fine sweet flowers, yet therewithal the mower filleth not his hand; a gracious heart cannot be satisfied with gifts alone, gifts alone are not able to satisfy, love and grace doth. But wherein doth love work beyond gifts? Saith the apostle here, I will tell you, chap. xiii. 4, “Love is not easily provoked;" better read thus, Love is slow to anger; parts and gifts are not so. But a man may be slow to anger, and yet not kind and bountiful. True, but "love is kind," or bountiful, as the word bears it, gifts are not so. The apostle speaks of the effects of love in opposition to parts and gifts all along. Love, saith he, is slow to anger, and is kind, or bountiful. Aye, but though a man be kind or bountiful, yet notwithstanding he may envy at the good of others. True, if he have parts and gifts only; but love, true love, that envies not. Aye, but though a man do not envy at the good of others, yet he may not consider the wants of others. True, but love will, for in the next words, "Charity (or love) vaunteth not," so you read it, but according to the greek, rather, "Love is not light," or inconsiderate, but considers, and weigheth all things. Aye, but though you do all this, yet notwithstanding a man may be proud when he hath done. True, if he have gifts alone, but "love is not puffed up,” is not swelled or blown and filled with wind as the bellows are; at the 5th verse, saith he, "Love doth not behave itself unseemly." This may be understood two ways, saith Peter Martyr; love will do no unseemly thing, or, love counts nothing unseemly for the person loved. Our Saviour Christ washed his disciples' feet: one would think it an unseemly thing for the Lord and Master to do this for the servants, but he loved them, and love counts nothing unseemly for the person loved. Judas comes and betrays his Master with a kiss, this was an unseemly thing; Judas had parts and gifts, but he had not love, and therefore he did an unseemly thing. Love doth not behave itself unseemly, that is, it doth no unseemly thing, and yet counts nothing unseemly for the person loved. "It seeks not her own," in the next words, but the good of the person loved. "Love is not easily provoked;" the words rather to be read thus, " Is not easily embittered," "Is or is not sharp, doth not speak bitter language; gifts and parts will. "Love thinks no evil;" that follows and at verse 6," It rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the

truth." "It rejoiceth not in iniquity;" the word is adıkia,* injustice: "It rejoiceth not in injustice, but it doth rejoice. with the truth ;” συγχαίρει δε αληθεια ; so the words are to be read, and that is thus: If a man be oppressed, love cannot rejoice in his oppression; but if a man be freed and delivered from his oppression, and the truth heard and known, love rejoiceth with such a man when the truth is discovered; it rejoiceth not in injustice, but rejoiceth with the truth when that comes to light. Well, but suppose all this, yet notwithstanding a man may labour under some sinful infirmities, &c., what will love do then? "Love beareth all things," verse 7. But the words should be otherwise translated; for as you read them, "Love beareth all things;" what difference will there be between that clause and the latter of that verse, "Endureth all things, it bears all things," &c.?‡ Here is no difference. The words, therefore, should be read thus: "It covereth all things." So the greek word, oreyw, signifies properly, to cover: it is the same word that is used ordinarily in the New Testament to that purpose. Mark`ii. 4, "They uncovered the roof of the house," &c. The roof, or the covering, is the same word that is used here, and So, "love covereth all things;" though men have many infirmities, yet true love will cover them all and "it believeth all things;" though a man have done that which is evil in itself, yet love believes he had a good intention in the doing of it, for it believeth all things; and though a man go very far in sin, yet if another have love, he hopeth that God will bring him back again, for "love hopeth all things, it covers all things, it believeth all things, it hopeth all things;" and if another do me wrong, if I have love I shall bear that too, for "love endureth all things." But, now, will gifts and parts do these things? Surely no; gifts and parts will not bear all things, cover all things, believe all things, hope all things, endure all things. Aye, but love doth, and love will, and therefore here is a greater excellency in the way of love than in the way of gifts; and if love do outshoot gifts in their own bow, then certainly there is a greater excellency in love than in all gifts. Now if you look into 1 Cor. viii., you shall find * Ου χαιρει επι τη αδικια. † Συγχαίρει δε τη αληθεια. † Δωμα et στεγη ita distinguuntur quod δωμα sit summa edium pars στεγη notat tabulatum του δωμαίος.

ver

that it is said concerning love, that it edifies;" knowledge puffeth up, but charity (or love) edifies." Knowledge, that

is, the gift of knowledge, doth puff us up. The end of gifts is edification; it is the proper work of gifts to edify; yet, saith the apostle, love edifies; comparing love and gifts together, he shews that love edifies rather than gifts. Now, I say, if that love do thus outshoot gifts in their own bow, then certainly there is a great deal more excellency in love than in all gifts, though they be never so great. Thus concerning love,

And concerning grace and holiness in the general. Grace and holiness is the proper and natural effect of the Spirit, as I may so speak. Gifts are, opus ad extra. You shall find that voluntary and rational agents have a twofold effect: a man begets a child like himself, that is a natural effect; then he makes a stool, or a hat, or a ship, this is not a natural effect, this is an artificial effect: so God the Father, he made the world, there is opus ad extra: but he begat his Son, and the Son is of the Father, so the Holy Ghost hath a twofold effect. The proper and the natural effect of the Holy Ghost is grace, but the opus ad extra is gifts. Grace and holiness is the proper effect of the Holy Ghost, and therefore the apostle Paul speaking of love, joy, peace, and of other particular graces, saith, they are "the fruits of the Spirit," Gal. v. 22. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith," &c.

Again, Sin and corruption will not so easily plant upon grace as upon gifts; pride and corruption will more easily plant upon gifts than upon grace; gifts do sooner gather filth and sooner rust than grace doth. Saith the apostle in that place I named even now. "Knowledge puffeth up, but love edifies;" he speaks of knowledge as of a gift; now saith he, "Knowledge, that puffeth up." But how can knowledge, or how can any spiritual gift puff one up? Can that which is the fruit or the effect of the Spirit of God puff one up? No, but occasionally it can, and it will occasionally. So, you will say, grace itself doth, for a man may be proud of his grace as well as he may be proud of his gifts. It is very true. I remember that speech of Mr. Fox, Sometimes, said he, I get hurt by my graces, and sometimes I get good by my sins; for by my sins I am made more humble, and by my grace

I am

made more proud. It is true, occasionally a man may be proud of and puffed up by his very graces, but there is yet that in true grace itself that will suppress pride, grace being contrary to sin; as for gifts, though they be divers from sin, yet they are not contrary unto sin, and so cannot suppress sin, as grace can do, that is contrary thereunto; for one contrary doth destroy the other. I express it thus: a man may be proud of his clothes, and he may be proud of his graces, but there is not that in his clothes which will suppress his pride; there is nothing in clothes that is contrary unto pride, but in grace there is. So a man may be proud of his gifts, and he may be proud of his graces, but there is not that in gifts that is so contrary unto pride as there is in grace; there is that in grace that is directly contrary unto sin and pride: say, therefore, that pride and corruption cannot so easily plant and grow upon grace itself as it can upon gifts, and therefore there is a greater excellency in grace, and the way of grace and holiness, than in the way of gifts. Though a man have never so little grace, and have no gifts, yet he gives no offence, is not scandalous; but if a man have all gifts, and have no grace, how many offences doth he fall into, and how scandalous is he? let experience speak.

I

Though a man have never such great parts and gifts, yet if he have not grace withal, he may go to hell, and perish to all eternity, for by his gifts he is not united unto Jesus Christ, for by his gifts he is not made the child of God, for by his gifts he is not estated in the covenant of grace. You know what our Saviour saith: "Many shall say in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and have done many wonderful works?" these are the effects of gifts; "and he shall say unto them, Depart, I know you not." But saith the apostle concerning grace and love, "I hope better things of you, and such as accompany salvation, for God is not unmindful to forget your labour of love" that accompanies salvation. You see how it is with children that are playing together in the day, if they be playing abroad, and children of divers parents, when night comes, one child goes to his father, and the other unto his father; they are very like, it may be, and their clothes are alike, and when they are playing together abroad, you cannot say whose child this is, or whose child that is, but when night comes, the fa

ther then comes unto his child and saith, Come home, my child, come in at doors, and if the other offers to go in there, No, child, you must go home to your father; so while we are living, grace and gifts are mingled together, some men have gifts and some men have graces, and they look very like. Ah, but when night comes, and when death comes, then God the Father, he saith to those that have grace, Come, my children, enter in; but if those that have gifts only come, he sends them away: No, you must go to your father, it is not your gifts make you my children; by grace you are my children, but not by gifts, and therefore home to your father, I am none your father, home unto your own father; thus will the Lord speak when night comes: yea, and if a man do go to hell and perish, the more gifts he hath, the deeper will he sink into hell; as it is with a man that is in the water, sinking in the water, the more he is laden with gold, the more he sinks, and as he is sinking if he hath any time to cry out, he saith, Oh, take away these bags of gold, these bags of gold will sink me, they will undo me: so I say, these golden parts and golden gifts they will undo men; when men come to hell, and shall perish, the more golden gifts and parts they have had, the deeper they shall sink in hell; parts and gifts will never save a man from the wrath to come, aye, but grace, and love, and holiness under Christ will; surely therefore there is an excellency in the way of grace and of love, beyond the way of gifts: though the way of gifts be an excellent way, and much to be desired, yet the way of grace and of love is a more excellent way, and

most of all to be desired.

By way of application then methinks this doctrine looks wishly upon those that have gifts, upon those that have none, or very weak, and it looks wishly upon us all.

It looks wishly upon those that have parts and gifts, and it calls upon you all for to bless the Lord. Hath the Lord

led you in a way of gifts? He hath led you in an excellent

way, for the way of gifts is an excellent way. Is it not a great mercy for a man to be able to do good to others, and to save another man's soul, to have a hand to pull others out of everlasting burnings? Herein man seems to go beyond the angels, for the angels are ministering spirits, but men are called saviours, "Others save with fear, pulling them out of