again, and goes not down; and truly there is something like this in many that sit under the preaching of the Gospel. Some light touches are now and then found upon the spirits of men and women, occasioned by some spark that falls on their affections in hearing the Word, whereby they on a sudden express some desires after Christ and his grace, that you would think they would in all haste for Heaven; but being slighty flashes, and weak wishes, rather than strong volitions and deep desires, their heat is soon over, and thirst quenched with a little present sweetness they taste while they are hearing a sermon of Christ, which they spit out again as soon as they are gone home almost, as well as may be though they never enjoy more of him. Labour therefore for such a deep sense of thy own wretchedness by reason of thy hypocrisy, and of Christ's excellency by reason of that fulness of grace in him, which makes him able to cure thee of thy distemper, that as a man thoroughly athirst can be content with nothing but drink, and not a little of that neither, but a full satisfying draught, whatever it costs him, so thou mayest not be bribed with any thing besides Christ and his sanctifying grace, nor with gifts, profession, or pardon itself, if it could be severed from grace; no not with a little sprinkling of grace, but long for whole floods, wherewith thou mayest be fully purged and freed of thy cursed lust which now so sadly oppresseth thee. This frame of spirit would put thee under the promise, Heaven's security, that thou shalt not lose thy longing. If thou shouldest ask silver and gold, and seek any worldly enjoyment at this rate, thou mightest spend thy breath and pains in vain; God might let thee roar like Dives in Hell, in the midst of those flames which thy covetous lust hath kindled, without affording a drop of that to cool thy tongue which thou so violently pantest after. But if Christ and his grace be the things thou wouldest have, yea must have; truly then thou shalt have them. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matth. v. 6.

CHAP. XIV.

AN EXHORTATION TO THOSE WHO UPON TRIAL ARE FOUND TO BE TRUE IN HEART OR SINCERE, TO WEAR THIS BELT CLOSE GIRT TO THEM IN THE DAILY EXERCISE OF IT, WITH DIRECTIONS FOR THAT PUrpose.

on.

I COME to the second sort; such, I mean, whose conciences, upon diligent enquiry, give a fair testimony for their sincerity that their hearts are true and upright. That which I have by way of counsel to leave with them is, to gird this belt which they have about them close in the exercise and daily practice of it. Gird this belt, I say, close to thee; that is, be very careful to walk in the daily practice and exercise of thy uprightness. Think every morning thou art not drest till this girdle be put The proverb is true here, ungirt, unblest; thou art no company for God that day in which thou art insincere. If Abraham will walk with God, he must be upright; and canst thou live a day without his company? Rachel paid dear for her mandrakes, to part with her husband for them: a worse bargain that soul makes that to purchase some worldly advantage pawns its sincerity, which gone, God is sure to follow after. And as thou canst not walk with God, so not expect any blessing from God; the promises, like a box of precious ointment, are kept to be broke over the head of the upright: "do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?" Mic. ii. 7. And sure it is ill walking in that way where there is found no word from God to bid us good speed. Some are so superstitious, that if a hair crosseth them they will turn back, and go no further that day; but a bold man is he that dares go on when the Word of God lies cross his way. Where the Word doth not bless it curseth; where it promiseth not, it threatens. A soul in its uprightness, approving itself to God, is safe (like a traveller going about his lawful bu siness betwixt sun and sun); if any harm or loss come to

such soul, God will bear him out; the promise is on his side by pleading it he may recover his loss at God's hands, who stands bound to keep him harmless. See to this purpose, Psalm lxxxiv. 11. But they are directions, not motives, I am in this place to give.

SECT. I.

First, therefore, if thou wouldest walk in the exercise of thy sincerity, Walk in the view of God. That of Luther is most true, Omnia præcepta sunt in primo tanquam capite suæ, all the commands are wrapt up in the first. For, saith he, all sin is a contempt of God; and so we cannot break any other commands but we break the first. We think amiss of God before we do amiss against God. This God commended to Abraham instar omnium, of sovereign use to preserve his sincerity: "Walk before me, and be thou upright." Gen. xvii. 1. This kept Moses's girdle straight and close to his loins, that he was neither bribed with the treasures of Egypt, nor browbeaten out of his sincerity with the anger of so great a king; for he endured as seeing him who is invisible." Heb. xi. 27. He had a greater than Pharaoh in his eye, and this kept him right.

First, walk, Christian, in the view of God's omniscience. This is a girding consideration: say to thy soul, cave videt Deus, take heed, God seeth. It is under the rose (as the common phrase is) that treason is spoken, when subjects think they are far enough from their king's hearing; but did such know the prince to be under the window, or behind the hangings, their discourse would be more loyal. This made David so upright in his walking, Psalm cxix. 168. “I have kept thy precepts, for all my ways are before thee. If Alexander's empty chair, which his captains when they met in council set before them, did awe them so as to keep them in good order, what would it for to set God looking on us in our eye? The Jews covered Christ's face, and then buffeted him: Mark xiv. 65. so does the hypocrite; he first saith in his heart, God sees not, or at least he forgets that he sees, and then makes bold to sin against him; like that foolish

bird, which runs her head among the reeds, and thinks herself safe from the fowler, as if because she did not see him therefore he could not see her. Te mihi abscondam, non me tibi. Aug. I may hide thee from my eye, but not myself from thine. Thou mayest, poor creature, hide God by thy ignorance and atheism, so that thou shalt not see him; but thou canst not so as he shall not see thee. "All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Heb. iv. 13. O remember thou hast to do with God in all thou doest, whether thou art in shop or closet, church or market; and he will have to do with thee, for he sees thee round, and can tell from whence thou comest; when (like Gehazi before his master) thou enterest into his presence, and standest demurely before him in his worship, as if thou hadst been no where, then he can tell thee thy thoughts, and without any labour of pumping them out by thy confession, set them in order before thee; yea, thy thoughts that are gone from thee (like Nebuchadnezzar's dream from him), and thou hast forgot what they were at such a time and in such a place, forty, fifty years ago, God' hath them all in the light of his countenance, as atoms are in the beams of the sun, and he can, yea will, give thee a sight of them, that they shall walk in thy conscience to thy horror, as John the Baptist's ghost did in Herod's.

Secondly, walk in the view of his providence and care over thee. When God bids Abraham be upright, he strengthens his faith on him: "I am God Almighty, walk before me, and be perfect;" as if he had said, Act thou for me, and I will take care for thee. When once we

begin to call his care in question towards us, then will our sincerity falter in our walking before him. Hypocrisy lies hid in distrust and jealousy, as in its cause: if the soul dare not rely on God, it cannot be long true to God. Abraham was jealous of Abimelech, therefore he dissembled with him: thus do we with God; we doubt God's care, and then live by our wit, and carve for ourselves: "Up, make us gods (say they) we know not what is become of Moses." The unbelieving Jews, flat against the command of God, keep manna while the nor

row, Exod. xvi. 19. and why, but because they had not faith to trust him for another meal? This is the old weapon the devil hath ever used to beat the Christian out of his sincerity with. "Curse God, and die," Job, ii. 9. said he to Job by his wife. As if she had said, What! wilt yet hold the castle of thy sincerity for God? captains think they may yield when no relief comes to them; and subjects make account, if the prince protect not them, they are not bound to serve him. Thou hast lain thus long in an afflicted state, besieged close with sorrows on every hand, and no news to this day comes from Heaven of any care that God takes for thee; therefore " Curse God, and die." Yea Christ had him using the same engine to draw him off from his faithfulness to his Father, when he bade him turn stones into bread. We see therefore of what importance it is to strengthen our faith on the care and providence of God for our provision and protection; which is the cause why God hath made such abundant provision to shut out all doubting and fear of this from the hearts of his people. The promises are so fitly placed, that as safe harbours, upon what coast soever we are sailing (condition we are in), if any storm arise at sea, or enemy chase us, we may put into some one or other of them, and be safe, though this one were enough, could we find no more, to serve our turn: "The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf of them (or strongly to hold with them) whose heart is perfect towards, him." 2 Chron. xvi. 9. God doth not set others to watch, but his own eyes keep sentinel; now to watch with the child, like the own mother, there is the immediacy of his providence : we may say of sincere souls, what is said of Canaan, Deut. xi. 9, 10. "It is a land (so they are a people) the Lord himself careth for, his eyes are always on them." Again, "his eyes run to and fro," there is the vigilance of his providence: no danger no temptation finds him napping; but as a faithful watchman is ever walking up and down, so the eyes of God run to and fro: "He that keepeth Israel (the sincere soul, which is the Israelite indeed) shall neither slumber nor sleep," Psal. cxxi. 4. that is not little or much, not slumber by day, or sleep