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What is the reason

It

people are no more comforted? is because they see no more of the grace of God, the free grace of God. The more you look into the riches and freeness of God's grace, the more you will be comforted. If you want comfort at any time, walk graciously in the want of it. When you want comfort go to God and say: Lord, although I cannot see thee, yet will I serve thee; and although I cannot enjoy thee, yet I will obey thee; and although I cannot see thy face, yet I will follow after thee, if by any means I may obtain thee. Walk graciously in the want of your comforts.

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Set yourself to rejoice in him that gives you comfort, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice," saith the apostle, Phil. iv. 4. He doth not only say, Humble yourself for sin; which is a duty and a great duty; but he saith "Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice in the Lord." Rejoice in the Lord who gives you comfort freely. As much as you have been humbled for sin formerly, so much should you now rejoice that you have been comforted, and freely comforted by the grace of God; rejoice so much in the Lord of your comforts.

To name them only: If you would be comforted in a way of free grace and love, then be thankful for your comfort. He that is thankful for a little, shall have much; be thankful therefore to God for your comfort.

Would you be comforted in a way of free grace and love; then go to God for that comfort. Friends and beloved; God is willing, most willing to comfort; and, what will you not go to him? God is willing to make good his name and his title; now this is one of his titles, I am the Lord that comforteth. He is willing to do what Christ was sent to do; "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me to comfort all that mourn," Isa. lxi. 2. Is not God willing to do it? He hath sent the Comforter also to comfort you, yea he hath given his ministers charge to comfort you: "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people," Isa. xl. 1; and are not you willing now to receive what God hath promised? "I will not leave you comfortless, I will come unto you," John xiv. 15. You will be troubled and reason with yourselves, yet I will not leave you comfortless. "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you, and ye shall be comforted,"

Isa. lxvi. 13. Therefore now, oh, poor drooping soul, go to God, for he is willing to comfort thee, if thou be but willing to go to him. Only in your going to God observe these two or three directions.

1. When you go to God for comfort, go to the office which he hath set up for comfort, the office of the Holy Ghost.

2. When you go to God, shut your eyes, and cast yourself at an adventure upon the free grace of God.

3. In going to God for comfort you must stay God's leisure; some come and ask God, and because they do not receive an answer presently, they are gone; but be sure you do willingly stay God's leisure. Thus I say, would you have comfort? You must observe these things, to go to God's office, to shut your eyes, and to cast yourselves at adventure upon the free grace of God, and then you must stay God's leisure; thus doing you shall be truly comforted; and when you have obtained this comfort and are thus truly comforted, then take these few rules with you, and so I conclude. 1. Take as much pains to keep your comfort as ever you did to get it.

2. Labour more and more to increase it, for if it do not increase it will certainly decrease.

3. Be comfortable to, and comforting of others; for how do you know but that God hath comforted you, to this very end, that you might comfort others; Paul was so, and be sure to shew comfort for comfort's sake.

Brethren and beloved in the Lord, do not receive this grace in vain; but go, all you that have this comfort, and magnify the riches of God's grace, the freeness of the grace of God that hath comforted you, and say, What, such a one as I comforted! Others of thy children, Lord, have walked closely with thee, but I have walked loosely; and shall I be comforted and not they? Oh, what free grace is this! I have been a great sinner, Lord, and what, am I comforted? Oh, what free grace is this! There are some that have walked in the light, and they are now in darkness; but I have walked in the dark, and yet am now in the light; oh, what free grace is this! Go away, therefore, and magnify the riches of God's grace in the matter of your comforts.

Thus you have heard how the freeness of the grace of God

is written upon all your comforts, your comforts and consolations are all deeply enamelled with the free grace of God; and that much of his free love is laid out in your comforts and consolations. And thus I conclude with the words of my text: "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace; comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work.”

SERMON III.

For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."-EPH. II. 8.

In the former exercise I have been shewing you the freeness of the love and grace of God in the matter of our comforts and divine consolations. I shall now, in the third place, shew you the freeness of the grace of God in reference to our salvation and eternal glory, and therefore follow these words which the apostle speaks at the latter end of verse 5, By grace are ye saved;" and so you see the same in verse 8," For by grace are ye saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God."

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But why should he say the same words again in so short a a compass? Why, it was to shew, not only that his heart was full of the free grace and love of God, but to shew, also, that he thought he could never speak enough of it, and therefore he repeats it," By grace ye are saved:" "For by grace are ye saved.” That is to say, from first to last you are saved by the free grace and love of God.

From whence, then, I take up this doctrine:

That there is much of the free love and grace of God laid out in the matter of our salvation and eternal glory.

For the clearing of this point, I shall endeavour to shew you,

First, That it is a matter of infinite happiness and of great concernment to go to heaven and to be saved for ever.

Secondly, To shew you how this mercy is obtained, this

mercy of salvation and eternal glory; I shall shew it is of free grace and free love.

Thirdly, I shall answer two objections.

Fourthly, I shall shew you wherein the free grace and love of God appears in the matter of our salvation.

Fifthly, Shew you why God chooseth to save the children of men in a way of free love and grace.

First, I shall speak a little by way of introduction: it is a great matter and of infinite concernment to be saved and to go to heaven for ever. For,

1. You are thereby saved from wrath to come. You count it here a great matter to be saved from the wrath of man, but it is a far greater mercy to be delivered from the wrath of devils, to be delivered from their fury and malice, and not to lie at their mercy to all eternity. Yea,

2. You shall be delivered from all sorrow, both inward and outward; and if so, how blessed and happy are you, for you shall die in the Lord: "And blessed are the dead that die in the Lord, for they rest from their labours," &c. Rev. xiv. 13. It is a mercy to have meat and drink, and a bed to lie on, but it is a greater mercy not to need them: in heaven you shall be freed from these needs and necessities. You walk here, but it is with a burden; you hear now, but it is with a burden; you repent now, but it it is with a burden: but in heaven you shall be freed, not only from the guilt of the neglect of duty, but from the burden of duty also; heaven knows of no duty that hath a burden with it. Thus you shall be freed. Again,

3. You shall not only be freed from these troubles, but you shall also be brought into a possession, into "an inheritance that is incorruptible, that fadeth not away;" where you shall enjoy the company of saints and angels, and that without suspicion or jealousy one of another. Here you have the company of saints, but either you suspect them or they you, either they are jealous of you or you of them; but heaven knows no suspicions, no jealousies; saints live there without suspicions.

4. If you go to heaven and be saved, you shall then be filled with glory. If you have but a little taste of glory here, you are ready to break under it, under a little glory; but the time will come when you shall be filled with glory, and your

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hearts shall bear up under it; your bodies shall be changed; your vile bodies shall be changed, and made like unto Christ's glorious body;" you shall be filled with glory, soul and body both. Yea,

5. If you be saved, your graces shall be always in act, always in exercise; your understandings shall be fully enlightened, your difficulties shall be removed, and you shall see them all little and easy upon you, and your wills, hearts and affections shall be drawn out to God with infinite satisfaction and infinite delight: "I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness," Psalm xvii. 15. All delight ariseth from enjoying things suitable: now what is more suitable for a rational creature than to enjoy his ends. When a husband hath been at sea from his wife half a year or a year, what joy it is to her to see him come home again. So for a poor soul to see Christ, what joy is it, after he hath withdrawn himself a great while? Here we have communion with Christ but in part, and interrupted; but then you shall be ever, for ever with the Lord, and have communion with him without interruption. Now we see joy and glory but darkly; and if there be so much sweetness to see Christ in a glass, oh, then, what sweetness will it be to see him face to face, and enjoy him for ever. And, to say no more,

6. If you be saved you shall have the knowledge of the continuance of this condition. Though a man's condition be never so happy in itself, yet if he think it will not continue, that man is unhappy in the midst of his happiness. This is the unhappiness of hell, men shall know and be assured that they shall never be delivered out of it, never, never, never : and this is the happiness of heaven, that men shall always rejoice, and shall be assured that they shall so continue to do ever, ever, ever.

Secondly, But in what way does a man come to this attainment; how and in what way is a man saved? Why in a way of free love and grace, for if God bestow any thing in a way of gift, it is free, for what is more free than gift. Now do but consider what these things are which are called in Scripture, salvation; and you may observe that they all come in a way of gift.

Sometimes salvation is put for the Author of salvation, Jesus Christ: "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in

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