tion in every one, too much to lean to his own cafe. And for want of this, many times great blame hath been laid upon the judge, when the fault hath been in the parties themselves.

If

7. Make ample reparation in cafe of wrong. by defamation, by due acknowledgment and hearty repentance; if otherwife, by reparation, and fatisfaction for as fure as God governs the world, cither innocence and faultlefsnefs; or elfe repen_ tance is neceffary, in order to God's favour: for iniquity fhall not finally prevail.

8. Be a plain, and open-dealer; for whatever men pretend, were we but equally honest, we should be wife enough one for another. Let us remember that policy void of honesty, is great iniquity.

9. Make the fame allowance for the infirmity and mistakes of others as thou doft defire for thyfelf

10. In acknowledgement of what Chrift hath done for thee, be thou equal, juft, and righteous, beyond what abfolute reason, or strict right doth enjoin. Put on as the elect of God, bowels of mercy, kindnefs, &c. Col. iii. 12. For nothing tends more to the affurance of a man's faith in God, for the pardon of his fins, then to find this difpofition in himfelf, as the effect of God's grace towards him; that he is not only refolved, and inclined to do that which is juft, and right; but will, allow of fair and equal confideration, if there be any thing in the cafe of the perfon he hath to do with: and not only fo, but is inclined to fhew mercy and compaffion.

73

DISCOURSE XXX.

The NATURE of falvation by CHRIST.

2 TIM. i. 9, 10.

Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling; not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before the world began ;

But is now made manifeft by the appearing of our Saviour Jefus Chrift; who hath abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

Who hath faved us, and called us with an holy calling.

T

He first thing that I take notice of, is, that

the apostle doth as it were, interrupt himself to make an ingenuous acknowledgment of God. For having but an occafion to speak of God, and of his goodness, respectively to us; he doth interpose here a most free and ingenuous acknowledgment, before he doth proceed in his argument, who bath faved us, &c.

I obferve hence, that it becometh us, especially in what is faving and fovereign, to take notice of God, and to acknowledge him: even there where we are concerned in point of duty; and have alfo a part to act. For the apostle is upon exhortation

to

to Timothy, to stir up the grace of God; to use the grace, and to apply himself to God according to the use of the means and directions he is giving. Having occafion to mention God, he doth interpofe thefe two verfes, wherein he doth make acknowledgment of God, in things that are of a faving and sovereign nature and quality. This is obfervable; this is by us imitable: and indeed this is to follow the example of the holy fcripture, for the scripture doth abundantly teach, that to God is owing as principally, fo primarily, whatsoever is of fovereign ufe or confequence to us. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten fon, that whofoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life. John iii. 16. And Chrift is made to us of God, wisdom, righteousness fanctification and redemption, 1. Cor. i. 30. Him hath God raised up to be a prince and a Saviour to give repentance to Ifrael and remission of fin. Acts v. 31. God in Chrift reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing trefpaffes. 2 Cor. v. 19. It is God that worketh in us both to will and to do, Phil. ii. 13. It is creature-like to acknowledge God in all things: for in him we live, and move, and have our being, Acts xvii. 28. And of him, and through him, and to him are all things, Rom. xi. 36. By him we were made, and for his will and pleasure we are and were created, Rev. iv. II.

But then it is also chriftian to acknowledge the gofpel-benefits. For the benefits of the gospel are fuperadded; they are over-plus, they are the gratuities of God; they are things beyond the dues, the circumstances of the creation of God. We might

have been God's creatures, made in his image; we might have been as he made us, or as we are ; and yet never invefted with these gospel liberties, immunities, and priviledges. Therefore especially in things that are of a fovereign nature, we ought to fee, and acknowledge God. I dare fay every good man doth this fincerely, and heartily, yea he is fo free in this matter, that notwithstanding fome of these are misreprefented, and fufpected by their brethren, yet every one of them will heartily thank that person that will fhew him, how he may acknowledge God more than he doth. For my part, I do not believe it otherwise, in any ages of the world paft, (I speak of the chriftian world) I will not exempt, nor leave out them who have been incompetently branded for hereticks. I do not think any honeft man was ever faulty in this particular, to derogate from the grace of God, and to arrogate to himself for my part, I have not power. no prejudice to this great truth; but there is an injury done to the meaning and intention of those, who do thus diftinguish; and here lies all the difference. And if fo be you could thus diftinguish, there were an end of contradiction and dispute.

It is

Confider God as the author of nature, confider him also as the giver of grace. All that we have refers to God, upon one of these accounts, or other. If some attribute to him that as the author of nature which others do as the giver of grace; however it is God that is acknowledged, and God as original, and it doth infer an equal engagement upon us to God; and they do not thereby leffen, neither is it

their intention to abate, or leffen the grace of God, or to free men from engagement and obligation to God; when they distinguish upon this account, the gifts of nature, and the gifts of grace; acknowledging God upon both accounts, the founder of intellectual natures, the invester, of human nature with faculties, capacities and abilities; and the giver of it, the upholder, maintainer of it; the director of it.: and then (applying himself to the neceffity of the lapfed cafe of man) reinforcing, recovering, reftoring him by a fuper-addition of grace. It is God in both cases; God univerfally that is acknowledged; in both cafes acknowledgment is made, and obfervation given to the direction of wisdom. Commit thyself to the Lord, and lean not to thy own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths, Pro. iii. 5, 6. Being fenfible that it is God that teaches the mind of man knowledge; that it is God that inftructs us more than the beafts of the field, Job xxxv. 11. That it is the infpiration of the almighty that gives understanding. For God inftructs the husbandman even to plow, and fow, Ifa. xxviii. 26. and to do every thing in his feason, and to fit his foil with his grain, as the prophet Ifaiah hath obferved. And if he do the least,

no doubt he will do the greater: and if he hath done fo much, on the first account of nature, and in purfuance of his first creation; no doubt but he will do equally and proportionably in his fecond creation, the regeneration, and reftoration of lapsed, and ruined man.

But