place, will not be forced to sit down, even ravished and astonished at the excessive and superabundant mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ; that he who was the God that created us, in whom we live, move, and have our being; and, being more intrinsical to us than our own natures (as the schools do boldly express) doth know our most hidden thoughts long before they are; that he, notwithstanding, should descend to submit himself to the same infirmities and temptations with us, to this end, that by bettering and adding to that knowledge, which he had before of our wants and miseries, to wit, by perfecting and increasing his former speculative knowledge by a newly-acquired experimental knowledge, he might be better acquainted with what we want, and thereby more inclined to mercy and commiseration, and more powerful to succour us, being tempted.

47. See, behold, beloved Christians, how for our sakes he hath enlarged, as it were, three of his glorious, incomprehensible attributes, 1. His omniscience, by knowing that personally and experimentally, which he did before only know contemplatively. 2. His mercy, in that this his knowledge doth more incite his goodness. And, 3. His omnipotent power; for (saith the text) in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is (thereby) able to succour them which are tempted. There seems likewise to be an access to his glory by this his great humility; for, saith the text in Heb. v. 5." Christ glorified not himself to be a high-priest."

48. Woe unto us, my beloved friends, if such mercies as these be neglected and slighted by us:

woe unto us, if a commandment proceeding from such a Lawgiver have not greater force upon us, than any obligation whatsoever.

49. And if these things be so, then (in the first place) how miserably are those deceived, that think they have sufficiently observed this commandment, when they deny to themselves some one delightful insinuating affection, some one enormous crying sin, to which they see others wilfully and scandalously devoted; yet, in the mean time, reserve to themselves many a bosom, private, beloved lust.

50. You that know the story of Ananias and Sapphira, may remember, with what a fearful name the Holy Spirit hath branded their sin; it is called no less than lying to the Holy Ghost: it comes near, both in name and condition, to that fearful sin, for which Christ did not die, and for which God could yet never find mercy enough to forgive.

51. Yet consider what this sin was; they voluntarily sold all the means they had, that the money, being equally divided, might supply the necessity of those that wanted. Notwithstanding, to make sure work for some certain estate whereupon they might rely, they subducted some part of the money, and laid the rest at the apostles' feet.

52. St. Peter told them, that their land was in their own power; neither did any constraint lie upon them, to enforce them to sell all: but since they had professed themselves among the number of them, who were willing to clothe, and cherish, and feed Christ, in the persons of their newlyconverted brethren; it was horrible theft, and

desperate lying against God, to diminish one penny of the sum.

53. Now that you may know how much this concerns you: which of you, beloved Christians, hath not solemnly and publicly sworn and vowed to Almighty God at your baptism, not to prefer the vain pomp and vanities of this world, much less the abominable crimes thereof, above your Saviour, into whose name you were baptized?

54. Are not you then most shamefully perjured, when you are so far from renouncing the vanities of this world for Christ's sake, that you will not be withdrawn from the crimes of it? When the base lust of an harlot, or the furious excess of wine, or that untempting, undelightful, and therefore more unpardonable sin of swearing, and blasphemy, shall be of sufficient force with you every hour, not only to withdraw all manner of respect and obedience from Christ, but even to make you crucify him again, and to put him to open shame.

55. And do not please yourselves in this conceit, that because God does not exact of you now the forfeiture of your vow and promise, as he did of Ananias and his wife, that therefore your case is much better than theirs; for, let me tell you, as our Saviour on such an occasion told the Jews, Think you, that you are less sinners than they, whose blood Pilate mingled with the sacrifices; or those, "upon whom the tower in Siloam fell?" so let me say unto you: Think you, that because God shewed so terrible an example upon Ananias and Sapphira, for their lying to the Holy Ghost, by taking them away suddenly by a fearful death, and hath not yet shewed the like upon you, that your sin comes much short of theirs, and that you

may notwithstanding escape? "I tell you nay, but except ye repent, ye shall likewise perish." Alas, what a trifle was that judgment which befel them, to those plagues which are reserved for wilful, obstinate sinners!

56. I beseech you, therefore, brethren, even by the bowels of Jesus Christ, that you would consider what it is you do, when you allow yourselves in the practice of any one habitual sin: it is no less than a wilful wiping off the water wherewith you were baptized; it is no less than an abjuring of Christ; nay, it is no less than a devoting and sacrificing yourselves to devils.

57. In the second place, Where will those appear, that are so far from denying all for Christ, that for his sake they will not leave one delightful, profitable sin? they will rather deny Christ himself, than the least troublesome pleasure, running into all excess of riot; nay, they will sell Christ cheaper than Judas did; they will sell him, and take no money for him! What else do those that spend their time in idle, vain lying, in fruitless oaths, in unnecessary blasphemy? They can be content to see Christ himself almost every day naked, and do not clothe him; hungry, and do not feed him; in prison, and do not visit him: for inasmuch as they perform not these works of charity to his beloved little ones, they deny them to him. Will they be found worthy of Christ, that for his sake will not do so much as a heathen hath done in a humour, or for the unprofitable reward of fame? That, for his sake, will not forgive their brother some small injury received; nay, perhaps some great kindness offered, as a seasonable correction, or loving dissuasion from sin; that, for his sake,

will not take the least pains in furthering their own salvation?

58. Lastly, What will become of me, and you, beloved fathers and brethren of the clergy, we to whom God hath entrusted the exercise and managing of three or four of his glorious attributes? for, to us is committed the gospel of Christ, which is the wisdom of God hidden from the world; and to us is committed the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God to salvation, and which worketh mightily in them which believe, even according to the mighty working whereby he raised Christ from the dead; and to us is committed the gospel of Christ, even the dispensation of the riches of his glorious mercy and compassions.

59. What then will become of us, if we, notwithstanding these great engagements, these inestimable prerogatives, shall turn this wisdom of God into foolishness, by exalting and deifying our own carnal wisdom; if we shall weaken and make void this Almighty power, by the violent opposition of our sinful lusts and affections; finally, if we shall be too sparing and niggardly in the dispensing of these his mercies; if we shall render his goodness suspected to our hearers, as if those frequent and plentiful offers of pity and compassion were only empty, histrionical expressions, and not professions of a mind heartily and sincerely inclined unto us?

60. I will tell you what will become of us; and I shall the better do it, by telling you first, what an excessive weight of glory, we, especially, shall lose by it: "They that be wise (saith Daniel) shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;