own vileness; they did not more cry up God as holy, than he did cry out upon himself as "unclean." Isa. vi. 4, 5. So Job, "Now my eye seeth thee, wherefore I abhor myself," chap. xlii. 5, 6. Never did the good man more loathe himself for the putrid sores of his ulcerous body, when on the dunghill he sat and scraped himself, than now he did for the impurities of his soul. We see ourselves in a dark room, and we think we are fine and clean; but would we compass ourselves with the beams of God's glorious majesty and holiness, then the rays of the sun would not discover more atoms in the air than the holiness of God would convince of sin to be in us. But it is the trick of pride not to come where it may be outshined; it had rather go where it shall be adored, than where it is sure to be put to shame.

66

Secondly, Often meditate on the holiness of man's innocent state. It is true now, if a believer, thou hast a principle of holiness planted in thee; but, alas! what is that at present to what thy nature once had? They who saw the second temple, and remembered not the first which Solomon built, they thought it no doubt a glorious fabric; but others, whose, eyes had seen the stately work and goodly buildings of the other, could not but rejoice with tears in their eyes. Many of the priests and Levites, and chief of the fathers, who were ancient men, that had seen the first house, when the foundation of this house was laid, wept with a loud voice." Ezra iii. 12. O it revived the sad thoughts of the sacking of that glorious structure; and so may these little beginnings upon a new foundation of a new covenant, remind thee with sorrow to think of the ruins that man in all his glory fell into by Satan's policy. It is true, in Heaven thou shalt have the odds of Adam in Paradise; but thou shalt have many a weary step before thou gettest up that hill. When a man that hath had some thousands a year, hath now but a few pounds per annum allowed him, and the rest sequestered from him for thirty or forty years, it is sad, though comfortable also, to think it shall at last return (and may be with a great overplus); but at present he is put to many straits, and fain to make a hard shift to rub through, so as to live any thing

like his noble descent and family. Thus it is joyous to the saint to think of Heaven, when all his means shall come into his hands; but truly his imperfect grace, and the many expences he is at (from afflictions at God's hands, temptations at Satan's mutinies, and intestine broils from remaining lusts within doors) do put him into many sad straits, that the poor soul is fain oft to snap short in his comfort, yea much ado he hath to keep shop-windows open with the little stock he hath; hence the Christian's getting to Heaven is set out as a business of so much difficulty: "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 1 Pet. iv. 18. The wise virgins had no oil to spare; the Christian shall hold out, and that is even all. Think of this, and let thy plumes fall.

Thirdly, Often meditate on thy own personal miscarriages, especially in thy unregenerate state. This kept Paul so humble; how often does his unregenerate wicked conversation rise, though not in his conscience to darken his comfort, yet in his mind to qualify the thoughts of his gifts and grace, 1 Cor. xv. 9, 10. where he speaks how he "laboured more than them all;" O how he way-lays his pride, that possibly might follow such his glorying too close at the heels, and therefore, before he dares speak a word of his present holiness, he bolts the door upon pride, and first falls upon the story of that black part of his life. O how he batters his pride, and speaks himself all to naught; no enemy could have drawn his picture with a blacker coal, verse 7. he calls himself one, "born out of time," verse 9. "for I am the least of the apostles, not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God;" and now, having sufficiently besmeared and doused himself in the puddle of his former sins, how humbly doth the holy man speak of his transcendant graces, verse 10. “ the grace of God, I am that I am; and I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God." O this is the way of killing this weed of pride, to break up our hearts and turn the inside outward, I mean humble and abase ourselves for our former abominations. Pride will not easily thrive in a soil where this plough

By

often walks. Pride is a worm that bites and gnaws out the heart of grace. Now you know they are bitter things that must break the bag of worms that are gathered in the stomach; all sweet things nourish them; they are bitter that scatter and kill them. O Christian, take some quantity of this aloes often, and with God's blessing thou shalt find ease of that which, if a Christian, thou art troubled with. And do not think that this worm breeds only in children, weak Christians and young novices; I confess it is the most ordinary disease of that age, but aged and stronger Christians are not out of danger. Old David had this worm of pride crawling out of his mouth when he bade Joab number the people; and dost not thou too oft take thyself in numbering the duties and good works thou hast done, and the sufferings thou hast endured for thy God, with some secret self-applauding thoughts that tickle thee from them?

VERSE 15.

And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace.

THIS verse presents us with the third piece of armour in the Christian's panoply: a spiritual shoe, fitted to his foot, and to be worn by him, so long as he keeps the field against sin and Satan. " And your feet shod," &c. We shall cast the words into distinct questions or enquiries, from the resolution of which will result the several points to be insisted on.

First, What is meant by the "Gospel?"

Secondly, What by "peace," and why attributed to the Gospel?

Thirdly, What the feet here mentioned import, and what grace is intended by the "preparation of the Gospel of peace," which here is compared to the shoe, and fitted for these feet?

Quest. 1. What is meant by the Gospel?

Answ. Gospel, according to the notation of the original, word signifies any good news, or joyful message; so Jer. xx. 15. "Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born to thee, to make him glad." But usually in Scripture it is restrained, by way of excellency, to signify the doctrine of Christ, and salvation by him to poor sinners: "I bring you glad tidings (said the angel to the shepherds) of great joy." Luke ii. 10. and, verse 11. he addeth, "unto you is born a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Thus it is taken in this place, and generally in the New Testament, and affords this note.

WHEREIN

CHAP. I.

THE GLADSOME NEWS THAT THE GOSPEL BRINGS IS DECLARED FROM THE FIVE PARTICULARS REQUISITE TO FILL UP THE JOYFULNESS OF A MESSAGE; WITH A WORD TO STIR UP OUR BOWELS IN PITYING THOSE THAT NEVER HEARD ANY OF THIS NEWS.

NOTE. The revelation of Christ, and the grace of God through him, is without compare the best news and most joyful tidings that poor sinners can hear. It is such a message as no good news can come before it, nor any ill news follow. No good news can come before it; no, not from God himself to the creature; he cannot issue out any blessing to poor sinners till he hath shewn mercy to their souls in Christ. "God be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us." Psalm lxvii. 1.

First, God forgives, then he gives; till he be merciful to pardon our sins through Christ, he cannot bless or look kindly on us sinners, All our enjoyments are but blessings in bullion, till Gospel grace, pardoning mercy, stamp and make them current. God cannot so much as bear any good will to us, till Christ makes peace for us: "on earth peace, and good will to men." Luke ii. 14. And what joy can a sinner take, though it were to hear of a

kingdom befallen to him, if he may not have it with God's good will?

Again, No ill news can come after the glad tidings of the Gospel, where believingly embraced. God's mercy in Christ alters the very property of all evils to the believer. All plagues and judgments that can befal the creature in the world, when baptized in the stream of Gospel-grace, receive a new name, come on a new errand, and have a new taste on the believer's palate; as the same water, by running through some mine, gets a twang and a healing virtue which before it had not. "The inhabitant shall not say I am sick, the people that dwell therein shall be pardoned their iniquity." Isa. xxxiii. 24. Observe, he doth not say, They shall not be sick; Gospelgrace doth not exempt from afflictions; but "they shall not say I am sick." They shall be so ravished with the joy of God's pardoning mercy, that they shall not complain of being sick; this, or any other cross, is too thin a veil to darken the joy of the other good news. This is so joyful a message which the Gospel brings that God would not have Adam long without it, but opened a crevice to let some beams of this light (that is so pleasant to behold) into his soul, amazed with the terror of God's presence; without which, as he was turned out of Paradise, so had he been turned into Hell immediately, for such the world would have been to his guilty conscience. This is the news God used to tell his people of, on a design to comfort them and cheer them, when things went worst with them, and their affairs were at the lowest ebb. Isa. vii. 14. Micah v. 5. This is the great secret which God whispers by his Spirit in the ear of those only he embraces with his special distinguishing love, Luke x. 21. 1 Cor. ii. 12. so that it is made the sad sign of a soul marked out for Hell to have the "Gospel hid from it." 2 Cor. iv. 3. To wind up this in a few words, there meet all the properties of a joyful message in the glad tidings of the Gospel. Five ingredients are desirable in a message, yea must all conspire to fill up the joyfulness thereof into a redundancy.

First, It must be good; none rejoice to hear evil news: joy is the dilatation of the heart, whereby it goes forth to