is acted in religion, it will either cause him to decline fuffer ings for Chrift; or, if he be engaged in them, yet he will little credit religion by his fufferings. They will either be spoiled by an ill management, or his own pride will devour the praife and glory of them. I do not deny, but a man that is gracelefs, may fuffer many hard things upon the account of his profeffion, and fuffer them all in vain, as thefe fcriptures manifeft. See 1 Cor. xiii. 3. Gal. iii. 4. And although you may find many sweet promises made to those that fuffer for Chrift, yet you must confider that those pure and spiritual ends and motives, by which men ought to be acted in their fufferings, are always fuppofed and implied in all these promises that are made to the external action. And fometimes it is expressed, 1 Pet. iv. 16. To suffer [as a Christian] is to suffer from pure Christian principles, and in a Christian manner, with meekness, patience, felf-denial, &c. ; and this, grace only can enable you to do: So that by all this, I hope what I have undertaken in this character, viz. To evince the neceflity of a work of grace to pafs upon you, before fufferings for religion come, is performed to fatisfaction.

Wherein the nature of this work of grace, in which our habitu al fitness for fuffering lies, is briefly opened, and an account given of the great advantage the gracious perfon hath for any, even the hardest work thereby.

Having in the former chapter plainly evinced the necef

fity of faving grace to fit a man for sufferings; it will be expected now that fome account be given you of the nature of the work, and how it advantages a man for the discharge of the hardest services in religion: Both which I fhall open in this chapter, by a distinct explication of the parts of this description of it.

What faving

This work of grace, of which I am here to speak, confifts in the real change of the whole man, by the Spirit of God, whereby he is prepared for every good work: In which brief defcription, I thall open these four things to you.

grace is.

1. That it is a change; this is palpably evident, both from scripture and experience, 2 Cor. v. 17. "Old things are paft

away, behold, all things are become new ;" and it is fo fenfible a change, that it is called a turning from darkness to light, Acts xxvi. 18. and a new creature formed and brought forth. But to be a little more diftinct and particular, there are feveral other changes that pafs upon men, which must not be mistaken for this; and therefore, (1.) It is not a mere change of the judgment from error to truth, from Paganifm to Chritianity. Such a change Simon Magus had, yet still remained in the gall of bitterness, and faft bound in the bonds of iniquity, Acts viii. 23. (2.) Nor only of a man's practice, from profanenefs to civility: This is common among fuch as live under the light of the gofpel, which breaking into mens confciences, thwarts their lufts and over-awes them with the fears of hell: Which is no more than what the Gentiles had, Rom. ii. 15. (3.) Nor is it a change from mere morality, to mere formality in religion. Thus hypocrites are changed, by the common gifts of the Spirit, illuminating their minds, and flightly touching their affections, Heb. vi. 4, 5. (4.) Nor is it fuch a change as juftification makes, which is relative, and only alters the ftate and condition, Rom. y. 1, 2. (5.) Laftly, It is not a change of the effence of a man; he remains effentially the fame perfon ftill. But this change confifts in the infufion of new habits of grace into the old faculties; which immediately depofe fin from its dominion over the foul, and deliver up the foul into the hands and government of Chrift, so that it lives no more to itfelf, but to Chrift. This is that change whereof we speak: And this change (2.) I affert to be real, no fancy, nor delufion; not a groundless conceit, but it is really exiftent, extra mentem, whether you conceit it or not. Indeed the blind world would perfuade us it is fuppofitious, and phantaftic; and that there is no fuch real difference betwixt one man and another, as we affirm grace makes. And hence it is, that whoever profeffeth it, is prefently branded for a phanatic; and that fcripture, Ifa. lvi. 5. "Stand by thyself, "I am holier than thou," &c. clapt in their teeth, in their abfurd and perverfé fense of it.

But I fhall briefly offer these feven things to your confideration, which will abundantly evince the reality of it, and at. once both ftop the flanderous mouths of ignorant men, and filence thofe atheistical furmifes, which at any time Satan may inject into the hearts of God's own people touching this matter. And first, let it be confidered, that the Spirit of God hath reprefented to us this work of grace, under fuch names VOL. VII.

T t

and notions in fcripture, as if they had been chosen purposely to obviate this calumny. It is called a creature, Gal. vi. 15a man, 1 Pet. iii. 4. a new birth, John iii. 3. Chrift formed in us, Gal. iv. 19. All which exprefs its reality, and that it is not a conceited thing. (2.) It appears to be real by the marvellous effects it hath upon a man, turning him both in judgment, will, affections, and practice, quite counter to what he was before. This is evident in that famous inftance of Paul, Gal. i. 23. which is abundantly attested and sealed by the conftant experience of all gracious fouls that are witneffes of the truth hereof. (3.) A divine and almighty power goes forth to produce and work it; and hence faith is faid to be of the operation of God, Col. ii. 12. Yea, that the fame power which raised Jefus Chrift from the dead, goes to the producti on of it, Ephef. i. 19, 20. And if fo, how much less than blafphemy is it, to call it a conceit or fancy? Doth God fet on work his infinite power to beget a fancy, or raise an imagination? (4.) Conceits and whimfies abound moft in men of weak reafon: Children, and fuch as are crackt in their underftandings, have moft of them: Strength of reason banishes them, as the fun doth mists and vapours: But now the more rational any gracious perfon is, by fo much the more he is fixed, fettled, and fatisfied in the grounds of religion: Yea, there is the highest and pureft reafon in religion; and when this change is wrought upon men, it is carried on in a rational way, Ifa. i. 18. John xvi. 9. The Spirit over-powers the understanding with clear demonftrations, and filences all ob jections, pleas and pretences to the contrary. (5.) It is a real thing, and gracious fouls know it to be fo; else so many thousands of the faints would never have fuffered fo many cruel torments and miferies, rather than forsake a fancy, and fo fave all. They have been fo well fatisfied of the reality of that which the world calls a fancy, that they have chofen rather to embrace the ftake than deny it. The constancy of Chriftians, in cleaving to religion, was common to a proverb among the heathen; who when they would express the greateft difficulty, would fay, 'You may as foon turn a Chriftian from Chrift, as do it.' Surely no wise man would facrifice his liberty, eftate, life, and all that is dear, for a conciet. (6.) Its reality appears in its uniformity in all thofe on whom it is wrought: "They have all obtained like precious faith," 2 Pet. i. 1. "They are all changed into the fame image," 2 Cor. iii. 18. Three thousand perfons affected in one and the fame manner at one fermon, Acts ii. 37. Could one and the

fame conceit poffefs them all together? Take two Chriffians that live a thousand miles diftant from each other, that never heard of one another, let these perfons be examined, and their reports compared, and fee if theydo not fubftantially agree, and whether as face anfwers face in the water, fo their experiences do not answer one to the other? Which could never be, if it were a groundless conceit. (7.) And lastly, It is manifeft it is a reality, and puts a réal difference betwixt one and another, because God carries himself fo differently towards them, after their converfion; now he fmiles, before he frowned; now they are under the promises, before they were under the threats and curfes; and what a vast difference will he put betwixt the one and the other in that great day? See Matth. xxv. Surely, if thefe nominal Chriftians did but differ in conceit, not really from others, the righteous Judge of all the earth would not pafs fuch a different judgment and doom upon them.

By all this you evidently fee, that grace is a real change, and not a conceited one.

3. We fay that this real change paffes upon the whole man: he is changed in foul, body, and practice: all things are become new. (1.) This change appears in his foul: For by it, (1.) His understanding is strangely altered, and receives things in another way than formerly. It did look at Chrift and things eternal, as uncertain and light matters; the things that are feen and prefent, did mostly affect, and appeared great and excellent It admired riches and honour, while Chrift and glory were over-looked and defpifed. But now all these temporals are esteemed dung, drofs, vanity, Phil. iii. 8, 11. Rom. viii. 18. And Jefus Chrift is now esteemed "the wisdom and the 66 power of God," 1 Cor. i. 23, 24. It did look on the faints as despicable perfons, but now as the "excellent of the earth," Pfal. xvi. 3. Strictness and duty was once esteemed a needless thing, but now the only thing defirable, Pfal, cxix. 14. "Oh, "faith the renewed foul, where were mine eyes, that I could "fee no more excellency in Chrift, his ways, and people?" (2.) It ftops not there (as it doth in hypocrites) but paffes on further, and reduces the will; that ftrong hold is taken, and delivered up to Chrift. It did rebel against God, and could not be fubject, but now it fubmits, Acts ix. 6. "Lord, what "wilt thou have me to do ?" In the day of Chrift's power, he prefents himself in all his drawing glory and loveliness before the will, and cries to that ftubborn faculty, "Open to me,

"open to me;" with which word there goes forth an opening and fubduing power, which the will no fooner feels, but it fpontaneoufly moves towards him, and faith, "Stand open ye

everlasting gates, that the King of glory may come in.' Henceforth it votes for God, fubferibes and fubmits to his will as its only rule and law; and indeed, it becomes the principal feat where grace makes its refidence; and where, for the moft part, it is more visible than in any other faculty. For after å man hath fearched for it in all other faculties, and cannot difcern it, yet here he ordinarily finds it, to will is prefent, Rom. vii. 18. (3.) The will being thus gained to Chrift, love comes in of courfe; it, feeling the power of grace alfo, prefently changeth its object: It feizeth not fo greedily on earthly objects as before, but is ftrangely cooled and deadned to them, by the appearance of a far greater glory in Jefus Chrift; which hath fo captivated the foul, and strongly attracted this affection, that it is now become very remifs in all its actings towards them; and often (especially at firft) it is fo weaned from all things on earth, that the temptation feems to lie on the other extreme, even in too great neglect of our lawful employments and comforts. Now Jefus Chrift, Cant. i. 3 his ordinances, Pfal. cxix. 97. and his faints, 1 John iii. 14. are the only delights, and fweeteft companions; he could fit from morning till night, to hear difcourfes of Chrift his beloved, and could live and die in the company of his people, whofe company is now most delightful and fweet, Pfal. cxix. 63. (4.) The defires are altered, they pant no more after the duft of the earth, Pfal. iv. 6. but pant for God, as the "hart after the water. "brooks," Pfal. xlii. 1. Yea, fo big is the foul with them, that it is sometimes ready to faint, yea, to break with the longing it hath after him, Pfal. cxix. 20. (5.) The thoughts are changed, Pfal. cxix. 113. and the thoughts of God are now moft precious, Pfal. cxxxix. 47. mufing, when alone, of him; and in its folitudes the foul entertains itself with a delightful feaft, which its thoughts of God bring in to refresh it, Pfal. Ixii. 5, 6. (6.) The defigns and projects of the foul are changed; all are now fwallowed up in one grand defign, even to approve himself to God, and be accepted of him, 2-Cor. v. 9. and if he fail not there, it will not much trouble him, if all his other designs fhould be dafhed. It were eafy to inftance in the reft of the affections, and fhew how grace fpreads and diffufes itfelf into them all, as light in the air, or leaven in the Jump; but this may fuffice, to fhew how it paffes upon the whole foul, and enters the feveral faculties and affections thereof.