fon loved: Love is not easily provoked; the words rather to be read thus, is not easily imbittered, or is not fharp,doth not speak bitter language, Gifts and Parts will. Love thinks no evil, that follows, and at the 6 verfe, It rejoyceth not in iniquity, but rejoyceth in the truth." It rejoyceth not in iniquity, the word is, adixi, injuftice, It rejoyceth not in injuftice, but it dotb rejoyce with the truth, oxigendi, fo the words are to be read, and that is thus, If a man be oppreft, Love cannot rejoyce in his oppreffion; but if a man be freed and delivered from his oppreffion, & the truth heard & known, Love rejoyceth with fuch a man,when the truth is difcovered;it tejoiceth not in injustice,but rejoyceth with the truth, when that comes to light. Wel, but fuppofe all this, yet notwithstanding a man may labor under fome finful infirmities, &c. what wil Love do then? Verf 7. Love bearethal things, but the words fhould be otherwife tranflated, for as you read them, Love beareth all things, what difference will there be between that claufe,and the latter of that verf. endureth all things,it bears all things, &c ? here is no difference; the words therfore fhould be read thus, It covereth all things, fo the Greek word, iw, fignifies properly to cover, it is the fame word that is ufed ordinarily in the new Teftament to that purpose, Mark 2.4. They uncovered the roof of the house, &c.the roof or the covering, is the fame word that is ufed here, and fo Love covereth al things; though men have many infirmities, yet true Love will cover them all; and it beleeveth all things, though a man have done that which is evil in it felf, yet Love beleeves he had a good intention in the doing of it,for it beleeveth all things; and though a man go very far in fin, yet if another have Love he hopeth that God will bring him back again, for Love hopeth all things, it covers al things, it beleeveth al things; it hopeth al things; and if another do me wrong, if I have Love, I fhall bear that too; for Love endureth al things; but now will Gifts and Parts do thefe things? furely no, Gifts and Parts will not bear all things, cover all things, beleeve all things,hope all things,endure all things; I but Love doth, and Love will, and therfore here's a greater excellency in the way of Love, then in the

way of Gifts; and if Love do out-fhoot Gifts in their own bow, then certainly there is a greater excellency in Love than in all Gifts. Now if you look in 1 Cor.8. you that find that it is faid concerning Love, that it edifies, Knowledg puffeth up, but Charity, or Love, edifies; Knowledg, that is, the gift of knowledg doth puff us up the end of Gifts is edification; it is the proper work of Gifts to edifie, yet faith the Apoftie, Love edifies, comparing Love and Gifts together, he fhews that Love edifies rather than Gifts: Now, I say, if that Love do thus out-fhoot Gifts in their own bow, then certainly there is a great deal more excellency in Love than in al Gifts, though they be never fo great: Thus concerning Love.

fo

Secondly; And concerning Grace and Holiness in the general: Grace and holiness is the proper and natural effect of the Spirit, as I may so speak; Gifts are, Opus ad extra: You fhal find that voluntary and rational agents, have a Two-fold effect; a man begets a child like himself, that's a natural effect; then he makes a stool, or a hat, or a ship, this is not a natural effect,this is an artificial effect: fo God the Father,he made the World, there is Opus ad extra: but he begat his Son, and the Son is of the Father, fo the holy Ghoft hath a Twofold effect: The proper and the natural effect of the holy Ghoft, is Grace, but the Opus ad extra, is Gifts; Grace and Holiness is the proper effect of the holy Ghoft, and therfore the Apostle Paul Speaking of Love, Joy, Peace, and of other particular graces, faith, They are the fruits of the Spirit, Gal.5. 22. Bat the fruit of the Spirit, is Love, Foy, Peace, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, &c.

Again, Sin and corruption wil not fo easily plant upon grace, as upon gifts; pride and corruption wil more eafily plant upon gifts,than upon grace; gifts do fooner gather filth,and fooner ruft than grace doth; faith the Apoftle in that place I named even now, Knowledg puffeth up,but Love edifies; he speaks of Knowledg, as of a gift, now faith he, Knowledg, that puffeth up. But how can Knowledg, or how can any Spiritual gift puff one up? Can that which is the Fruits or the effect of the Spirit of God, puff one up? No, but occafion

ally,

ally, it can and it will occafionally. So you'l fay,grace it felf doth, for a man may be proud of his grace, as well as he may be proud of his gifts. It is very true, I remember that speech of Mr Fox Sometimes (faid be) I get hurt by my graces, & omtimes I get good by my fins; for by my fins I am made more humble, and by my grace I am made more proud. It is true, occafionally a man may be proud of,and puffed up by his very graces, but there is yet that in true grace it felf that will fupprefs pride, grace being contrary to fin; as for gifts, though they be diverfe from fin, yet they are not contrary unto fin, and fo cannot fupprefs fin, as grace can do that is contrary therunto: for one contrary doth deftroy the other: I exprefs it thus; A man may be proud of his clothes, and he may be proud of his graces, but there is not that in his clothes which wil fupprefs his pride; there is nothing in clothes that is contrary unto pride, but in grace there is So a man may be proud of his gifts,and he may be proud of his graces, but there is not that in gifts that is fo contrary unto pride as there is in grace, there is that in grace that is directly contrary unto fin & pride; I fay therfore, That pride and corruption cannot fo eafily plant & grow upon grace it felf, as can upon gifts, and therefore there is a greater excellency in grace, and the way of grace and holinefs, then in the way of gifts; Though a man have never fo little grace, and have no gifts, yet he gives no offence, is not fcandalous; but if a man have all gifts, and have no grace, how many offences doth he fall into? and how fcandalous is he?let experience speak.

3 But again thirdly, Though a man have never fuch great parts and gifts, yet if he have not grace withal, he may go to hell, and perish to al eternity, for by his gifts he is not united unto Jefus Chrift, for by his gifts he is not made the child of God,or by his gifts he is not eftated in the covenant of grace; you know what our Saviour faith, Many shall fay in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy Name, and cast out Devils in thy Name,& have done many wonderful works ? (these are the effects of gifts,) and he shall fay unto them, Depart, I know you not: But faith the Apoftle concerning Grace

and

Applica

and Love, I hope better things of you, such as accompany falvation, for God is not unmindful to forget your labor of love, that accompanies falvation. You fee how it is with children that are playing together in the day, if they be playing abroad, and children of divers parents, when night comes, one child goes to his father,and the other unto his father, they are very like, it may be,and their clothes are a like,and when they are playing together abroad, you cannot fay whofe child this is, or whofe child that is, but when night comes, the father then comes unto his child, and faith, Come home my child, come in at doors,& if the other offers to go in there, No child, you must go home to your father,So while we are living,grace and gifts are mingled together, fome men have gifts,and fome men have graces,& they look very like; Ah but when night coms, and when death comes,then God the Father,he faith to those that have grace, Come my children,enter in; but if those that have gifts only come, he fends them away, No, you must go to your father, it is not your gifts make you my children, by grace you are my children, but not by gifts, & therfore home to your father, I am none of your father,home unto your own father; thus will the Lord fpeak when night comes: yea,and if man do go to hell and perifh, the more gifts he hath, the deeper will he fink into hell; as it is with a man that is in the water finking in the water,the more he is laden with gold,the more he finks, and as he is finking, if he hath any time to cry out, he faith, Ohtake away thefe bags ofgold, thefe bags of gold will fink me, they will undo me: So Ifay, thefe golden parts, and golden gifts they will undo men; when men come to hell, and fhall perish,the more golden gifts and parts they have had, the deeper they fhall fink in hell; parts and gifts will never fave a man from the wrath to come, I, but Grace, and Love,& Holiness under Chrift will; furely therfore there is an excellency in the way of Grace and of Love, beyond the way of Gifts Though the way of Gifts be an excellent way, and much to be defired, yet the way of Grace and of Love is a more excellent way, and most of all to be defired.

By way of Application then; Methinks this Doctrine looks

wifhly upon those that have Gifts, upon those that have none, or very weak, and it looks wifhly upon us all.

First, It looks wifhly upon those that have Parts and Gifts, and it cals upon you al for to bless the Lord; Hath the Lord led you in a way of Gifts? he hath led you in an excellent way,for the way of Gifts is an excellent way: Is it not a great mercy for a man to be able to do good to others, and to fave another mans foul, to have a hand to pull others out of everlafting burnings? Herein man feems to go beyond the Angels, for the Angels are miniftring Spirits, but men are called Saviors, Others fave with fear, pulling them out of the fire: And hath the Lord led you in a way of Gifts, and given you Gifts to do good to others? fuch an hand he hath given to you, furely therfore you have cause for ever to blefs the Lord."

I.

But though the Lord, through his Grace,had led me in this Object. way of gifts,I fear I have nothing but gifts, I fear that they are Gifts alone,& not Grace withal; had I Gifts & Graces too,I fhould bless the Lord indeed,but I fear it is nothing but Gifts. For Anfwer, It is poffible, That a man that hath grace may Anfw. think he hath nothing but Gifts; it is poffible for a man that bath only gifts to think that his gifts are graces: But would you know the difference between gifts & graces as they are in Subjecto,as they are in a particular perfon? (for the difference between them as they are in themselves, I have fhewed you in the beginning) Then thus, The faculty you know is diftinguifhed by the act, and the act by the object, potentia diftinguitur per actum, & alius per objectum, faith Phylofophy: If a man have gifts only, he is exercised most about a gifting object; if grace, then about a gracious object; and therefore if you looke into Scripture, you fhal find, that Grace and Faith fals in with a crucified Chrift, I defire to know nothing but Chrift, and him crucified, faith Faith and Grace: But now Gifts coming in by the Afcenfion of Jesus Christ, (He hath afcended on high, he hath given Gifts to men) they are converfant especially about Afcenfions and Glories,but a crucified Chrift is a mean and fleshly thing in their eyes.

2. Again, They differ in their Nature; for gifts, as I may fo

H

fpeak,