delivering us from the love of ourselves and this present world; and for such spiritual things to pray often, and to follow it with importunity. That is to pray fervently, never to rest till an

answer come.

The third qualification is faith. He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of all that diligently seek Him. Heb. xi. 6. And certainly, as he that comes to God must believe this, so, he that believes this, cannot but come to God; and if he be not presently answered, he that believes makes no haste,-he resolves patiently to wait for the Lord, and to go to no other.

Surely, there is much to be had in prayer. All good may be obtained, and all evil averted by it; yea, it is a reward to itself. It is the greatest dignity of the creature, to be admitted to converse with God. And certainly, the soul that is much in prayer, grows in purity, and is raised by prayer to the despising of all those things that the world admires and is in love with, and by a wonderful way is conformed to the likeness of God.

For I am a stranger with Thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.] In the Law, God recommends strangers to the care and compassion of His people; now David returns the argument to Him, to persuade Him to deal kindly with him: “For I am a stranger with Thee, that is, before Thee,-in this world wherein Thou hast appointed me to sojourn a few days. And I betake myself to Thy protection in this strange country; I seek shelter under the shadow of Thy wings; there fore, have compassion upon me." He that looks on himself as a stranger, and is sensible of the darkness both round about him in this wilderness, and also within Him, will often put up that request with David, Psal. cxix. 19, I am a stranger on this earth; hide not Thy commandments from me,-do not let me lose my way. And as we should use this argument to persuade God to look down upon us, so, likewise, to persuade ourselves to send up our hearts and desires to Him. What is the joy of our life, but the thoughts of that other life, our home, before us? And, certainly, he that lives much in these thoughts,

set him where you will here, he is not much pleased or displeased; but if his Father call him home, that word gives him his heart's desire.

LECTURE VI.

Ver. 13. O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

WHY is it that we do not extremely hate that which we so desperately love, sin? For the deformity of itself is unspeakable : and, besides, it is the cause of all our woes. Sin hath opened the sluices, and lets in all the deluge of sorrows which makes the life of poor man nothing else than vanity and misery, so that the meanest orator in the world may be eloquent enough on that subject. What is our life, but a continual succession of many deaths? Though we should say nothing of all the bitternesses and vexations that are hatched under the sweetest pleasures in the world, this one thing is enough, the multitude of diseases and pains, the variety of distempers, that those houses we are lodged in, are exposed to. Poor creatures are oft-times tossed betwixt two, the fear of death, and the tediousness of life; and under these fears, they cannot tell which to choose. Holy men are not exempted from some apprehensions of God's displeasure because of their sins; and that may make them cry out with David, O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence and be no more. Or, perhaps, this may be a desire, not so much simply for the prolonging of life, as for the intermitting of his pain, to have ease from the present smart. The extreme torment of some sickness, may draw the most fixed and confident spirits to cry out very earnestly for a little breathing. Or rather, if the words imply the desire of a recovery, and the spinning out of the thread of his life a little longer, surely he intended to employ it for God and His service. But long life was suitable to the promises of

that time: so Hezekiah, Isa. xxxviii. 5. There is no doubt those holy men under the Law, knew somewhat of the state of immortality; their calling themselves strangers on earth. (Heb. xi. 13.) argued that they were no strangers to these thoughts. But it cannot be denied, that that doctrine was but darkly laid out in those times. It is Christ Jesus who hath brought life and immortality to light, who did illuminate life and immortality, which before stood in the dark.

Surely, the desire of life is, for the most part, sensual and base, when men desire that they may still enjoy their animal pleasures, and are loath to be parted from them. They are pleased to term it, a desire to live and repent; and yet, few do it when they are spared: like evil debtors, who desire forbearance from one term to another; but with no design at all to pay. But there is a natural desire of life, something of abhorrence in nature against the dissolution of these tabernacles. We are loath to go forth, like children who are afraid to walk in the dark, not knowing what may be there. In some, such a desire of life may be very reasonable; being surprised by sickness, and apprehensions of death, and sin unpardoned, they may desire a little time before they enter into eternity. For that change is not a thing to be hazarded upon a few days or hours' preparation. I will not say that death-bed repentance is altogether desperate, but certainly, it is very dangerous, and to be suspected; and, therefore, the desire of a little time longer, in such a case, may be very allowable.

I will not deny but it is possible, even for a believer, to be taken in such a posture, that it may be very uncomfortable to him to be carried off so, through the affrightments of death, and his darkness as to his after-state. On the other hand, it is an argument of a good measure of spirituality and height of the love of God, to desire to depart, and be dissolved, in the midst of health, and the affluence of worldly comforts. But for men to desire and wish to be dead, when they are troubled and vexed with any thing, is but a childish folly, flowing from a discontented mind, which being over, they desire no

thing less than to die. It is true there may be a natural desire of death, which at sometimes hath shined in the spirits of some natural men and there is much reason for it, not only to be freed from the evils and troubles of this life, but even from those things which many of this foolish world account their happiness, sensual pleasures, to eat and drink, and to be hungry again, and still to round that same course which, to souls that are raised above sensual things, is burdensome and grievous.

But there is a spiritual desire of death, which is very becoming a Christian. For Jesus Christ hath not only opened very clearly the doctrine of eternal life, but He Himself hath passed through death, and lain down in the grave; He hath perfumed that passage, and warmed that bed for us; so that it is sweet and amiable for a Christian to pass through and follow Him, and to be where He is. It is a strange thing, that the souls of Christians have not a continual desire to go to that company which is above; (finding so much discord and disagreement among the best of men that are here ;) to go to the spirits of just men made perfect, where there is light, and love, and nothing else; to go to the company of angels, a higher rank of blessed spirits; but, most of all, to go to God, and to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament. And, to say nothing positively of that glory, (for the truth is, we can say nothing of it,) the very evils that death delivers the true Christian from, may make him long for it; for such an one may say I shall die, and go to a more excellent country, where I shall be happy for ever: that is, I shall die no more, I shall sorrow no more, I shall be sick no more, and, which is yet more considerable, I shall doubt no more, and shall be tempted no more; and, which is the chiefest of all, I shall sin

no more.

587

EXPOSITORY LECTURES

ON

ISAIAH VI.

LECTURE I.

Ver. 1-5.

THE division of this chapter (were that to any great purpose) may be stated thus:

I. The Prophet's vision, from ver. 1 to 3. In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. 2. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.

II. The Effects of it upon him, relating to his calling, from ver. 4-13. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke, &c.

In the Vision, besides the circumstances of time and place specified, ver. 1. we have a glorious representation of the majesty of God, ver. 2; a suitable acclamation, a voice of praise being joined with it, ver. 3, 4.

The Effects of it on the Prophet towards his calling, are three, viz., I. His Preparation. II. His Mission. III. His Message.

I. The Preparation, in these two particulars: 1. Humiliation;