Christ himself, and the displays of his glory in the light of his word and Spirit; and therefore the grand question comes to this, Whether the Spirit of the Lord has ever manifefted Chrift to you, and, by the difcoveries of his glory, has killed. the power of fin in your foul, and fo driven back the enemy. that was coming in like a flood?

For clearing of this matter, take the following marks.

1. If ever the Spirit of the Lord lifted up the ftandard effectually over you, he has laid fiege to thy heart, and the ftrong holds of iniquity have been battered and fhaken by the thundering ordinance of the law. Ordinarily before the Spirit of the Lord lift up the ftandard of peace, he dií. plays the standard of war in and against the foul, whereby it is roused and awakened out of the lethargy of carnal peace and fecurity; the lying refuges, in which the man was trusting, are shaken and overturned. By nature the ftrong man of fin keeps the house; for Satan, the god of this world," while he keeps the house, the goods are at eafe," and the man is carried away with the flood in a pleasant dream," crying, Peace, peace, while fudden deftruction is at the door." But, I fay, ordinarily the Spirit of the Lord comes as a Spirit of - bondage unto fear; taking fome of the thunderbolts from mount Sinai, he darts them in upon the heart, whereby the finner's carnal peace is broken and disturbed, the high imaginations of a righteousness by the law, and of peace with God upon that footing, are caft to the ground. This we fee exemplified in the apostle Paul, he was alive without the law; but when the commandment came," when the law was fet home in its fpirituality, "fin revived, (fays he), and I died;" q. d. All my vain confidences of righteoufnefs by the law fell down; I found myself ftripped of my fig-leaf coverings. Try by this, Has the Spirit of the Lord shut you up to the faith; ftraitened you fo with law-terrors, that you faw no relief in heaven or in earth, but by fleeing into Chrift, who is the laft refuge that ever a guilty finner will run to?

2. If ever the Spirit of the Lord effectually lifted up the ftandard, so as to drive back the enemy, the everlasting doors have opened at his fummons, and there has been a furrender of the heart and foul to the Lord. Have you been made to lie down at the foot of adorable fovereignty, like a poor fupplicant, crying with Paul, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?" or with the jailor, "What shall I do to be faved?" Lord, will the foul fay, I put a blank in thy hand, I am content to fall in with any method of falvation that thou wilt preferibe. I have hitherto been building caftles in the air, expecting falvation in a way of my own devifing; but I find

the

the bed too fhort for me to ftretch myself upon, the covering too narrow to wrap my naked foul in. I fee myself upon the point of everlasting ruin, and of falling an eternal facrifice to avenging juftice. O fhew me a city of refuge. O lead me to the place where thou caufeft thy flock to reft. O how shall I have peace with God? for I fee it is hard for me to kick against the pricks. There is no profpering, by hardening myself against him; and therefore 1 yield to his fummons, and furrender myfelf wholly unto him, to be faved in the way that he thinks fit.

3. If the Spirit of the Lord has lifted up the standard effectually in thy heart, thy foul has been filled with a filent wondering at the first fight of the ftandard, I mean, at the first view of the glory and excellency of Chrift; fo that you could not but own with the spouse, that he is indeed "white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand;" or, as in the margin," the standard-bearer among ten thoufand," Cant. V. 10. The name of Chrift, If. ix. 6. would readily ring like fweet melody in thy heart and foul, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and his name shall be called Wonderful." Ufually at the first appearance of Chrift to the foul, after it has been wading through the clouds and darknefs of mount Sinai, there is fomething of an ecstasy of admiration seizes the poor creature. He wonders at the perfon of Christ, when he sees him to be Emmanuel, God-man : "Without controverfy, great is the mystery of godliness, God manifefted in the flesh." He wonders at his love and loveliness; he wonders at the beauty of holiness that shines in him; he wonders at the everlasting righteoufnefs he has brought in; he wonders at the victories that he has won, and at the redness of his apparel, If. lxiii. 1. 2. In a word, the foul wonders at the bright constellation of divine and human excellencies that centre and meet in him. If it be thus with thee, poor foul, it is an evidence that the Spirit of the Lord has lift up the standard in thy heart.

4. If the Spirit of the Lord has lift up the ftandard in and over thee, the iron finew of thy will has been bended in the day of the Mediator's power: Pfal. cx. 3. "Thy people fhall be willing in the day of thy armies." The language of our hearts by nature is, "We will not have this man to reign over us. As for the word of the Lord that thou haft fpoken, we will not do it." But O, whenever the Spirit of the Lord lifts up the ftandard, there is fuch a sweet irresistible power comes along with the difcovery, that the heart, which was like an adamant, is melted like wax in the midst of the bowels; it becomes pliable unto the promif

fory,

fory, preceptive, and providential will of God. As for his promiffory will, when the Spirit of the Lord lifts up the ftandard, the foul fweetly yields to that; when God fays, "I will be their God, I will be to them a Father, I will take away the heart of stone, I will put my Spirit within them," &c. the foul fweetly falls in with every claufe of the covenant, faying amen to every part of it. As for his preceptive will, when the Spirit of the Lord lifts up the ftandard, the foul falls. in with that alfo, according to the promife, Ezek. xxxvi. 27. "I will cause them to walk in my ftatutes, to keep my judgements, and do them." Although the man formerly did caft away God's bonds, faying with proud Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I fhould obey him?" yet now he is content to have the yoke of Chrift's law wreathed about his neck, and written upon the tables of his heart. He has frequently that prayer of David's in his mouth, "O that my ways were directed to keep thy ftatutes! Let my heart be found in thy ftatutes, that I be not afhamed." As for his providential will, the heart yields to that alfo, faying, "Here am I, let him do to me as feemeth him good. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away; bleffed be the name of the Lord. Under favourable providences he is ready to blefs the Lord, faying, "What am I or my father's house, that I am brought hither. to?" Under frowning difpenfations he is ready to fay, "I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have linned against him. I was dumb with filence, I opened not my mouth, because thou, Lord, didft it."

5. If the Spirit of the Lord has lifted up the ftandard in and over thee effectually, thou haft been determined to lift up the standard of war against all Chrift's enemies and the war between thee and them will be, like that between Amalek and Ifrael, irreconcileable; the war will be turned to a rooted hatred of fin, and all the works thereof; for there can be no agreement between God and Belial, between the works of the Spirit of the Lord, and the works of the prince of the power of the air: Pfal. cxxxix. 21. 22. "Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? And am not 1 grieved with thofe that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred." And whenever Satan or the world would tempt thee to prove falfe to thy ftandard, or to yield to their folicitations, thou wilt be ready to ftart back, and fay with Jofeph, "How fhall I do this great wickednefs, and fin against God? Depart from me, all ye cvil doers; for I will keep the commandments of my God.

6. For trial, I ask this question, Whether haft thou on the livery of the foldier who fights under the ftandard which the VOL. II.

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Spirit of God lifts up? I remember it is faid of Chrift, the ftandard-bearer among ten thousand, that he is white and ruddy. The fame may be faid in fome respect concerning all that war under his colours; they are ruddy, in refpect of justification; white, in refpect of fanctification. (1.) I fay, they are ruddy, in refpect of juftification, becaufe Chrift's vesture which was dipt in blood is upon them, "They have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb." This was the best robe that was put upon the prodigal, whenever he entered his father's threshold. So then I afk, Have you put on the red livery of imputed righteousnefs? has the blood of Chrift cleanfed you from all fin? The foldiers of Chrift fubmit to the righteoufnefs of Chrift. Yea, this is one of the mottoes of the ftandard which you have, Jer. xxiii. 6. "This is his name whereby he fhall be called, The Lord our righteousness ;" and all the foldiers they get their name from this motto and livery. And whenever you fall under challenges for fin, from the law, confcience, juftice, or the world, you will find no eafe or relief on this fide the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift; no healing till the Sun of righteousness arise with it under his wings. (2.) Chrift's foldiers, as they are ruddy in refpect of juftification, fo they are white in refpect of sanctification. I remember we are told, Rev. xix. 14. " that the armies which are in heaven follow the Lamb, riding upon white hor fes, clothed in fine linen, white and clean." And in the day of his armies, his volunteers are faid to "fhine with the beau ty of holiness," Pfal. cx. 3. Holiness to the Lord is the motto of the ftandard, and holiness to the Lord is the beautiful livery wherewith they are all adorned. This is not to be understood, as if they were perfect in holinefs in this life; no the faints are only "fair like the moon," which hath a great many spots: but then, holiness in its perfection is that which every faint is breathing after, faying with Paul, "I forget thofe things which are behind, and reach forth unto those things which are before," &c.; and it is a grief of heart to them that they cannot be more holy. This makes them groan under the remains of fin, faying with Paul, "Wretched man that I am," &c.

7. If you be really under the standard lifted up by the Spirit of the Lord, you may know it by this, whenever you are at any time worsted by fin, you will not be a volunteer, but a captive to it. When fin overcomes the believer, he reckons himself in captivity and bondage as Paul did, "I find a law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin, which is in my members." You know, a loyal fubject and faithful soldier

may.

may be taken captive by a foreign enemy: but then there is a great odds between the man, though in the enemy's hand, and another that deferts his king and his colours, and goes over to the enemy's fide. Now, the cafe with the believer is, that though he fin, yet he does not go over to the enemy's fide: no, fin befets him, betrays him, furprifeth him; and while he is taken captive by it, he wearies of its drudgery, and never reckons himself at liberty, till he be brought back again to his Captain, his colours, and company. When he is in company with fin and finners, he is ready to fay, "Wo is me, that I fojourn in Mefech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar." I will never be at liberty, till the fetters of ignorance, unbelief, vanity, and carnality, be quite fhaken off. O to be wholly rid of this evil heart of unbelief, which turns me away from the living God! O that the very remains of fin were ruined in me, and to be without the reach of fin, and all temptations and occafions of it! So much for trial.

A third ufe may be by way of Lamentation that the standardbearer, and his ftandard, is fo little feen among us at this day; the Spirit of the Lord is departed in a great measure. Quest How doth it appear, say you, that the Spirit of the Lord is departed? I answer, it is evident from this, that the enemy is coming like a flood. And here I will tell you of feveral floods, that are running with a very impetuous current, whereby multitudes are carried away at this very day.

1. A flood of Atheism and blafphemy, many saying in their hearts, "There is no God;" yea, Atheism and blafphemy expreffed and uttered, both by tongue and pen against our glorious Emmanuel. I have feen books publifhed of late, the scope of which is to ridicule all the miracles he wrought upon earth, and to make him one of the most arrant impoftors that ever appeared upon earth; and these books are bought and spread through many corners of the land, efpecially by people of fashion; things are vented, that would make any Christian ears to tingle, and their hearts to tremble.

2. A flood of erroneous doctrine is come in upon us. At every affembly almoft, we have reprefentations of the growth of Popery in the north of Scotland. The Arian error, denying the fupreme Deity of the eternal Son of God, is vented in our church, whereby the foundation and corner-ftone that God has laid in Zion is ftruck at; and if this foundation could be destroyed, what should the righteous do? A flood of Arminian errors runs in our day, exalting the freedom of man's will to the prejudice of the freedom and fovereignty of the grace of God, and exalting reason above revelation. A flood of anti-evangelical errors, whereby attempts are made to worm

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