you

Sixthly; be most with those souls that are spiritually rich. Let them be thy choicest companions, who have made Christ their chiefest companion. Do not so much eye the outsides of men, as their inside; look most to their internal worth. Many persons have an eye upon the external garb of this and that professor, but give me a Christian who minds the internal worth of persons, who makes such as are most filled with the fulness of God to be his choicest and his chiefest companions. My goodness extendeth not to thee, says David, speaking in the person of Christ, but to the saints that are in the earth, in whom is all my delight, Psalm xvi. 2, 3. There are saints, and there are excellent saints; now those are the excellent ones, that are most rich in heavenly treasures; and these should make your bosom friends, your choicest companions. He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; that is, he shall be more wise, more humble, more holy, and more abounding in all spiritual riches. The word that is rendered walk, is a Hebrew participle, and signifies walking, to denote to us, that it is not he who talks with the wise, nor he who commends the wise, nor he who takes a step or two or three with the wise, that shall be wise; but he who gives up himself to the society and company of the wise, that shall be more and more wise, more and more gracious, more and more holy. He who comes where sweet spices or ointments are stiring, carries away some of the sweet savour, though himself think not of it. The spouse's lips drop as the honey-comb, Cant. iv. 11. The tongue of the just is as choice silver; he scatters pearls, he throws abroad treasures where he comes. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge. The Hebrew word is a metaphor from scattering abroad with a fan, or from seedsmen scattering abroad their seed in the furrows of the field. They scatter their light, their love, their experiences, among those with whom they converse, as seedsmen scatter their seed in the field. Christ says his spouse's lips are like a thread of scarlet with talking of nothing but a crucified Christ; and thin like a thread, not swelled with other vain and wicked discourses.

The old, zealous, primitive Christians did so frequently, and so effectually mind and talk of the kingdom of heaven,

and of the riches and glory of that state, that the Ethnics begun to be a little jealous that they affected the Roman Empire; when alas their ambition was of another and a nobler nature. The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh judgment; the law of his God is in his heart, Psalm xxxvii. 30, 31. The tongue of the wise is health; his tongue is a tree of life, whose leaves are medicinal. No way to be rich in spirituals, like being much with such precious souls, whose tongues drop marrow and fatness.

Utterance is a gift, and dumb Christians are blameworthy, as well as dumb ministers. We should all strive to a holy ability and dexterity of savoury discourse. If Christ should come to many of us, as he did to the two disciples in the last chapter of Luke, on sabbath-days and other times, and say to us, as to them, What manner of communication had ye, or have ye? O with what paleness of face and sadness of countenance should we look!

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Speak, that I may see thee," said Socrates to a fair boy. When the heart is full, it overfloweth in speech. We know metals by their tinkling, and men by their talking. Happy was that tongue in the primitive time, that could sound out any thing of David's doing; but much more happy is he that speaks out any thing of Christ from experience.

Seventhly; if ever you would be spiritually rich, then take heed of eating or tasting forbidden fruit. This stripped Adam of his crown, of his jewels, and of all his rich ornaments in a moment; and of the richest and greatest prince that ever breathed, made him the most miserable beggar that ever lived. O take heed of tasting -poison, of eating poison. A person who has eaten poison, will not thrive, let him take ever such wholesome food. The choicest cordials will not increase blood, and spirits, and strength, but the man will throw up all. Poor souls, that have been tasting poison, are apt to find fault with the minister, and sometimes with this and that, as the cause of their not growing rich in spirituals, when, alas, the only cause is their eating poison. These are like him, in Seneca, who having a thorn in his foot, complained of the roughness of the way, as the cause of his limping.

Sirs, it is not the minister, nor this, nor that, but your eating of forbidden fruit, that is the cause of your non-thriving in spirituals. Sin is the soul's sickness, and nothing more prejudices growth than sickness. Christians, if ever you would be trees, having not only the leaves of honour, but the fruits of righteousness, then take heed of sin, abhor it more than hell, and fly from it as from your deadliest enemy.

Eighthly and lastly; be sure to maintain a secret trade with God. You know many men come to be very rich in the world, by a secret trade. Though many have not such an open trade as others, yet they have a more secret trade, and by that they gain very great estates, as many of you here in London know by experience. Take it friends as an experienced truth, there is no such way under heaven to be rich in spirituals, as by driving a secret trade heavenwards. It is true, it is good for men to attend upon this, and that, and the other public administration; for in all divine administrations God shews his beauty and glory. Aye, but such as delight to be more upon the public stage, than in the closet, will never be rich in spirituals; they may grow rich in notions, but they will never grow rich in gracious experiences. O God loves to see a poor Christian shut his closet door, and then to open his bosom and pour out his soul before him. God has very choice discoveries for souls that drive a secret trade; the best wine, the best dainties and delicates are for such. And I never knew any man or woman in my life, who was richer in grace, than those who were much in closet communion with God. Much of a Christian's spiritual strength lies in secret prayer, as Samson's did in his hair. Nothing charms Satan and weakens sin, like this. Secret prayers are the pillars of smoke wherein the soul ascends to God out of the wilderness of this world. Secret prayer is Jacob's ladder, where you have God descending down into the soul, and the soul sweetly ascending up to God. No way to be rich in spirituals like this; therefore be sure to maintain and keep up a secret trade between God and your own souls. O let God hear often of you in secret. The king is held in the galleries. O in the secret walks, the soul meets with the king of glory. O there the soul

hangs upon Christ, there the soul sucks and draws virtue from Christ, and there the soul is made rich with the riches of Christ. Christ is much delighted and taken with secret prayer. O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, that art got into a hole, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely; Can. ii. 14. Secret meals are very fattening, and secret duties are very soul-enriching. Christians, set more closely to this work, and if you do not thrive by it, trust me no more. And thus you see by what means you may grow rich in grace. III. The third thing I propounded to speak to, was to lay down some propositions concerning spiritual riches.

(1.) The first proposition is this,-All that grow rich in grace, grow rich gradually. The sun ascends by degrees: children, plants, and trees, grow by degrees; so do saints in spirituals. It is true, many men, as to temporals, by the death of some friend, or this and that providence, grow rich on a sudden; but no soul that is rich in grace, but grows rich gradually. The path of the just is as the shining light. which shineth more and more unto the perfect day; Prov. iv. 18. He proceeds from virtue to virtue, until at length he shines like the sun in its strength. And so in Mal. iv. 2; Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings, and ye shall go forth and grow up as calves of the stall. I will be as the dew unto Israel; he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall return, they shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine: the scent thereof shall be as the wine of Lebanon, Hos. xiv. 5-7. I shall but hint at this now, because I have spoken more fully to it already.

(2.) The second proposition is this,-Few or none are rich in all graces. There are some men in the world, who are generally rich, who are rich in money, and rich in land, and rich in goods; but where you have one man who is a generally rich man in this sense, you have ten thousand who are rich in some one thing only, as money, goods, or land: so it is here. It is a hard thing, if pos

sible, to find a soul that is generally rich, that is rich in every grace, that is rich in faith, and rich in wisdom, and rich in love, and rich in patience. Abraham was rich in faith, and Job was rich in patience, and Moses was rich in meekness, and David was rich in zeal; but none of these were rich in every grace. And so in these days you may find one Christian rich in one grace, and another Christian rich in another grace, but where will you find a Christian who is rich in every grace? Such as are rich in some graces, are yet very defective and lame in other graces. The saints at Rome were once richer in wisdom and knowledge than the saints at Thessalonica, Rom. xv. 14; and the saints at Thessalonica were richer in faith, love, patience, and charity, than the saints at Rome, 1 Thess. i. 3. 2 Thess. i. 3, 4. It is with saints as with sinnersone sinner excels in one vice, another in another vice; so one saint excels in one virtue, and another in another virtue; one is rich in joy, in comfort; another is rich in humility, in fear; another in faith and hope, and another in love. And mark how this arises.

It arises sometimes from hence, that every saint endeavours to excel in that particular grace which is most opposite to his bosom sin. Now every saint's bosom sin is not alike. It may be, pride is one man's bosom sin, and hypocrisy another man's bosom sin. Now it is the very nature of grace to make a man strive to be most eminent in that particular grace which is most opposite to his bosom sin; and upon this account it comes to pass, that one is rich in one grace, and another in another.

Again; some saints have frequent occasions to act and exercise such and such graces; others are called forth to act such and such graces; now the more any particular grace is acted, the more that particular grace is increased. Frequent acts cause a stronger habit both in graces and in sins. If all Christians should be rich in all graces, what difference would there be between heaven and earth? what need would there be of ordinances? and when would Christians long to be dissolved, and to be with Christ?

(3.) The third proposition is this,---Souls may be rich in