ine, that he should defy the armies of the living God? Behold I come out to thee, as the stripling against Goliah; not with sword and with spear, but in the name of the Lord of hosts, in whose strength I am more than a conqueror.a

O grave, where is now thy victory? Christ is risen, and hath broken up thy prison, and rolled away the stone; so that all thy prisoners have made an escape. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I fall, I shall rise again; though I lie in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.b Enlarge not thy desires, O Tophet, but shut up thy flaming mouth; for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.c

O deceitful world, thou art already overcome, and the conquered enemy is become my servant; and I am fed with honey taken out of the carcase of the slain lion.. I fear not thy threats, nor the enchantments of thy syren songs; being kept by the power of God, through a victorious faith, unto salvation.f

O my sins, you are already buried, never to have any resurrection; and the remembrance of you shall be no more.s. I see my sins nailed to the cross, and their dominion

a1 Sam. xvii, 45, 46, 47.. b Mic.. vii, 8. Rom. viii,, ..d John. xvi,, 33.. 1 Cor. ii, 22 & 1 Peti, 5 Johny 4. & Heb.viii,, 12

is taken away." Awake, therefore, O my glory; awake, psaltery and harp, and meet the Deliverer with triumph; for his right hand, and his holy arm, have gotten us the victory; and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

SECTION IV.

It upbraids the trembling soul 3. with its unworthiness.

Yet, methinks my unworthiness flies in my face, and I hear a cavilling unbelief thus upbraiding me, and cring out, "O proud presumption! That thou, who art conscious to thyself of thy great unworthiness shouldest pretend a claim to God and glory! Shall daring dust think to share with the Almighty, and say of his endless perfections, They are my right? Bold sinner, stand off, and tremble at thy presumptuous arrogance!" Faith subscribes the charge, and triumphs in God's free grace.

O my God, I lay my hand upon my mouth; I confess the charge of mine unworthiness. My guilt and shame are such as I cannot cover; but thou canst and dost. Thou hast cast a mantle upon my nakedness; and hast promised, my transgressions shall not be mentioned, and that thou wilt multiply pardons And shall I take up what thou hast buried, and affright myself with the ghosts Psalm xcviii, 1, 2.

that infidelity hath raised? Is it presumption, to take the pardon that thou dost offer, or to receive and claim thee as mine, when it is but what thou hast promised? I durst not have pretended a title, but upon thy grant. I should have thought it diabolical pride, to have pleaded an interest in thee, and claimed kindred to thee, but that thou hast shewed me the way.

And thou, my soul, art thou ignorant of God's great design? Knowest thou not, that it is his purpose to glorify free grace? And how should grace appear to be grace indeed, were there any worthiness in the subject? Thine unworthiness is but a foil, to set off the beauty and riches of free grace and mercy.

SECTION V.

It questions the believer's title 4. to God's grace and interest in the promise.

But I cannot shake off these doubts? Alas! what a cavilling sophister is unbelief; and will never be answered! Now it is ready to tell me, "What! if the promise should be a sure foundation? yet thou mayest not build upon another man's ground. What! though the grace and mercies of God are infinite? yet dogs may not catch at the children's bread; thou hast no right nor title to the promise, therefore cease thy pretended claim.”

The triumph of faith, in the clearness of the believer's evidences.

But, O my soul, wherefore shouldest thou doubt? Whose image and superscription is this? Dost thou not bear upon thee the marks of the Lord Jesus? I have given up my name to him, and taken hold of his covenant; and therefore may claim an interest.

I have accepted the matter, and closed with the Mediator, and subscribed to the conditions of the covenant; and therefore cannot question but it is mine.

The Lord hath offered to be my God, and I have taken hold of his offer; I have taken him as God, and given him the supremacy. O my soul, look round about thee, in heaven and earth; is there any thou dost esteem or value in comparison of God? Is there any thou dost love like him; or take that content or felicity in, that thou dost in him? Are not thy chief desires and designs to glorify and enjoy him? Thou canst not deny but it is truly thus. I am sure, nothing but God will content me. I am never so well in all the world, as in his company. My soul seeketh him above all, and rests in him alone, as my satisfactory portion. He offereth to take me as one of his people; and I have resigned myself accordingly to him, as his; and have put both my inward and out

a Isa. lvi. 4. b Psalm lxxiii, 25, 26.

ward man under his government, and have given up all to his disposal, and am resolved to be content with him, as my all-sufficient happiness.a

c

Besides, I have taken him in his own way through Christ, whom he hath tendered to me as my head and husband; and I have accordingly, solemnly and deliberately, takenhim. my soul, dost thou not know thy often debates? Hast thou not put Christ, and all the world, into the balance? Hast thou not cast up the cost, and reckoned upon the cross; and willingly put thy neck under Christ's yoke, and ventured thy salvation upon Christ alone;d and trusted him. with all thy happiness and all thy hopes? Hast thou not, over and over, resolved to take him with what comes; and that he shall be enough though in the loss of all things? Thou canst but know, that these have been the transactions between Christ and thee; and therefore He is thine, and all the promises YEA AND AMEN, to thee through him.

e

And for the terms of the covenant, I love and like them; my soul embraceth them: neither do I desire to be saved in any other

aPhil. iii, 8. Phil. i, 26. Psalm lxxxvi. 8, lxxxiv, 1, 2, 3. Psalm xxvii, 4, cxix, 57. Psalm cxxiv, 8. 2 Cor. v. Acts xxiv, 16. with Rom. vi, 19. Luke xiv, 33. Psalm xvi, 5, 6. John i, 12. b Luke xiv, 26 to the end. cMat. xi, 29. dPhil. iii, 9, e2 Tim, i, 12. fPhil. 3, 8.