Ꮓ grace and power alone be our strength, let us then commit ourselves and our salvation unto him, and, in the mean time, give over all thoughts and care of it ourselves, and live as we list; no act of ours can frustrate the counsel of the love of God. To this we answer with the apostle, "God forbid." Though the enemies of free grace do thus argue, yet they who indeed have the grace of God in their hearts, have better learned Christ. For it is against the formal nature of the grace and Spirit of Christ to suffer those in whom it dwelleth, to give over themselves unto security and neglect of God: for grace is a vital and active principle; and doth so work in us, as that it doth withal dispose and direct us unto working too. The property of grace is to fight against and to kill sin, as being most extremely contrary unto it: and therefore it is a most irrational way of arguing, to argue from the being of grace to the life of sin. "How shail we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein ?" If we be dead to sin, this is argument enough, in the apostle's judgement, why we should set our affections on things above. The grace of God doth not only serve to bring salvation, but to "teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world "." He who hath decreed salvation as the end, hath decreed also the antecedent means unto that end to be used in manner, suitable to the condition of reasonable and voluntary agents, -unto whom it belongs, having their minds by grace enlightened, and their wills by grace prevented, to co-operate with the same grace in the further pursuance of their salvation. And if at any time corruption should, in God's children, abuse his grace and efficacy unto such presumptuous resolutions, they would quickly rue so unreasonable and carnal a way of arguing, by the woful sense of God's displeasure in withdrawing the comforts of his grace from them, which would make them ever after take heed how they turned the grace of God into wantonness any more. Certainly, the more the servants of God are assured of his assistance, the more careful they are in using it unto his own service. Who more sure of the grace of God than the apostle Paul, who prodesse morbos dicit, &c. Quos præscivit ut prædestinaret, prædestinavit ut vocaret: vocavit ut justificaret; justificavit ut glorificaret: Aug. de Spiritu et Liter. c. 3, 5, 6, 30. Col. iii. 2, 3. ь Tit. ii. 11, 12. z Rom. vi. 2. gloried of it as that that made him what he was?" By the grace of God, I am that I am;" who knew that God's grace was sufficient for him, and that nothing could separate him: from the love of Christ; who knew whom he had believed, and that the grace of the Lord was exceeding abundant towards him; and yet who more tender and fearful of sin? who more set against corruption, more abundant in duty, more pressing unto perfection, than he? This is the nature of grace, To animate and actuate the faculties of the soul in God's service, to ratify our covenants, and to enable us to perform them. SECT. 14. Fourthly, As it is singular comfort to the servants of God, that their own wills and purposes are in God's keeping, and so they cannot ruin themselves; so it is also, that all other men's wills and resolutions are in God's keeping too, so that they shall not be able to purpose or resolve on any evil against the church, without leave from him. So then, first, When the rage and passions of men break out, tribe divided against tribe, brother against brother, father against child, head against body; when the band of unity, which was wont to knit together this flourishing kingdom, is broken like the prophet's staff, and there withal the beauty of the nation miserably withered and decayed, (for these two go still together, beauty and bands,) we must look on all this as God's own work. It was he that sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem, for the mutual punishment of the sins of one another. It was he who turned the hearts of the Egyptians to hate his people, and to deal subtilely with them ". He sent the Assyrian against his people, giving them a charge to take the spoil and the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets". He appointed the sword of the King of Babylon, by his overruling direction, to go against Judah, and not against the Ammonites. He, by the secret command of his providence, marked some for safety, and gave commission to kill and slay others. It is he who giveth Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers, and poureth out upon them the strength of battle". If there be evil in a city, in e Zach. xi. 10, 14. xxi. 19, 22. VOL. 111. f Ezek. h Isai, xlii. 24, 25. d Psalm cv. 25. e Isai. x. 6, 16. a kingdom, the Lord hath done it. This consideration is very useful both to humble us, when we consider that God hath a controversy against the land; and that it is he whom we have to do withal in these sad commotions, that are in the kingdoms; and to quiet and silence us, that we may not dare to murmur at the course of his wise and righteous proceedings with us; and to direct us with prayer, faith, and patience to implore, and in his good time to expect, such an issue and close, as we are sure shall be for his own glory, and for the manifestation of his mercy towards his people, and his justice towards all that are implacable enemies unto Sion. 2. In the troubles of the church, this is matter of singular comfort, that however enemies may say, 'this and that we will do, hither and thither we will go,'-though they may combine together, and be mutually confederate*, and gird themselves, and take counsel, and speak the word; yet, in all this, God hath the casting voice. There is little heed to be given unto what Ephraim saith, except God say the same: without him, whatsoever is counselled, shall come to nought; whatsoever is decreed or spoken, shall not stand'. We have a lively hypotyposis or description of the swift, confident, and furious march of the great host of Sennacherib towards Jerusalem, with the great terrors and consternation of the inhabitants in every place where they came, weeping, flying, removing their habitations ; and when he was advanced unto Nob, from which place the city Jerusalem might be seen, he there shook his hand against Jerusalem, threatening what he would do unto it. And then when the waters were come to the very neck, and the Assyrian was in the height of pride and fury, God sent forth a prohibition against all their resolutions; and that huge army, which was, for pride and number, like the thick trees of Lebanon, were suddenly cut down by a mighty one, to wit, by the angel of the Lord, verse 33, 34. compared with Ezek. xxxi. 3, 10. Isai. xvii. 12, 13, 14, 37, 36. Therefore, m 3. Our greatest business is to apply ourselves to God, who alone is the Lord that healeth us, who alone can join i Amos iii. 6. Isai. xlv. 7. Isai. x. 28, 29, 30, 31. * Psalm lxxxiii. 2, 5. 1 Is. viii. 9, 10. the two sticks of Ephraim and Judah, and make them one". that he would still the raging of the sea, and command a calm again. He can say, Ephraim shall say thus and thus ;'-he hath the hearts of kings, and consequently of all other men, in his hands o, and he can turn them as rivers of water, which way soever he will; as men by art can derive waters, and divert them from one course to another;—as they did in the siege of Babylon, as historians tell us, whereunto the Scripture seemeth to refer. He can sway, alter, divert, overrule the purposes of men as it pleaseth him, reconciling lambs and lions unto one another, making Israel, Egypt, and Assyria agree together. He can say to Balaam, ، bless, when his mind was to curset. He can turn the wrath of Laban into a covenant of kindness with Jacob"; and when Esau had advantage to execute his threats against his brother, he can then turn resolutions of cruelty into kisses *. And when Saul had compassed David and his men round about, and is most likely to take them, he can even then take him off by a necessary diversion. This is the comfort of God's people, That whatever men say, except God say it too, it shall come all to nothing. He can restrain the wrath of men whensoever it pleaseth him, and he will do it when it hath proceeded so far as to glorify his power, and to make way for the more notable manifestation of his goodness to his people. And thus far of God's answer to the covenant of Ephraim; they promised to renounce idols, and here God promiseth that they should renounce them. SECT. 15. Now there are two things more to be observed from this expression, "What have I to do any more with idols ?" 1. That, in true conversion, God maketh our special sin to be the object of our greatest detestation; which point hath been opened before. 2. From those words, "any more," that the nature of true repentance is to break sin off, as the expression is, Dan. iv. 27 ; and not to suffer a man to continue any longer in it. It makes a man esteem Exod. xv. 26. Ezek. xxvii. 19. Xenophon. Cyropæd. lib. 7.-Salianus. Sir W. Raleigh, lib. 3. cap. 3. Sect. 5. Jer. 1. 23. Jer. li. 36. r Isai. xi. 6. xxiv. 10. xxiii. 26, 27, 28. u Gen. xxxi. 24, 44. • Prov. xxi. 1. P Herodot.lib. 1.Anno mundi. Sect. 5 et 35. Sect. 22.— q Isai. xliii. 15, 16. xliv. 23, 28. = Psalm lxxvi. 10. с the time past sufficient to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; and is exceeding thrifty of the time to come, so to redeem it, as that God may have all; doth not linger, nor delay, nor make objections, or stick at inconveniences, or raise doubts whether it be seasonable to go out of Egypt and Sodom or no; is not at the sluggard's language, “modo et modo," a little more sleep, a little more slumber; nor at Agrippa's language, "Almost thou persuadest me;" nor at Felix's language, "When I have a convenient season, I will send for thee;" but immediately resolves with Paul, "not to confer with flesh and blood "," and makes haste" to fly from the wrath to come," while it is yet to come, before it overtake us: doth not make anxious or cavilling questions, "What shall I do for the hundred talents?" how shall I maintain my life, my credit, my family? how shall I keep my friends? how shall I preserve mine interests, or support mine estate? but ventures the loss of all for the 'excellency of the knowledge of Christ';' is contented to part with a sky full of stars for one Sun of righteousness. The converts that return to Christ, come like 'dromedaries,' like 'doves,' like ships;' no wings, no sails can carry them fast enough from their former courses unto him o. Abraham is up betimes in the morning, though it be to the sacrificing of a son". David makes haste, and delays not, when he is to keep God's commandments. When Christ called his disciples, immediately they left their nets, their ship, their father, and followed him. This is the mighty power of repentance: it doth not give dilatory answers, it doth not say to Christ, Go away now, and come to-morrow, then I will hear thee; I am not yet old enough, or rich enough; I have not gotten yet pleasure, or honour, or profit, or preferment enough by my sins ;'-but presently it hears and entertains him: 'I have sinned enough already to condemn, to shame, to slay me; I have spent time and strength enough already upon it, for such miserable wages as shame and death come b Folio-Edition, p. 589. a 1 Pet. iv. 2, 3. c Non erat omnino quod responderem veritate convictus, nisi tantum verba lenta et somnolenta, ' modo, ecce modo, sine paululum.' Sedmodo et modo' non habebant modum. Aug. Confess. lib. 8. c. 5. Da mihi castitatem et continentiam, sed noli modo; timebarn ne me cito exaudires, et cito sanares. Ibid. cap. 7. d Gal. i. 16. • Luke iii. 7. xxii. 3. f Matth. xiii. 46, Phil. iii. 7, 8. g Isai. Ix. 6, 7, 8, 9. i Psalm cxix. 60. h Gen. |