another, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the fulness of the stature of Christ : and for an example in this, take that whole cloud of witnesses mustered together in Heb. xi.; or, if they will not serve the turn, take an example above all examples, an example beyond all imaginable exceptions, even our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ himself, concerning whom the author of the same Epistle (it was St. Paul sure) saith, chap. xii. that for the joy that was set before him, he despised the shame, and endured the cross, &c.

44. God knows we have need of all manner of encouragements, and all little enough for us, so sluggish and immovable, so perverse and obstinate are we: therefore, for God's sake, upon any terms, continue in the service of Christ, make use of all manner of advantages; and though ye find hope or fear predominant in you, (these servile affections, as they are commonly called,) yet for all that faint not, despair not, but rather give thanks to Almighty God; and God, who sees such good effect of his promises and threatenings in you, (of which all the scripture is full from one end to the other,) will in his good time fill your hearts full of his love, even that perfect love which casteth out fear, and of that perfect love which shall have no need of hope; he will perfect that his good work in you unto the end.

45. To conclude all, whether ye shall perform this commandment of Christ, or whether ye shall not perform it, it cannot be avoided, everlasting habitations shall be your reward : only the difference is, whether ye will have them of your enemies' providing; whether ye will be beholden to the Devil and his angels, your ancient, mortal enemies, to prepare everlasting dwellings for you, (and who can dwell in everlasting fire ? (saith the prophet,) who can dwell in continual burnings ?) or, whether ye will expect them from the assistance of those just persons whom you have by your good works eternally obliged to you ; even those blessed and glorious habitations, which God the Father Almighty hath from the beginning of the world provided and furnished for you ; which God the Son, by his meritorious death and passion, hath purchased for you ; and for the admission whereunto God the Holy Ghost hath sanctified and adorned you, that in thankfulness and gratitude you yourselves may become everlasting habitations, pure and undefiled temples for him to dwell in for ever and ever. Now unto these glorious and everlasting habitations God of his infinite mercy bring us, even for Jesus Christ his sake : to whom, with the Father, &c.

SERMON VII.

LUKE xix. 8.

- And if I have defrauded any man by forged cavillation,

I restore unto him fourfold. THE Son of man (saith our Saviour of himself in the end of this story) is come to seek and save that which was lost, verse 10 ; and how careful and solicitous he was in the discharge of this employment and business about which his Father sent him, this story of Zacchæus (out of which my text is taken) will evidently and livelily discover. For here we have a man, that among ten thousand, one would think, were the most unlikely to become a disciple of Christ's, so indisposed he was for such a change, so unqualified in all respects : for first, he was rich, as the third verse tells us; and if that were all his fault, yet in our Saviour's judgment, which was never uncharitable, being so clogged and burdened with these impedimenta, (as even the heathens could call riches,) it would be as hard for him to press through, and enter in at the strait gate, without uneasing and freeing himself from them, as for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

2. But secondly, these his riches, as it would seem, were scarce well and honestly gotten : for his trade and course of life was a dangerous trade, obnoxious to great, almost irresistible temptations : a great measure of grace would be requisite to preserve a man incorrupt and undefiled in that course: and so ill a name he had

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gotten himself, that all that afterwards saw Christ's familiarity with him were much offended and scandalized at it ; for we read in the seventh verse, that when they all saw it, they murmured, saying, that he was gone in to lodge with a sinful man ; with one famous and notorious for a great oppressor.

3. Yet notwithstanding all this, such was the unspeakable mercy and goodness of Christ, that even of this stone, so scorned and rejected of all the people, he raised a son unto Abraham, as we find in the ninth

And to bring this to pass, he took occasion even from a vain curiosity of this Zacchæus, an humour of his, it may be such a one as afterwards possessed Herod, (though God knows he had not the same success,) namely, to see some strange work performed by Christ, of whom he had heard so much talk. tunity, I say, our Saviour took to perform an admirable miracle, even upon the man himself; and that he brought about by as unlikely a course, only with inviting himself to his house; by which unexpected affability and courtesy of our Saviour, this so notorious and famous publican and sinner was so surprised with joy and comfort, that presently he gives over all thought and consideration of his trade, as a thing of no moment; and being to receive Christ into his house, and knowing how ill agreeing companions Christ and mammon would prove in the same lodging, he resolves to sweep it and make it clean for the entertaining of him; he empties it of that dross and dung wherewith before it was defiled; half of his estate goes away at a clap upon the poor, and the remainder, in all likelihood, is in great danger to be consumed by that noble and generous offer which he makes in the words of my text: Whomsoever I have defrauded by forged cavillation, I restore &c.

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4. In which words I shall observe unto you these two general parts : first, a discovery, and, it may be, confession of his beloved, bosom sin, the sin of his trade, in these words; If I have defrauded any man, or whomsoever I have defrauded : secondly, satisfaction tendered in the words following; I restore unto him fourfold. In the former general we may take notice of two particulars : 1. Zacchæus his willingness and readiness of his own accord to discover and confess his sin, when he said, Whom soever I have defrauded. And 2dly, the nature and heinousness of the crime discovered, which is called a defrauding by forged cavillation, or, as some translations read, with false accusation. In the second general likewise (which is the satisfaction tendered by Zacchæus) there offer themselves two particulars more; namely, 1, so much of the satisfaction as was necessary to be performed, by virtue of an indispensable precept, and that is restitution, in these words, I restore unto him ; 2. that which was voluntary and extraordinary, namely, the measure and excess of this restitution, which he professeth should be fourfold. Of these two parts therefore, with their several particulars, in the same order as they have been proposed, briefly, and with all the plainness and perspicuity I can imagine. And, 1, of the former general, and therein of the first particular, namely, Zacchæus his readiness to confess his sin, in these words; If I &c.

5. I said even now only, it may be this was a confession of his crime; but now I will be more resolute, and tell you peremptorily, this was a confession; for without all question, Zacchæus, as the case stood now with him, was in no humour of justifying himself, he had no mind to boast his integrity in his office; or, if he had, he might be sure that common fame (if that