inftruments of her diftrefs, and, inftead of fympathizing with her in it, do rejoice in her trouble: O that fuch would know, that they are not only the enemies of the church, but they are the enemies of God, and the very butt of his anger every day, Pfal. vii. 11. How dreadful is their cafe, who have the poifoned arrows of God's wrath levelled against them!

Infer. 2. If it be the character of gracious fouls to be concerned for the church, what a bad fign must it be, of those who mind their own things, and not the things of Jefus Chrift? of whom the apostle speaks, Phil. ii. 21. And, alas how many are there amongst us, who have their minds and affections wholly fet upon the earth! They are warm, keen, and anxious a bout the concerns of their bodies and families, but cold and indifferent about the things of Chrift and his church: They, like Gallio, care for none of these things, Acts xviii. 17. If their bodies or friends be in diftrefs, they are troubled; but though the church of God be in af fiction, it gives them no uneafinefs; which is a fad fign they are not living members of Jefus Chrift; for if they were, they would have a feeling and sympathy with the body.

3. We may take up a lamentation for the want of a public-fpirited and generous concern for the church of God among us, which is this day in great danger and diftrefs by errors, divifions, and decay of piety: And yet, how few are laying it to heart? Ah! whence doth this indifference proceed? Surely from want of love to Chrift, the church's Head, or from excessive love to the world and carnal pleasures. When men "ly upon beds of ivory, chant to the found of the viol, and drink wine in bowls, they are not grieved for the afflic tion of Jofeph," Amos vi. 4, 5, 6. Again, this indifferency about Chrift's matters, proceeds from that curfed root of felf love, and felf-feeking, which is in all men by nature; though, in the mean time, fin and fatan have blinded their eyes, that they know not their true intereft: They know not what it is rightly to seek themselves; if they feek the good of their bodies with the neglect of their fouls, they think to seek themselves

beft

beft this way: But O if their eyes were opened, they would fee that this felf-feeking is nothing but felf-hating and felf deftroying. The rich glutton fancied he was feeking himfelf and his own happiness, when he cloathed himself in purple and fared delicioufly every day; but afterwards, when he lifted up his eyes, he faw his felf feeking was really felf destroying; for by pan pering his body a little time, he damned his foul for ever. So that those who serve God beft, by feeking his glory and his church's good, before their worldly interest, do really feek them felves moft; for they hereby fecure the happinefs of both foul and body through all eternity.

4. It may be needful here to give fome caution against the wrong ufe of this doctrine, which fome may be in hazard to make, by fpending their zeal and concern about the public cafe of the church to the neglect of their own perfonal cafe. O fars, beware of this extreme, and fufpe&t this zeal not to be of the right fort; for where there is a fincere regard to God's glory, it will fhew itfelf, in the first place, in fecking to have matters right at home, to have your own fouls cafe put in good order, to have a true faith in Chrift, the nature renewed, and corruptions fubdued, without which you can never glorify God, or do any thing to please him: Likewife, it will fhew itfelf in efteeming and preferring the great and effential truths of the gofpel, and defiring to hear of the excellency and ufefulnefs of a crucified Jefus, and of the Holy Spirit's dealing with fouls in beginning and carrying on a work of grace. Now when the fe fweet truths are not fo much relifhed, as to hear reflections and cenfures upon the management of public affairs, you have ground to be jealous that your deceitful hearts are carrying you to an extreme, and to a zeal for the church, which is not right. True zeal for God will make you careful to be ac quainted with your own hearts, to have matters right in the first place between God and your own fouls, to have humility, truth and fincerity in the inward parts, without which God will not dwell, nor hold communion with you, nor can you claim God's promifes of guiding

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guiding and direction in dark and dividing times; for it is not the proud or self-conceited Chriftian that hath the promise, but the humble and felf-denied, Pfal. xxv. 9 The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he teach his way." Study always then to be meek and humble, and, in order thereto to be acquainted with your own deceitful hearts, which will be fair to deceive you, if you be not on your guard. Watch then, and let never your concern for the public draw you off from private duties, nor from fecret and heartwork; for fome may make very fplendid appearance for public things, and yet prove nothing at lait but caft aways, for want of perfonal godlinefs. But by telling you this, let none think I encourage any to turn Gallios, with refpect to the matters of God, and the intereft and welfare of his church, as, alas! the generality are; no, I teach and prefs the contrary.

5. Let all, therefore, be exhorted to be public fpirited, and fuitably concerned for the church in diftrets. O lay to heart her calamity, and fhew your concern for her relief, by mourning for fin which brings on wrath, and praying earneftly for deliverance from it, faying, with Divid," Do good in thy good pleafure unto Zion, build thou the walls of Jerusalem.”

Motives to it: 1. From the pattern of our bleffed Lord and Head, whole example we thould copy after in his sympathy with, and concern for the church in trouble. His foul was grieved for their mifery: In all their afflictions he was afflicted." When they are perfecuted he feels himfeif injured, and this fympathy fets him on work to intercede for them, as he did for Jerufalem under the Babylonith captivity, Zech. i. 12. "O Lord of hots, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerufalem, and on the cities of Judah, agamit which thou haft had indignation there threefcore and ten years." Let all the members then follow the example of their Head.

2. Public-fpirited perfons are the pillars of focieries, and bear off wrath and judgments from them. Hence we see the flood could not rife to destroy the old world till Noah was thut up in the ark; nor could the fire be

rained from heaven upon Sodom, till Lot was houfed in Zoar; and both Noah and Lot were public-fpirited men, and therefore great bleffings and pillars to the world. O firs, this public-fpirited difpofition would make you bleffings to the church and to the island: It would make you live defired, and die lamented. Men would reckon your lives worthy of many prayers, and you deaths of many tears. Elijah was of this difpofition, and we fee how Elifba bewailed his departure, 2 Kings ii. 12. "And Elifha faw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Ifrael, and the horsemen thereof" meaning that Elijah was the fafety and ftrength of Ifrael, by his prevalency with God; and a better defence to them than chariots and horsemen.

3. This difpofition is a good evidence both of love to God, and of love to the fouls of men for it is of the nature of true love to be concerned for the good of those whom we love, to mourn when they fuffer, and rejoice when they profper. If we love God, we will lament the difhonours which are done to him. If we love the fouls of men, we will pray for their converfion, and bewail their fins which bring deftruction upon them.

4. It would be a good means to fave you from the guilt of other mens fins, and fecure you from the wrath which they bring on. For they who figh and ery for all the abominations that are done in the midst of Jerufalem, have a mark fet upon them for their prefervation, Ezek. ix. 4. God looks upon our mourning for the fins of others, as an entering of our diffent against them, and fo will not charge them upon us.

Queft. How fhall we attain to this public-fpirit and zealous concern for the church in diftrefs?

Anf Take the following directions:

1. Beg for the Spirit of God that dwells, breathes, and acts in all the members of Chrift's mystical body. He furely is the public Spirit that inclines all the members to take the fame care one for another, and to feek the good of the whole body, Rom. viii. 14.

2. Let the grace of love abound in your hearts, love to God and to all his people; and fee to keep this ho

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ly fire always burning. Love makes the wants and fufferings of others to be our own, and prompts us to lay out ourselves for them.

3. Love the fociety of the public spirited and zealous ones of the land, and particularly thofe who ftudy to manage their zeal with piety and prudence; for as iron fharpens iron, fo the converfation of fuch may be the means of enlivening you.

4. Beware of carnal company, which oft proves a dangerous quench coal to zeal and activity for God. Peter found this by going into the fociety of the highpriest's fervants; for though he got his hands warmed amongst them, he got his heart miferably cooled to Chrift and his people.

5. When you attain to any measure of zeal and public-fpiritedness, endeavour to manage it with holy wifdom and caution, fo as you may recommend this grace to others, and not ftumble them at it through your mifmanagement. There is much need for this caution, efpecially in reeling and dividing times; wherefore take thefe advices:

1. See that you act from a principle of true love to God, which will engage you to love all who bear his Itamp and image.

2. See that your ends be pure and fincere, not to gain efteem or applause, or increase a party; but that God may be glorified, and Chrift's kingdom advanced in the world.

3. Watch carefully that your zeal do not mix itfelf with your own paffion and bitterness of fpirit, which we are always in hazard of: The apostle James doth nobly caution us against this evil, Jam. iii 14. to the end. A cause sometimes may be good and just, and yet managed with too much heat and animofity againft our godly brethren: Job's friends were good men, and expreffed much zeal for God and religion in their fpeeches, but yet God was displeased with them for mixing their zeal with fo much bitterness and rafh cenfures against his upright fervant Job. Wherefore if confcience oblige you at any time to oppose them who are godly, fee you do it with much calmness, tenderness and cauVOL. III.

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