the poor saints, their hearts were stirred up to acts of charity also.' Stories speak of some that could not sleep when they thought of the trophies of other worthies that went before them. The highest examples are very quickening and provoking.

That this may stick upon your souls, I beseech you bed and board, rise and walk, with this one consideration, that all the good you provoke others to by counsel or example, shall be put down to your account. It shall certainly turn to your internal and eternal advantage. In the great day Christ will make honourable mention of all the good that thou hast stirred and provoked others to, and will reward thee for it before angels and men. The faith, the love, the hope, the charity, the patience, that thou hast provoked others to, shall be put down to thy account, as if thou hadst been the only actor of them; as all the sins that men provoke or stir up others to, by their counsel or example, shall be put down to their accounts. This you may see in David. David did but send a letter concerning the death of Uriah, and yet the charge cometh, Thou hast slain Uriah with the sword. As whatsoever is done by letter, counsel, or example, to provoke others to sin,

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