and in his spiritual estate and condition, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, comfort your hearts (saith the apostle), and establish you in every good word and work," 2 Thess. ii. 17. And the psalmist doth address himself unto God for this, saying, "Establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it," Psalm xc. 17. And if it be so great a blessing to be thus settled and established, if we have so great need of establishing grace, and it belongs unto God alone to work it; then surely it is not only a matter worthy of our prayer, but our duty also, to say and pray with the psalmist," Stablish thou, O Lord, the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it." And thus you have the doctrine cleared in the parts thereof.

If it be so great a mercy and blessing, to be settled, fixed, and established in the truth, and good ways of God; then what cause have all those that are now established, to praise the Lord, and say, I was a poor, unsettled person, but through grace I am now settled. The more unsettled the times are, and men in the times, the greater is the mercy to be truly fixed and established. Hath the Lord, therefore, settled your heart in these unsettled times? Oh, then give thanks unto the Lord, and say, "My heart is fixed; O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise."

Oh, but I cannot find this fixation of spirit in my soul, nor that stedfastness in my life, as I desire, and therefore I cannot praise the Lord as I should.

It may be so. Yet know that there is much difference between variety of grace and instability of spirit. The exercise of various graces, is a great blessing; instability of spirit is a great evil. Ye may exercise one grace which you did not exercise before, and you may perform one gracious work which you did not before; yet this no instability of spirit. You must know also, that there is a kind of shaking which is consistent with this true settledness and establishment of heart. Ye see how it is with the ships in the harbour, and with those ships which lie at anchor, though they be not driven, and tossed up and down with the waves of the sea, yet in the time of a storm, they do move and are shaken. So it may be with thy soul: though thou hast cast anchor within the rail, and art come unto thy harbour, yet thou

mayest be somewhat moved and shaken; but though you be in some measure shaken, yet you are not tossed up and down as those that are not at anchor; and therefore, oh, what cause have you in these unsettled times, for to praise the Lord.

If establishment be so great a blessing, what a sad condition are those in, that are not established, not settled, not fixed, either in their judgments, or lives? Not a mountebank come to town, but they must run to him for some of his salves; not a wandering star appear, but they must go to him for some of his light. These are those unlearned and unstable souls; these are those that are laid out for a prey unto Satan's instruments: as Satan goes up and down, seeking whom he may devour, so do his instruments; and there are a people that through the just judgment of God, shall be a prey unto them: and who are those, but these unlearned and unstable souls? Some again are unsettled in their lives and practises; sometimes they are for God, and sometimes against him; sometimes for his service, and sometimes against it: these are those that are contrary to all men, and to themselves: these are those that are like to Ephraim, whose righteousness is like the morning dew, fading and vanishing and both these are as the picture or map in the frame, which you may carry from one room to another; hang it in this room, and it suits well with it; carry it into another room, hang it up there, and it suits well with that; and whatever room you hang it in, it can comply therewith: whereas, if it be in no frame, only glued or plastered to the wall, ye cannot remove it without tearing of it. So in this case; take a good, and gracious, fixed soul, and you may sooner tear him than remove him from the truth, or the good ways of Christ but an unsettled person, is for every room, and for every company; carry him into one company, and he can comply with it; carry him into a second, third, or fourth, he can comply with all; why? but because his heart is unfixed, not established. But woe unto him, for he is upon the road to apostacy; instability is the highway to apostacy. Oh, the sad condition of those that are not established.

It

What shall we do then, that we may be established? is a mercy and great blessing for a nation, church, and parti

cular person to be settled; what shall we do, that in all these respects we may be established?

As for a nation or christian state. It must first settle religion such a nation can never be settled, till religion be settled; for religion is the main mast, and if that be not strengthened, all the tackling will be loose, Isa. xxxiii. 23, "The tacklings are loosed," saith the prophet; "they could not well strengthen their mast, they could not spread their sail :” and Deut. xxviii. 9, it is said, "The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy store-houses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto, and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee," verse 8, yea, "The Lord shall establish thee, &c., if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways," verse 9. "And all the people of the earth shall be afraid of thee," verse 10. And if ye look into the Books of the Kings, and Chronicles, ye shall observe that in the latter days of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, before their captivity, these kingdoms were unsettled, only upon this account, because religion was not settled; as religion was settled, so the land was settled; and as religion was unsettled, so was the land unsettled. Men think that the settlement of religion is to be an after work: First, say they, let us look to our being, the settlement of the land; and then look to our well-being, the settlement of religion: But if we consult with God in the Scriptures, we shall find that a professing nation, shall never be settled, till religion be settled; and as that wavers, so shall the state waver also. Would you therefore have a land settled? pray for the settlement of religion in the first place.

Then must there be care taken for a succession of godly magistrates a good magistrate, is a good steersman: but if one steer one way, and his successor steer another way, how can the state be settled? While the children of Israel had a good judge, the people served the Lord; but when Joshua was dead, "And the elders who had seen all the great works of the Lord, they forsook the Lord, and the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of their enemies," Judges ii. 7, 11-15. "Then God raised up other judges, and the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their ene

mies," verse 18. But when that judge was dead, they returned, and corrupted themselves, and so the anger of the Lord was hot against them again, verses 19, 20. Then God raised up Othniel, and he judged Israel, and the Spirit of the Lord came on him, and the Lord delivered their enemies into his hand, chap. iii., and so the land had rest forty years, verse 10, 11. But when Othniel died, the children of Israel did evil again, and so the Lord delivered them into the hands of their enemies, verses 12-14. Then God raised up Ehud, and he judged Israel, and subdued their enemies, verse 30; but when Ehud was dead, the children of Israel did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord again, chap. iv. 1, and the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan. Then they cried unto the Lord, and he raised up Deborah and Barak, who destroyed their enemies, praised God, and settled religion, and the land had rest forty years, chap. v. 31. Thus unsettled was the land, whilst there was no succession of godly magistrates. Would you therefore have your land settled? pray for a continuation, and succession of godly magistrates, and that care may be now taken for this thing: thus shall your land and state be established.

Yet this is not enough; but these godly, righteous men, must not only do some righteous things; but govern in righteousness for the throne is established by righteousness: though righteous men do rule, yet if they oppress the people, and do not govern in righteousness, the nation cannot be settled. Now God hath promised a new heaven, and a new earth, wherein righteousness dwells; not where righteous things shall be done, and where righteousness shall now and then pass through it; but where righteousness shall take up its habitation and dwelling. Pray, and pray much for this; for by this shall your throne be established.

Yet this is not all; but the governors of a nation, must believe and trust in the Lord; not ruling and managing the affairs of the nation by policy only, and moral prudence; but they must trust in the Lord, and live, and act by faith in their government; for saith the Lord to Ahaz, "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established," Isa. vii. 9. So that if princes, governors, and rulers, will trust in their own strength, or in their confederacies with other nations,

they and their land cannot be settled: but if in all their dealings with the nations, they rule and act in a way of faith towards God, then shall the land be established. And therefore let them, and all the people, remember the good counsel of that good king Jehoshaphat, 2 Chron. xx. 20, "Believe in the Lord your God, so shall you be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper."

As for a church. All the churches must know, that they are a people which of all others, are laid out for sufferings; unto them especially it is given, not only to believe, but to suffer for Christ; and the serious consideration hereof, will help to establish them: for when the apostles went up and down confirming the disciples, and churches, what doctrine did they preach unto them but this? Acts xiv. 21, “They returned to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God."

If particular churches would be settled and established, they must have all the officers, and ordinances of Christ then; as a ship under sail, with all its sails out, is beautiful and doth move evenly; so shall they also do. A church is never settled, till it have all those officers in it, which our Lord and Saviour Christ hath appointed. And what is the reason that many are so unsettled at this day, but because they do either despise, or neglect those offices, and officers, which are the fruits of Christ's ascension, and which he hath given for the perfecting of the saints, for the edifying of the body of Christ, "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine," Eph. iv. 11-14. What is more uncertain than a weathercock that is carried about with every wind? If you forsake the ministry, and those officers which Christ hath given to his church, this will be your state and condition, saith the apostle here. Now, when pride or covetousness gets into churches, then, though they have some of Christ's officers amongst them, yet they will not be for all: for, say they, we are not able to maintain more than one; and, saith that one, if another be chosen, I must have less, and rule less. Oh, that churches therefore, would take heed of these great sins, pride,