had of the truth of this! How may the souls of thousands sadly say, the world hath undone them! Its syren songs have bewitched the credulous, and unwary; the world oftentimes proves a stumbling-block of iniquity that obstructs men in their journey to heaven, and blinds their eyes that they cannot make divine discoveries; even believers have found, by sad experiment, that outward enjoyments have had a malignant influence upon their spirits; they were in a better frame when they were poor, than they have been since raised in the world—according to that distich,

Pellitus nunc es, fueras sine veste retentus,

Nudus eras purus, crimen amictus habes.

Well, this is the too, too common effect of common mercies, but covenant mercies always make the soul better. Certainly, sanctifying knowledge, softening grace, the spirit of faith and holiness leave the soul in a gracious frame; and the privileges of the covenant, reconciliation with God, adoption, justification, assurance, communion with God, always work kindly and evangelically upon the heart; these are so many silver and silken cords of love to draw and join the soul to God. These mercies are as coals of fire to melt the heart, and make the conscience supple and pliable to the will of God; he cannot be a wicked man who hath these mercies, and he that hath most of these mercies, is the best; our perfection consists in the possession and participation of these sure mercies of David. * Outward mercies are occasions of ripening the sins of the wicked and fitting them for hell; but covenant mercies ripen saints for glory, by filling their souls with

* Dives qui multa possidet, auro onustus ut sordidum marsupium, at qui justus est, bene compositus est et decorus.-Clem. Alex. Pædag.

grace, aud filling them for God's use both here and hereafter.

(4.) Common mercies and covenant mercies differ in their duration and continuance; and this is that which is discriminating in this passage—they are called sure mercies, in opposition to those uncertain riches, "that take to themselves wings and fly away; alas the fashion of the world passeth away!"* Earthly enjoyments are but of a short continuance-at death they and we must part, but many times they leave us before we leave them, the dreadful example of many thousands in London, in the late astonishing burning, confirms thisthey were very rich, and very poor, in a few hours; many worth thousands in the morning, but before night had not a house to put their heads in. Our eyes have seen and ears have heard how suddenly vast estates have been plucked out of the hands of the securest possessors; a night may put an end to the rich fool's confident boasting. No man is rich who cannot carry away with him that which he hath. † What we must leave behind us is not ours, but some others; and this is the certain end of these uncertain enjoyments—that lose them we must, and we know not when nor how; and what a condition will a poor worldling be in, when his god and he must be parted! But now these mercies of the covenant are lasting, yea, everlasting mercies-they continue even beyond this transitory life, and run parallel with the life of God, and the line of eternity-eternal life is in the rear of spiritual life ; grace ends in glory; yea, an immortal crown is one of the mercies of this sure covenant. These form a treasure that is neither subject to inward decays nor out* 1 Tim. vi. 7. 1 Cor. vii. 31.

+ Nemo dives est, qui, quod habet, secum hinc auferre non potest. Ambros.

ward violence, "no moth can corrupt it, nor thief steal it."-Matt. vi. 19, 20.

Well, then, since this is the vast difference betwixt common and covenant mercies, why should we make so great account of the former, and so little of the latter? What need have we to advance our hearts and eyes to things that are not seen with bodily eyes, and not dote upon things that are seen?* Our souls should decide with brave Luther, † who said, "I earnestly protested I would not be put off with these things." Alas, what poor things are outward enjoyments! Consider the differences mentioned. God may hate you though you abound with worldly comforts, but covenant mercies are infallible tokens of God's love. The former gifts are not suitable and satisfying to the soul, the latter are; outward mercies will make you no better in the eyes of God or good men, but spiritual will render you truly good. The world will take its sudden farewell of you and fail you at your greatest need; covenant mercies will stand by you while you live, and bring you blameless before the divine throne in eternal glory; here will come in that usual distinction of bona throni and bona scabelli. It is these covenant mercies that are the good things of the throne; outward mercies are but the good things of the footstool. Let heaven-born souls mount up to the mercies of the throne, but let the moon and all sublunary enjoyments be under their feet;; the whole world is too little for the godly man-not but that we should be thankful for the least common mercy: but we should not be put off with the greatest—a little of the world should content a Christian with God-all the world should not content him without God. O how sweet are common

* 2 Cor. iv. 18.

+ Valde protestatus sum me istis non satiari.

mercies when they come to us in a covenant way! a morsel coming from the hands of Christ as our mediator, hath a delicate relish; his mediation only takes away the poison, venom, and malignity, that guilt hath brought upon the creature, and reduceth all things to their pristine usefulness, and primitive perfection. O the happiness of the saints! they have all they do enjoy as so many tokens of love; as it is said of the kiss of Cyrus, given to Chrysantas, that it was better than the costly cup of gold which he gave to Artabarus. So common mercies perfumed with covenant love, are transcendently better than the richest treasures of wretched worldlings.

*

3. Another inference is this, if covenant mercies be thus sure, then it instructs us in the precedency of grace above gifts. There are gifts of illumination, conviction, interpretation, elocution, prayer, prophecy, which are given for the church's edification; the main difference betwixt gifts and grace is that the former may languish, vanish and utterly perish, but grace never totally and finally decays. God may give Saul a spirit of government, Judas a gift of preaching and miracles, Simon Magus a temporary faith, and yet repent him of these and pluck them quite away. may, and often doth, dry up the right arm of an idol, `idle shepherd, and darken his right eye of knowledge, Zech. xi. 17, so that he who improves not talents or gifts, "from him shall be taken away that which he hath," even real gifts and appearances of grace: per

He

* Gifts come upon other terms than grace, God gives grace as a freehold, it hath the promise of this and another world, but gifts come upon liking, though a father will not cast off his child, yet he take away may his fine coat, and ornaments, if he be proud of them.-Mr. Gurnal. Christ. Armour. Matt. xxv. 29. Luke viii. 18.

sons eminently gifted, may be fire-brands of hell. Men may fall from the brightest intellectual attainments, to brutish sensuality; but the gifts and callings of saving grace are without repentance; "God loveth his own to the end," gracious habits shall not be lost. The apostle elegantly expresseth the difference to my hand, 1 Cor. xiii. 8. " Charity," that is, saving grace, " never faileth, but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away." I know the main intent of the place is to commend love above other saving graces, from the duration and perpetuity of it, that it shall continue and be of use in heaven; yet here it is opposed to such gifts as may also be lost in this life-and, therefore, by consequence it will follow, that the one is separable from its subject, the other not. Natural men may make a fair show and flourish with fine gifts, which are, as it were, the trimming and ornament of grace; which, yet may, through negligence or old age decay and wither, true grace may be accompanied with the gildings and varnish of gifts, which may, in time, wear off, whilst a sound principle continues fresh and lively. Besides this, give me leave to add other four differences betwixt common gifts and saving graces.

(1.) They differ in respect of their fountain and spring, the origin from whence they flow. "Gifts," as oné saith, "come from God's treasury of bounty, grace proceeds from the choice cabinet of his love." Grace flows to believers through the blood of Christ from God's bowels of tender love, gifts proceed from the hand of God as an act of munificence, upon his Son's glorious ascension and complete inauguration.* It is one thing to eat meat at the king's table, and another Ephes. iv. 7.