pleafed,' Heb. xiii. 15, 16. Chrift himfelf is the altar that fanctifies the gift, ver. 10. But what comes of the flins and dung of their facrifices? They are carried away without the camp. If we look for incenfe, it is there too. The graces of the Spirit are found in their hearts: and the Spirit of a crucified Chrift, fires them, and puts them in exercife; like as the fire was brought from the altar of burnt-offering, to fet the incense on fame then they mount heaven-ward, like pillars of smoke, Cant. iii. 6. But the beft of incenfe will leave afhes behind it : yes indeed; but as the priest took away the ashes of the incenfe in a golden dish, and threw them out fo our great High-priest takes away the afhes and refuse of all the faints fervices, by his mediation in their behalf.

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Au Eighth benefit flowing from union with Chrift, is Estab. lifhment. The Chriftian cannot fall away, but must perfevere unto the end, John x. 28. They fhall never perish, neither fhall any man pluck them out of my hand.' Indeed if a branch do not knit with the ftock, it will fall away when shaking winds arife but the branch knit to the ftock ftands faft, whatever wind blows. Sometimes a ftormy wind of temptation blows from hell, and toffeth the branches in Chrift the true Vine; but their union with him, is their fecurity; moved they may be but removed they never can be. The Lord' will with the` temptation fo make a way to efcape,' Cor. x. 13. Calms are never of any continuance; there is almost always fome wind blowing and therefore branches are rarely altogether at reft. But fometimes violent winds arife, which threaten to rend them from off their stock. Even fo it is with faints; they are daily put to it, to keep their ground against temptation: but, fometimes the wind from hell rifeth fo high, and bloweth fo furiously, that it makes even top branches to fweep the ground; yet be ing knit to Chrift their stock, they get up again, in fpite of the moft violent efforts of the prince of the power of the air. Pfal. xciv. 18. When I faid, my foot flippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up.' But the Chriftian improves by this trial; and is fo far from being damaged, that he is benefited by it, in fo far as it difcovers what hold the foul has of Chrift,and what hold Chrift has of the foul. And, like, as the wind in the bellows, which would blow out the candle, blows up the fire even fo it often comes to pafs, that fuch temptations do, enliven the true Chriftian, awakening the graces of the Spirit in him, and, by that means, difcover both the reality, and the ftrength of grace in him. And hence, as Luther, that great man of God, faith,

One,

One Chriftian who hath had experience of temptation, is worth a thoufnd others.".

Sometimes a ftormy wind of trouble and perfecution from the men of the world, blows upon the vine, i. e. mystical Chrift: but union with the stock is a fufficient fecurity to the branches. In a time of the church's peace and outward profperity, while the angels hold the winds that they blow not, there are a great branches taken up, many and put into the ftock, which never knit with it, nor live by it, though they be bound up with it, by the bonds of external ordinances. Now thefe may ftand a while on the flock, and fland with great cafe, while the calm lats. But when once the ftorms arile, and the winds blow; they will begin to fall off, one after another and the higher the wind rifeth, the greater will the number be that falls. Yea, fume trong boughs of that fort, when they fall, will, by their weight, carry others of their own' kind, quite down to the earth with them; and will bruife and prefs down fome true branches in fuch a manner, that they would alfo fall off, were it not for their being knit to the flock; in virtue whereof they get up their heads again, and cannot fall off, because of that faft hold the ftock has of them. Then it is that many branches, fometime high and eminent, are found lying on the earth withered, and fit to be gathered up and caft into the fire, Matth. xiii. 6. And when the fun was up, they were (corched; and becaufe they had no root, they withered away. John xv. 6.• If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.' But however violently the winds blow, none of the truly ingrafted branches, that are knit with the stock, are found miffing, when the ftorm is changed into a calm, John xvii. 12. thofe that thou gavest me, I have kept, and none of them is loft. The leaft twig growing in Chrift, shall stand it out, and fubfift; when the talleft cedars growing on their own root fhall be laid flat on the ground, Rom. vii. 35. Who shall feparate us from the love of Chrift? Shall tribulation, or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or "fword? See ver. 36. 37. 38. 39. However feverely Ifrael be fifted, yet fhall not the leaft grain, or, as it is in the original language, a little ftone fall upon the earth,' Amos ix. 9. It is an allufion to the fifting of fine pebble ftones from among heaps of duft and fand tho the fand and duft fall to the ground, be blown away: with the wind, and trampled under foot; yet there shall not fall on the earth, so much as a little fone, such is the exactness of

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the fieve, and care of the fifter. There is nothing more ready to fall on the earth, than a stone : yet, if profeffors of religion be lively ftones built on Chrift the chief corner stone;

be little ftones, they fhall not fall to the earth, whatever they

ftorm beat upon them. See 1 Pet. ii. 4, 5, 6. All the good grain in the church of Chrift is of this kind; they are flopss in respect of folidity; and lively ftones, in refpect of activity. If men be folid fubftantial Chriftians, they will not be like chaff toffed to and fro with every wind; having fo much of the livelinefs that they have nothing of the ftone: and if they be lively Chriftians, whofe fpirit will stir in them, as Paul's did, when he faw, the city wholly given to idolatry, A&s xvii. 16. they will not ly like ftones, to be turned over, hither and thither, cut and caryed, according to the lufts of men; having fo much of the ftene, as leaves nothing of livelinefs in them.

Our God's houfe is a great houfe, wherein are not only veffels of gold, but also of earth, 2 Tim. ii. 20. Both thefe are apt to contract filthinefs; and therefore when God brings trouble upon the church, he hath an eye to both. As for the veffels of gold, they are not deftroyed, but purged by a fiery trial in the furnace of afflation, as goldfmiths purge their gold, Ifa. i, 25., And I will turn niy hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy drofs.' But deftruction is to the veffels of earth: they fhall be broken in fhivers, as a potter's veffel,' ver. 28.' And the deftruction (or breaking) of the tranfgreflors, and of the Ginners, fhall be together.' It feems to be an allufion to that law, for breaking the veffels of earth, when unclean; while veffels of wood, and confequently veffels of gold were only to be infed' Lev. xv. 12.

A Ninth benefit is Support. If thou be a branch ingrafted in Christ, the root beareth thee. The believer leans on Chrift; as a weak woman in a journey, leaning upon her beloved husband, Cant. viii 5. He lays himfeit upon him, as a feeble old man ftays himfelf on his flaff, Ifa. 1. 10. He rolls himself on him, as one rulls a burden he is not able to walk under, off his own back, upon another who is able to bear it, Pfal. xxii. 8. Marg. There are many weights to hang upon, and prefs down the branches in Chrift, the true Vine. But ye know, whatever weights hang on branches, the flock bears all; it bears the branch and the weight that is upon it too.

ift, Chrift fupports believers in him, under a weight of outward troubles. That is a large promife, Ifa. xliii. 26 • When thou paffeft through the waters, I will be with thee: and thro'

the

the rivers, they fhall not overflow thee. See how David was fupported under a heavy load, 1 Sam. xxx. 6. His city Ziklag was burnt, his wives were taken captives, his men fpoke of ftoning him; nothing was left him but his God and his faith; but, by his faith, he encouraged himself in his God.' The Lord comes and lays his cross on his people's thoulders; it preffeth them down, they are like to fink under it, and therefore cry, Mafter, fave us, we perifh: But he fupports them under their burden; he bears them up, and they bear his crofs. Thus the Chriftian having a weight of outward troubles upon him, goes lightly under bis burden, having withal the everlasting arms underneath him. The Chriftian has a spring of comfort, which he cannot lofe; and therefore never wants fomething to fupport him. If one have all his riches in money, robbers may take thefe away, and then what has he more? But though the landed man be robbed of his money, yet his lands remain for his fupport. They that build their comfort on wordly goods, may quickly be comfortless; but they that are united to Chrift, fhall find comfort when all the ftreams of wordly enjoyments are driedup, Job. vi. 13. Is not my help in me? And is wisdom driven quite from me?qd. Though my fubftance is gone; though my fervants, my children, my health, and foundnefs of body, are all gone; yet my grace is not gone too. Tho' the Sabeanshave driven away my oxen and affes, and the Chaldeans have driven away my camels; they have not driven away my faith, and my hope too these are yet in me, they are not driven from: me; fo that by them I can fetch comfort from heaven, whea I can have none from earth.^.

2dly, Chrift fupports his people under a weight of inward troubles and difcouragements. Many times heart and flesh fail them, but then God is the ftrength of their heart,' Pfal xxiii. 26 They may have a weight of guilt preffing them. This is a load that will make their back to stoop, and the fpirits to fink but he takes it off, and puts a pardon in their hand, while they caft their burden over upon him. Chrift takes the foul, as one marries a widow, under a burden of debt: and fo when the creditors come to Chrift's'fpoufe, fhe carries them to her husband, confeffeth the debt, declares fhe is not able to pay, and lays all over upon him. The Chriftian fometimes, through careleffoefs, lofeth his discharge; he cannot find it, however he fearch for it. The law takes that opportunity; and bends up a procefs against him, for a debt paid already. God hides his face, and the foul is diftreffed. Many arrows go through the

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heart now; many long accounts are laid before the man, which he reads and acknowledges. Often does he fee the officers coming to apprehend him, and the prifon door open to receive him. What elfe keeps him from finking utterly under difcour. agements in this cafe, but that the everlafting arms of a Mediator are underneath him, and that he relies upon the great Cautioner ? Further, they may bave a weight of trong lufts preffing them. They have a body of death upon them. Death is a weight that preffeth the foul out of the body. A leg or an arm of death (if I may fo fpeak) would be a terrible load. (One lively luft will fometimes ly fo heavy on a child of God, that he can no more remove it, than a child could throw a giant from off him.) How then are they fupported under a whole body of death? Why, their fupport is from the roof that bears them, from the everlafting arm that is underneath them. His grace is fufficient for them,' 2 Cor. xiii. 9. The great ftay of the believer is not the grace of God within him, that is a well, whofe ftreams fometimes run dry: but it is the grace of God without him, the grace that is in Jefus Chrift; which is an ever-flowing fountain, to which the believer can never come amifs. For the Apostle tells us in the fame verfe, it is the power of Chrift: Moft glad. ly therefore, faith he, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Chrift may rest upon me, or tabernacle above me ;' as the cloud of glory did on the Ifraelites, which God spread for a covering, or fhelter to them in the wildernefs, Pfal. cv. 39. Tfa. iv. 5, 6. So that the believer, in this combat, like the eagle, first flies aloft, (by faith) and then comes down on the prey, Pfal. xxxiv. 5. They looked to him, and were lightened. And finally, they have a weight of weakness and wants upon them, but they caft over that burden on the Lord; their ftrength, and he sustains them,' Pfal. Iv. 22. With all their wants and weakneffes, they are caft upon him; as the poor, weak and naked babe, coming out of the womb, is caft into the lap of one appointed to take care of it, Pfal. xxii. 10. Though they be deftitute, (as a fhrub in the wilderness, which the foot of every beaft may tread down,) the Lord will regard them,' Pfal..cii. 17. It is no marvel, the weakest plant may be fafe ina garden: but our Lord Jefus Chrift is a hedge for protection. to his weak and deftitute ones, even in a wilderness..

compare,

Object. But if the faints be fupported, how is it that they fall fo often under temptation and difcouragements? Anf. 1.) How long foever they fall at any time they never fall off; that is a great matter. They are kept by the power of

God