expressly here put in sin by itself, seeing, before he had argued, that those he speaks of were freely justified therefrom.

One word more, before I go to the second head. The Father, as I told you, has reserved to himself a liberty to chastise his sons, namely, with temporal chastisements, if they offend. This still abideth to us, notwithstanding God's grace, Christ's death, or blessed intercession. And this punishment is so surely entailed to the transgressions that we who believe shall commit, that it is impossible that we should be utterly freed therefrom. Insomuch that the apostle positively concludeth them to be bastards (what pretences to sonship soever they have) that are not, for sin, partakers of fatherly chastisements.

And this is the cause why some that belong to God are yet so under the afflicting hand of God. They have sinned, and God, who is their Father, punisheth. Yea, and this is the reason why some, who are dear to God, have this kind of punishment never forgiven, but it abides with them to their lives' end, goes with them to the day of their death, yea, is the very cause of their death: by this punishment they are cut off out of the land of the living. But all this is, that they "might not be condemned with the world."*

*The Author refers here to 1 Cor. xi. 30-32, where the doctrine and method of God's fatherly corrective discipline in his own family, is laid down briefly but clearly. The subject deserves our deepest study, and supplies important topics of self-examination to the conscience of every careless Christian.

Yet it is the very mistake of Job's friends to suppose that all the afflictions of God's children are sent as correctives for sin. There is another class, that belong purely to our conformity to Christ, in which we share his cup and his baptism, by suffering for righteousness' sake, for the glory of his name, and the advancement of his cause. See Matt. v. 2-12. Such are all the sufferings which are either, 1, the productions of piety, in a world of sin; or, 2, the proof of it against slanderous imputations; or, 3, the preventives of particular sins, to which we are tempted; or, 4, the preparatives for more tender and effectual sympathy, more extensive usefulness on earth, and higher glory in heaven. Examples of all these different forms of suffering, will readily occur to every reader of the Scriptures.

It is often of great moment to the suffering Christian, that he should know to which of these classes his own afflictions belong. See 1 Peter ii. 20, 21.-J. N. B.

GOD USES FATHERLY DISCIPLINE.

311

For the reversing of this punishment it is that we should pray, if perhaps God will remit it when we are taught to say, "Our Father, forgive us our trespasses."

II. I shall now show you something of what it is for Christ, by his intercession, to save "to the uttermost." "He is able to save them to the uttermost."

This is a great expression, and carrieth with it much. "Uttermost" signifieth, "to the outside, to the end, to the last, to the furthest part;" and it hath respect both to persons and things.

1. To persons. Some persons are, in their own apprehensions, even further from Christ than any body else; afar off, a great way off, yet a-coming, as the prodigal was. Now these many times are exceedingly afraid; the sight of that distance that they think is betwixt Christ and them makes them afraid. As it is said in another place, "They that dwell in the uttermost parts, are afraid at thy tokens;" so these are afraid they shall not speed, nor obtain that for which they come to God. But the scripture says, "He is able to save to the uttermost (to the very hindermost) them that come to God by him."

Two sorts of men seem to be far, very far from God. 1. The town-sinner. 2. The great backslider. But both these, if they come, he is able to save to the uttermost. He is able to save them from all those dangers that they fear will prevent their obtaining the grace and mercy they would have to help them in time of need. The publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven.

2. As this scripture respecteth persons, so it respecteth things. There are some things with which some are attended, that are coming to God by Christ, that make their coming hard, and very difficult.

(1.) There is a more than ordinary breaking out in some of the corruptions of their nature. It seems as if all their lusts and vile passions of the flesh were become masters, and

might now do what they will with the soul. Yea, they take this man, and toss and tumble him like a ball in a large place. This man is not master of himself, of his thoughts, nor of his passions: his iniquities like the wind do carry him away. He thinks to go forward, but this wind blows him backward; he laboreth against this wind, but cannot find that he getteth ground: he takes what advantage opportunity doth minister to him; but all he gets is to be beat out of heart, out of breath, out of courage: he stands still, and pants and gaspeth as for life. "I opened my mouth, and panted," said David, "for I longed for thy commandments." He sets forward again, but has nothing but labor and

sorrow.

(2.) Nay, to help forward his calamity, Satan's angels will not be wanting, both to trouble his head with the fumes of their stinking breath, or to throw up his heels in their dirty places. "And while he was yet a-coming, the devil threw him down and tare him." How many strange, hideous, and amazing blasphemies, have some of those that are coming to Christ, had injected and fixed upon their spirits against him! Nothing so common to such as to have some hellish wish or other against God whom they are coming to, and against Christ too by whom they would come to him. These blasphemies are like those frogs that I have heard of, that will leap up, and catch hold of, and hang by their claws. Now help, Lord! now Lord Jesus, what shall I do? now Son of David have mercy upon me!' I say, to say these words is hard work for such a one. But Christ is able to save to the uttermost this comer unto God by him.

(3.) There are also the oppositions of sense and reason hard at work, for the devil, against the soul. The men of his own house are risen up against him. One's sense and reason, one would think, should not fall in with the devil against ourselves; and yet nothing more common, nothing more natural, than for our own sense and reason to turn un

HE SAVES TO THE UTTERMOST.

natural, and war both against our God and us.

313

And now it

is hard coming to God. Better can a man hear, and deal with any objections against himself, than with those that himself doth make against himself.

They lie close, stick fast, speak aloud, and will be heard; yea, will haunt and hunt him (as the devil doth some) in every hole and corner. But come, man; come to Christ, for he is able to save to the

uttermost.

(4.) Now guilt is the consequence and fruit of all this; and what so intolerable a burden as guilt? They talk of the stones, and of the sands of the sea, but it is guilt that breaks the heart with its burden. And Satan has the art of making the uttermost of every sin; he can blow it up, make it swell, make every hair of the head as big as a cedar. He can tell how to make it a heinous offence, an unpardonable offence, an offence of that continuance, and committed against so much light, that (says he) 'it is impossible it should ever be forgiven.' But, soul, Christ is able to save to the uttermost; he can do "exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think."

(5.) Join to all this, the rage of persecuting men; which thing of itself, is sufficient to quash and break to pieces all desires to come to God by Christ; yea, and it doth do so to thousands that are not willing to go to hell. Yet thou art kept, and made to go panting on; a whole world of men, and devils, and sin, are not able to keep thee from coming. But how comes it to pass that thou art so hearty, that thou settest thy face against so much wind and weather? I dare say it arises not from thyself, nor from any of thine enemies. This comes from God, though thou art not aware thereof; and is obtained for thee by the intercession of the blessed Son of God, who is also able to save thee to the uttermost, that comes to God by him.

(6.) And for conclusion as to this, I will add, that there is much of the honor of the Lord Jesus engaged, as to the

saving of the coming man to the uttermost. "I am glorified in them," saith he. He is exalted to be a Saviour; and if the Blessed One doth count it an exaltation to be a saviour, surely it is an exaltation to be a saviour, and a great one. "They shall cry unto the Lord because of their oppressors; and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them." If it is a glory to be a saviour, a great saviour, then it is a glory for a saviour, a great one, to save, and save, and save to the uttermost; to the uttermost man, to the uttermost sin, to the uttermost temptation. And hence it is, that he saith again, speaking of the transgressions, sins, and iniquities, that he would pardon, that it should turn to him for a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations. He therefore counts in an honor to be a great saviour; to save men to the uttermost.

When Moses said, "I beseech thee show me thy glory," the answer was, "I will make all my goodness pass before thee; and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee." And when he came indeed to make proclamation, then he proclaimed, "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty;" that is, and that will by no means clear them that will not come to me, that they may be saved.

See here, if it is not by himself accounted his glory, to make his goodness, all his goodness pass before us: and how can that be, if he saveth not to the uttermost them that come unto God by him? For goodness is by us nowise seen, but by those acts by which it expresseth itself to be so. And I am sure, to save, to save to the uttermost, is one of the most eminent expressions by which we understand it is great goodness. I know goodness has many ways to express itself to be what it is, to the world; but then it expresseth its greatness, when it pardons and saves to the uttermost.