for Christ be carried on in the world by other hands? Or rather, dost thou not envy those that excel thee, and carest for no work in which thou art not seen ?

But stay, my soul, it is enough: If these be the substantial differences betwixt special and common grace, I more than doubt I shall not endure the day of his coming, "6 whose fan is in his hand." Do not those spots appear upon me, which are not the spots of his children? Woe is me, poor wretch the characters of death are upon my soul! Lord, add power to the form, life to the name to live, practice to the knowledge, or I perish eternally! O rather give me the saint's heart than the angel's tongue; the poorest breathing of the Spirit, than the richest ornaments of common gifts! Let me never deceive myself, or others, in matters of so deep and everlasting consequence.

CHAPTER XIII.

UPON THE DANGERS INCIDENT TO THE CORN FROM SEED-TIME TO HARVEST.

Fowls, weeds and blastings do your corn annoy;
Even so corruptions would your grace destroy.

OBSERVATION.

THERE are, amongst many others, three critical and and dangerous periods between the seed-time and harvest. The first, when corn is newly committed to the earth, all that lies uncovered is quickly picked up by the birds, and much of that which is but slightly covered is plucked up, as soon as it begins to sprout, by rooks and

other devouring fowls. Matt. xiii. 4. But if it escape the fowls, and get root in the earth, yet then it is hazarded by noxious weeds, which purloin and suck away its nourishment, whilst it is yet in the tender blade. If, by the care of the vigilani husbandman, it be freed from choaking weeds, yet lastly, as great a danger as any of the former still attends it; for oftentimes, whilst it is blowing in the ear, blastings and mildews smite in the stalk, and cut off the juice and sap that should ascend to nourish the ear, and so shrivels and dries up the grain whilst it is yet immature, whereby it becomes like those ears of corn in Pharaoh's vision, which were thin and blasted with the east wind, or like the ears the Psalmist speaks of upon the housetop, wherewith the reaper filleth not his arms.

APPLICATION.

True grace, from the infancy to the perfection thereof, conflicts with far greater dangers, amongst which it answerably meets with three dangerous periods, which marvellously hazard it; so that it is a much greater wonder that it ever arrives at its just perfection. For, (1.) no sooner hath the Great Husbandman disseminated these holy seeds in the regenerate heart, but multitudes of impetuous corruptions immediately assault, and would certainly devour them, like the fowls of the air, did not the same arm that sowed them also protect them. It fares with grace as with Christ its author, whom Herod sought to destroy in his very infancy. The new creature is scarce warm in its seat before it must fight to defend itself. This conflict is excellently set forth in that famous text, "The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the otner, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would."

By flesh here understand the corruption of nature by original sin, and the sinful motions thereof; by Spirit, not the soul, or natural spirit of man, but the Spirit of God in man, viz. those graces in man which are the workmanship of the Spirit, and therefore called by his name. The opposition betwixt these two is expressed by lusting, (i. e.) desiring the mutual ruin and destruction of eachother ; for even when they are not acting, yet then they are lusting; there is an opposite disposition against each other, which opposition is both a formal and an effective opposition. There are two contrary forms, two men in every saint. Col. iii. 9, 10. From hence an effective opposition must needs follow; for as things are in their natures and principles, so they are in their operations and effects; workings always follow beings; fire and water are of contrary qualities, and when they meet, they effectively oppose each other. Sin and grace are so opposite, that if sin should cease to oppose grace, it would cease to be sin; and if grace should cease to oppose sin, it would cease to be grace. And this doth much more endanger the work of grace than any other enemy it hath, because it works against it more inwardly, constantly and advantageously than any thing else can do. (1.) More inwardly, for it hath its being and working in the same soul where grace dwells; yea, in the self same faculties, so that it not only sets one faculty against another, but the same faculty against itself; the understanding against the understanding, and the will against the will; so that ye cannot do the good, nor yet the evil that ye would; not the good that ye would, because when the spirit moveth to good, and beats upon the heart by divine pulsations, exciting it to duty, the flesh crosses and opposes it there; and if it cannot totally hinder the performance of a duty,

yet it lames the soul upon the working hand, whereby the performance is not so spiritual, free and composed as it desires; nor yet the evil that you would commit, if grace were not there; because when lust stirs, in its first mo"How can I do this tions, grace puts a rub in its way.

great wickedness and sin against God?" And if it cannot (which for the most part it doth) hinder the acting of sin, yet it so engages the will against it, that it is not commit"What I do, I ted with complacency and full consent. allow not." (2.) It opposes it more constantly—it is like a continual dropping; a man can no more fly from this enemy than from himself. There is a time when the devil leaves tempting, Mat. iv. 11. but no time when corruption ceases from working. And lastly, It opposes grace more advantageously than any other enemy can do, for it is not only always in the same soul with it, but it is there naturally; it hath the advantage of the soil which suits with it. And yet, oh the wonder of free grace! it is not swallowed up in victory, but it escapes this hazard.

But (2.) It soon meets with another, though it escapes this, even by temptations which strike desperately at the very life of it; for these, like the weeds, with seemingly loving embraces, clasp about it; and did not the faithful God now make a way to escape, instead of a harvest we should have a heap. For, alas, what are we ! to wrestle with principalities and powers, and spiritual wickedness in high places?

Lastly, Sad relapses, like blasts and rustings, do often fade and greatly endanger it, when it is even ready for the harvest. Thus it fell out with David, whose last ways were not like his first, and yet by this these holy fruits were not utterly destroyed, because it is the seed of God, And also because and so is immortal. 1 John v. 4,

5.

the promises of perseverance and victory made to it cannot be frustrated; among which these are excellent. Isa. liv. 10. Jer. xxxiv. 40. 1 Cor. 1. 8. Psalm i. 3.-cxxv. i. John iv. 15. So that here is matter of unspeakable comfort; though the flesh say, Ego deficiam, I will fail thee; though the world say, Ego decipiam, I will deceive thee; though the devil say, Ego eripiam, I will snatch thee away; yet as long as Christ saith, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, thy graces are secure in the midst of all these enemies.

REFLECTIONS.

1. This soul of mine was once ploughed up by conviction, and sown, as I thought, with the seed

of God. In those days many purposes and The apostate's good resolutions begun to chink and bud reflections. forth, promising a blessed harvest; but oh!

(with what consternation and horror should I speak it,) the cares and pleasures of this life, the lusts and corruptions of my base heart springing up, have quite destroyed and choaked it; by which it appears it was not the seed of God, as I then imagined it to be; and now my expected harvest shall be an heap in the day of grief and desperate sorrow. I had convictions, but they are gone ; troubles for sin, conscience of duties, but all is blasted, and my soul is now as a barren field, which God hath cursed.

Woe is me! I have revolted from God, and now that dreadful word is evidently fulfilled upon me; "for I am like the heath in the desart, that seeth not when good cometh; my soul inhabits the parched places of the wilderness." Alas! all my formal and heartless duties were but as so many scare-crows in the field, which could not defend these slight workings from being devoured by the