fwim in the ftreams of creature-enjoyments, and yet f as not to forfake the fountain of living waters. (4.) The fourth inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when the believer is empty, and yet full; empty of all outward worldly enjoyment, and yet full, as having all, by having Chrift. This is exemplified in Hab. iii. 17, 18. "Tho' the fig-tree fhould not bloffom, nor fruit be found in the vine, &c. yet will I rejoice in the Lord, and be joyful in the God of my falvation." Thus, when a man having nothing, yet poffeffes all things, by feeing all in Chrift, even amidft outward wants, loffes, croffes, and afflictions, then the ftrength of grace appears. (5.) The fifth infiance of the ftrength of grace, is, when the believer is at eafe, and yet afflicted; at ease in refpect of outward and inward profperity, and yet afficted for the afflictions of God's church and people, laying the church's calamities duly to heart. You have a notable example of this in David, 2 Sam. vii. 1. There you fee that he fat in his houfe, and the Lord had given him reft round about from all his enemies, and thus he was at eafe, but he fays to Nathan, "Behold, now I dwell in a houfe of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains," ver. 2. Tho' he was at reft and ease, fo that his own perfonal intereft profpered; yet he was afflicted, becaufe it fared not fo well with the houfe and intereft of God. It is choice grace, to be deeply afflicted with the affliction of the church, even when no perfonal affliction takes place. (6.) The fixth inftance of the firength of grace, is, when a believer is afflicted, and yet at eafe; I mean, when he is compaft about with perfonal affliction, and yet eafy and quiet, in a holy, humble fubmiffion to the will of God, and chearfully acquiefces therein: " I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it,” fays the Pfalmift. Thus Aaron held his peace, even when God's difpenfations towards his children were ter rible. (7.) The feventh inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when the believer preffes after the greatest measure of perfonal holiness and imparted righteoufnefs, and yet lives wholly and depends intirely upon an imputed righ teoufnefs: teoufnefs: See a notable example of this in Paul, Phil. iii. 12, 13, 14. where he is prefling after the greatest degree of holiness; and yet, ver. 7, 8, 9. he lives and depends only and wholly upon the imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift, for juftification and acceptance with God. (8.) The eighth inftance of the firength of grace, is, when a believer can apprehend love in God's heart, even when he fees nothing but frowns in his face; and when, with Abraham, Againft Lope be believes in bope; and fays, with Job, Though he flay me, yet will I truft in bim. To love a imiting God, and truft in a flaying God, or notwithstanding all his flaying difpenfations, argues great grace; and even when walking in darkness, and having no light, then to truft in the name of the Lord; and when he is calling him a dog, then to draw arguments for his faith out of fuch a word, and to plead kindness on him amidst all the frowns of his face, and blows of his hand this is conquering grace. (9.) The ninth inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when believers fee a beauty in the fervice of religion, as well as in the fweets of it; a beauty in fpiritual employments, as well as fpiritual enjoyments; when it is their meat and drink to do their Lord's will, and work his work, as well as enjoy his prefence; and when it is their very life to ferve the Lord. O but they are come a great length, that can fay, To us to live is Chrift! (10.) The tenth inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when a man can rejoice in the gifts, graces, and usefulnefs of others, even when they outfhine his own, and eclipfe him; and when a man can rejoice to fee the work of God carried on by others, tho' himfelf be laid afide, and fhare not in the honour of it. Such eminent grace was in Mofes, when he faid, " Envieft thou for my fake? would to God all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them," Numb. xi. 29. And fuch eminent grace was in Paul, when he rejoiced that Chrift was preached, though with a defign to cloud and eclipfe him, Phil. i. 18. Some have noticed two things as carrying noble grace in them: the one is, to be willing to be ufed in God's work, without being taken notice of, or having the honour of it; and the other is, for a man to rejoice to fee the work of God carried on by others, though he himfelf be laid afide. (11.) The eleventh inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when a man can fet the glory of Chrift above his own intereft, his own happinefs, his own life and concerns. Mofes and Paul were alfo eminent in this; Mofes content to be blotted out of God's book, and Paul content to be accurfed for Ifrael's fake: what was this, but as fome obferve with refpect to Mofes, a preferring the glory of God before their own falvation, whofe glory they looked upon as conjoined with Ifrael's prefervation, in refpect of the promises made to the fathers, and in respect of the blafphemy which the Egyptians and adverfaries were ready to belch out against God, fhould he utterly deftroy them. And again, we find Paul not only willing to be bound, but even to die at Jerufalem for the name of the Lord Jefus; Chrift's honour being dearer to him than his life. O Sirs, it is rare grace for a man to be content that his name be eclipfed, and his honour laid in the duft, if the name and honour of Chrift may be advanced thereby; and content to be a footstool on which Chrift may afcend his throne. (12.) The twelfth inftance of the ftrength of grace, is, when a man can account no outward adverfity too hard to fuffer for the name of Chrift on earth, and no outward profperity too dear to part with for the enjoyment of Chrift in heaven: when, on the one hand, he accounts no outward adverfity too hard to fuffer for the name of Chrift on earth, and can glory in the cross of Chrift; it is faid of the difciples, Acts v. 41. They rejoiced that they were counted worthy to fuffer fhame for the name of Chrift: or, as the words may be read, that they were bonoured to be dishonoured for Chrift. And when, on the other hand, they account no outward profperity too fweet, or too dear, to part with for the enjoyment of Chrift in heaven. If a man be in affliction, adverfity, diftrefs, fickness, pain, and then be willing to be gone, there is not much here, this may be where there is no grace at all; but when a man enjoys abundance of worldly comforts and contentments, and yet longs longs for heaven and perfect holiness and happiness; when, though he may fay, It is good to be here, yet he is faying, O it is better to be there, to be with Chrift is beft of all; and therefore is breathing, with the fpoufe, Song viii. 14. "Make-hafte, my Beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart upon the mountains of fpices:" make hafte to bring me to the place where I fhall be for ever with the Lord, and fhall be like him; for I shall see him as he is: no paradife here being like the paradife above. This were an inftance of the firength of grace; and, O but a new difcovery of the glory of Chrift would make a man long to be above, and look with contempt upon all fublunary enjoyments! For, as a man that looks any time on the natural fun, when after that he looks down, the earth is but a lump of darkness to him; fo, if we look to the glory of Chrift, the Sun of righteousness, and the glory of heaven, how will it darken all worldly glory, and make us long to be above. Now, I fay, it is the duty of believers, that are delivered from under the law, and confequently from the ftrength of fin, to discover, in oppofition thereto, the strength of grace, in thefe or the like inftances that I have named. "To feek life by the law, or juftification by the "deeds of it, fays one, is to feek life in death, justifi"cation in condemnation, and heaven in hell." There are two things neceffary to falvation, namely, juftification and fanctification; but the law can give none of them. Pardon fin it cannot; for, it is the office of the law to condemn finners, and to curfe the tranfgreffors of it renew unto holiness it cannot; for, though it be holy, yet it cannot make any holy, in regard, that whom it leaves under the curfe, it leaves under the power of fin, which is the leading part of the curfe; on which account it is declared in our text, that the ftrength of fin is the law. If the law could make a finner either happy or holy, it could neither be juft nor holy itself; but fo juft and holy is the law, that it punishes the leaft transgreffion with the greateft judgment: now, the ftrength of fin being the greatest judgment, and the greatest curfe; to inflict this judgment on a finner, and yet to make him holy, is a contradiction; therefore, though it require holinefs, yet it cannot work holinefs in a finner and hence, it does not detract from, but rather declare and illuftrate both the juftice and holiness of the law, to fay, that the ftrength of fin is the law. from this fubject, And, We may further infer the woful nature and infinite evil of fin, as it ftands in oppofition to the infinite holinefs of God manifefted in his holy law: for, in this doctrine, we may fee fin to be both a breach of the command, and a branch of the curfe of God's law; for, as I fhewed in the doctrinal part, the law threatened death to the tranfgreffor: and fpiritual death, which is the power and ftrength of fin, is the greateft death therein threatened. The meaning of this, in short, is, that the grand part of the threatening of the law was to this effect, "In the day thou finneft thou fhalt die ;" which, when understood of fpiritual death, the meaning is, If thou fin, and break my law, then thou fhalt be left to the power of fin; I will punish thy, fin with fin: there is no evil fo great as fin, and there is no punishment fo great as fin; if therefore, fays the law, the commiffion of fin be thy choice, the ftrength of fin fhall be thy doom: here is the greatest curfe of God's law againft fin; fin is a departing from God. Now, fays God in the law, If you depart from me, then I will let you depart from me to fin, where the strength of fin fhall be your greatest punishment in time; and at laft I will bid you depart from me to hell, where the perfection of fin fhall be your greatest punishment to eternity. The ftrength of fin then is to be confidered, not only as it is a breach of the law, but as it is a branch of the curfe thereof. This fentence of the law is paft, and it is fo far execute, as that a man is under the power and strength of fin, which, in this refpect, is a penal evil, as well as a moral. The first fin that ever was committed by our first parents, was a moral evil; that is, a violation of the moral law, a breach of the command: but all the following fin, both in them and their finful pofterity, is not only a moral evil; that is, a breach of the command; but also, a penal evil; that is, a branch of the curfe, or a juft judgment inflicted, according to the fentence of the holy law, againft |