thy word, that through patience and comfort of the scriptures, I may have hope. Enable me to meditate night and day on the doctrines of grace revealed in them, and to mix faith with them, that I may be strong in the patience of hope. O merciful God and Father, I desire to be strengthened mightily by thy Spirit in the inner man, to bear thy cross. I would live in a continual dependence upon thine arm, to carry me through every trial. O thou God of patience and consolation, enable me to bear thy cross daily to the praise of the glory of thy grace, and to bear it patiently to the end, that I may finish my course with joy. Be it unto thy servant according to thy word, wherein thou hast caused me to put my trust. Amen, so be it, Lord. Amen.

To receive benefit from afflictions is a great blessing. To suffer them with a resigned will, yea, to rejoice in them, as if all the joy in the world was come to us, is contrary to sense and feeling, to carnal reason and to human philosophy; therefore our heavenly Father has graciously informed his

children of his love in afflicting them: these informations are the ground of their faith, and were given to silence murmuring in their hearts, and to keep them waiting patiently for the promised fruits of suffering. Among which, this is a

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THIRD, and not the least-namely, the crucifying of the flesh, and the deadening of it in those affections and lusts, which, if not daily mortified, should stop the believer in his walk, and would hinder his holy communion with God. When faith has been tried, and is come out of the fire, proved to be the faith of God's elect; and when patience has gone through the fiery furnace, and has found no harm, then it is the Father's will to advance and to improve his children in the doctrine of the cross. They have a carnal mind still, which is enmity against God-a body of sin-an old man of sin the flesh in them lusting against the Spirit. This their fleshly nature, which doth remain, yea, in them that are regenerated, is the greatest enemy to their holy walk with God, in constant peace and growing love:

because it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. The life of sense in them is always opposing the life of God. Hence the continual war between nature and grace, which, if a man does not find in himself, he may depend upon it, he either never was alive to God, or else at that time he is dead to God. If he be living by the faith of the Son of God, he will also be fighting the good fight of faith against all the enemies of his salvation. He will never think of putting off the whole armour of God, until he put off the body of sin and of death: and until that day come, he will be striving for the mastery over his body, that he may keep it under, and bring it into subjection. How absolutely necessary this striving is, appears from the tender compassion of our God and Father, who has appointed and decreed, in covenant love, all the crosses which were to be laid upon our rebel nature, and which were to be kept upon it, till death. It is his holy will, hereby to restrain its affections, to mortify its lusts, to hedge up its way by thorns and afflictions, and by these

means he would weaken its power. Is not、 this mercy unspeakable? And what more likely method could he contrive thus to crucify the flesh, than to put it, and to keep it, upon the cross? For as the sinful nature is deadened, the new man is renewed, day by day. The one grows more alive by the mortification of the other. The subduing of unbelief, pride, and self-seeking, is the strengthening of faith, humility, and glorifying God. This command, therefore, is frequently given to believers: Put off the old man-put on the new-mortify your members which are upon the earth-crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts. And this is spoken to believers, high in grace, as high as ever any went, or can go. The Spirit of God says to the SAINTS at Rome: "Let not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof, neither yield ye your members, as instruments of unrighteousness, unto sin." The infallible Spirit speaks to the SAINTS at Ephesus: "Put off, concerning the former conversation, the old man, who is corrupt according

to the deceitful lusts, and put on the new man.' The same precept is given, by the

same Spirit, to the SAINTS at Coloss: Mortify your members which are upon the earth." This is a holy war; and all the saints of God are engaged in it. They are fighting against every thing sinful; but more particularly watching under arms against their own corrupt nature, which is their hardest warfare, because there is no release from it; and it is carried on by continual self-denial, by resisting the affections and lusts of the old man, and by opposing his giving up the members of his body, as instruments of unrighteousness, unto sin.But, as good soldiers of Christ Jesus, they resist unto blood, striving against sin. The captain of their salvation is always on their side, to encourage them with his promises, and to help them with his strength. He intends to lead them on, conquering, and to conquer; therefore he lays the cross upon their corruptions, as the most effectual means of subduing them, and to reconcile them to it, he speaks unto them, as unto children