so shall I keep the testimony of thy mouth" (Psalm exix. 88), then I shall do good to purpose. But religion is an irksome thing when we are deadhearted. For particular duties, it is not enough to pray, but it must be with life: "Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name" (Psalm lxxx. 18). It is not enough to hear, but to hear with life (Matt. xiii. 15). It is a judgment to be dull of hearing.

3. As it is uncomfortable to themselves to act without quickening grace, so it is a thing very hateful with God, a cold, lukewarm temper: "I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Rev. iii. 16). This dull and stupid profession is contrary to God, and hateful to God; and such as content themselves with this dead profession, God will spue them out of his mouth. And it is contrary to all the provision God hath made for us. Christ is set up as a fountain of grace in our nature: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John x. 10). The Lord hath justified us by his grace; sprinkled our hearts that we might serve the living God, serve him in a living manner; for titles given to God imply the qualification in hand; and he hath sanctified us, planted grace in our hearts on purpose to maintain the life given us, that there might be a lively hope (Heb. ix. 14). And all hearing is for life (Isa. lv. 3); we come to lively oracles that we may be quickened. The joys of Heaven, redemption by Christ, Hell torments; these doctrines are all quickening truths. And the Lord hath given his flesh, not only to God for a sacrifice, but to us for food that we may live (John vi. 51). Therefore, to be cold, it is odious to God.

USE I.-For caution.

1. Let us take heed we loose not quickening through our own default; that we lose not this enlivening grace. We may lose it by any heinous sin of ours, for by grieving the Spirit we bring on deadness upon the heart (Psalm li. 10-12). When David sinned heinously, he begs the Lord to quicken him, and restore his free Spirit, and the joy of his salvation. The spirit is a tender thing. Every heinous sin is as a wound in the body which lets out the life blood, and so we contract a deadness upon ourselves.

2. Take heed of immoderate liberty or vanities of the world, or pleasures of the flesh, if you would not lose this quickening. The Apostle tells us, the woman "that liveth in pleasure, is dead while she liveth” (1 Tim. v. 6). Pleasures have a strange infatuation; they bring a brawn and deadness upon the heart, and hinder the sprightliness of spiritual and heavenly affections: "Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way" (Psalm cxix. 37). These two prayers joined together speak thus much if you be too busy about vanity, it will bring on a brawn and deadness, and so you need to go to God for quickening. And Christ tells his disciples, "Take heed of being overcharged," &c. (Luke xxi. 34). The soul is mightily distempered by too free a liberty of the delights of the flesh; for surfeiting and drunkenness must not be taken there in the gross notion.

:

3. Let us take heed that we do not lose it by our slothfulness and negligence in the spiritual life: "There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee" (Isa. Ixiv. 7). As in a watch one wheel protrudes and thrusts forward another; so, when we are diligent, all is lively in the soul, but when we are not active and serious in a godly course all goes to rack. An instrument, though it be never so much in tune, yet laid by

and hung up, it grows out of order. Wells are sweeter for draining. Our graces, if we keep them not awork, lose their vitality; if we do not stir up the grace of God (2 Tim. i. 6), they are quite quenched; when we grow careless, and neglectful of our souls, we lose this activity of grace. 4. Vain and dead-hearted company and converse are a very great means to damp the spirit, and quench the motions of the heavenly life. "We should provoke one another to good works” (Heb. x. 24.) There is great provocation in good examples; but we grow lazy, formal, slight by imitation. Others profess knowledge, yet are vain, dead-hearted; so are we; we have adopted it into our manners, and leaven one another by this means. There should be a holy contention who should be most forward in the ways of godliness, and excel in our heavenly calling; this keeps Christians lively. Saul, when he was among the prophets, he prophesied ; but when we converse with dead-hearted company, it breeds a great damp. You read in Isa. xli. 6, 7, how the idolaters encouraged one another; it was when the isles were to wait for the Messiah that they should not faint, but get up their idols again, after Christ had got a little footing among them; and shall not the children of God encourage, and keep up the life of zeal one in another?

USE II.-Exhortation. It presseth you to divers duties.

1. To see a need of quickening. Though life received gives power to act, yet that power must be excited by God. No creature doth subsist and act of itself. All things live, move, and have their being in God. There is a concurrence necessary to all created things, much more to the new creature partly because of the internal indisposition of the subject in which it is; alas! grace in the heart is but like fire in wet wood: partly by reason of external impediments, Satan is ready to cast a damp upon thy soul, so that the Lord's grace is still necessary for us.

2. Ask it of God. All life was at first in him originally, and it is an emanation from him. The Apostle proves Christ's Godhead from this, because "In him was life" (John i. 4). But is this a good argument? Doth that prove, therefore, he was God? May we not say of the meanest worm, In it is life? But he means, originally he was the fountain of life; and still he keeps it in his own hands, and conveys it to all creatures every moment, even to the lowest worm: "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (John v. 26). The power of quickening, and keeping of life, it belongs to God. He hath it originally from himself, he gives it to others. He that quickeneth all things, worms, men, that gives life to them, is God (1 Tim. vi. 13).

3. Expect this grace in and through Jesus Christ, who hath purchased it for us; who gave his flesh to be meat indeed, and his blood drink indeed (John vi. 55); who rose again that we "should walk in newness of life" (Rom. vi. 4); who ascended to pour out the Spirit upon us (John vii. 38, 39). Therefore, when we find deadness spiritually, look to receive this life from Christ.

4. Rouse up yourselves. There are considerations and arguments to quicken us. Certainly a man hath power and faculty to work truths upon himself; to stir up the gift and grace that is in us (2 Tim. i. 6). We must not think grace works necessarily, as fire burns, whether we will or not, that this will enliven us; but we must rouse, and stir up ourselves, as Psalm xlii. 5. There are many considerations by which we may awaken our own soul from the love of God, from the hopes of glory; by which

Christians should stir and keep their spirits awake and alive towards God and heavenly things.

USE III.-If quickening be so necessary, it presseth us to see whenever we have received anything of the vitality of grace; sense, appetite, and activity; we may know it by these things, when there is a sense of sin in-dwelling as a burden; life is strong then when it would expel its enemy (Rom. vii. 24). When there is an appetite after Christ and his graces and comforts. When there is a greater activity, a bursting and breaking forth towards religious duties, it is a sign grace is strong in the heart, for the Spirit is to be a fountain of living waters always breaking out (John vii. 38). When we are more fruitful towards God, when it is ready to discover itself for the glory of God, then the heavenly light is kept in good plight. For these things we should be thankful to God, for he it is that awakeneth you.

SERMON XLVII.

VERSE 41.-Let thy mercies come also to me, O Lord, even thy salvation according to thy word.

In this verse you have the man of God in straits, and begging for deliverance. In this prayer and address to God you may observe,1. The cause and fountain of all, "Thy mercies."

2. The effect or thing asked, "Salvation."

3. The warrant or ground of his expectation, "According to thy word." 4. The effectual application of the benefit asked, "Come also to me.' The sum of the verse may be given you in this point.

DOCTRINE. That the salvation of God is the fruit of his mercy, and effectually dispensed and applied to his people according to his word. There is a twofold salvation, temporal and eternal.

1st, Temporal salvation is deliverance from temporal dangers: "Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exod. xiv. 13).

2ndly, Eternal deliverance from Hell and wrath, together with that positive blessedness which is called eternal life: "And being made perfect he became the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him" (Heb. v. 9). The text is applicable to both, though possibly the former principally intended.

First, I shall apply it to salvation temporal, or deliverance out of trouble. Then observe,

1st, The cause of it, "Thy mercies." God's children often fall into such straits that nothing but mercy can help them out: all deliverance is the fruit of mercy pitying our misery, but some deliverance especially is the fruit of mercy pardoning our sin. I shall give you some special cases, both as to danger and sin.

1. In all cases as to danger it is mercy which appears, partly because God's great arguments to move him is the misery of his people, it is his great argument: "The Lord will repent himself for his servants when he seeth that all their power is gone, and none shut up and left" (Deut. xxxii. 36), no manner of defence, but exposed as a prey to those that have a mind to wrong them. It is the only argument: "Let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us, for we are brought very low" (Psalm lxxix. 8). Mercy relents

towards a sinful people, when they are a wasted people. Partly because when there are no other means to help, mercy unexpectedly findeth out means for us. When we are at an utter loss in ourselves, God finds out means of relief for us: "He shall send from Heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and truth" (Psalm lvii. 3). When we want help on earth, faith seeketh for help from Heaven, and mercy chooseth means for us when we cannot pitch upon anything that may do us good. In these cases doth mercy discover itself as to danger.

2. More eminently in special cases, when their sins have evidently brought them into those straits. Many afflictions are the strokes of God's immediate hand, or the common effects of his providence permitting the malice of men for our trial and exercise, but some are the proper effects of our own sins. We run ourselves into incoveniences by our folly, and even then mercy findeth a way of escape for us. Two ways may our sin be said to bring our trouble upon us, meritorie et effective.

(1.) Meritorie. When some judgment treadeth upon the heels of some foregoing sin and provocation: as David, when he had offended in the matter of Uriah, see Psalm iii. title, "A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son," and the two first verses, "Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? many are they that rise up against me. Many there be that say of my soul there is no help for him in God. Selah." David was deserted of his own subjects, chased from his palace and royal seat by his own son Absalom; he had defiled Uriah's wife secretly, and his wives were defiled in the face of all Israel, and he driven to wander up and down for safety. God will make all that behold the scandalous sins of his people, see what it is to provoke him to wrath. See how he complains: "Lord, how are they increased that trouble me? many are they that rise up against me" (verse 1). You shall find in 2 Sam. xv. 12, "The people increased continually with Absalom." A multitude against him, and the rest durst not be for him, their hearts were hovering. And in another place, all Israel gathered to him from Dan to Beer-sheba (2 Sam. xvii. 11). In what a sorry plight was David when all was against him, and the world thought God was against him! for so it followeth: "Many there be which say of my soul there is no help for him in God. Selah" (verse 2). The world counted the case desperate, and insulted over him now God hath left him; but they mistook fatherly correction for vindicative justice: this was a sad condition, but David goeth to God to fetch him off, though he had drawn this judgment upon himself, yet he deals with him for relief; in such cases mercy is seen. That pit must be very deep when the line of grace doth not go to the bottom of it; in the face of the temptation David maintaineth his confidence in God: "But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter up of my head" (verse 3). God is counter-comfort to all his troubles. He was in danger, God was his shield; his kingdom was at stake, God was his glory; he was under sorrow and shame, God would lift up his head; to the unarmed, a shield; to the disgraced, glory; to the dejected, an encourager, or the lifter up of his head: thus, when his case was thought desperate, doth mercy work for him.

(2.) Effective. When we ourselves run into the snare, and be holden with the cords of our vanity: "His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins" (Prov. v. 22). When we have been playing about the cockatrice's hole, and have brought

mischief upon ourselves. Sometimes God's children have been guilty of this, they have been the causes of their own troubles; as David, when his unbelief drove him to Gath, where he was in danger of his life, and escaped by his dissembling. Psalm xxxiv. is entitled "A Psalm of David when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, who drove him away and he departed." And Josiah put himself on a war against Pharaoh Necho and other such instances; then if they be saved it is certainly mercy.

Again observe, it is not mercy, but mercies; the expression is plural. 1. To note the plenty and perfection of this attribute in God. God is very merciful to poor creatures; see in how many notions God's mercy is represented to us, a distinct consideration of them yieldeth an advantage in believing, for though they express the same thing, yet every notion begetteth a fresh thought, by which mercy is more taken abroad in the view of conscience; this is that pouring out God's name spoken of: "Thy name is as ointment poured forth" (Cant. i. 3). Ointment in the box doth not yield such a fragrancy as when it is poured out: God hath proclaimed his name: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering, abundant in goodness and truth" (Exod. xxxiv. 6). God hath given this description of himself, and the saints often taken notice of it: "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger" (Psalm ciii. 8), and of great kindness, "Turn to the Lord your God for he is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil" (Joel ii. 13). "I knew that thou wert a gracious God, slow to anger and of great kindness" (Jonah iv. 2), and in divers other places. What doth the Spirit of God aim at in this express enumeration and accumulation of names of mercy, but to give us a help in meditation, and to enlarge our apprehensions of God's mercy.

(1.) The first notion is mercy, which is an attribute whereby God inclineth to favour them that are in misery, it is a name God hath taken with respect to us, the love of God first falleth upon himself: God loveth himself but he is not merciful to himself, mercy respects creatures in misery. Justice seeks a fit object, mercy a fit occasion. Justice looketh to what is deserved, mercy to what is wanted and needed.

(2.) The next notion is grace, which noteth the free bounty of God, and excludeth all means on the creatures' part; grace doth all gratis, freely, though there be no precedent, debt or obligation, or hope of recompence whereby anything can accrue to God. His external motive is our misery, his internal motive his own grace. Angels that never sinned are saved merely out of grace. Men that were once miserable are saved, not only out of grace, but out of mercy.

(3.) The next notion is long-suffering, or slowness to anger. The Lord is not easily overcome by the wrongs or sins of the creature; he doth not only pity our misery, that is mercy; and do us good for nothing, that is grace; but beareth long with our infirmities, that is slowness to anger. Certainly he is easily appeased, and is hardly drawn to punish: men are ready to anger, slow to mercy, quickly inflamed and hardly appeased, but it is quite the contrary with God. It is good to observe the difference between God and man. Man cannot make anything of a sudden, but destroyeth it in an instant. When men are to make anything they are long about it, as building a house is long work; but plucking it down and undermining it is done in a short time; but God is quick in making, slow in destroying, he made the world in six days, he could have done it in a moment, were it not