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nothing else. This is a mystery that cannot be understood but by partaking of it.

My brethren, learn to have these thoughts frequent and occurrent with you on all occasions. Think, when about any thing, how would Christ behave himself in this; even so let me endeavour.

You will possibly say, They that speak thus, and advise us, do not do thus. O! that that were not too true; yet there be some that are real in it, and although it be but little that is attained, yet the very aim is excellent, and somewhat there is that is done by it. It is better to have such thoughts and desires than altogether to give them up; and the very desire, being serious and sincere, does so much change the habitude and usage of the soul and life, that it is not to be despised.

Now follows, And make no provision for the flesh, &c., and it will follow necessarily. We hear much to little purpose. O! to have the heart touched by the Spirit with such a word as is here: it would untie it from all these things. These are the words, the very reading of which wrought so with Augustine, that, of a licentious young man, he turned a holy, faithful servant of Jesus Christ. While you were without Christ, you had no higher nor other business to do, but to attend and serve the flesh; but once having put him on, you are other men, and other manners do become you: Alia atas alios mores postulat.

This forbids not eating and drinking and clothing, and providing for these, nor decency and comeliness in them. The putting on of Christ does not bar the sober use of them; yea, the moderate providing for the necessities of the flesh, while thou art tied to dwell in it, that may be done in such a way as shall be a part of thy obedience and service to God; but to lay in provisions for the lusts of it, is to victual and furnish his enemy and thine own; for the lusts of the flesh do strive against God's spirit, and war against thy soul. Gal. v. 17; 1 Peter ii. 11.

This was the quarrel betwixt God and his own

people in the Wilderness: bread for their necessities he gave them, but they required bread for their lusts, (which should rather have been starved to death than fed,) and many of them fell in the quarrel. He gave them their desire, but gave them a plague with it, and they died with the meat between their teeth. Many that seem to follow God, and to have put on Christ, yet continuing in league with their lusts, and providing for them, they are permitted a while so to do, and are not withheld from their desire, and seem to prosper in the business; but though not so sudden and sensible as that of the Israelites, there is no less certain a curse joined with all they purchase and provide for that unhallowed use. It is certainly the posture and employment of most of us, even that are called Christians, to be purveyors for the flesh, even for the lusts of it; these lusts comprehending all sensual, and all worldly, flesh-pleasing projects; even some things that seem a little more decent and refined, come under this account. What are men commonly doing, but projecting and labouring beyond necessity, for fuller and finer provision for back and belly, and to feed their pride, and raise themselves and theirs somewhat above the condition of others about them? And where men's interests meet in the teeth, and cross each other, there arise heart-burnings and debates, and an evil eye, one against another, even on a fancied prejudice, where there is nothing but crossing an humour; so the grand idol is their own will, that must be provided for, and served in all things, which takes them up early and late, how they may be at ease, and pleased and esteemed and honoured. This is the vision for the flesh and its lusts; and from this are all they called that have put on Christ, not to a hard, mean, unpleasant life, instead of that other; but to a far more high and more truly pleasant life, that disgraces all those their former pursuits that they thought so gay, while they knew no better. There is a transcendent sweetness in Christ that puts the flesh out of * Ad supervacuum sudare.

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credit. Put on Christ, thy robe royal, and make no provision, &c., and sure thou wilt not then go and turmoil in the kitchen. A soul clothed with Christ, stooping to any sinful delight, or an ardent pursuit of any thing earthly, though lawful, doth wonderfully indignify itself: methinks it is as a king's son in his princely apparel, playing the scullion, sitting down to turn the spits. A soul living in Christ indeed hath no vacancy for the superfluous, luxurious demands of flesh, yea, supplies the very necessities of it with a kind of regret. A necessitatibus meis libera me, Domine, said one.

Oh! raise up your spirits, you that pretend to any thing in Christ; delight in him, and let his love satisfy you at all times. What need you go a begging elsewhere? All you would add makes you the poorer, abates so much of your enjoyment of him; and what can compensate that? Put on the Lord Jesus, and then view yourselves, and see if you be fit to be slaves to flesh and earth.

These two, Put on the Lord Jesus, and make no provision, are directly the representation of the church, Rev. xii. A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, needed borrow no beauty from it, or any thing under it. She left the scarlet, and the purple and gold, to the harlot after spoken of, for her dressing.

The service of the flesh is a work the Christian cannot fold to, till he forget what clothes he has on. This is all, my brethren. Oh! that we could be persuaded once to put on Christ, and then resolve and remember to do nothing unbeseeming that attire.

SERMON II.

PSALM Cvii. 43:.

Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the Lord.

Most men live a brutal, sensitive life; live not so much as the life of reason; but far fewer the divine life of faith, which is further above common human reason than that is above sense. The spiritual light of grace is that which makes day in the soul; all other wisdom is but night-light: "Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness,' Eccl. ii. 13. This higher sort of knowledge is that the prophet speaks of.

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Having discoursed excellently through the Psalm, of the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, so legible in his providence towards men, and often called up the dull minds of men to consider these his works, and bless him for them, he closes with this applaudment of their happiness that truly do so, Whoso is wise, &c.

They that spake it, knew not how true their speech is, that have called the world a nest of fools. It is true, there is very little even of natural clearness of judg ment amongst men, but sure far less of this true spiritual wisdom; so that, if we read this as a question, Whoso is wise? Oh how few! And yet most imagine they are; few are convinced they are fools, and that is the height of their folly. That word is most true, Job xi. 12, Vain man would be wise, though he be born as the wild ass's colt. In youth he runs wild, unbroken and unuseful, and in fuller age hath but a brutish, slavish life, yokes in with his beasts, in the same kind of labour, or in little better; turmoiling and drudging to serve his base lusts, his gain, his pleasure, and forgets quite what high condition the soul that sparkles within

him is born to, and made capable of; in a word, knows not God. That is both his folly and misery. How much of life passes, ere we consider what we live for; and though all applied, how incapable are a great many to know any thing!* To this purpose there is a notable word, Job xi. 8, 9.

Now, to stir up your desires and endeavours after this wisdom, consider, that it is the proper excellency of the rational nature, the true elevation of human nature, to be wise; and they that are not such, or know somewhat of their own defect, yet would willingly pass for such, and had rather be accounted uncomely, yea, even dishonest, than unwise; (call a man any thing rather than a fool;) but yet, if they could, would rather have the thing than the reputation of it, and desire really to be wise, if it were in their power.

Now, it were good to work on this design within us, and to have it drawn into the right channel. Would you be wise, then seek true wisdom. The most that men seek and admire in themselves and others, are but false shadows and appearances of wisdom; knowledge either of base, low things, as to scrape and gather together, or else of vain, unprofitable things, and that knowledge that is for the most part but imaginary: for most things in state-affairs take another bias and course-are not so much modelled by wit, as most men imagine; and for the secrets of nature, we have little certain knowledge of them. How short is our life to attain any knowledge! (That is an excellent word, Job viii. 9.) But the knowledge here set before us, is the best kind of knowledge, of the highest things, divine things I say, the best kind of knowledge of them; for there are notions, even of these things, that have little in them; either curious, fruitless disputations of such points as are most removed both from our notice and our use, or an useless knowledge of useful things. But this is a well-regulated and sure-footed knowledge of divine things, as God himself hath revealed them.

* Inter homines quid homine rarius?

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