cursed fiends do most readily apply themselves to it, and offer their service to feed and encourage it, because it is their own life and nature, their own kingdom of darkness, which they strive to enlarge and spread the dominions of, shall we then think that holiness, which is so nearly allied unto God, hath no good genius at all in the world to attend upon it, to help it, and encourage it?

Shall not the kingdom of light be as true to its own interest, and as vigilant for the enlarging of itself, as the kingdom of darkness? Holiness is never alone in the world, but God is always with it, and his loving Spirit doth ever associate and join itself to it. He hath sent it into the world, is with it, as Christ speaketh of Himself, "The Father hath not left me alone, because I do always those things that please Him." Holiness is the life of God, which He cannot but feed and maintain wheresoever it is: and as the devils are always active to encourage evil, so we cannot imagine but that the heavenly host of blessed angels above are as busily employed in the promoting of that which they love best,-that which is dearest to God whom they serve, the life

and nature of God. There is joy in heaven at the conversion of one sinner, heaven takes notice of it: there is a choir of angels, that sweetly sings the epithalamium of a soul divorced from sin and Satan, and espoused unto Christ.

Our Saviour bid the blind man wash off the clay that was upon his eyes, in the pool of Siloam, and then he should see clearly; intimating this to us, that it is the earthliness of men's affections that darkens the eyes of their understandings in spiritual things. Truth is always ready at hand, if our eyes were not closed up with dirt and mud, that we could but open them to look upon it.

Sermon by Cudworth, preached 1647, before Cromwell and House of Commons, who voted him a gift of £20 in consequence of it.

CONSCIENCE.

(Dr. Thomas Fuller.)

The good soldier keepeth a clear and quiet conscience in his breast, which otherwise will gnaw out the roots of all valour. For vicious soldiers are compassed with enemies on all sides, -their foes without them, and an ambush within

of fleshly lusts, which, as St. Peter saith, war against the soul. None fitter to go to war than those who have made their peace with God in Christ, for such a man's soul is an impregnable fort; it cannot be scaled by ladders, for it reacheth up to heaven; nor be broken by batteries, for it is walled with brass; nor undermined by pioneers, for he is founded on a rock; nor betrayed by treason, for faith itself keeps it; nor be burnt by grenadoes, for he can quench the fiery darts of the devil; nor be forced by famine, for a good conscience is a continual feast.

GOD.

Marcus Manlius deserved exceedingly of the Roman state, having valiantly defended their capital. But afterwards, falling into disfavour with the people, he was condemned to death. However, the people would not be so unthankful as to suffer him to be executed in any place from whence the capital might be beheld; for the prospect thereof prompted them with fresh remembrance of his former merits. At last they found a low place in the Pitiline Grove', by the river

1 Liv. vi. 20.

gate, where no pinnacle of the capital could be perceived, and there he was put to death. We may

admire how men can find in their hearts to sin

against God; for we can find no one place in the whole world, which is not marked with a signal character of his mercy to us. It was said properly of the Jews, but it is not untrue of all Christians, that they are God's vineyard. And God fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst thereof, and also digged a wine-press therein. Which way can men look, and not have their eyes met with the remembrance of God's favours unto them? Look about the vineyard, it is fenced,-look without it, the stones are cast out,-look within it, it is planted with the choicest vine,-look about it, a tower is built in the midst thereof,-look beneath it, a wine-press is digged. It is impossible for one to look any way, and to avoid the beholding of God's bounty. Ungrateful man! and as there is no place, so there is no time for us to sin without being at that instant beholden unto Him: we owe to Him that we are, even when we are rebellious against Him.

SELF-KNOWLEDGE.

(Mason, ch. iii.)

As good subjects of God's kingdom, we are bound to pay a due regard and reverence to his ministers; especially if they discover an uncorrupted fidelity to his cause, and a pure unaffected zeal for his honour; if they do not seek their own interest more than that of their divine Master. To attempt to make the ministers of the Gospel, in general, the object of derision, as some do, plainly shows a mind very dissolute and disaffected to God, and religion itself; and is to act a part very unbecoming the dutiful subjects of his kingdom.

The love of children to parents is founded on gratitude for benefits received, which can never be requited: and ought, in reason, to be proportioned to those benefits; especially if they flow from a conscience of duty in the parent.

Whilst some affect to distinguish themselves by party-names, as the Corinthians formerly did (for which the Apostle blames them), one saying, "I am of Paul; another, I am Apollos; another, I