alas, there is no (d) Weight for the Wind; as Job fpeaks,no Water of Life in them, therefore carried about with (e) Winds of Pride, of Conceit, and of the Devil, and fo they fpeak great fwelling Words of Vanity: They are faid to be Trees whofe Fruit withers, fo that it is good for no thing, and therefore in the next Words faid to be without Fruit: That is, Persons who at firft feem'd to promise fair, bloom well, begin to fet for Fruit, but fome Whirlwind of Error blows them down, or plucks them up by the Roots, and fo all the blooming Hopes, or Beginnings, wither; as indeed they must do becaused pluck'd up by the Roots, twice dead, that is, firit dead (as all are) in (f) trespasses and fin, fince ( 8 fin entered into the world.

2dly, DEAD from that Life they feem'd to have, or were thought or judged to have, and fo twice dead, pluckt up by the Roots; that is, out of the Profeffion of Faith in Chrift as GOD, 10 that all Arians are pluckt up by the Roots. For right Faith in him, as GoD-Man, and Love to him as being fo, and thereby being (b) Faire than the Sons of Men, (i) white and ruddy, th chiefeft of Ten thoufand unto the Soul, it is (k, rooted and grounded in him.

In the 13th Verfe they are called raging waves of the Sea, to fet forth either the raging of their Lufts in their vain Converfation, or the raging of their blind Zeal in propagating, and in

(d) Fob 28. 25. (e) 2 Pet. 1, 2, 17, 18. (f) Ephef. 2. 1 (g) Rom. 5. 12. ( k ) Pf. 45. 2. ( i ) Song 5. 10. (k) Ephef. 3. 17

their endeavouring to maintain their abominable Errors.

Wandring Stars; That is Men that are wandred from the Truth, into Error. Well, these ungodly Men, these filthy Dreamers, called Spots, empty Clouds, fruitless Trees, raging Waves, wandring Stars, this Apoftle faith, Enoch the Seventh prophefied of, and alfo that the Apoftles of our LORD Jefus Chrift had told them of these Men. Verses, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.

3dly. THE third diftinct Head of Matter is contain❜d in the 20, 21, 22, 23, verses, which is the Apoftle's counsel and advice that he gives unto the fanctified, preferved, and called Ones, what they fhould do, or how they should behave themfelves one towards another, and that is First, to build up themselves on their most holy Faith; that is to be free and ready familiarly to converfe together, with one another about the things, whereby Faith and Love may be increased and ftrengthened; in this I can fay, our deceased Friend and Brother, took much Pleasure and Delight, and was often greived to fee fo little of it among Profeffors in this Day. I can also fay GOD had given him, a good Understanding and Light into theMiftery of GOD, and of the Father and of Chrift. So that I, and he, had fweet and favoury Communion together, and so did build up one another on our most holy Faith.

2dly. PRAYING in the holy Ghost; that is, in the Light and Direction he gives, both as to the Wants of the Soul for to ask fuitable Supplies according

according to the Will of God, and to be thankful for what we enjoy from him.

3dly. To keep themfelves in the Love of God: and to be looking for the Mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto Eternal Life: That is, ufe all means that GOD has appointed and promised to come into and communicate of his Love unto Souls in; for by fo doing, we keep our selves in the Communion Love of GoD by being in the way of the (1) Promife, and fo by Faith looking for daily Supplies out of Chrift's Fullness whilft here, and to be poffeffed of Eternal Life when we go hence..

4thly. How we fhould carry our felves to others: Unto fome to be very compassionate; unto fome making a Difference; others fave with fear, pulling them out of the Fire; and to hate the Garments Spotted with the Flefb.

THUS I have fpoken of the diftinct Matters of this Epiftle unto the Text. I have been the longer because of the word Now having fuch an Eye unto those things, and because I found my Mind (as foon as the Text was recommended to me to preach from) led fo to do, and becaufe the Weightiness of the Matters that requires much more to be faid of them then I can contain in fo little room, here being fo much of the fpecial Grace of the Three-One, as has been a little hinted upon, and so many Oppofers of it, that it requires much to be faid about it, to fet forth the

(1) Exo. 20. 24.

great

great Ability of him that faves and delivers a little Company of poor feeble Ones, from fo many. Enemies within and without, and at laft to present them faultless before the prefence of hisGlory. I fhall from the Text therefore, firft a little farther fhew the Ability of Jefus Chrift, the Him in the Text, to do the whole work of Salvation and Presentation.

2dly. SHEW how he Prefents them, Faultlefs. 3dly. WHAT the prefence of his Glory is. 4thly. THAT it will be with exceeding Joy to the Prefenter and to the Prefented.

Laftly. SOME USE.

1. Of the Ability of Jefus Chrift for this Work of Salvation and Prefentation.

Now This Ability of his lieth in his being GoD and Man, as GOD he is the ftrong GoD rideth upon the Heavens by his Name (m) Jah; as Man he is invefted with Ability by (n) Covenant Settlement. Now to open and demonftrate this, I shall a little confider fome Verfes in the 40th of Ifaiah 10th to the 19th Verfe, even this glorious Revelation of GOD-Man is in the firft of thefe Verfes, ufher'd in with two Beholds in it, the Word Behold being a note of great Wonder or great Attention, that is, it notes the Matter that follows, is very great and wonderful, and therefore calls for very great Attention, if fo, then where there is two it does much more fo.

Behold the Lord God will come with frong

(m) Pf. 68. 4. (z) Ifai. 42. 6. 49. S.

Hand,

Hand, and his Arm fball rule for him, behold his reward is with him, and his work before kim.

THE Lord GOD, is God the Son, his strong Hand is his Almighty Strength and Power, his ruling Arm is his Infinite Wisdom or Skill in all that Almightiness, or in all that is done by Almightinefs, there is Infinitenefs of Skill and Wisdom, as appears in the 12th Verfe, fo that the Almightinefs of Power and Strength is one of the wondrous Parts of the great Ability of Jefus Chrift here noted out for us to behold.

2dly. His infinite Wisdom and Skill in doing all things by the stricteft Rule of Juftice and Judg ment, fo exactly, fo harmonioufly, that there is no Disorder or Defect in any Branch of his Almighty Work.

THE Second Wonder here to behold, is his Reward and his Work. I fhall firft confider his Work. Secondly his Reward.

Ift. His Work that here is faid to be before him, and to have theReward of with him, can be no other then the great Work of Salvation of all his People (fpoken of in the firft Verfe, and fo to the 10th) as I could give abundant Demonftration of had I here room for it, and in the 11th Verfe it is evidently fet forth, by his being fet forth as a Shepherd, in which Office Jefus Chrift, owns himfelf to give his Life for his Sheep) (0) and that Work requires fuch great Strength and Skill to do it effectually, and this will appear if we con

(c) John 10. 1