in conference. Well, the way of gifts indeed is an excellent way and hath not the Lord led you in the way of gifts, that excellent way? yet notwithstanding, if he have led you in a more excellent way, have you any cause to complain? Though the way of gifts be an excellent way, the way of grace is a more excellent way, the way of love is a more excellent way. What then, soul, what then? Though the Lord hath not led thee in the way of gifts, that excellent way, yet, I say, if he have led thee in the way of grace, and in the way of love, in the more excellent way, certainly you have no cause to complain.

Will you complain for want of that, which if you had in abundance, you would have less time to tend your own souls? Gifts are given for to profit with, gifts are given for the good of others, to do good to others; the more gifts you have therefore, the more you are to tend upon others, and do good to them; and the more you are to tend upon others, the less time you have to tend upon your own souls. Now, I say, would you complain for want of that, which if you had in abundance, you should have less time to tend your own souls?

Or, will you complain for want of that, which if you had without grace, would be your undoing? The heathens tell us a fable concerning a man, who desired that all that ever he touched might be gold, and, say they, it was granted to him by the gods; when therefore he came to eat his meat, he touched it, so his meat was turned to gold, and so the man was starved: the moral of it is this, that many a man would be utterly undone if he had that which he most desires and let me tell you this, had you all gifts and golden parts, yet, if you had not grace withal, you would desire that all that ever you should touch might be gold, you would turn all into gifts, and matter of parts, and so your own soul would be undone and starved by it.

Or, will you complain for want of that, which, if you have, may aggravate your condemnation; but, if you want, cannot hinder your salvation? Pray consider it; will you, I say, complain for want of that, which, if you have, may aggravate your condemnation; but, if you want, can never hinder your salvation? If you have gifts, they may aggravate your condemnation; but if you have them not, your wanting of them. shall never hinder your salvation. Shall I then complain for

want of them? Yet thus, I say, thus it is with you that complain for want of gifts; hath not the Lord therefore led you in the way of gifts; and hath he led you in the way of grace? be of good comfort: comfort, comfort, comfort, to all those that are weak in gifts, but have truth of grace. Only here give me leave to lay before you some few directions, whether you have gifts, or no.

Either you have gifts, or not; if that you have gifts, then you are called to doing good; if you have not gifts, then you are called to receiving good, for all a man's life should be spent, either in doing good, or receiving; if a man have gifts, then he is called to doing; if a man have no gifts, then he is called to receiving: have you gifts? therefore know, you are called to doing; have you no gifts? know, you are called the more to receiving.

And either you have gifts, or not; if you have gifts, take heed you do not despise those that have none; and if you have not, take heed that you do not envy those that have; take heed you do not desire grace for gifts' sake, as hypocrites do, but rather desire gifts for grace's sake, as the godly do; as your gifts come upon you, labour to grow proportionable in grace for if a man have a great farm, and have no stock, or a small stock, it is the only way to break him; so if a man have great gifts, and but little grace, it is the only way to undo him.

But, above all things, take heed that you do not lay your gifts at the foundation of your religion; gifts are good in the building, but they are naught in the foundation; gifts are good above, but they are naught beneath: you see how it is in some trades, if men have gunpowder, barrels of gunpowder, or commodities that are apt to take fire, they lay them in the upper rooms on the top of their houses; and if you ask them the reason, Why do not you lay these things below?' they will say, Nay, but they are apt to take fire; and if they should but take fire, the whole house might be blown up therewithal. Beloved, gifts and parts are as gunpowder, they are very apt to take fire; and what is the reason that many a professor is blown up, and the whole building of his religion ruined? but because when first be began to look towords heaven, he laid his gifts at the foundation of his profession, whereas Christ only is our foundation, and if any

man will build upon gifts and parts, his whole building will come to nothing: take heed therefore that gifts and parts do not come into the foundation of your religion.

This doctrine looks wishly also upon all of us: Is this true, that though the way of gifts be an excellent way, yet the way of grace is a more excellent way, and the way of love a more excellent way, and more to be desired? Why stand we then so much upon our gifts and parts; and why look we no more after love? love is the great command, the most excellent way; the apostle saith, chap. 13., "Though I speak with the tongue of men and angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal." What though I preach as never man preached, yet if I want love, I am but as sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal: what though I pray as never man prayed with praying gifts, yet if I want love, I am but as sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal; what though I confer and discourse of all things, as never man did, yet if I want love, I am but as sounding brass, and as a tinkling cymbal. Yet, good Lord, how many are there that bear themselves upon these bladders of gifts and parts (which will ere long be pricked) and neglect this way of love. Are there not some professors that do sometimes question their everlasting condition for the want of gifts, yet can go up and down a whole year together in the breach of love, and never question their condition for want of that? Yea, are there not some preachers that fetch the great part of their evidence for heaven from their gifts; and the exercising of their gifts, whilst they lie in the breach of love? The apostle, you see here, doth advance love above all gifts; and I pray let us consider a little what these gifts are, that are thus sunk down before love, which love is advanced above: the apostle tells us they are spiritual gifts, not natural gifts suppose now I be to preach, and I go from one book to another out of one book I take one thing, out of another book I take another thing, out of a third book I take another thing, and I do but only put these together that I have out of several books; is this any more than a natural gift? suppose a book-binder be to bind up divers sheets of paper, and he stitcheth them up together, is it any more than a natural gift? so suppose I be to preach, or I be to pray, and I take this expression from one, and that expression from another,

and this thing from one, and that from another and I do only put these things together, is this any more than a natural gift? Aye, but they are spiritual gifts that the apostle doth sink before love, and doth advance love above, yea, and if you observe this scripture, you shall find that they were the highest gifts, for saith he at verse 28. "God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing." And "though (saith he, chap. xiii.,) I speak with the tongue of men and angels, and have not love, I am become as sounding brass, and a tinkling cymbal." Though I be an apostle, have the gift of an apostle; be a prophet, and have the gift of a prophet, though I have gifts of miracles, yet notwithstanding if I want love, all is nothing: these were great and high gifts, the highest gifts, and yet all nothing without love and are all these gifts as nothing, spiritual gifts nothing without love? apostolical gifts and prophetical gifts and miraculous gifts, are all these gifts nothing without love? O Lord, what are my poor minnum gifts then without love? my gifts either in preaching, or in praying, or in conference? ah, what poor shrubs are my gifts then? how are they much more nothing without love? and yet how many have these times brought forth that hunt much after gifts, and the exercise of their gifts, and are strangers to the way of love? I had almost said, they are out of love with this grace of love: but if we look into 1 John ii., we find a scripture that may make all of us to take heed how we walk up and down without love. Verse 10., "He that loveth his brother, abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him." Though there be much stumbling abroad, yet if a man love his brother, though he have many failings, and some odd opinions, yet if he love his brother he abideth in the light and there is no occasion of stumbling in him. But (saith he, verse 11.) "He that hateth his brother, is in darkness, and he walks in darkness, and he knows not whither he goes." He thinks he is going to heaven, and he is going to hell; he thinks he is going on in a way of zeal, but alas, poor man, he walks up and down in darkness, he knows not whither he goeth; whosoever walks in this way of hatred, or want of love, he walks in darkness, and he knows not whither he goes; but I need not say no more. The apostle here tells us, that the way of

love is an excellent way, the more excellent way, and most to be desired: now therefore, oh, that our love might abound. Oh, that our love, that is much declined in these days, might be recovered. Oh, that our love might abound towards one another, and towards all the saints. Oh, that there were love, and peace, and reconciliation yet among prossessors.

But though such a man be a professor, it may be he is not godly, yea, I do not think he is godly, and why should I love him then?

You know what our Saviour saith concerning the Father, "He maketh his sun to shine upon the good and bad;" and I pray is it not usual with deceitful hearts, first to degrade a godly man into ungodliness, that so they may have room to hate him? There is a great deal of difference between the affection of a profane man, and of an hypocrite; a profane man makes nothing to profess that he hates, and that he doth not love such a man that is godly, and that he hates him because he is pure and holy; but now an hypocrite knows in his conscience that he must not hate a man that is godly: what then? Therefore that he may make room to hate him, he will first make him ungodly; first he will degrade him, and make him ungodly, that so he may have room to hate him; as now, if he have a mind to love one, and to be intimate with him, his conscience tells him, that he must not walk with, or be intimate with them that are wicked; therefore first he will make a man godly, that so he may have room to love him; and so if a man be godly, he will first make him ungodly, that so he may have room to hate him: take heed of this deceit of heart; you say such a one is not godly, take heed of this deceit.

But suppose he be godly, yet notwithstanding he is of a different judgment from me, he is not of the same opinion with me, and should I love him then?

I confess it is hard to do it, and we should all pray that we might be of the same mind; yet where, I pray, do you find in all the Scripture, that the Lord doth make oneness of judgment to be the only rule and measure of love? Where doth the Lord say in any place in Scripture, that oneness of judgment shall be the only measure of our love to one another? Doth a father say unto his child, Child, love your brother, because he is of the same growth with you? No,