fiery temptations; there is nothing in all the world which can divinely strengthen and fence the soul against these temptations, but the exercise of grace, the improvement of grace. It is true, you are to hear, read, pray, meditate; but all these without the exercise of grace in them, will never make you victorious over Satan's temptations. Nothing puts Satan to it, like the exercise of grace. It is said of Satan, that he should say to a holy man who was much in the exercise of grace, Thou dost always overcome me.' Above all, taking the shield of faith, where with ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, Ephes. vi. 16. Whatsoever piece of armour you neglect, be sure that you neglect not the shield of faith. The Greek word that is here rendered shield, comes from another word that signifies a door or a gate; to denote, that as a door or a gate secures our bodies, so will the shield of faith secure our souls against the fiery darts of the Devil. Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye may be able to quench the fiery darts of the Devil. The apostle alludes to the custom of the Scythians, who used to dip the heads of their arrows or darts in the gall of asps and vipers, the venomous heat of which, like a fire in their flesh, killed the wounded with torments, the likest hell of any other. But the soldiers then had generally shields of raw neat's leather, as several writers testify, and when the fiery darts lighted upon them, they were presently quenched. So these fiery darts of Satan, when they light upon the shield of faith, are presently quenched; and there is no other way to do it. Till the Lord draw out a man's faith to act upon the promises and upon Christ, these fiery darts will not be quenched.

Suppose that the world, the smiling world or the frowning world, the tempting world or the persecuting world, should lie as a heavy stone or burden upon your hearts, as it does upon the hearts of thousands in these days (witness their attempting any thing to get the favours, honours, and riches of this world. Ah how many have turned their backs upon God, and Christ, and truth, to gain the world!) how will you get off this burden? No way in the world like to the exercise and actings of grace. Many men hear much, and yet remain worldly; and pray

like angels, and yet live as if there were no heaven nor hell. They will talk much of heaven, and yet those that are spiritual and wise, do find their breath to smell strongly of earth; and all the art, and parts, and gifts in the world, can never cure them of this soul-killing disease, till faith breaks forth in its glorious actings. A man may hear and pray many years, and yet be as carnal, base and worldly as ever. There is no way under heaven to remove this stone, this burden, but the exercise of faith and love. For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world, and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God? 1 John v. 4, 5. Not that the habit of faith overcometh the world, but faith in the ex ercise of it, conquers the world; and that it does these three ways.

First; faith in the exercise of it, presents the world to the soul under all those notions by which the scripture holds forth the world unto us. The scripture holds forth the world as an impotent thing, as a mixed thing, as a mutable thing, as a momentary thing. Now faith comes and sets this home with power upon the soul, and this takes the soul off from the world.

Secondly; faith doth it by causing the soul to converse with more glorious, soul-satisfying, soul-delighting, and soul-contenting objects.

Though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day; how comes this to pass? while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal, 2 Cor. iv. 16, 18. Now when faith is busied and exercised about soul-ennobling, soul-greatening, soul-raising, and soulcheering objects, a Christian tramples the world under his feet; and now heavy afflictions are light, and long afflic tions short, and bitter afflictions sweet unto him. Now stand by, world; welcome, Christ.

So in Heb. xi. ; it was the exercise of faith and hope upon noble and glorious objects, that carried these men above the world, above the smiling world and above the frowning world, above the tempting world and above the

persecuting world, as you may see by comparing several verses of that chapter together. Ver. 9, 10; By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Ver. 24, 26; By faith Moses when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; chusing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompence of reward. Ver. 27; By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible. And in ver. 35; They refused deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. So in Heb. x. 34; They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, upon what account? knowing in themselves, that they had in heaven a better and more enduring-substance.

Thirdly; faith does it by assuring the soul of enjoying better things. For my part I must confess, so far as I understand any thing of the things of God, I cannot see how a soul under the power of a well-grounded assurance, can be a servant of his slave, I mean, the world. I confess, men may talk much of heaven, and of Christ, and religion; but give me a man who does really and clearly live under the power of divine assurance, and I cannot see how such a one can be carried out in an inordinate love to these poor transitory things. I know not one instance in all the scripture that can be produced to prove that ever any precious saint who has lived in the assurance of divine love, and who has walked up and down this world with his pardon in his bosom, has ever been charged with an inordinate love of the world. That is a sad word in 1 John ii. 15.

4. Now a fourth reason of this point, why persons are to exercise their graces, is, because it is the best way to preserve their souls from apostacy and backsliding from God. Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness; for if ye do these things, ye shall

never fall, 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 10. Add to your faith virtue. The Greek word that is here rendered add, has a great emphasis in it: It is taken from dancing round. "Link

them,' says the apostle, hand in hand. As in dancing, virgins take hand, so we must join hand to hand in these measures of graces, lead up the dance of graces, as in the galliard every one takes his turn. So in 2 Pet. iii. 17;.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things, beware, lest ye also, being led aside with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. There are many who turn aside, and bid farewell to God, and Christ, and truth, and the words of righteousness; and therefore you had need to take heed that you fall not as others have fallen before you. But how shall we be kept from apostatizing? why, grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a growth in grace, it is the exercise of grace, that will make a man stand when others fall, yea when cedars fall.

5. All other exercises without the exercise of grace, profit nothing.

will

Or, if you will, take it thus-all other exercises will be loss to us without the exercise of grace; therefore we had need to improve our graces.

When the house is on fire, if a man should only pray or cry, he may be burnt for all that; therefore he must be active and stirring; he must run from place to place, and call out for help, and must work even in the fire, and bestir himself as for life in the use of all means, whereby the fire may be quenched. So if grace be not acted, it is not all a man's praying and crying, that will profit him or better him; grace must be exercised, or will be lost, prayers lost, tears lost, time lost, strength lost, soul lost.

But refuse prophane and old wives' fables, 1 Tim. iv. 7. Shift them off, as the word is; set them by; say thou art not at leisure to attend them; make a fair excuse, as the word notes; tell them thou hast business of an eternal concernment to look after, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness; ́or lay aside thy upper garments, as runners and wrestlers do, (to which practice the apostle alludes) and bestir thyself lustily; for says he, Bodily exercise profiteth little, but godliness is profitable unto all

things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

The Babylonians are said to make three hundred and sixty several commodities of the palm tree; but what are those hundred commodities to those thousands that attend holiness, that attend the exercise of grace? Nothing makes a man rich in spirituals, like the frequent and constant actings of grace. In Heb. iv. 2. we read, The word did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. He does not speak there of unbelievers, but of those who had grace in the habit, but not in the exercise; and therefore the word did not turn to their account. They heard and were never the better; and what was the ground of it? Why, it was because they did not exercise faith upon the word. The words that fell from the preacher's lips into their ears, were a sweet potion, but they did not work kindly, because there wanted the ingredients of faith. Faith is one of those glorious ingredients that must make every sermon, every truth, work for the soul's advantage. Nothing will work for a believer's good, for his gain, if his graces be asleep.

6. Because it is the end of all the dignity and glory that God has conferred upon his people; therefore they must exercise and improve their grace. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light, 1 Pet. ii. 9. Ye are a chosen generation; that is, a picked out people; the dearly beloved of his soul; such as he first chose for his love, and then loves for his choice. A royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people. The Greek is, A people of purchase, such as comprehends, as it were, all God's gettings, his whole stock that he makes any reckoning of. That ye should shew forth; or as it is in the Greek, That ye should preach forth, that ye may publicly declare the virtues of him who hath called of darkness into his marvellous light; that ye may so hold forth the virtues of him who hath conferred all this dignity and glory upon you, as to excite others to glorify your Father which is in heaven. You know the picture of a dear friend is not to be thrust into a corner, but in,some

you out