I

get a ferious, and deep humiliation for fin committed? the
Atudy of this truth will help you do it. You know what
the Prophet Ifaiab faies: Oh! Lord, (faies he) wo is me,
am undone, I am undone! Why? what's the matter? Oh!
(faies he) mine eyes have feen the Kiug. If you look into the
3. Chapter of Matthew, you will find there, in John the
Baptift, fuch a felf-bumbling (peech, Chrift-advancing fpeech,
as you fhal not meet with many of the like again: Saies he,
(at the 11 verle) Whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear: or as other
Gofpels hath it: Whofe fhoes latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
Beloved! Ipray confider it a littel: John, than which there was
not a greater, the great Preacher that all the Country fol-
lowed: John cries out & faies, Whole fhoes latchet I am not
worthy to unloofe. What made him think thus? what
wrought his heart into this humble,this felf-denying frame?
The very Doctrine we are now upon:faies he, I indeed baptize
you with water unto repentance; but He that cemeth after me is
mightier than I,whofe fhoes I am not worthy to bear he foal baptize
you with the holy Ghoft & with fire. As if he fhould fay thus: 1
may baptize you outwardly but the efficacy of al those Or-
dinances it is from Jesus Christ, & therfore,because the effi-
cacy of every Ordinance is from Jefus Chrift, faies he, as for
me, I am not worthy to bear His fhoes, to undo His latchet.
Yet further (in the general) Would you be Fruitful?
would you be fruitful in your life and converfation? Peo-
ple, they complain of Barrenness: Would you be Fruitful?
Obferve what courfe the Gardiner takes with the Apricock:
This is a Fruit (faies he) that will not grow every where;
but furely, if it will grow any where, it will grow upon
the back of this Chimney, the warm heat, the heat of the
Chimney wil nurfe it up: Or elfe it will grow against that
Wall, I'le fet it in the face of the Sun, that it may have
the fmiles of the Sun-beams, and then it will grow: he
fers it there, and then it grows, and brings forth a pleasant
Fruit: Doeft thou complain thou art not fruitful; what's
the reafon? may be thou grow'ft in the fhade; may be
thou grow'ft in the fhade: but come and bring forth thine

heart,

Ifa. 6.5.

heart, fet it in the Sun, under the warm beams of the love of Jefus Chrift; fee if thy heart be not fruitful then. And beloved, what greater love than this, That Jefus Christ hath dyed for finners? that He hath died for finners? that He hath purchased all Grace for finners? and He keeps their stock in His own hand, to give it out unto them ac cording to all their wants? Here is Love! Here is Grace! This is the way to be fruitful.

I come to the Application.

Is it fo, That all Grace is from Chrift; that whatsoever Applic. Grace the Saints have, they have it from Jefus Chrift; Chrift Meriting, and Chrift Working: That all our Effici ency; and Sufficiency; and Al-fufficiency is from Chrift: That He is the great Jofeph, the worlds Jofeph; the Lord keeper of all our Graces; the Lord-Treasurer of all our comforts; Then, Oh! what infinite caufe have we all, to advance, and lift up the Name of Jesus Christ, to hallow Jefus Chrift, not verbally, but really. Comanded ye are to honor your parents: they give you a Being, and yet by that Being, you are brought forth under the wrath of God; but yet honor them, because you have your being from them: I, and by your birth, and by your nature expofed unto the wrath of God for ever: Yet honor them, because you have your being from them.

Quest.

And shall we honor our parents because we have our outward being from them? and fhall we not honor Jefus Chrift, from whom we have the being of all our Graces, the being of our fouls unto all Eternity? what infinite ingagements are upon us all to honor Jefus Chrift.

You will fay unto me: This indeed does naturally fol low: but how fhall we honor Jefus Chrift accordig to the heighth of this Do&rine? how fhall we honor Jefus Chrift according to the heighth of this Truth, that is now before us? Give me leave to fpend fome time in this: this is that I have been driving at all this while. Some particulars herein.

First. Ye cannot honor Jefus Chrift, Unleß that you do\ Anfw. offer up your own Chrift unto him: I fay, unless you offer up your own Chrift to him; I mean, your natural Chrift to him. Some there are, that make a Chrift of their good meaning, and think to be faved thereby; reft upon that,and think to be faved thereby. Some reft upon an boneft, and Sober Converfation, and think to be faved thereby. Some rest upon their Duties, inlargements in Duties; and think to be faved thereby. Some reft upon their very refting; trufting is not to be trufted to: but fome reft upon their very refting, and think to be faved thereby. Some reft upon those Injoyments, and Sweetnesses that they meet withal in duty, and think to be faved thereby. Beloved! you may obferve That when the Lord commanded His People in the old Teftament to honor Him, He commands them to facrifice fuch things to Him, which other Nations did make their Gods: they should facrifice Sheep, and Oxen, and Birds; fuch things they fhould offer up unto God, that others did worship as God: Plainly teaching this, That he that will honor God, must give that unto God which the world makes its God. So fay I, if you would honor Christ, you must give that up unto Jefus Chrift, which other men do make their Chrift. Many falfe Chrifts there are that are made by men: you cannot honor Jefus Chrift, if you don't give up thofe to Him.

Again. You cannot honor Jefus Chrift, If you count it a Small matter to belong to Him. A fervant that honors his mafter, does count it a great matter to belong to Him. And therefore David, he does title fome of his Pfalms fo: A Pfalm of David the fervant of the Lord; He does not say, A Pfalm of David the King of Ifrael; but, A Pfalm of David the Servant of the Lord: Counting it more honor to be the Lords Servant, than to be King of Ifrael; he counted it a great matter to be the Lords Servant, becaufe he hono red the Lord. Thofe that honor Chrift, they look upon the things of Chrift as great matters: the Works of Chrift, as great Works: and the Ordinances of Chrift as great mat

ters;

2.

3.

ters; and a great matter to belong to Chrift: and if they lofe any thing, or lofe any friend; they will relieve themfelves here; Oh! but yet I belong to Jefus Chrift, yet I belong to Jefus Chrift.

Thirdly, Ye cannot honor Jefus Chrift, and give the worft to Him. Abel honored God, and he offered the best; and because he offered the beft, therefore he honored God. Mal.1.6 If I be a Father, where is mine honor? (faies the Lord.) Why & 8. bring ye the lean, and the maimed, and the feeble? Honor Prov.3.9 the Lord with thy fubftance, and with the first fruits of all thine

4.

5.

increafe, (faies Solomon.) Obferve therefore, what is your beft, and what is your fubftance, and what are your firft Fruits? and give them up to Chrift. Young men, young men and women; the best of your yeers; the beft of your ftrength, the best of your time is to be given to Chrift: ye cannot honor Jefus Chrift, and give Him the worst: Oh! that the old people would be much humbled; and the yong people would be much incouraged you cannot honor Jefus Chrift, and give the worft to Him.

Fourthly, Ye cannot honor Jefus Christ, And deffife the choice Work of Christ. What is the choice Work of Chrift? Grace, Grace is the choice Work of Chrift, that comes out of His hand; and the worst name that you can give it, is, to call it Hypocrify. Some there are, that looking upon the lives of godly men, they fay: I but, 'tis all Hypocrifie, and they are Hypocritical. Yea, and fome poor fouls there are, that when they look upon their own fouls, they conclude and fay; I but, 'tis all Hypocrifie; I prayed fuch a time, but it was all in Hypocrifie: I but what if it be the Grace of Chrift? what if it prove fo? Surely, furely ye can. not honor Jefus Chrift, and defpife the choiceft Works that come out of His hands.

Again, A man is said then for to honor Chrift, When be does truft unto Him, and reft upon Him for help at a dead lift (as we fpeak commonly) and the more a man does relie upon Jelus Chrift in ftraights, and in the time of Temptation, the more he does honor Jefus Chrift. Abraham gave glory

to

to God, he beleeved above hope, and under hope; and because he beleeved above hope, and under hope, therefore he gave glory to God, when he confidered his own body. Man or woman, wouldst thou therefore now honr Jefus Chrift? Say, True, I confefs indeed I have finned much; and when I look upon my self, I know no reason why fuch a wretch, fo gacat a finner as I fhould be faved; but because the way to honor Chrift, is for to reft upon Him; and I have difhonored Jefus Chrift enough already, therefore now, through the Grace of God, I will caft the waight of my poor, guilty foul upon Jefus Chrift; yea, for that ve ry reafon will I leave the waight of my guilty foul upon Him, because thereby I may honor Him.

6.

Mat. 5.

16,

Again, The way to honor Jefus Chrift, is, So to walk, and fo to live; as the men of the world may speak well of the waies of Chrift by your Converfation. Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may glorifie God, &c. The men of the world, will then fpeak well of the waies of Chrift, when a Chriftian, that hath the Name of Chrift in a special manner put upon him, when he does that through the ftrength of Chrift, which the men of the world cannot do: .pray for thofe that perfecute you; do good to thofe that do ill to you: when a man is Abundant in the Work of the Lord, Conftant therein, and Humble. For Abundant, you know what our Savior faies: In this is my Father glorified, that ye Job.15.8 bring forth much fruit. One Sun in the Firmament, honors God the Creator more, than an hundred little Stars. One trong Chriftian, that does much for God, honors Him more than twenty, than an hundred weak ones.

I but though a man have Advance of Grace, and be Abundant in the Work of the Lord; yet notwithstanding, if he be not Conftant therein, he does not caufe the way of Chrift to be well spoken of: what will men fay? I, he is wound up to a great height for the prefent, but ftay a lit tle, and you will find him down by and by.

Yea, though a man be Abundant; and Conftant: yet if he be not Humble, he does not honor the way of Christ :

when