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giving him bread. And if ye being evil,' saith he, 'know how to give good gifts unto your children; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?' And when we can bring the concerns of God's church and people merely to his will, his own nature will supply us with arguments enough to confirm our expectation that he will do it.

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2dly. There is another great argument, when all is brought to the sovereignty of the will of God, which is mentioned, Rom. viii. 32. He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up unto death for us all; how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?' Shall I question whether God will do this thing or no, considering this great instance of his will? It was his will to send Jesus Christ to die for poor sinners. He did not send him to die in vain, and that his death should be lost. If God were not willing to give out grace and mercy to sinners, wherefore did he send Jesus Christ? Why did he give his own Son out of his bosom? Why did he not spare him, and cause our iniquities to meet upon ourselves? Can God give a greater sign of his readiness to spare sinners, than his dealing with Jesus Christ? That is the second thing which faith considers when it comes unto God for relief in an overwhelming condition; sovereign grace, that God is able, all things are resolved into his will.

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3dly. Faith in this matter takes into consideration that one particular property of the grace of God in Christ, which is mentioned, Ephes. iii. 8. The unsearchable riches of Christ.' Saith faith, there is more grace and more mercy too in God (for these are God's riches that are here intended) than possibly I can see and look into. Will the mercy that hath been declared unto my faith, the promises that have been discovered and revealed unto me, give me satisfaction? No, they will not. I cannot be satisfied with what I have received; with what discoveries have been made unto me of the grace of God. But, saith the soul, there lie behind unsearchable riches of grace, which I can by no means conceive, which all the world, or all the angels in heaven cannot find out. This is a great relief in an overwhelming condition.

4thly. Once more, faith in such a condition learns to

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resolve former experiences, not into its own present condition, but into the unchangeableness of God. And this one thing being wisely managed, is enough to relieve our souls under many overwhelming distresses that do befall us. The psalmist doth so, Psal. lxxvii. He had experience of God; ver. 6. I call to remembrance my song in the night.' Comit with that in Job xxxv. 10. 'Where is God pare Maker, my who giveth songs in the night?' David intends some such intimation of the love and good will of God as made him rejoice in the night season. But what is his state now? He tells you, ver. 2. that it is the day of his trouble,' that 'his sores run in the night and cease not, his soul refuses to be comforted.' And, ver. 7, 8, &c. Will the Lord cast off for ever? Will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?' In this grand and overwhelming distress, where doth he find relief? He resolves his experience into the unchangeableness of God, ver. 10. This is my infirmity; but I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.' He that gave me that former song in the night season, though now I am nothing but darkness, and ready to fear his mercy is quite gone for ever; yet, he is the same, and he will give in the like experience again: though I am changed, he is not.

3. I should go farther to shew what respect faith in such a condition hath unto the covenant of God; but I cannot now insist upon it.

IV., I thought to have shewn you also in the last place, the difference between the faith of the godly, and that of unbelievers; that which the worst of men will have in God in the time of their distresses; and that relief which true evangelical faith finds in an overwhelming condition. But I see it would take up too much time.

One word of use, and I have done.

Use. This is an overwhelming time; a time wherein many are at the ends of the earth literally, and many metaphorically; a time and season wherein most that fear the Lord are obnoxious to some overwhelming distress or other. Suppose that God hath not let forth upon many at this day an overwhelming sense of guilt, that there are not many

tempted, wounded, and troubled (though some there are which we meet with every day), yet I have great reason to fear, that if we were all rightly awakened, an overwhelming distress would come upon the minds of men from the want of humility, holiness, fruitfulness, faith, and love, which ourselves have sometimes enjoyed, and is proposed unto us, and which the examples of them who are gone before us, lead us to inquire after. Are none overwhelmed with the hardness of their hearts, instability of their spirits, overgrown with careless, empty, light, worldly frames? Truly, more or less, we have all reason to be overwhelmed, and we have shewed you a little where our relief lies in this state and condition.

Are we ready to be overwhelmed with the calamitous condition of the people of God all over the world? and as to ourselves, our goods, and personal concerns, any thing that is near and dear unto us? I pray God make our hearts jealous over it, especially those that are at ease, in their health and prosperity. When God throws others of his people into the furnace, such have great reason to be jealous, lest he deal more severely with them, than the poorest saint that wants a morsel of bread. Well, you see the way of relief in this case also. It is God alone unto whom we must make our application. He is willing to receive us, because of the goodness of his nature; and he is able to save us, because of the abundance of his grace and power.

SERMON XLI.*

A CHRISTIAN, GOD'S TEMPLE.

For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.-2 Cor. vi. 16—18.

THERE are three things in these words:

First, The privilege of believers, especially as they are the church of God. They are the temple of the living God, as God hath said.'

Secondly, The duty, which by virtue of that privilege, is incumbent on all believers. Wherefore,' saith he, come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing.'

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Thirdly, A promise made unto the due performance of the duty by virtue of that privilege. And I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'

You may well think I shall not speak at large to these things. I intend only so far to touch upon them, as just to lead me to what I think is the present sin of this nation, and what are the causes of the judgments upon it.

In ver. 16. believers are said to be dedicated, consecrated, and made holy to God, as his peculiar lot and portion. And then the use of it is to shew the twofold sin for which judgment cometh upon this nation. The first is, That the nation deals not with them as God's consecrated lot and portion: that is the sin of the nation. The second is, That they behave not themselves as God's consecrated lot and portion: that is the sin of the people of God.

* This sermon was preached March 27, 1674.

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I shall spend some time in confirming my foundation. You have it with the ground of it, Rev. v. 9. where the church speaks to Christ, Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God, kings and priests.' Before the purchase of them by Christ, they lay in the common lot of mankind; they were in the people, and tongues, and kindred, and nations of the earth. Christ makes a purchase of them. He did not die to redeem all, but to redeem some out of all the kindreds, and nations, and tongues under heaven. Upon Christ's making a purchase of them, they are no more their own. 'Ye are bought with a price,' saith the apostle, 'ye are not your own.' Whose then are they? They are Christ's; Rom. xiv. 9. For this cause he both died and rose again, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living;' that is, of the whole church, alive and dead, that they might be his. He took them all into his disposal. And what did he do with them? When they were absolutely his own, and in his power to dispose of them as he saw good, he dedicates them to God: He makes us kings and priests unto God,' saith he. Christ might have disposed of his purchase another way; but this course he took, he dedicates them unto God. Kings and priests were so, as I shall shew you afterward. The apostle Peter tells us the same of all believers, 1 Pet. ii. 9. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar,' or purchased 'people.' The same is expressed again, Tit. ii. 14. and in sundry other places which I shall not insist upon. But there is one expression of it which must be taken notice of, and that is where they are called the 'first-fruits unto God;' James i. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures.' And Rev. xiv. he expresses it again, 'These were they that had not defiled themselves, and they were the first-fruits unto God.' When God gave and sanctified all things unto his church of old, he reserved the first-fruits unto himself; these were all to be dedicated to him; every one in his way whereof he was capable; clean beasts by sacrifice; men by redemption, corn and wine by a meat-offering: but God retained all the first-fruits to himself: he laid it upon the land

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