Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Head II. Fruits of Holinefs. 547
Duty : Depraved Nature always drops fomething
to {lain their beft Works. There’s ftill a Mixture
of Darknefs with their cleareft Light. Yet this does
not mar their Acceptance, Cant. vi. 10. IVfa isjhe
that looketh forth as the Morning ? Or, as the
Dawning ? Behold how Chrift’s Spoufe is efteem-
ed and accepted of her Lord, even when fire looks
forth as xhzMorning whofe Beauty is mixt with the
Blacknefs of the Night! IVhen the Morning was
looking outy as the Word is. Judges xix. 20. 1. e.
In the dawning of the Day, as we read it. So the
very Dawning of Grace, and Good-will to Cnrift,
Grace peeping out from under a Mafs ot Darknefs
in Believers, is pleafant and acceptable to Him, as
the Break of Day is to the weary Traveller. Tho*
the Remains of Unbelief make their Hand of Faith
to {hake and tremble; yet the Lord is fo well pleas’d
with it, that he employs it to carry away Pardons and
Supplies of Grace, from the Throne of Grace,and the
Fountain of Grace. His Faith was effe&ual, who 07-
ed out, and faid with 5Tlars. Lord I believe, help thou
mine Unbelief, Mark ix. 24. Tho’the Remains of
fenfual Aftedtions make the Flame of their Love weak
and fmoky ; he turns his Eyes from the Smoke, and
beholds the Flame, how fair it is, Cant. iv. 10. How
fair is thy Love, my Sifier, my Spoufe ! ‘fbe Smell
of their under Garments of inherent Holinefs, as
imperfed as it is, is like the Smell of Lebanon, ver.
11. and that becaufe they are covered with their el¬
der Brother’s Cloaths, which make the Sens of God
to fmell as a Field which the Lord hath blejfed. Their
good Works are accepted : Their Cups of cold Water
given to a Difciple, in the Name of a Difciple,
{hall not want a Reward. Tho’ they cannot offer
for the Tabernacle, Gold, Silver, and Brafs, and
Onyx-