(3.) Because the glory of God's grace appears best in such a case. Thus it was with Paul, to whom God said, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness." When Christ cured the blind man, he anointed his eyes with clay. The grace of God works best alone; and therefore the Lord, to stain pride, and prevent men from sacrificing to their own net, brings them very low before he appears to work for them, that his work may be wonderful, Deut. xxxii. 36.

Lastly, Because in that case the grand stop of divine communications is removed; the vessel is empty, and so the oil runs. Selfconfidence is diametrically opposite to the grand device of sanctification revealed in the gospel. That a man should trust himself, was the fundamental maxim of the Pagan morality, but revealed religion plainly overturns it: Prov. xxviii. 26, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool." It is practically set up in the hearts of all men by nature, but grace overturns it: Matth. xvi. 14, " If any man, (saith Jesus) will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

IV. I am now to make some practical improvement of this subject,

1st, In an use of information.

1. Learn, that they who were never carried off their own bottom for sanctification, have their religion yet to begin. It is a fundamental error in practice, for men to think, that though they need the righteousness of Christ for justification, yet they need but activity and diligence with their natural powers for holiness. This is as absurd, according to the scriptures, as to say the cripple needs but to ply his limbs, and so shall be cured. It is an evidence,-(1.) That thou hast never got a view of the corruption of nature, the plague of thine own heart; thy plague is in thy head-(2.) That thou hast never felt the need of Christ for all his salvation, yea, for the principal part of it, that is, sanctification, which is the great design of the whole mystery of the gospel of Christ. And,-(3.) That therefore self has yet Christ's room in thy heart. Thou actest from thyself, and consequently to thyself, and so art rejected of God in all that thou dost. 2. We are taught, that they make foul work, at communions who, (1.) Bind themselves to the Lord for work, but lay not hold on the everlasting covenant for strength. I will not deny but the sacrament is a seal of our engagement to the Lord; but, according to the scripture, it is mainly a seal of God's full covenant to believers, as appears from the words of institution; and therefore I think the main work of a communion-occasion is that Christians receive a full Christ, lay hold of a full covenant, suited to all their

needs, and be no more faithless, but believing. They mistake also, (2.) Who come to that ordinance without a deep sense of their wants, weakness, and imperfections. They who would have any thing at Christ's door, should be very sensible of their rank poverty at home: Luke i. 53, " He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away." They should be capable to lay their fingers on their sores, and tell what aileth them-Those mistake also,

(3.) Who are at no pains to prepare for that ordinance, and to bring strength from heaven for the management of it: "Without me (says Jesus) ye can do nothing," John xv. 5; if nothing, how will they of themselves manage such a great and solemn work? therefore they have much need of intercourse with heaven by faith and prayer. Those err,

(4.) Who depend upon their own preparation. It is hard work to prepare the heart for a communion; but it is harder to be denied to it, and trust nothing to it when we have prepared. It is hard to be wrestling with an ill heart, till it be brought to some tolerable frame; but harder to trust all to free grace.

3. We may learn that none are so ready to be a prey to the devil as the presumptuous, self-confident sinner. This is a train which, when laid for a man, will quickly blow him up. The poor trembling saint will keep his feet, when such an one's bent bow will quickly break,-In a word, we may conclude,

4. That the best way to stand is to be much in the work of undermining our self-confidence, and razing the grounds of it, shoveling away the mire in which that flag grows; we would thus be brought into firm ground, and would grow up into Christ.-I now proceed to, 2dly, An use of comfort. This is comfortable to humble souls, (1.) In the case of the church of God. This church is very weak at this day; she is weakened by mischiefs established by laws, by divisions, but above all, by the provocations of her members against the Lord; she is cast into a decay of true tenderness, and practical godliness; she is far gone on in it: she has many enemies powerful and subtile, and there are few to stand against them, a weak company, weak heads, hearts, and hands; never fewer, perhaps, of the nobles and gentry of Scotland to take her by the hand, than at this day. But it is very like she will be weaker yet, ere she recover strength, and many she trusts to now will leave her, that her army, like Gideon's, may be brought to a small remnant, ere the tents of Midian fall. But the farther the arm of flesh goes from the church of God, the nearer is the arm of God drawing to her. There is comfort,

(2.) In your own case. It is no doubt the perplexing question of serious souls, How will I go cleanly through? Religion is no easy work at any time, but it is like to be harder than ordinary in our time. How will we get the Lord's way kept? Christ's cross borne ? If we faint at little trials, what shall we do under greater ones? But remember, when you are weak, then are you strong.-I shall only add,

3dly, An use of exhortation. I exhort you to keep up a due sense of your own weakness, and trust for your through-bearing in the Lord.

(1.) Keep up a sense of the weakness of your heads, and lean not to your own understanding in the point of sin and duty; but be much hanging about the Lord's hand for light to clear your mind as to the way in which you are to walk.

(2.) Keep up a sense of the weakness of your hearts, and depend not upon your own strength for carrying you on in the way of duty when known, but go to the Lord for strength. In order to prevail with you, I mention the following motives :—

[1.] This is necessary, to evidence your sincerity in what you have been doing. You have been taking a guide, professing yourselves incapable to guide yourselves, and a supporter, because you are unable to support yourselves. Honour him, follow him, and depend upon him.

[2.] You will have need of strength; be sure you will be tried; public trials seem to be abiding us, private trials you may lay your account with particularly; Satan is most busy at such a time.

[3.] You will never get through in your own strength; you have no reason to trust to yourselves, whatever the present frame and purposes of your hearts be. For, 1st, Many sad instances have been of those who have got the slip of their own hearts, that thought they had as good reason to be confident as you, that they would never go back; witness Noah, Lot, David, Solomon, and Peter. 2dly, Many that pretend fair are real nothings. We have need the Lord would hold the glass before our eyes, that we may see ourselves, our state and frame. 3dly, The best have very deceitful hearts: Jer. xvii. 21, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it?" And it is a general maxim, "He that trnsteth in his own heart is a fool," Prov. xxviii. 26. We are very much unacquainted with ourselves, with our own hearts, we know not what manner of spirits we are of, Luke ix. 55. The root of wickedness lies within us.

Lastly, Keep up the sense of your weakness, and trust to the Lord alone, and you will be strengthened with all might, so that

you can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth you, Phil. iv. 13.

I shall offer some considerations to impress this on your spirits. I. You will have need of strength, if you intend to reach heaven. Indeed, if you have taken your last sight of Immanuel's land, and have no mind for the Lord's work, but to turn your back on his way, and go with the stream, you may sit at your own ease, Satan will see to your swift progress, and will not leave you till he have you cast into the oven of God's wrath. But otherwise you must go against the stream, and you must have strength.

(1.) Strength for the duties of religion, and these are as large as the law, which is the rule of duty, and it is exceeding broad. Thou must now set thyself to internal and external obedience, thy duty to God and man; give the obedience of heart, lip, and life; thou must be universal in obedience, otherwise thou art hypocritical in it, and so rejected; thou must have an holy conversation; thine eye must ever be on the Lord, and his holy law; holiness must go through all your actions, your civil and natural actions. "Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God ;" and surely for all this you need strength.

(2.) Strength for temptations. You must now resolve to enter the lists with a subtile devil, that has now more than five thousand years' experience in the art of tempting. How will you stand? With his agents in the world, he will fight against you with tongue, feet, and hands, and that too may be ere long; and your most dangerous enemy is within; you have innumerable tempters within you: Jam. i. 14, "Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed." There are many snares in the world, but none so dangerous as the corruption that is within each of our own hearts; this will ever be ready to break out, and embrace its friends whenever they come near.

(3.) Strength for the cross. Have you engaged with a crucified Christ? You must take up your cross, and bear it; and this will require strength, (1.) To bear your every day's cross. Go times as they will, you will find every day will have the evil thereof. (2.) Your holiday's cross, in the church's troubles: "Thou hast (says Jeremiah) called, as in a solemn day, my terrors round about," Lam. ii. 22, and how heavy that may be, we know not; but if the devil's time be short, he will be sure to have great wrath. We have had a cheap religion of it for many years, and therefore it has got many customers but if the after-reckoning were come, which seems to be making haste, it is to be feared that many of us will throw it down again, and say, We never intended to have it at that rate.

2. You have no strength in yourselves answerable to that work; and therefore, without doubt, you will never be able of yourselves for the least of it: 2 Cor. iii. 5, "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God." Two things evidence this.

(1.) Our stock of strength was spent ere ever it came to our hands. The first Adam got it, Eccl. vii. 29. God hath made man upright, and he by falling left us without strength, Rom. v. 6. And thus the unregenerate world lies in wickedness, unable to recover themselves, but are held captive by Satan in chains of lusts, not to be broken by the power of nature.

(2.) Though, since Adam fell, God has given strength to his people, yet since that time God never trusted any mere man with his own stock of strength; but he has put a common stock of it into the hand of the Mediator, to be distributed by him according as the duties of his people require, and as they make application to him for it; and no man can come, saying with the younger brother, Luke xv. 12, "Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me," intending to set up and stand by himself. But he must come to stay at home, and receive his daily provision at his Father's table, and out of his hand, according to his necessities. The believer, being first by faith united to Christ as the head of influences, wherein all fulness dwells, must depend on him as the members on the head, the branches on the stock, and by faith derive strength from him continually, which cannot be, but under this sense of weakness which we press upon you, John i. 57; 1 Cor. i. 30; John vi. 57. Therefore, I say confidently, that, be ye saints or sinners, ye have nothing in you to trust for the work of religion, if it be not Christ in you; and, be your stock always what it will, it is a very weak one, and you must not trust to it.

Lastly, You will get enough of strength in Christ, if you take this way to it, living and going out of yourselves, under a sense of utter weakness, to the Lord Christ, as the head of strengthening influences. If you ask, What is that? I answer, It is the soul's discerning an utter inability in itself for any spiritually good action, but withal believing that God has treasured up sufficient strength in the Mediator, to be communicated to those that are his, and therefore embracing a full Christ for all, as held forth in the everlasting covenant; and then venturing on duties, watching against temptations, and taking up the cross, upon the faith and credit of the promises of the covenant, trusting that they shall be made out to him; which trust may be weaker or stronger, but according to the strength of it, so is the income of strength to the soul. In this way