mens souls they are blessed He that sees an absolute necessity of the righteousness of Christ to justifie him and to inable him to stand boldly before the throne of God he that sees his own righteousness to be but as filthy rags Isa 64.4 to be but as dross and dung Phil. 3.7 8. He that sees the Lord Jesus Christ with all his riches and righteousness clearly and freely offered to poor sinners in the everlasting Gospel he that in the Gospel-glass sees Christ to be made sin for them that knew no sin that they may be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5 21. He that in the same glass sees Christ to be made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to all those that are sincerely willing to make a venter of their immortal souls and eternal estates upon him and his righteousness and he that sees the righteousness of Christ to be a most perfect pure compleat spotless matchless Some take hungering and thirsting here litterally comparing of it with Luke 6.21 Others understand the words morally by hungering and thirsting they understand a moral hunger and thirst which is when men hunger and thirst for justice and judgment to be rightly executed Psal 119.5 10 20 131. Judg. 15.18 1 Chron. 11.18 Psal 42.1 2. infinite righteousness and under these apprehensions and perswasions is carried out in earnest and unsatisfied hungerings and thirstings to be made a partaker of this righteousness and to be assured of this righteousness and to put on this righteousness as a royal robe Isa 61.10 he is the blessed soul and he that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of Christ imparted as well as after the righteousness of Christ imputed after the righteousness of sanctification as well as after the righteousness of justification he is a blessed soul and shall at last be filled The righteousness of sanctification or inherent righteousness lyes in the spirits infusing into the soul those holy principles divine qualities or supernatural graces that the Apostle mentions in that Gal. 5.22 23. These habits of grace which are severally distinguished by the names of faith love hope meekness c. are nothing else but the new nature or new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.24 He that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of sanctification out of a deep serious sense of his own unrighteousness he that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of sanctification as earnestly as hungery men do for meat or as thirsty men do for drink or as the innocent person that is falsly charged or accused longs to be cleared and righted or as Rachel did for children or as David did after the water of the Well of Bethlehem or as the hunted Hart doth after the water brooks he that hungers and thirsts not after some righteousness only but he that hungers and thirsts after all righteousness he that hungers and thirsts not only after some grace but all grace not only after some holiness but all holiness he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness out of love to righteousness he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness from a sight and sense of the loveliness and excellency that there is in righteousness Phil. 3 10-15 he that hungers and thirsts after the highest degrees and measures of righteousness and holiness Psal 63.1.8 Jer. 15.16 he that primarily chiefly hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness he that industriously hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness he that ordinarily habitually constanly hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times By judgments we are to understand the statutes and commandments of God Mark that word at all times Bad men have their good moods as good men have their bad moods A bad man may under gripes of conscience a smarting rod the approaches of death or the fears of hell or when he is Sermon-sick cry out to the Lord for grace for righteousness for holiness but he is the only blessed man that hungers and thirsts after righteousness at all times and that hungers and thirsts after righteousness according to the other forementioned short hints he is certainly a blessed man heaven is for that man and that man is for heaven that hungers and thirsts in a right manner after the righteousness of justification and after the righteousness of sanctification But I do truly hunger and thirst after righteousness therefore I am blessed and shall be filled c. Twelfthly A godly man may argue thus Such as are truly and graciously merciful are blessed and shall obtain mercy Mat. 5.7 Micha 6.8 Luke 6.36 August de civit Dei 9.13 Mercy is a commiserating of another mans misery in our hearts or a sorrow for another mans distress or a heart-grieving for another mans grief arising out of an unfeigned love unto the party afflicted Or more plainly thus Mercy is a pitying of another mans misery with a desire and endeavour to help him to the uttermost of our ability The Hebrew for godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chasid signifies gracious merciful The more godly any man is the more merciful that man will be Blessed are the merciful that is blessed are they that shew mercy to others out of a deep sense of the mercy of God to them in Christ Blessed are such who shew mercy out of love to mercy out of a delight in mercy blessed are such as shew mercy out of love and obedience to the God of mercy blessed are such as shew mercy to men in misery upon the account of the image of God the glory of God that is stampt upon them blessed are such as extend their piety and mercy not only to mens bodies but also to their precious and immortal souls Soul-mercy is the chief of mercies the soul is the most precious jewel in all the world it is a vessel of honour 't is a spark of glory 't is a bud of eternity 't is the price of bloud 't is beautified with the image of God 't is adorned with the grace of God and 't is cloathed with the righteousness of God such are blessed as shew mercy to others from gracious motives and considerations viz. 'T is free mercy that every day keeps hell and my soul asunder 't is mercy that daily pardons my sins 't is mercy that supplies all my inward and outward wants 't is mercy that preserves and feeds and cloaths my outward man and 't is mercy that renews strengthens and prospers my inward man 't is mercy that has kept me many times from committing such and such sins 't is mercy that has kept me many a time from falling before such and such temptations 't is mercy that has many a time preserved me from being swallowed up by such and such inward and outward afflictions Such as shew mercy out of a design to exalt and glorifie
sense of his integrity and the evidence he had of his own uprightness his own righteousness Job 27.5 Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me Ver. 6. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job was under great afflictions sore temptations and deep desertions now that which was his cordial his bulwark in those sad times was the sense and feeling of his own uprightness his own righteousness the sense and feeling of the grace of God in him kept him from fainting and sinking under all his troubles So 1 Joh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandments c. In these words two things are observable First that where there is a true knowledge of Christ there is an observation of his commandements Secondly that by this observation of his royal Law we may know that our knowledge is sound and sincere He speaks not of a legal but of an evangelical keeping of his commandements A conscionable and serious endeavour to walk in a holy course of life according to God's will revealed in his Word is a most certain mark or evidence that we have a saving knowledge of God and that we are his children and heirs of glory Such who sincerely desire and unfeignedly purpose and firmly resolve and faithfully endeavour to keep the commandements of God these do keep the commandements of God evangelically and acceptably in the eye of God the account of God So ver 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked Here you may observe two things First that by faith we are implanted into Christ Secondly that we discover our implantation into Christ by our imitation of Christ Such as plead for sanctification a an evidence of justification don't make their graces causes of their implantation into Christ or of their justification before the throne of Christ but they make them testimonies and witnesses to declare the truth of their real implantation into Christ and of their being justified before the throne of Christ So 1 Joh. 3.14 We know we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren The Apostle makes this a great sign of godliness to love another godly man for godliness sake and the more godly he is the more to love him and to delight in him Now mark this love of our brethren is not a cause of our translation from death to life for the very word translated supposeth such a grace such a favour of God as is without us but a sign of our translation from death to life But of this I have said enough already as you may see if you will but read from page 189. to page 200. of this Book But The most ordinary and safe way of coming to assurance is the discoursive way in which a believer from the fruits and effects of grace infers he hath the habit and from the habit concludes his jâ—stification adoption and as this is a way least subject to delusion so it is also most suited to a rational creature whose way of acting is by discourse and argumentation The sixth Proposition is this There are many scores of precious promises made over to them that believe to them that trust in the Lord to them that set him up as the great object of their fear to them that love him to them that delight in him to them that obey him to them that walk with him to them that thirst after him to them that suffer for him to them that follow after him c. Now all these scores of promises are made for the support comfort and encouragement of all such Christians whose souls are bespangled with grace But now if we may not lawfully come to the knowledge of our faith love fear delight obedience c. in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause What support what comfort what advantage shall a sincere Christian have by all those scores of promissory places of Scripture Doubtless all those scores of promises would be as so many Suns without light as so many springs without water as so many breasts without milk and as so many bodies without souls to all gracious Christians were it not lawful for them to form up such a practical syllogism as this is viz. The Scripture doth plainly and fully declare that he that believeth feareth loveth obeyeth c. is blessed and shall be happy for ever But I am such a one that doth believe fear love obey c. therefore I am blessed and shall be happy for ever Now although it must be granted that the major of this Proposition is Scripture yet the assumption is from experience and therefore a godly man being assisted therein by the holy Ghost may safely draw the conclusion as undeniable O that you would seriously consider how little would be the difference should you shut out this discoursive way betwixt a man and a beast if a man should assent to a thing unknown through an instinct and impression and should to one who asks him a reason of his perswasion be able to return no other answer but this I am perswaded because I am perswaded But The seventh Proposition is this That the Scripture giveth many signs and symptoms of grace so that if a man cannot find all yet if he discover some yea but one he may safely conclude that all the rest are there he who hath but one in truth of the forementioned characters in this book hath seminally all he who hath one link of the golden chain hath the whole chain Look as he who hath one grace in truth hath every grace in truth though he doth not see every grace shining in his soul so he that hath in truth any one evidence of grace in his soul he hath virtually all And O that all weak dark doubting Christians would seriously and frequently ponder upon this Proposition for it may be a staff to uphold them and a cordial to comfort them under all their fears and faintings But The eighth Proposition is this Without the light of the holy Ghost our graces shine not our graces are only the means by which our condition is known to us Rom. 9.2 the efficient cause of this knowledge is the Spirit illustrating our graces and making them visible and so helping us to conclude from them 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Our graces our sanctification as well as our election vocation justification and glorification are freely given to us of God and the Spirit of God is given as well to discover the one as the other to us Mark the things freely given us may be received by us and yet the receit of them not known to us therefore the Spirit for our further
chief and only ground and bottom of his hope and comforts Though good old Jacob did really rejoyce in the chariots and wagons that Joseph had sent to bring him down to Egypt Gen. 45.26 27 28. yet he did more abundantly rejoyce in this that Joseph was alive and that shortly he should see and enjoy Joseph himself Though a Christian may really rejoyce in his graces and gracious evidences yet above all he ought to rejoyce in Christ Jesus to triumph in Christ Jesus Gal. 6.14 Phil. 3.3 2 Cor. 2.14 Col. 3.11 and to take up in Christ Jesus as in his great all There is a great aptness and proness in many may I not say in most gracious Christians to gaze so much and so long upon their graces upon their gracious dispositions upon their gracious evidences and upon their gracious actings that too often they neglect the exercise of faith upon Christ upon the promises they gaze so much and so long upon what is wrought in them and done by them that they forget their grand work which is immediate closing with Christ immediate embracing of Christ immediate relying upon Christ immediate staying rowling and resting upon Christ for justification and salvation Now from these frequent miscarriages of Christians some have taken the liberty and boldness very hotly and peremptorily to cry down the total use of all characters signs and marks the evil of which I have formerly pointed at and therefore let this touch suffice here Grace is excellent yea very excellent but Christ is infinitely more excellent than all your graces and therefore above all let Christ still have the preheminence Col. 1.18 Now though it must be granted that a Christian may lawfully make use of his graces and gracious evidences in order to his support comfort and encouragement yet it cannot be denyed but that the noblest purest highest and most excellent acts and exercises of faith Cant. 8.5 Job 13.15 Psal 42.5 11. Isa 50.10 Mic. 7.7 8 9 10 John 20.27 28 29. are when a Christian closes with Christ embraces Christ hangs upon Christ and stayes himself upon Christ and upon free and precious promises when sense and feeling fails when joy and comfort fails and when his gracious evidences for heaven fails O now to turn to Christ and to turn to the breasts of a promise and to live upon Christ and to hang upon a promise is the way of wayes to exalt Christ and to glorifie Christ there is nothing that pleases Christ or that delights Christ or that is such an honour to Christ as these pure actings of faith are Signs and evidences are most sweet comfortable and pleasing to us but the pure actings of faith are most eyed and valued by Christ Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5. 5.3 4 5 6. and therefore many times Christ draws a curtain between him and the soul and causes a Christians Sun to set at noon and damps his joy and marrs his peace and clouds his evidences for heaven on purpose to train up his children in the pure actings of faith 'T is sad when Christians make such immoderate use of their signs marks evidences as damps and hinders those direct and immediate acts of faith whereby they should receive Christ and apply Christ and rest upon Christ alone for pardon peace reconciliation justification and salvation he that pores so long and so much upon his graces or gracious evidences as shall hinder him from the fresh and frequent actings of faith upon Christ he casts contempt upon Christ Christ is an incomparable cordial he is worthily called the consolation of Israel Luke 2.25 Though the sight of a Christians graces and gracious evidences be very comfortable and delightful to him yet the sight of Christ should be ten thousand times more comfortable and delightful to him O Sirs what are the favourites to the King himself What are the servants to the Lord they wait on what are the friends of the Bridegroom to the Bridegroom himself what are all the bracelets and jewels to the Husband that gives them no more are all a Christians graces or gracious evidences to the Lord Jesus himself A Christian should say to all his gifts graces evidences and services Stand by make room for Christ make room for Christ Oh! none but Christ Oh! none to Christ Living by signs is most natural pleasing and comfortable to us but living by faith is most honourable to Christ It is said the just shall live by his faith not by his evidences Hab. 2.4 Heb. 10.38 When men pride themselves in their evidences and when men secretly lean upon their evidences instead of leaning upon Christ and when men bottom their hopes and comforts upon their signs and evidences when they should be bottoming of all their hopes and comforts upon Christ on a sudden Christ withdraws and the soul is immediately filled with clouds fears doubts darkness and all a mans graces and gracious evidences are eclipsed and he can see nothing nor feel nothing but deadness hardness barrenness hypocrisie unbelief self-love guilt c. which makes him a Magor-Missabib a terror to himself Now the design of Christ in all this is to train up his people in a life of faith and to teach them in the want of their signs and evidences Col. 3.3 4. Col. 1.27 how to live above their signs and evidences upon himself who is their life their hope their heaven their happiness their all Now Christians the best way to prevent these sore soul-distresses is in the moderate use of your signs and evidences to live much in the fresh and frequent actings of faith upon the Lord Jesus and in so doing you will neither grieve Christ nor provoke Christ nor wrong your own precious and immortal souls But The sixteenth and last Proposition that I shall lay down is this When ever any fresh doubts or fears rise in your hearts upon the stirrings of corruptions or debility of graces or failing in duties c. then keep closs to these two Rules First have recourse to any of the former characters that are laid down in this Book and while you find any of them shining in your souls nay though it were but one never pass any judgment against the happiness and blessedness of your spiritual or eternal estates Secondly turn your selves to such particular promises and plead such particular promises and rest and stay your trembling souls upon such particular promises Sirtorius paid what he promised with fair words Plutarch But so does not God men may eat their words but God won't eat his and cling fast to such particular promises that have been comforts cordials and supports to many weak doubting trembling Christians who have been alwayes afraid to say they had grace or to say that God was their Father or Christ their Redeemer or the Spirit their Sanctifier or Heaven their Inheritance c. I have read of a woman that was much disquieted in conscience even to
A CABINET OF CHOICE JEVVELS OR A Box of precious Ointment Being a plain Discovery of or what men are worth for Eternity and how 't is like to go with them in another World Here is also a clear and large Discovery of the several rounds in Jacob's Ladder that no Hypocrite under Heaven can climb up to Here are also such closs piercing distinguishing and discovering evidences as will reach and suit those Christians who are highest in Grace and spiritual Enjoyments and here are many Evidences which are suited to the Capacities and Experiences of the weakest Christians in Christ's School And here Christians may see as in a Glass what a sober Use and Improvement they ought to make of their evidences for Heaven and how in the use of their gracious evidences they ought to live First upon the free grace of God Secondly upon the Mediatory righteousness of Christ Thirdly upon the Covenant of Grace With several other Points of grand Importance c. By Thomas Brooks formerly Preacher of the Gospel at St. Margarets New-Fishstreet Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unapproved or rejected Omnis anima est aut sponsa Christi aut adultera Diaboli Austin London Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first Shop in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil at the sign of the three Bibles or at his Shop in Bishops-Gate-Street near great St. Hellins 1669. To the Right Worshipful Sir John Frederick Knight and the Lady Mary Frederick his pious Consort To Mr. Nathaniel Herne and Mrs. Judith his vertuous Wife All confluence of blessings both for this Life and for that which is to come from the Father of Mercies and God of all Consolations Honoured and Beloved in our Lord Jesus THough I croud your Names together yet I owe more than an Epistle to each of your Names but the Loâ—d having made you near and dear one to another more wayes than one I take the boldness to present this Treatise to you jointly Here is nothing in this Book that relates to the Government of Church or State The design of this Treatise is to shew what men are worth for Eternity and how it is like to go with them in another World Granctensis tells of a woman that was so affected with souls miscarryings that she besought God to stop up the passage into hell with her soul and body that none might have entrance O anima Dei insignita imagine desponsata fide donata spiritu c. Bern. O divine soul invested with the image of God espoused to him by faith c. There are none of the sons of men but bear about with them precious and immortal souls that are more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds if the soul be safe all is safe if that be well all is well if that be lost all is lost The first great work that men are to attend in this World is the eternal safety and security of their souls the next great work is to know to be assured that it shall go well with their souls for ever And these are the main things that are aimed at in this Discourse The soul is the better and more noble part of man upon the soul the Image of God is most fairly stampt the soul is first converted and the soul shall be first and most glorified the soul is that spiritual and immortal substance that is capable of union with God and of communion with God and of an eternal fruition of God Plato though a Heathen could say That he thought the soul to be made all of eternity and that the putting the soul into the body was a sign of great wrath from God Each living corps must yield at last to death Pindarus And every life must leese his vital breath The soul of man that only lives on high And is an image of Eternity The Romans when their Emperors and great Ones died and their bodies were buried they caused an Eagle to mount on high thereby to signifie the souls immortality and ascent He gave good counsel who said Play not the Courtier with your soul the Courtier doth all things late he rises late and dines late and sups late and repents late A Scythian Captain having for a draught of water delivered up his City cryed out Quid perdidi quid prodidi What have I lost what have I betrayed So many at last will cry out What have I lost what have I betrayed I have lost God and Christ and Heaven and have betrayed my precious and immortal soul into the hands of divine Justice and into the hands of Satan Who these men are that will at last thus cry out this Treatise does discover I have read that there was a time when the Romans did wear jewels on their shoes Most men in this day do worse for they trample that matchless jewel of their souls under feet and who these are this Treatise does discover One well observes Chrysost That whereas God hath given many other things double two eyes to see with two ears to hear with two hands to work with and two feet to walk with to the intent that the failing of the one might be supplied by the other but he hath given us but one soul and if that be lost hast thou saith he another soul to give in recompence for it Now who those are whose souls are in a safe estate and who those are whose souls are in danger of being lost for ever this Treatise does plainly and fully discover Psal 15. Psal 144.15 To describe to the life who that man is that is truly happy in this world and that shall be blest for ever in the other world is the work of this ensuing Treatise The grace of the Covâ—nant in us is a sure evidence of Gods entring into the Covenant of grace with us To be in a gracious state is true happiness but to know our selves to be in such a state is the top of our happiness in this world A man may have grace and yet for a time not know it 1. Joh. 5.13 The child lives in the womb but does not know it A man may be in a gracious state and yet not see it Psal 77. Psal 88. he may have a saving work of God upon his soul and yet not discern it he may have the root of the matter in him and yet not be able to evidence it Now to help such poor hearts to a right understanding of their spiritual condition and that they may see and know what they are worth for another world and so go to their graves in joy and peace I have sent this Treatise abroad into the world Will you give me leave to say First Some men of name
right hand doth Chap. 6.3 and therefore I shall not provoke you by sounding a Trumpet Ezek. 1.8 10.8 The Angels have their hands under their wings they do much good and yet make no noise There are some in the world that are like to them the Violet grows low and covers it self with its own leaves and yet of all flowers yields the most fragrant smell to others There are some charitable Christians that resemble this sweet flower Gentlemen and Ladies your respects and undeserved favours that have been many wayes manifested unto me hath emboldned me to Dedicate and present to you this Treatise as a real Testimony of my unfeigned love service gratitude and desires to promote the internal and eternal welfare of all your precious and immortal souls And wherein could I or any body else be more truly serviceable to you than in endeavouring to promote your assurance of eternal salvation which is the grand Design and Project of this Book 1 Pet. 5 1â— Now the God of all grace fill all your hearts with all the fruits of righteousness and holiness Gal. 5.22 23. unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding Heb. 10.22 and of faith and hope in this Life and at last crown you all and all yours with ineffable glory in the life to come To the everlasting arms of his protection and to the perpetual influences of his grace and mercy in Christ he commends you all who is to you all Your much obliged and affectionate friend and souls servant in our dear Lord Jesus THO. BROOKS The CONTENTS A Of the appearance of sin EIght Arguments to arm us against the appearances of sin 114 to Page 126 Of Assurance The sense and evidence of the least grace yea of the least degree of the least grace may afford some measure of assurance Page 17 18 19 20 That Christians may more easily attain to a comfortable assurance of their gracious estate than many I than mâ—st do apprehend or believe This is strongly and fully made good Page 25 to Page 57 There is a threefold Assurance Page 27 Perfection of Assurance in respect of degrees not attainable in this life Page 57 58 Assurance is not to be expected by any extraordinary way of Revelation Page 58 59 60 Assurance excludes not all fears doubts conflicts c. Page 351 352 B About Babes in grace The generality of Christians are but Babes in grace Page 339 340 C About changing a mans condition A godly man won't change his condition with men of this world for ten thousand worlds Page 200 201 About chusing Mo man can chuse God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness as their chiefest good but such who are really good Page 202 203 Of the commands of God He that hath a respect to all Gods commands shall never be ashamed Page 27 28 See O of Obedience About heart-condemning He whose heart does not condemn him in six things may have confidence towards God Page 29 30 About confession of sin The second part of true repentance lyes in confession of sin Page 234 235 236 There are eight properties or qualifications of true penitential confession of sin Page 236 to 255 Of the Covenant of grace When a Christian casts his eye upon his gracious evidences he must remember that he has to do with God in a Covenant of grace Page 83 84 85 86 87 The Covenant of grace is a Christians Fort Royal Page 363 364 In the Covenant of grace God stands engaged to give what ever he requires which is evidenced by an induction of twelve particulars Page 364 to 369 The Covenant is everlasting in two respects Page 370 373 374 The Covenant is a sure Covenant Page 370 371 372 About delighting in God Five Arguments to prove that no Hypocrite can delight himself in God Page 322 323 D Of desires That true desires of grace is grace proved by six Arguments Page 170 to 178 No man can sincerely desire grace for grace sake but he that has true grace Page 178 179 180 181 No man can sincerely desire every grace but he that has grace Page 181 182 No man can sincerely and graciously desire grace for gracious ends and purposes but he that has true grace in his soul Page 182 183 No man can sincerely desire and earnestly endeavour after the highest pitches of grace but he that has grace Page 183 to 186 No man can alwayes desire grace but he that has true grace Page 186 187 No man can sincerely desire to abound to abound and excel most in those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular sins which his natural temper constitution complexion c. does most expose him and incline him to Page 187 188 189 About the dominion of sin He over whom presumptious sins have no dominion is upright Page 29 Eight wayes for a man to know whether he be under the dominion of sin or no. Page 39 to 48 Against trusting in our own duties Three Arguments against trusting in our own duties Page 374 375 376 377 c. E Of Evidences Sound â—â—id Evidences are the best way to prevent delusions Page 4 5 Two special Rules are still to be seriously minded in propounding of Evidences for men to try their spiritual and eternal estates by Page 6 7. Seven Reasons why many men cry down Marks and Signs and deny sanctification to be an evidence of mens justification Page 337 338 339 340 341 342 'T is lawful and useful to make use of gracious evidences Page 342 343 Such Saints as are now triumphing in glory have made use of their gracious evidences c. Page 343 344 345 346 He that can find but one gracious evidence in his soul he may safely conclude that all the rest are there Page 347 What a Christian should do when his evidences are so clouded and blotted that he cannot read them Page 352 353 354 355 356 When a Christians evidences shine brightest his heart and the eye of his faith is to be most firmly fixed upon three Royal Forts Page 356 357 358 374 375 376 377 c. F Of Christians folly Eight Arguments to shew the folly of such sincere Christians who make their condition worse than ' t is Page 51 to 57 Of forsaking of sin There is a fourfold forsaking of sin Page 28 Of Free-grace When a Christians evidences are either clear or blotted it highly concern him to be still a living upon free-grace Page 356 357 358 359 G Of Grace and Graces Where there is any one grace in truth there is every grace in truth Page 7 8 9 The sense and evidence of the least grace yea of the least degree of the least grace may afford some measure of assurance Page 17 18 19 20 Probabilities of grace may be a great stay support and comfort to poor Christians that want assurance probabilities of grace are mercies more worth than ten thousand worlds
This is made good by ten Arguments Page 60 to 65 Six considerable things about probabilities of grace Page 65 66 67 68 69 If a Christian can't say he has grace yet he should not say he has no grace for he may have grace and yet not know it Page 81 82 He that prizes the least dram of grace above ten thousand thousand worlds certainly that man has true grace in him Page 200 T is the wisdom and ought to be the work of every Christian to own the least measure of grace that is in him though it be mixed and mingled with many weaknesses infirmities Page 332 333 'T is the wisdom and should be the work of every Christian to look upon all his graces and gracious evidences as favours given him from above as gifts dropt out of heaven into his heart as flowers of Paradise stuck in his bosom by a divine hand Page 333 334 335 When you look upon your graces in the light of the spirit it highly concerns you to look narrowly to it that you don't renounce and reject your graces as weak and worthless evidences of your interest in Christ c. Page 335 336 337 The spirit does four things in respect of our graces Page 348 Christians may safely rejoyce in their graces Page 349 350 351 The more grace any man hath the more clear the more fair the more full the more sweet will his evidences be for heaven c. Page 378 379 380 381 382 When your graces are strongest and your evidences for heaven are clearest and your comforts rise-highest then in a special manner it concerns you to make it your great business and work to act faith afresh upon the free rich and glorious grace of God and upon the Lord Jesus Christ Page 382 383 384 385 H Of the hatred of sin An Hypocrite can't hate sin as sin Page 303 304 305 True hatred of sin includes six things Page 305 306 307 308 Of the heart and of keeping of it Where the constant standing frame of a mans heart desires and endeavâ—urs are set for God Christ Grace Holiness there is a most sure and infallible work of God upon that mans soul Page 127 128 129 130 131 132 A gracious heart is an uniform heart Page 161 162 163 164. A gracious heart sets himself most against his darling sin his bosom sin his constitution sin c. Page 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 He that has given up his heart and life to the Rule Authority and Government of Christ he has a saving work of God upon him Page 203 204 That man that will cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart that man shall certainly be saved Page 204 205 That man that makes it his principle care his main business his work of works to look to his heart to watch his heart to reform his heart that man doubtless hath a saving work of God upon his heart Page 205 206 207 208 209 210 Ten wayes shewing how men should keep their hearts Page 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 There are many that are great strangers to their own hearts Page 339 Of Hypocrites First an Hypocrites inside is never answerable to his outside An Hypocrites inside is one thing and his outside another thing Page 287 288 Secondly no Hypocrite under heaven is totally divorced from the love and liking of every known sin Page 288 289 290 291 Thirdly an Hypocrites heart is never throughly subdued to a willingness to perform all known duties Page 291 292 293 Fourthly There is never an Hypocrite in the world that makes God or Christ or holiness or his doing or receiving good in his Station Relation or Generation his grand end his highest end his ultimate end of living in this world Page 294 295 296 297 Fifthly no Hypocrite under heaven can live wholly and only upon the righteousness of Christ the satisfaction of Christ the merits of Christ for justification and salvation Page 297 298 299 300 Sixthly an Hypocrite never embraces a whole Christ he can never take up his full rest satisfaction and content in the person of Christ in the merits of Christ in the enjoyment of Christ alone Page 300 301 302 303 Seventhly an Hypocrite can't mourn for sin as sin nor grieve for sin as sin nor hate sin as sin nor make head against sin as sin Page 303 304 305 Eighthly no Hypocrite is habitually low or little in his own eyes no hypocrite has ordinarily mean thoughts of himself or a poor esteem of himself Page 308 309 310 311 312 Ninthly no Hypocrite will long hold out in the work and wayes of the Lord in the want of outward incouragements and in the face of outward discouragements Page 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 Tenthly no hypocrite ever makes it his business his work to bring his heart into religious duties and services Page 318 319 320 321 Eleventhly an hypocrite never performs religious duties from spiritual principles nor in a spiritual manner Page 321 322 323 324 325 Twelfthly no hypocrite in the world loves the Word or delights in the Word or prizes the Word as 't is a holy Word a spiritual Word a beautiful Word a pure Word a clean word Page 325 326 327 328 329 Thirteenthly and lastly an hypocrite can't endure to be tryed and searcht and laid open Page 329 330 331 I Of judging our selves We must not judge our selves Hypocrites by those things that â—he Scripture never makes a character of an Hypocrite Page 74 75 76 77. We must not judge our selves hypocrites for such things which being admitted and granted to be true would unavoidably prove the whole generation of the faithful to be Hypocrites Page 77 78 79 In judging of our spiritual estates and conditions we must alwayes have an eye to our natural tempers complexions c. Page 79 80 81 Of judgments Spiritual judgments are the worst of judgments Page 338 L Of love to the Saints No man can truly love grace in another but he that has true grace in his own soul Page 189 190 Six wayes whereby men may certainly know whether their love to the Saints be real or not Page 190 to 200 M Of singular manifestations Some Christians live under the singular manifestations of divine love Page 341 342 Of Melancholy The evil effects of Melancholy Page 72 73 74 Of merciful men Such as are truly and graciously merciful are blessed c. Page 34 35 36 Of true mourners Such as are true mourners are blessed Page 32 N Of Name and of a great Name Many Professors take up in a great Name Page 337 338. O Of Obedience If your obedience springs from faith then your estate is good then you have assuredly an infallible work of God upon your souls Page 132 Seven wayes to know when your obedience is the obedience of faith with the resolution of some considerable questions about obedience worthy of serious consideration Page 132 to 161 P Of the Promises The
and repentance is a conversion to God Page 284 285 286 W Of walking There is no condemnation to such who walk after the Spirit Page 47 48 Of the witness of the Spirit Their mistake pointed at who have made the witness of the Spirit the only marks or evidence of our interest in Christ Page 1 2 3 4. There is at the end of this Book a Catalogue of all Mr. Brooks's Books ERRATA PAge 4. line 14. fleshly for flashy p. 16. in the Margent r. dance p. 17. Margent pat for part p. 18. l. 32. for gradually r. perfectly p. 19. l. 2. r. it l. 25. for Marcol r. Murcot p. 30. l. 2. hat for that p. 35. l. 8. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 39. l. 31. r. Asa's p. 63. l. 17. for wateâ— r. children p. 106. l. 15. r. gerandum p. 110. l. 28. r. Antiperistasis p. 142. l. 30. add only p. 239. l. 2. for heels r. feels p. 258. l. 19. outging for outing p. 292. Margent r. vitiums for vitium p. 117. l. 16. for were r. where p. 311. Margent r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 326. l. 22. r. word for world p. 333. l. ult add the p. 347. l. ult add as p. 356. l. 21. for five r. three l. 26. for five r. three l. 34. for five r. three p. 357. l. 8. springs for spring in the Margent r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 368. l. 13. r. patent p. 376. l. 14. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 383. l. 16. to for in in the fourth leaf of the Epistle in l. 9. blot out one in the same leaf l. 32. conclusions for confusions CHAP. I. Containing eighteen special Maxims Considerations Rules and Directions that are seriously to be minded and observed in order to the clearing up of a mans interest in Christ the saving work of God upon his own soul and his title to all the glory of another world The first Maxim or Consideration FIrst Some have made the witness of the Spirit to be the only mark or evidence of our interest in Christ But this opinion being well laid asleep in these dayes I shall not put my self to the trouble of awakening of it afresh but leave it to sleep with the Authors who are now in their graves and deny all signs from the fruit of the Spirit but this is to deny the fruit growing upon the Tree to be a sign that the Tree is alive whereas our Saviour expresly tells us That the Tree is known by his fruit Mat. 12.33 Certainly 't is one thing to judge by our graces and another thing to rest on our graces or to put our trust in our graces or to make a Saviour of our graces there is a great deal of difference between declaring and deserving Doubtless Christians may look to their graces as evidences of their interest in Christ justification and salvation though not as causes of their interest in Christ justification and salvation O Sirs we must alwayes carefully distinguish 'twixt the root and ground of our comfort and between the testimonies or evidences of our interest in the root of our comfort Now it must be readily granted that Jesus Christ is the only root and ground of a Christians comfort and triumph and therefore saith Paul Gal. 6 14. God forbid that I should rejoyce in any thing but in the Cross of Christ And so in that 2 Cor. 2.14 New thanks be unto God which alwayes causes us to triumph in Christ So that if at any time we behold this or that saving grace or this or that part of holiness shining in our hearts or lives we take comfort in it not as the cause or root or ground of our comfort or triumph but as in a testimony or evidence because it doth manifest our interest in him who is our comfort Luke 2 25. Col. 3 11. Gen. 9 13 14 16. v. our peace our joy our salvation our all in all Look as the Rain-bow is not a cause why God will not drown the world but a sign that God will not drown the world and as it is a sign that God will not drown the world we may and ought to rejoyce in it and to take comfort from it So here c. 'T is agreed on all hands that sanctification is a precious benefit of the Covenant of grace Jer. 33.8 9. Ezek. 36.25 26. Heb. 8.10 12. c. as well as justification and what crime can it then be to evidence one benefit of the Covenant of grace by another benefit of the same Covenant That he that is justified is also sanctified and that he that is sanctified is also justified is so clear so bright so sparkling and so full a truth contained in the Covenant of grace that no man or devil can deny Now what evil or error can it be for a man to assert That he that is certainly sanctified is certainly justified it being the very language of the Covenant of grace and that therefore he that knows himself to be sanctified may also know thereby that he is justified Certainly those persons that shall deny sanctification to be a most sure sweet and comfortable evidence of a mans justification they must not only blot out and abolish the Epistles of James and John but must also race out and abolish all those Evangelical promises of grace and mercy of happiness and blessedness that are made to such persons as are invested enriched and bespangled with the several graces of the holy Spirit this might be made evident by many hundred Scriptures but take that one for all Mat. 5. where our Saviour himself who was the most Evangelical Preacher that ever was in the world makes eight or nine promises of mercy and blessedness to those very persons that had the graces of the Spirit inherent in them as poverty of spirit mourning meekness hungering and thirsting after righteousness c. O Sirs why should we be so frequently and earnestly call'd â—pon to try and examine our selves 2 Cor. 12.5 ver whether we be in the faith or no if we were not to come to the knowledge of our faith in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause Have not the Saints of old come to assurance and the knowledge of the goodness of their estates this way Ponder seriously on that 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Mark their joy was founded on the testimony of their conscience and their conscience gave in this testimony from the sincerity of their conversation in this world So Paul in that 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certamen illud praeclarum certavi Beza I have fought that excellent fight By wrestling the Apostle useth the same Metaphor also in that 1 Cor. 9.25 v. I have kept the faith henceforth
is laid up for me a crown of righteousness How plainly how fully how with open mouth as I may say does he conclude his right to the crown of Righteousness so called partly because 't is purchased by the righteousness of Christ and partly because he is righteous that hath promised it and partly because 't is a just and righteous thing with God to crown them with glory at last who have for the Gospel sake and his glory sake been crowned with shame and reproach in this world and partly if not mainly because 't is a crown that can only be had or obtained in a way of righteousness and holiness from his graces and gracious actings in this world I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith yea 't is further observable that in the blessed Scripture we are strongly prest to do good works that by them we may make our calling election and salvation sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure By good works so say all the Latine Copies and so say some Greek Copies though not those that our English Translators have been pleased to follow and that is the reason why those words by good works are not in our English Bibles but he that shall seriously weigh the scope of the Apostle in this place he must of necessity grant that good works are to be understood thoâ—gh they are not exprest in the Text and that of the Apostle in 1 Tim. 6.16 17 18. seems plainly and strongly to sound the same way The second Maxim or Consideration SEcondly consider That true sound solid marks signs and evidences are the best way to prevent delusions there is no such deceit in sound and solid evidences as there is in fleshy joyes and in high and strange raptures by which many glistering Professors have been sadly deceived and deluded Young Samuel being not acquainted with any extraordinary manifestations of the presence and power of God took the voice of God from heaven to be the voice of old Ely 1. Sam. 3.5 Ah how many have there been in our dayes that have taken the irregular motions of their own hearts and the violent workings of their own distempered fancies and imaginations and Satanical delusions to be the visions of God celestial raptures divine breathings and the powerful impulses of the Spirit of God and so have been stirred up to speak write and act such things that have been not only contrary to the holy Word of God but also contrary to the very Laws of nature and Nations Satan by transforming of himself into an Angel of light hath seduced and ruined many Professors 2 Cor. 11.14 v. Gerson in his Book de probatione spirituum of the trial of spirits against whom as an Angel of darkness he could never prevail Gerson tells a remarkable story of Satans appearing to a holy man in a most glorious and beautiful manner professing himself to be Christ and because he for his exemplary holiness was worthy to be honoured above others therefore he appeared unto him but the good old man readily answered him that he desired not to see his Saviour in this wilderness it should suffice him to see him hereafter in heaven and withal added this pithy prayer O let thy sight be my reward Lord in another life and not in this and so he became victorious over Satan though he had transformed himself into a glorious Angel of light but such a a victorious crown has not been set upon every ones head to whom Satan has appeared as an Angel of glory See Dr. Casaubon and Dr. Moore concerning Enthusiasm Certainly they that stand so much so mightily for an immediate testimony seem to open such a gap to Enthusiasm as will not be easily shut yea how will they be ever able to secure to purpose poor souls from sad delusions for how easie a thing is it for Satan who is the father of lyes Joh. 8.48 who is an old deceiver Gen. 3.13 1 Tim. 2.14 who is the grand deceiver Rev. 12.9 Rev. 13.14 Rev. 19.20 Rev. 20.10 who has his devices Cor. 2.11 his wiles Eph. 6.11 his snares 1 Tim. 3.7 his depths Rev. 2.24 to find various artifices to counterfeit this immediate testimony and bear witness in the spirits stead so that when poor souls thinks that they have the Spirit of grace and truth to assure them that all is well and shall be for ever well with them they have none but the father of lyes to deceive them they have none but the devil in Samuels mantle to put a soul-murdering cheat upon them I am not fond of advising any poor souls to lay the stress of their hopes of heaven and salvation meerly upon immediate impressions lest they should subject themselves to infinite delusions O Sirs the way of immediate Revelation is more fleeting and inconstant such actings of the Spirit are like those outward motions that came upon Sampson Judg. 13.25 The Spirit came upon him at times and so upon every withdrawment new doubts and scruples arise but the trial of a mans estate by grace is more constant and durable saving grace being a continual pledge of God's love to us flashes of joy and comfort are only sweet and delightsom whilst they are felt but grace is that immortal seed that abideth for ever 1 John 3.9 But The third Maxim or Consideration THirdly consider In propounding of evidences for men to try their spiritual and eternal estates by there are two special Rules for ever to be minded and remembred and the first is this That he that propounds evidences of grace which are only proper to eminent Christians as belonging to all true Christians he will certainly grieve and sad those precious Lambs of Christ that he would not have grieved and sadded Look as there is a strong faith and a weak faith Mat. 15 28. and Chap. 8 26. It is one thing to shew you the properties of a man and another thing to shew you the properties of a strong man 1 Pet. 2.3 1 John 2.1 12 13 14. v. so there are evidences that are proper to a strong faith and evidences that are proper to a weak faith Now he that cannot find in himself the evidences of a strong faith he must not conclude that he has no faith for he may have in him the evidences of a weak faith when he has not the evidences of a strong faith in him in Christ's School House Church there are several sorts and ranks of Christians as babes children young men and old men and accordingly Ministers in their preaching and writing should sort their evidences that so babes and children may not be found bleeding grieving and weeping when they should be sound joying and rejoycing Secondly no man must make such characters marks or evidences of a child of God which may be found in an hypocrite a Formalist c. for this were to
lay a stumbling block before the blind this were to delude poor souls Ezek. 13.22 v. and to make them glad whom God would not have made glad yea this is the high-way the ready way to make them miserable in both worlds The rule or evidence that every Christian is to measure himself by must be neither too long nor too short but adequate to the state of a Christian that is it must not be so long on the one hand as that all Christians cannot reach it nor yet so short on the other hand as that it will not reach a true Christian but the rule or evidence must be such as will suit and fit every sincere believer and none else Some Christians are apt to judge of themselves and to try themselves by such rules or evidences as are competent only to those that are strong men in Christ and that are grown to a high pitch of grace of holiness of communion with God of spiritual enjoymenâ—s and heavenly attainments and sweet and blessed â—avishments of soul and by this means they come to conclude against the works of the blessed spirit in them and to perplex and disquiet their own souls with needless fears doubts and jealousies others on the other hand are apt to judge of themselves and to try themselves by such things rules or evidences that are too short and will certainly leave them short of heaven as a fair civil deportment among all sorts and ranks of men a good nature paying every man their dâ—e charity to the poor Mat. 23. Luke 18 9 10 11 12. v. Isa 1.2 3 4 5. a good name or fame among men yea happily among good men outward exercises of Religion as hearing praying reading fasting or that they are good negative Christians that is to say that they are no drunkards swearers lyars adulterers extortioners oppressors Sabbath-breakers persecutor c. Phil. 3.4.5 6 v. Gal. 6.3 Isa 33.14 Thus far Paul attained before his conversion but if he had gone no further he had been a lost man for ever and by this means they flatter themselves into misery and are still a dreaming of going to heaven till they drop into hell and awake with everlasting flames about their ears And oh that all that preach or print read or write would seriously lay this to heart some in describing the state of a Christian shew rather what of right it should be than what indeed it is they shew what Christians ought to be rather than what they find themselves to be and so they become a double edged sword to many Christians But The fourth Maxim or Consideration FOurthly consider Where there is any one grace in truth there is every grace in truth though every grace cannot be seen Look as a man may certainly know a wicked man by his living under the reign and dominion of any one sin As they say of the cardinal vertues Virtutes sunt inter se connexa The vertues are chained together so we may say of the graces of the Spirit c. Mark saith Chrysostom 't is not working of miracles casting out of devils but love to our brethren that 's the infallible proof of being a Disciple though he does not live under the power of other sins because there is not any one sin mortified in that man that hath any one sin reigning in him and that does not set himself in good earnest against it as his greatest enemy So when a Christian can but find any one grace in him as love to the Saints for grace sake for godliness sake he may safely conclude that there is in him all other graces where there is but one link of this golden chain there are all the links of this golden chain Joh. 13.35 By this shall all men know ye are my Disciples if ye love one another He doth not say if ye work miracles if ye raise the dead if ye give eyes to the blind or ears to the deaf or tongues to the dumb or feet to the lame but if ye love one another There have been many yea very many precious Christians who have lived and died with a great deal of comfort and peace from the application of that Text to their own souls 1 John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren Sincere love to the brethren is a most evident sign of a Christians being already passed or translated from death to life observe the Apostle doth not say we think we have passed from death to life but we know we have passed from death to life nor he does not say we conjecture we have passed from death to life but we know we have passed from death to life nor he does not say we hope we are passed from death to life but we are assured that we are passed from death to life that is from a state of nature into a state of grace because we love the brethren for ever remember this when all other evidences have failed many gracious Christians and all other Texts of Scripture have afforded them no comfort here they have anchored here they have found rest for their distressed souls and upon this one single planck this one evidence they have swam safely and comfortably unto the haven of eternal happiness Every real Christian hath in some measure every sanctifying grace in him as a child so soon as it is born is a perfect man for integrity of parts and entireness of limbs though not for bigness and bulk of body so every regenerate person at the very first hour of his conversion 1 Thes 5.23 John 3 5 6 7 8. Chap. 1.16 Psal 45.13 The new creature hath all the paâ—ts and lineaments as in the body there is a composition of all the elements and a mixture of all the humours he is in part renewed in all parts all the habits of grace are infused into the soul by the Spirit at once at first conversion the soul is bespangled with every grace though every grace is not then grown up to its full proportion or perfection so that where there is one grace in truth there is every grace in truth that soul that can truly and seriously conclude that he has any one grace in him that soul ought to conclude that there is every grace in him Such as diligently search the Scripture shall find that true blessedness Mat. 5.3 4 5 6 c. Every child of God hath all the graces of the spirit in him radically though not gradually happiness and salvation is attributed to several signs sometimes to the fear of God sometimes to faith sometimes to repentance sometimes to love sometimes to meekness sometimes to humility sometimes to patience sometimes to poverty of spirit sometimes to holy mourning sometimes to hungering and thirsting after righteousness so that if a godly man can find any one of these in himself he may safely and groundedly conclude of his salvation and justification
though he cannot see all those signs in him there is no Saint but may perceive one sign in him when he cannot another Now he that can groundedly be perswaded of any one sign of grace he may safely conclude he hath all the rest though for the present he can neither see them nor feel them in himself But The fifth Maxim or Consideration FIfthly consider That the promises of God are a Christians Magna Charta his chiefest evidences for heaven divine promises are Gods Deed of Gift they are the only assurance which the Saints have to shew for their right and title to Christ to his bloud and to all the happiness and blessedness that comes by him Look Gen. 38 18-27 as Judah by pleading and bringing forth the signet the bracelets and the staff saved her life so we by believing pleading and bringing forth the promises must save our own souls the promises are not only the food of faith but also the very life and soul of faith they are a Mine of rich treasures a garden full of the choicest and sweetest flowers in them are wrapt up all celestial contentments and delights And this is most certain that all a Christians conclusions of interest in any of those choice and precious priviledges which flow from the bloud of Jesus Christ ought to be bottomed grounded and founded upon the rich and free promises of grace and mercy Quest But how may a person come to know whether he has a real and saving interest in the promises or no Now to this great Question I shall give these nine following Answers First A holy relyance a holy resting a holy staying of thy soul upon the promises makes the promises thine own yea it makes all the good and all the sweet and all the happiness and blessedness that is wrapt up in the promises thine even as thy staying relying and resting on Christ makes Christ thine and all that is in him and that comes by him thine so thy staying and resting upon the promises makes them thine Secondly If thy heart ordinarily habitually lyes under the word of command then the word of promise does assuredly belong to thy soul 'T was a good saying of Augustin Da quod jubes juhe quod vis Give what thou commandest and command what thou wilt To such a frame the promises belong Numb 13.28 to the end Psal 119.6 Act. 13.22 Luke 1.5 6. There is no soul under heaven that commonly lyes under the commanding power of the Word but that soul that has an interest in the word of Promise men that have no interest in the word of Promise commonly live in the neglect of the word of command if the word of command commonly carries thy soul then the word of promise without all peradventure belongs to thy soul Many deal with the commands of God as the Heathens dealt with the commands of their gods When their gods called for a man they offered a candle or as Hercules offered up a painted man instead of a living man Such as deal thus with the commands of God they have no interest in the promises of God flesh and bloud looks upon the commands of God as impossible to be obeyed like the unbelieving spies O we cannot conquer the Land but faith and love like Caleb and Joshua conclude the Land may be conquered the commands may be Evangelically obeyed and accordingly they readily â—ndertake it Now to such a frame of heart the promises are entail'd But Thirdly If in the face of all objections The longer said the Emperor's son the Cooks are preparing the meat the better chear I shall have His meaning was that the longer he staid for the Empire the better and greater it would be so the longer the soul waits for a mercy the better and greater it will be when it comes c. discouragements and difficulties thy soul be kept up in a waiting frame for the fulfilling of the promises as Abrahams was Rom. 4. then certainly the promises belong to thee There are some promâ—ses that relate to the subduing of sin as that Jer. 33.8 Ezek. 36.25 26 27. Mich. 7.19 Psal 65.3 And there are other precious promises that relate to a growth in grace as that Mal. 4.2 Job 17.9 Psal 92.12 13 14. Prov. 4.18 Hos 14.5 6 7. Now if thy heart be kept up in a waiting frame for the accomplishment of these promises then they do certainly belong to thee the same I may say of all other promises The waiting soul shall be sure to speed Psal 40.1 2 3. Isa 40.29 30 31. Isa 30.18 Heb. 6.12 c. God never did nor never will frustrate the expectations of the patient waiter c. But Fourthly He that hath those divine qualities or supernatural graces in him to which the promises are made as faith repentance love fear hope uprightness patience a waiting frame c. He has an undoubted interest in the promises he may lay his hand upon any promise and say this promise is mine and all the blessings the benefits the heavenly treasure that is laid up in it is mine But Fifthly He that lives upon the promises as his daily food he has an unquestionable interest in the promises wicked men may make use of promises as of physick in some cases as when they are under anguish of spirit or gripes of conscience or in fear of hell or else when they are under some outward wants or streights c. but he that lives upon them as his daily food he has a most assured interest in them our outward man lives not upon kickshaws though now and then we may taste of them but we live upon wholsom food so here no man lives upon the blessed promises as his appointed food but he that has a real interest in the promises Look as there is a nourishment proper to every Animal Spiders feed on flies Moles on worms the Horse on gâ—ass the Lion on flesh c. so there is food nourishment that is proper for mens souls viz. the precious promises and Christs flesh which is meat indeed and his bloud which is drink indeed Iohn 6. and he that daily feeds on this food will be happy for ever But Sixthly If you are united and married to Christ by faith then you have a real a saving interest in the promises Gal. 3.29 Gal. 4.28 Heb. 1.2 Rev. 21.7 And if you be Christs then are you Abrahams seed and heirs according to the promise The promise is the Jointure and there is no way under heaven to enjoy the Jointure but by matching with the person of Christ And faith is the grace of graces by which the soul gives both its assent and consent to take the Lord Jesus Christ as he is tendered and offered in the Gospel and is therefore called sometimes a receiving of Christ Iohn 1.12 The only way to enjoy a Ladies Jointure is to marry her person and so the only way to enjoy the promise of Christ is
Chap. 35.2 10. Jer. 33.9 11. Psal 132.16 and greater applause in the promise Mat. 10.32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven I and before the Angels too Luke 12.8 Mat. 25 31-41 1 Cor. 6.2 3. 2 Thes 1.6 7 8 9 10. Rev. 3.9 Isa 60.12 13 14. Then certainly you have an interest in the promise When a man can shew his own heart daily in the glass of the promises a greater worth excellency and glory than all this world affords without all controversie he has an interest in the promises Thus those Worthies of whom this world was not worthy Heb. 11. and the Martyrs in all ages did commonly present better higher and greater things to their own souls in the promises than any their adversaries were able to propose to draw them off from Christ their profession or principles c. and by this means they did very couragiously honorably maintain their ground in the face of all the gay and golden temptations that they met withal Mat. 5.10 11 12 Burn my foot if you will said that noble Martyr S. Basil that it may da ce everlastingly with the Angels in heaven Crudelitas vestra gloria nostra Your cruelty is our glory said they in Tertullian and the harder we are put to it the greater shall be our reward in heaven Basiâ— will tell you that the most cruel Martyrdom is but a crafty trick to escape death to pass from life to life as he speaks It can be but a dayes journey between the Cross and Paradise Though the Cross be bitter yet it is but short A little storm as one said of Julians persecution and an eternal calm follows Adrianus seeing the Martyrs suffer cheerfully such grievous and dreadful things asked Why they would endure such misery 1 Cor. 2.9 when they might by retracting free themselves upon which one of them alledged that Text Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him The naming of the Text and seeing them suffer such hard things cheerfully did by a blessing from on high so really and effectually convert him that afterwards he became a Martyr too Acts 16.25 When we see poor weak feeble Christians defying their torments conquering in the midst of sufferings singing in prison as Paul and Silas did kissing the stake as Henry Voes did clapping their hands when they were half consumed with fire as Hawkes did blessing God that ever they were born to see that day as John Noyes did calling their execution day their wedding day as Bishop Ridley did we cannot but conclude that they had an eye to the recompence of reward and they saw such great and sweet and glorious things in the promises that did so refresh delight and ravish their hearts and transport their souls that all their heavy afflictions seem'd light and their long afflictions short and their most bitter afflictions sweet and easie to them But The sixth Maxim or Consideration SIxthly consider That 't is granted on all hands that the least degree of grace if true is sufficient to salvation for the promises of life and glory of remission and salvation of everlasting happiness and blessedness Mark 16.16 John 3.16 36. Mâ—t. 5. John 6 40. are not made over to degrees of grace but to the truth of grace not to faith in triumph but to faith in truth and therefore the sense and evidence of the least grace yea of the least degree of the least grace may afford some measure of assurance Grace is the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 and the Tree is known by his fruit Mat. 12.33 I don't say An eminent Minister who was a famous instrument of converting many to God was wont to say that for his own pat he had no other evidence in himself of being in the state of grace than that he was sensible of his deadness that weak grace will afford a strong assurance or a full assurance for that rather arises from strength of grace than from truth of grace but I say weak grace may afford some assurance And oh that all weak Christians would seriously lay this to heart for it may serve to relieve them against many fears doubts discouragements and jealousies which do much disturb the peace and comfort of their precious souls though the least measures of grace can't satisfie a sincere Christian yet they ought to quiet his conscience and chear his heart and confirm his judgment of his interest in Christ The least measure of grace is like a Diamond very little in bulk but of high price and mighty value and accordingly we are to improve it for our comfort and encouragement A Goldsmith makes reckoning of the least filings of gold Slight not the lowest the meanest evidences of grace God may put thee to make use of the lowest as thou thinkest even that 1 Joh. 3.14 that may be worth a thousand worlds to thee Page 33. of a little piece called a choice drop of honey and so should we of the least measures of grace A man may read the Kings Image upon a silver penny as well as upon a larger piece of coyn The least dram of grace bears the Image of God upon it and why then should it not evidence the goodness and happiness of a Christians estate It 's a true saying That the assurance of an eternal life is the life of this temporal life I have read that Mr. Jordain one of the Aldermen of the City of Exeter would use to ask grown Professors whether they had any assurance which if they denied he would tell them that he was even ashamed of them In good earnest saith he I would study the promises and go into my closet and lock the door and there plead them to God and say that I would not go forth till he gave me some sence of his love He would often mention and try himself by these three Marks First a sincere desire to fear the name of God which he grounded upon that Neh. 1. ult Secondly a sincere desire to do the will of God in all things required which he grounded upon Psal 119.6 Thirdly a full purpose of heart to cleave to the Lord which he grounded upon Act. 11.23 The discovery of grace in thy heart though but one grain and that of mustard-seed will assure thee of thy election and final salvation Fords spirit of Adoption p. 248. These he would often press upon others and these he frequently tryed himself by and from these he had much assurance and comfort Mr. Stephen Marshal in a Sermon of his on Isa 9.2 saith Look and examine whether thou dost not loath thy self as a base creature and dost thou make this nothing Secondly Dost thou not in thy heart value and prize the meanest child of God more than the greatest men in the world
that have not the image of God the image of grace and holiness stampt upon them I pray God saith Mr. Marshal that many of God's people do not want these evidences If our souls saith another shall like of Christ for a Suiâ—or when we find no other jointure but the Cross Mr. Dod on the commandments page 313 314. we may be sure we are Christians A man may want the feeling of his faith and cry and call again and again for it and feel nothing all this while and yet nevertheless have true and sound faith For the feeling of and mourning for the want of faith and the earnest and constant desire of it is an infallible sign of faith For this is a sure Rule that so long as one feeleth himself sick he is not dead and the high estimation of faith joined with a vehement desire of it is a singular evidence that there is a sound and lively root of faith in our hearts 1. Pet. 1.2 Mr. Love his zealous Christian pag. 29. last part All the elect of God shall have the sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and the sprinkling of the bloud of Christ upon their hearts sooner or later I do not press the having of these things gradually but sincerely an elect person may want many a degree of grace but if he have them in sincerity Dr. Sibbs his commentary on the first Chapter of the second Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians ver 22. pag. 491 492. though in the least measure it is a sufficient evidence of his election An earnest is little in regard of the whole perhaps we have but a shilling to secure us of many pounds so then the point is this That howsoever we may be assured of our estate in grace and likewise that we shall hold out yet the ground of this assurance is not from any great measure of grace but though t be little in quantity it may be great in assurance and security As we value an earnest not for the worth that is in it self but because it assures us of a great bargain we have an eye more to the consummation of the bargain than to the quantity of the earnest so it is here grace is but an earnest yet notwithstanding though it be little as an earnest is yet it is great in assurance and validity answerable to the relation of that it hath to assure us Though grace be little yet as little as it is seeing it is an earnest and the first fruits as the Apostle saith which were but little in regard of the whole harvest yet it is of the nature of the whole and thereupon it comes to secure A spark of fire is but little yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire and a drop of water is but little yet it is water as well as the whole Ocean When a man is in a dark place put the case it be in a dungeon if he have but a â—ittle light shining into him from a little crevice that little light discovers that the day is broke that the Sun is risen Put the case there be but one grape on a Vine it shews that it is a Vine and that the Vine is not dead So put the case that there be but the appearance of a little grace in a Christian perhaps the Spirit of God appears but in one grace in him at that time yet that one grace sheweth that we are Vines and not thistles or thorns or base plants and it shews that there is life in the root Thus you see how fully this Reverend Doctor speaks to the case That friend that writes the life and death of Mr. John Marcol once Preacher of the Gospel at Dublin saith See his Treatise published by Mr. Winter Mr. Chambers Mr. Eaton Mr. Carryl and Mr. Mantou pag. 36 37. That in preparation for the Supper-Ordinance he would bring himself unto the Test and to say the truth was very clear in the discovering and making out his own condition being well acquainted with the way of Gods dealing with the soul and with the way of the souls closing with Christ Instance April 3. 1653. Upon search I find 1. My self an undone creature 2. That the Lord Jesus sufficiently satisfied as Mediator the Law for sin 3. That he is freely offered in the Gospel 4. So far as I know my own heart I do through mercy heartily consent that he only shall be my Saviour not my works or duties which I do only in obedience to him 5. If I know my heart I would be ruled by his Word and Spirit Behold in a few words saith he that writes his life and death the sum and substance of the Gospel By these Instances we may see that some of the precious servants of God have found a great deal of comfort support rest content and some measure of assurance from a lower rank of evidences than those that many strong Christians do reach unto c. But The seventh Maxim or Consideration SEventhly consider That all men and women that are desirous to know how it will go with them in another world they must peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture in the great matters of their interest in Christ the blessed Scripture is the great uncontroverted Rule This we believe when we first begin to believe that we ought not to believe any thing beyond Scripture Tertullian and therefore if a person can prove from Scripture that his graces are true or that he is in a gracious estate or that he has an interest in Christ or that he has sayingly graciously stricken Covenant with God then he must resolutely and peremptorily resolve to grant so much as unchangably to acquiesce in it to stick fast to it and to hear nothing against it from the world the flesh or the devil God hath plainly told us in his blessed Word who shall be saved and who shall be damned though not by name yet by the qualifications by which they are described in the Bible there are the Statute-Laws of heaven and the standing Rule by which all must be tryed every man must stand or fall be eternally blessed or eternally miserable as his condition is consonant to or various from the infallible characters of saving grace contained in the holy Scripture witness that Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light or no morning in them So John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day Mat. 5.18 For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass on jot or one title shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled So John 10.35 And the Scripture cannot be broken or violated or made void but though this be an indispensable duty yet certainly there is especially in
that Jesus Christ may still set up his Laws in my heart and exercise his dominion over me Now doubtless there is not the weakest Christian in the world but can venture himself upon such an appeal to God as this is and without all peradventure where such a frame and temper of spirit is there the dominion of Jesus Christ is set up and where the dominion of Christ is set up there sin has no dominion Mat. 6.24 but where the dominion of Christ is not set up there sin is in full dominion Christ's dominion cannot consist with sins dominion nor sins dominion cannot consist with Christ's dominion Now by these eight things if men are not resolved before hand to put a cheat upon their own souls they may know whether their sins have dominion over them or no and so accordingly conclude for or against themselves But Fifteenthly and lastly A godly man may argue thus There is no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh Walking in Scripture signifies to hold on a course of life Gen. 5.22 17.1 but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 But I walk not after the flesh but after the spirit therefore there is no condemnation to me Walking after the flesh notes a course of sin and walking after the spirit notes a course of godliness Now to such as keep off from a course of sin and that keep on in a course of godliness there is no condemnation there is not one condemnation for God the father won't condemn such a person nor Jesus Christ won't condemn such a person nor the holy spirit won't condemn such a person nor the word of grace won't condemn such a person nor no commandment or threatnings will condemn such a person no nor such a mans own heart nor conscience if it be rightly informed won't condemn him and therefore well may the holy Ghost say to such a one there is no condemnation to such a one there is not one condemnation c. ☞ Now thus you see by comparing spiritual things with spiritual things and by a rational arguing from Scripture a man may attain unto a comfortable certainty of his gracious state and safely and groundedly conclude his interest in Christ Now this assurance of Gods favour by the witnessing of our own spirits which assurance is deduced by way of argument syllogistically is more easily attained than many may I not say than most Christians imagine for let a gracious man but clear himself of heart-condemning sins 1 Joh. 3.20 21. and rationally argue as before has been hinted and he will speedâ—ly reach to some comfortable supporting soul-satisfying and soul-quieting assurance there being an infallible connexion between the forementioned graces and future glory These fifteen arguments may well be lookt upon as fifteen sure and infallible evidences of the goodness and happiness of a Christians estate O that you would often every day think on this viz. That the undoubted verity of Gods promises proveth an inseparable connexion between true faith and eternal glory John 3.14 15 16. And as Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wilderness even so must the Son of man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 5.24 Verily verily these serious asseverations or protestations amount almost to an oath I say unto you he that heareth my words and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life He hath it in the promise he hath it in the first Fruits Rom. 8.23 he hath it in the earnest Ephes 1.13 14. and he hath it in Christ his Head Ephes 2.6 Mark 16.16 He that believeth and is Baptised shall be saved he that believeth not shall be damned 1 Pet. 2.6 Behold I lay in Sion a chief Corner stone Elect precious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded John 6.40 And this is the will of him that sent me that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day Verse 47. Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting Life John 2.25 Jesus said unto her I am the Resurrection and the Life he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live Verse 26. And whosoever liveth and believeâ—h in me shall never dye John 20.31 But these are written that ye may believe that Iesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his name Look as certainly as the unbeliever shall be cast into outer darkness so certainly shall the Believer be partaker of the glorious inheritance of the Saints in light for certainly the Promises are as true as the threatnings Acts 16.30 31. Believe on the Lord Iesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Josh 23.14 chap. 21.45 The Apostle speaks not doubtingly perhaps thou shalt be saved nor they do not say Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and it may be thou mayest go to Heaven but they speak boldly confidently peremptorily believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved O my Soul what greater certainty and security can any man have than the infallible promise of that God that is truth it self who will not who cannot deny his word but the same love and free Grace that moved him to infuse grace into his childrens souls will move him also to keep the word that is gone out of his mouth and to make good whatever he hath promised thus you evidently see that the Promises prove an inseparable connexion between Grace and glory between Faith and everlasting Life so that let me but prove that I have a saving Faith and the Scriptures last cited prove infallibly that I shall be saved O labour as for life daily to give a firm and fixed assent to the truth of those blessed Promises last cited and hold it as an indisputable and inviolable Principle That whosoever believeth on the Lord Jesus Christ or whosoever hath received Christ as his Lord and Saviour shall be certainly saved 1 Tim. 1.15 1 John 1.9 Heb. 6.17 18. â—zek 32.11 and chap. 18.32 1 John 5.10.14 Jam. 2 19. This is the person that hath the Word the Promise the Covenant the Oath of that God that cannot possibly lye or dye for the pardon of his sin and for the Salvation of his Soul Now O my Soul what security couldest thou ask more of a deceitful man than that which the great Iehovah â—he faithful God of his own accord hath given to thee viz. his word and his Oath Now not to believe God upon his Promise and Oath is to make him a Lyar yea the worst of Lyars yea 't is
to do worse than the Dâ—vils â—â—r they believe and tremble Though the word of the Lord desâ—rves the greatest credit that any mortals can give unto it he being truth it self that hath said it though it had no Oaths nor no Asseverations to be its surety yet God in his infinite condescending love to poor sinners that he may sink the truth of what he saith deeper into the hearts and minds of his people and leave the fairer and fuller print in our assents to the same he sets on the word of Promise with the weight of Asseverations and Oaths yea and to all these he hath annexed his Broad Seal the Lords Supper and the Privy Seal of his Spirit O unreasonable unbelief shall not the Oath of God silence all Disputes A man would never desire of any honest man so much as God hath condescended to for the confirmation of our Faith witness his Promises his Covenant his Oath and his Seals and therefore let us give glory to him by believing and quietly rest upon his faithfulness O Sirs that soul that dares not take his sanctification as an evidence yea as a choice and sure evidence of his interest in Christ and of the Lords precious love to him according to the Promises of his favour and Grace several of which hath been but now under consideration that Soul ought to acknowledg it as his sin yea as his great sin for which he deserves to be smartly rebuked as making God a loud Lyar. O my friends it is a spiritual peevishness and sinful crossness that keeps many good men and women long in a sad dark doubting perplexed and disconsolate condition and certainly 't is no small sin to set light by any work of the blessed Spirit and the joy comfort and peace that we might have by it ah how many are there that fear the Lord who quench grieve vex and provoke the holy Spirit by denying his work and by quarrelling against themselves and the blessed work of the Spirit in them Certainly 't is the duty of every Christian to hear as well what can be said for him as what can be said against him Many poor Psal 77.2 Psal 88. Job 15.11 chap. 16.8 9. weak and yet sincere Chr stians are often apt to be too sowre rigid and bitter against their own souls they love to practise a merciless severity against themselves they do not indifferently impartially consider how the case stands between God and their own souls It is in this case as Solomon speaks in another There is that maketh himself rich Prov. 13.7 Ever since man ceased to be what he should be he striveth to seem to be what he is not It is not the outward shew that shews what things are and yet hath nothing And there is that maketh himself poor and yet hath great Riches That is there be those in the world that pretend they are rich and make a shew before men as if they were men of great estates whereas indeed they are exceeding poor and needy There are not a few that stretch their wing beyond their nest that bear a port beyond their Estates that trick up themselves with other mens plumes laying it on above measure in cloaths in high entertainments in stately Buildings in great Attendance c. when not worth one groat in all the World but either they dye in Prison or lay the key under the door or compound for twelve pence in the pound c. And there are others again that are exceeding rich and wealthy and yet feign themselves and look upon themselves to be very poor and needy To apply this spiritually 'T is the damning sin of the self-flattering Hypocrite Rev. 3.17 to make himself rich to make himself significant to make his condition better than 't is And it is the vanity the folly of some sincere Christians to make their condition worse than indeed it is to make themselves more miserable and unhappy than indeed they are Ah Christians 't is sad with you tâ—s night with you when you read over the evidences of Gods love to your souls as a man does a Book which he intends to confute Is it not sad when Christians shall study hard to find evasions to wheel off all those comforts refreshings cheerings and supports that are tendered to them that are due to them and that they may upon Gospel-grounds justly claim as their portion as their inheritance And O that all such Christians would seriously and frequently lay to heart these eight things First that they highly dishonour the blessed God and the work of his Grace by denying that which he hath done for them and wrought in them Secondly they are spiritual Murderers they are self-Murderers they are soul-Murderers for by this means they stab and wound their own precious souls and Consciences through and through with many a deadly dart Now is there any Murder like to spiritual Murder to self-Murder to soul-Murder surely no. But Thirdly They are Thieves for by this means they rob their own precious souls of that joy peace comfort rest content assurance and satisfaction which otherwise they might enjoy Now there is no theft to spiritual theft and of all spiritual theft there is none to that which reaches the precious and immortal soul Mark all prevalent Disputes about our personal integrity they do hold off the Application and tasts of comfort though they do not disanul the title and right Even the good man will walk uncomfortably so long as he concludes and strongely fears that his Estate is sinful for sensible comfort riseth or falleth cometh on or goeth off according to the strength of our judgment and present apprehensions observe it is not what indeed our estate is but what we judg of it which breeds in us sensible comfort or discomfort a false heart may even break with a timpany of foolish joy upon an erring perswasion oâ— his estate and so may a sound sincere heart be very heavy and disconsolate upon an unsound misconstruction and judging of its true condition But Fourthly They bear false witness against Christ his Spirit their own Souls and the work of Grace that is wrought in them O how many dark doubting drooping Christians are there who if you could give them ten thousand worlds yet would never be brought to bear false witness against their poorest Neighbour Brother or Friend and that out of Conscience because of that Command Thou shalt not bear false witness c. who yet make no Conscience no bones of it frequently to bear witness against the Lord Jesus Christ and his gracious works upon their own hearts But Fifthly they joyn with Satan and his work and his suggestions and with that strong party he has in them against the Lord Jesus Christ and his work and his weak party in them See Mr. Dod on the Commandments p. 310 311. and p. 321 322 323 324. Sin is Satans work and Grace is Christs work Now how sad is it
to see a Christian fall in with Satans work in him against the work of Christ that is in him Satan has a strong party in their souls and Christ has but a weak party now how unjust is it for them to help the strong against the weak when they should upon many accounts be a helping the wâ—ak against the strong a helping the Lord against the mighty a helping weak grace against strong and mighty corruptions An how skilful and careful are many weak Christians to make head against the work of Christ in their own Souls and to plead hard for Satan and his works in them as if they had received a Fee from him to plead against Christ and their own Souls O Christians that you would be wise at last and let Baal plead for Baal let Satan plead for himself but do you plead for Christ and that seed of God that is in you Well remember this John 1.3 9. that as fire is often hid under the embeâ—s so grace is often hid under many soul distempers and as a little fire is fire though it be even smothered under the embers so a little Grace is Grace though it be even smothered under much corruption Now by these short hints you may easily perceive how many Royal Commands these poor Christians transgress who deny and bely the blessed work of the Lord in them But Sixthly They rob the Spirit of all the honour and glory that is due unto him for that blessed work of grace and holyness that he has formed up in their hearts O what a grief and dishonour must it be to the holy Spirit that when he hath put forth a power in mens hearts Rom. 8.11 equivalent to that by which the world was created and by which Christ was raised from the dead to find it overlookt and not at all acknowledged Spiritus sanctus est res delicata the Holy Spirit is a very tender thing but do these poor doubting Souls carry it â—enderly to him surely no. Dear Christians the standing Law of Heaven is Quench not the Spirit 1 Thes 5.19 Now if the word Spirit is not here taken essentially for the three persons in Trinity nor yet metonymically for the fruits of the spirit but Hypostatically for the Third person in Trinity as some conceive then you must remember that you may grieve and quench the Spirit 1. Not only by your enormities Isa 63.10 2. Nor only by refusing the Cordials and comforts that he brings to your doors yea that he puts to your mouths Psal 77.2 3. Nor only by slighting and despising his gracious actings in others Acts 2.13 4. Nor only by Fathering those sins and vanities upon him Mark you cannot despise the gifts or graces of any that are sincere but by interpretation you judg the Spirit and despise the Spirit as it is said of the poor in Prov. 17.5 that are only the Bâ—ats and fruits of Satan and your own hearts But also in the fifth place by misjudging and miscalling the precious Grace that he has wrought in your Souls as by judging and calling your Faith fancy your sincerity hypocrisie your W sdom folly your light darkness your zeal wild-fire c. Now O Sâ—rs will you make Conscience yea much Conscience of Quenching the Spirit in the four first respects and will you make no Conscience of Quenching the Spirit in this fifth and last respect O how can this be O why should this be But Seventhly They keep Grace at a very great under for how can Grace spring and thrive and flourish and increase in the soul when the soul is full of daily fears and doubts that the root of the matter is not in it or that the root is still unsound Job 19.28 1 Thes 1.5 or that the work that is past upon it is not a work in power or that t is not a special and peculiar work but some common work of the spirit which a man may have and go to Hell But Eâ—ghthly and lastly They very much discourage dishearten and dâ—sanimate many poor weak Christians who observing of them of whom they have had very high and honourable thoughts for the Grace of God that they have judged to be in them to be still a questioning of their integrity and still a doubâ—ing of the graciousness and goodness of their conditions do begin to question their own Estates and conditions yea and many times peremptorily to conclude that surely they have no grace they have no interâ—st in Christ and that all this while they have but put a cheat upon their own souls Now O that all poor weak dark doubting Christians would never leave praying over these eight things and pondering upon these eight things till they are perfectly cured of that spiritual malady that they have been long labouring under and which has been very prejudicial to the peace and comfort of their own souls Dear hearts a gracious soul may safely boldly constantly and groundedly say that which the Word of the Lord saith Now the Word of the Lord saith Matth. 5.3 4 6 8. That the poor in spirit are blessed and that they that mourn are blessed and that they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness are blessed and that they that are pure in heart are blessed and therefore he is blessed And assuredly he that cannot embrace and seal to these as true and blessed evidences of a safe and happy condition is greatly to lament and mourn over his unbelief and earnestly to seek the Lord to perswade his heart and to satisfy and over-power his Soul in this thing as the poor man in the Gospel did Mark 9.24 And straightway the Father of the Child cryed out with tears Lord I Believe help my unbelief O Sirs the condition of the Promises last cited being fulfilled the Promises themselves must certainly and infallibly be fulfilled else the great and blessed God should lye Josh 21.45 chap. 23.14 15. 1 John 5.10 11 12. be unrighteous unfaithful and deny himself which is as impossible as for God to dye or to send another Saviour or to give his glory to Graven Images Assâ—redly the too hard the too harsh the too severe the too jealous thoughts and conjectures and the too humble if I may so speak censures and surmises that many weak doubting Christians have of themselves or of the goodness or graciousness of their Estates by reason of the weakness of their Graces or depth of melancholy or the present prevalency of some unmortified lusts or the subtilty of Satan shall never make void the faithfulness of God or the Promises of God which in Christ Jesus are all Yea and Amen Doubtless God will never shut any poor weak doubting Christian out of Heaven 2 Cor. 1.20 because through bashfulness or an excess of modesty or the present darkness thaâ— is upon his understanding or through the ungroundedness of some strong fears of an eternal miscarriage he cannot entertain such good thoughts such
couragious and be valiant or sons of valour as the Hebrew runs And so a Christian must lay the command of God before him as his highest encouragement to do what God requires of him c. Fifthly and lastly Our obedience must be bottomed and grounded upon the commands of God to difference and distinguish our selves from all hypocrites formalists superstitious and prophane persons whose obedience is sometimes bottomed upon the Traditions of men and sometimes upon the commandments of men 'T was the sin of the Ten Tribes that they complyed with the command of Jeroboam and his Princes Isa 29.13 14. Mat. 15.1 to 10. Mark 7.8 to 10. Hos 5.11 12. to worship the Calves at Dan and Bethel and for this the wrath of the Lord fell heavy upon them Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment because he willingly walked after the commandment And sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of men sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of their forefathers and ancestors Jer. 44 17 18 c. Joh. 7.48 49. Jer. 10.3 The customs of the people are vain c. and sometimes upon the examples of great men This was that which the Pharisees objected against believing on Christ Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him but this people who knoweth not the Law are cursed And sometimes they bottom their obedience upon the example of the multitude This was Demetrius his argument against Paul Acts 19.26 27. on the behalf of Diana that all Asia and the world did worship her and therefore the doctrine of Paul that they be no Gods which are made with hands was falfe and not to be suffered This hath alwayes been and is still the common plea of many We do but as the most do and sure a great many eyes can see more than one or two And hereupon they exclaim against others for their singularity because they won't do as the rest of their neighbours do But Thirdly That obedience that springs from faith is a growing obedience 't is an abounding obedience such a man's desires will study and labour is to get up to the highest pitch of obedience to get up to the highest round in Jacob's ladder Rev. 2.19 I know thy work and charity and service and faith and thy patience and thy works and the last to be more than the first The Angel of the Church of Thyatira 'T is not every believers happiness always to make a progress in grace Solomon and Asa and others run retrograde Saints have their winter seasons they have their decaying times and withering times as well as their thriving times their flourishing times Rev. 2.4 is commended First for his love 2. For his charity 3. For his faith And 4. For his patience And in the general course of his life he daily became more excellent for his latter works were more than the first that is they were more manifest proofs of his constancy and more worthy of praise than the first This faithful Pastor is commended for his holy progress in grace and holiness So Paul Phil. 3.12 Not as though I had already attained either were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Ver. 13. Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before Ver. 14. I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth emphatically import a pressing with an eager pursuit after the mark It is the same word that signifies to persecute because the earnestness of his spirit in pressing toward the mark now is the same that it was in the persecution of those that pressed toward the mark before Look as good runners when they come near unto the mark stretch out their heads and hands and whole bodies to take hold of them that run with them or of the mark that is before them so he in his whole race so laboured unto that which was before as if he were still stretching out his arms to take hold of it If such a man might have his choice he would be the most humble the most holy the most heavenly the most mortified the most patient the most contented the most thankful the most fruitful the most active the most zealous and the most self-denying Christian in the world 1 Pet. 1.15 16. Mat. 5. if he might have his choice he would be holy as God is holy and perfect as his heavenly father is perfect he would do the will of God on earth as those Princes of glory the Angels do it now in heaven viz. freely readily cheerfully delightfully universally reverentially and unweariedly c. if he might have his choice Eccl. 9.10 he would exercise every grace and perform every duty with all his might he sees so much excellency and beauty in God and Christ that he can't be at rest till he be swallowed up in the enjoyment of them he sees so much excellency in grace that nothing but perfection of grace will satisfie him he makes perfection not only his utmost end but he also labours after perfection with his utmost strength and endeavours When God is made the one of a mans desires the one of a mans affections the one of a mans life and comfort then will he be the one of a mans endeavours too That obedience that springs from faith when 't is not winter-time with a Christian is a fruitful obedience 't is an abounding obedience 't is a progressive obedience Look as the mercy and favour of God to a believer is not stinted nor limited so the obedience of a believer to God is not stinted or limited but now the obedience of hypocrites is alwayes stinted and limited this command they will obey but not that this duty they will do but not that this work they will attend but not that c. Fourthly That obedience that springs from faith is the obedience of a son not of a slave 't is a free voluntary evangelical obedience and not a legal servil and forced obedience Psal 110.3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness in the Hebrew 't is willingness in the plural number to shew their exceeding great willingnesses Psal 27.8 When thou saidest seek ye my face my heart said unto thee thy face Lord will I seek By face is meant 1. God himself Exod. 20.3 Before my face that is before me 2. His favour Jer. 18.17 I will shew them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity Now no sooner had God given forth a word of command for the Psalmist to seek himself and to seek his favour but presently his heart did eccho to that command Thy face Lord will I seek So Jer.
Rev. 22.17 And let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely Augustin Where there are sincere desires of grace there are the seeds of grace the conception of grace the buds of grace Sincere desires of grace are those holy seeds those divine beginnings of grace in the soul out of which grace springs and grows up to its measure and perfection O Sirs look as no man can sincerely seek God in vain so no man can sincerely desire grace in vain A man may love gold yet not have it but no man loveth God but is sure to have him Wealth a man may desire and yet be never the neerer for it but grace no man ever sincerely desired and missed it And why it is God that hath wrought this desire in the heart and he will never frustrate the desire that himself hath there wrought let no man say I have no faith no repentance no love no fear of God no sanctifying no saving grace in me Doth he see a want of those things in himself yes that is it which so grieves him that he cannot love God stand in awe of him trust in his mercy repent of sin as he should yea but doth he seriously and unfeignedly desire to do thus yes he desires it above all things in the world and would be willing as it were to buy even with a whole world the least measure or dram or drop only of such grace Now let me ask him who is it that hath wrought this desire in him Not the Devil for he would rather quench it than kindle it in him not his own corruption for that is naturally averse to every thing that is good it must needs then be the work of the Spirit of God who works in us both to will and to do of his own good pleasure and who pronounceth all them blessed that thus desire after grace Kemnitius Ursini Catechis When I have a good desire saith one though it doth scarcely shew it self in some little slender sigh I must be assured that the Spirit of God is present and worketh his good work Wicked men do not desire the grace of the holy Spirit whereby they may resist sin and therefore they are justly deprived of it for he that earnestly desireth the holy Ghost hath it already because this desire of the spirit cannot be but from the Spirit Taffnies Book of the marks of Gods children Our faith saith another may be so small and weak as it doth not yet bring forth fruits that may be lively felt in us but if they which feel themselves in such an estate desire to have these feelings namely of God's favour and love if they ask them of God's hands by prayer this desire and prayer are testimonies that the Spirit of God is in them and that they have faith already for is such a desire a fruit of the flesh or of the Spirit it is of the holy Spirit who bringeth it forth only in such as he dwells in c. Then those holy desires and prayers being the motions of the holy Ghost in us are testimonies of our faith although they seem to us small and weak As the woman that feeleth the moving of a child in her body though very weak assureth her self that she hath conceived and that she goeth with a live child So if we have these motions these holy affections and desires before mentioned let us not doubt but that we have the holy Ghost who is the Author of them dwelling in us and consequently that we have also faith Again saith the same Author 1. If thou hast begun to hate and flie sin 2. If thou feelest that thou art displeased at thine infirmities and corruptions 3. If having offended God thou findest a grief and a sorrow for it 4. If thou desire to abstain from sin 5. If thou avoidest the occasions of sin 6. If thou doest thy endeavours against sin 7. If thou prayest to God to give thee grace all these holy affections proceeding from none other than from the Spirit of God Phil. 2.13 2 Cor. 8.10 12. ought to be as so many pledges and testimonies that he is in thee It is as impossible for us naturally to do the least good or to desire the least grace as 't is for a Toad to spit Cordials Sincere desires after God and Christ and Grace is sometimes the all that the people of God find in themselves This was all that Nehemiah could say of himself and the rest of his brethren Neh. 1.11 That they did desire to fear God's name And so the Church Isa 26.8 The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thy holiness And vers 9. With my soul have I desired thee in the night So the Spouse Cant. 3.1 2 3. So David Psal 27.4 Psal 42.1 2. Psal 63.1 They must needs be sure of grace that have an unfeigned desire of it This is a Maxim that we must live and die with viz. That no man can truly desire grace but he that hath already grace certainly he that desireth grace hath grace to desire it It is an infallible sign that that man hath already some measure of grace that doth seriously desire to have it he would never seriously desire to fear God who stands not in some awe of him already nor he would never seriously desire to love God who has not in him some love to God already nor he would never seriously desire to believe who has not in him some faith already nor he would never seriously desire to repent that hath not repented already nor he would never seriously desire sanctifying grace whose heart in some measure is not already sanctified by the spirit of grace It is the very essence of righteousness saith one of the Ancients for a man to be willing to be righteous Angustine Pars magna bonitatis est vellâ— fieri boâ—um Sen. Ep. 34. And the poor Heathen could say It is a principal part of goodness for a man to be willing to be good It is natural for every one to desire his own natural good but to desire spiritual grace holiness sound sanctification faith unfeigned the true fear of God serious repentance c. is more than ever any natural man did or can do No man did ever desire to eat which had not eaten before nor no man did ever desire to believe that did not believe before all true desires after faith spring from faith as the root of them Certainly wicked men don't nor can't so much as desire saving grace Job 21.14 Isa 53.2 and that First Because grace is above the reach of nature 1 Cor. 2.14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned The water riseth no higher than the springs from whence it came so natural men can ascend no
Sabbaths of God he is a prophaner of the Sabbaths of God in the account of God c. Look as every wicked man is as bad in the account of God as his desires are bad so every godly man is as good in the account of God as his desires are good he that sincerely desires to believe he does believe in the account of God Mr. Perkins in his grain of mustard-seed The desire saith one to believe in the want of faith is faith though as yet there want firm and lively grace yet art thou not altogether void of grace if thou canst desire it thy desire is the seed conception or bud of what thou wantest Now is the Spring-time of the ingraffed Word or immortal seed cast into the furrows of thy heart wait but a while using the means and thou shalt see that leaves blossoms and fruits will shortly follow c. Another saith Ursin Faith in the most holy is not perfect nevertheless whosoever feels in his heart an earnest desire to believe and a striving against his doubts he both may and must assure himself that he is indued with true faith And he that sincerely desires to repent Mr. Fox he does repent in the account of God Holy Bradford writing to Mr. Jo. Careless saith Thy sins are undoubtedly pardoned c. for God hath given thee a penitent and believing heart that is a heart which desireth to repent and believe Let thy desires be before God and he which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly thy desire is thy prayer and if thy desire be continual thy prayer is continual c. for such a one is taken of him he accepting the will for the deed for a penitent and believing heart indeed And he that sincerely desires to mortifie sin he does mortifie sin in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to walk with God he does walk with God in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to honour God he does honour God in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to deny himself he does deny himself in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to be weaned from the world he is weaned from the world in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to be conformable to God he is comformabâ—e to God in the account of God and he that desires to grow in grace he does grow in grace in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to improve mercies he does improve mercies in the account of God and he that sincerely desires to glorifie God in the hour of his visitation he does glorifie God in the hour of his visitation in the account of God A gracious man may make a better judgment of his estate by his sincere desires than he can by his duties and so a wicked man may make a better judgment of his estate by his desires than he can by his words or works I have been the larger upon this evâ—dence because of its great usefulness to weak believers But Seventhly No man can sincerely desire grace for grace sake viz. faith for faiths sake and love for loves sake and humility for humilities sake and uprightness for uprightness sake and meekness for meekness sake and holy fear for holy fears sake and hope for hopes sake and holiness for holiness sake and self-denial for self-denials sake c. but he that has true grace Mark no man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for the inward beauty glory and excellency of grace Psal 45.13 2 Cor. 3.18 but he that has true grace The Kings daughter is all glorious within though within is not all her glory grace differs nothing from glory but in name grace is glory in the bud and glory is grace at the full grace is glory militant and glory is grace triumphant grace has an inward glory upon it which none can see and love but such as have grace in their own hearts Wicked men can see no beauty no glory no excellency in grace why they should desire it or be taken with it Isa 53.1 2 3 4. and no wonder for they could see no beauty nor excellency nor glory nor form nor comeliness in Christ the fountain of grace why they should desire him and be taken with him Though next to Christ grace is the most lovely and desirable thing in all the world yet none can desire it for its own loveliness and desirableness but such as have a seed of God in them though grace be a pearl of price though it be a jewel more worth than the gold of Ophir though it be a beam of God a spark of glory a branch of the divine nature yet carnal hearts can see no glory nor excellency in it that they should desire it If carnal eyes were but opened to see the excellency of grace Mirabiles sui excitaret amores it would ravish the soul in desires after it but graces beauty and glory is inward and so it is not discerned but with spiritual eyes Plato was wont to say if moral vertues could be seen with bodily eyes they would stir up in the heart extraordinary flames of admiration and love 1 Cor. 2.14 ult I might say much more of grace Grace 1. Puts an excellency it puts a lustre and beauty upon mens persons Prov. 12.26 1 Pet. 34 5 c. The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour and pray what makes him so but grace Dan. 11 2â— Wisdom makes a mans face to shine riches and honours and dignities and royal ornaments and costly fare and noble attendants don't put an excellency and glory upon man witness Antiochus Saul Haman Herod Dives c. but saving grace does the graces of the Spirit are that chain of pearl that adorns Christ's Bride 2. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans duties By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain faith put an excellency upon Abels sacrifice 3. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans natural and acquired excellencies it puts an excellency upon beauty honour riches name arts parts gifts Now how excellent and glorious must that be that puts an excellency upon all our excellencies 4. Grace makes a man conformable to God and Christ 5. 1 John 4.17 1 John 1.1 2. 2 Cor. 13.14 Zech. 3.7 Mal. 2.2 Prov. 2.11 12. Grace fits a man for communion and fellowship with Father Son and Spirit 6. Grace fits a man for the choicest services 7. Grace turns all things into a blessing 8. Grace fills the soul with all spiritual excellencies 9. Grace preserves a Christian from the worst of evils viz. sin 10. Grace sweetens death it makes the King of terrors to be the King of desires 11. Grace renders a man acceptable to God and that 's the heighth of a Christians ambition in this world 2 Cor. 5.9 Wherefore we labour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we are ambitious that whether
present or absent we may be accepted of him The Apostles made it their ambition to get acceptance in heaven riches and honours and gifts and arts and parts c. may commend us to men but 't is only grace that commends us to God and that renders us lovely in his eyes 12. Grace will eternalize your names grace will perfume and embalm your names Heb. 11.2 By faith the Elders obtained a good report Ver. 39. And these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise Nothing raises a mans name and fame in the woâ—ld like grace A man may obtain a great report without grace nothing below grace will perpetuate a mans name Acts 6 5 3. The seven Deacons that the Church chose were gracious men Act. 10.1 2 3 4 22. and they were men of good report they were men well witnessed unto well testified of as the Greek word imports Act. 9.10 20. compared with Chap. 22.12 Cornelius was a gracious man and he was a man of good report among all the Nation of the Jews Ananias was a gracious man and he was a man of a good report Gaius and Demetrius they were both gracious men and they were men of good report witness that third Epistle of John How renowned was Abraham for his faith and Moses for his meekness and Jacob for his plain-heartedness and Job for his uprightness and David for his zeal and Joshua for his courage Heb. 11.4 Psal 112.6 Prov. 10.7 Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as a Rose to this very day Grace will make your names immortal The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance The memory of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Wicked men many times out-live their names but the names of just men out-live them when a gracious man dies he leaves his name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him his fame shall live when he is dead According to the Hebrew the words may be read thus The memory of the just shall be for a blessing the very remembring of the just shall bring a blessing upon them that remember them When a gracious man dies as he carries a good conscience with him so he leaves a perfumed name behind him Grace is the image of God the delight of God the honour of God the glory of God grace is the purchase of Christ and the birth of the Spirit and the pledge of glory grace is the joy of Angels the glory of man and the wonder of the world what 's the body without the soul what 's the cabinet without the jewels what 's the Sun without light what 's the fountain without water what 's Paradise without the Tree of Life what 's Heaven without Christ That 's a soul without grace Now every gracious soul sees a real internal excellency beauty and glory in grace and accordingly it is carried out in its desires after it it sees such an innate excellency beauty and glory in that faith wisdom humility meekness patience zeal self-denial heavenly-mindedness uprightness c. that sparkles and shines in such and such Saints that it many times strives with God in a corner even to sweat and tears that it may be bedecked and inriched with those singular graces that are so shining in others O that I had the wisdom of such a Christian and the faith of such a Christian and the love of such a Christian and the humility of such a Christian and the meekness of such a Christian and the zeal of such a Christian and the integrity of such a Christian c. O that my soul was but in their case I don't covet their riches but their graces Oh that I had but those graces Oh that I had much of those graces that sparkles and shines in the hearts and lives of such and such Christians I see a beauty and glory upon Sun Moon and Stars yea upon the whole Creation but what 's that to that beauty and glory that I see stampt upon grace And this fires his heart with desires after grace But Eighthly No man can sincerely desire all grace every grace or the whole chain of graces but he that has true grace 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9. Vain men when they are under some outward or inward distresses may to serve their present turns desire in a cold formal customary way patience or contentation or meekness or hope or faith c. but they don't nor can't whilst they are wicked whilst they are in their natural estate Act. 8.19 to 25. whilst they are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity sincerely desire every grace especially those particular graces that are most opposite to their master sin to their darling lusts to their constitution sins to their complexion sins to those particular lusts that are to them as dear as their right eyes or right hands Austin before his conversion he was much given to whoredom and he would often pray Lord give me continency but not yet Lord give me continency but not yet he was afraid lest God should have heard him to soon as himself confesseth Wicked men would be very sorry if God should take them at their words and in good earnest answer the cold and lazy desires of their souls If when the drunkard in a good mood should desire sobriety God should take him at his word he would be very angry or if when the unclean person should desire chastity continency God should answer his desires he would not be very well pleased if when the covetous person should under some pangs of conscience desire a free a charitable a noble generous spirit God should take him at his word he would be sorely displeased The same may be said of all other sorts of sinners but now a real Christian though he be never so weak yet he seriously desires every grace he is for every link of the golden chain of graces he finds in his own heart sins that are contrary to every grace and therefore he desires every grace that he may make head against every sin and he finds his heart and life so attended and surrounded with all sorts and kinds of temptations that he earnestly seriously and frequently desires the presence and assistance of every grace that so he may be temptation-proof yea victorious over every temptation and he sees and feels the need of every grace to fill up every place station and condition wherein the Lord has set him and therefore he begs hard for every grace and he sees a beauty and a glory and an excellency upon every grace and therfore he desires every grace as well as any one single grace which no hypocrite or prophane person in the world does But Ninthly No man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for gracious ends and purposes but he that has true grace in his soul Joh.
then his desire Luke 17.5 are most for faith you shall then find him with the Disciples crying out Lord increase our faith But now though a wicked mans heart rise against every grace yet it rises most strongly against those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular lusts which are a wicked mans bosom lusts Mat. 26.8 9. his darling sins c. Hence the covetous heart rises and swells most against liberality as you see in Judas Rev. 3.15 16 17. Luke 19. What need this waste Flesh and bloud looks upon all as lost that is laid out upon Christ his servants and services And the luke-warm Christians heart rises and swells most against zeal and fervency and the griping Userers heart rises and swells most against restitution Job 21.14 15. and the adulterers heart rises and swells most against purity chastity continency and the ignorant mans heart rises and swells most against light and knowledge Eccles 7.10 the ignorant man is willing to go to hell in the dark and ready and bold enough to conclude that we never had such sad and bad times as we have had since there hath been so much preaching and so much hearing and so much fasting and so much praying and so much light and knowledge in the world But now it is quite otherwise with a true child of God Rom. 7.22 23. for his heart rises and swells most against the Toad or Toads that are in his own bosom and the daily and earnest desires of his soul are that God would make him eminent in every grace yea that God would make him most eminent in those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular lusts and corruptions which more peculiarly more especially he hath cause to call his iniquity Psal 49.5 or the iniquities of his heart and of his heels Look as we have some dirt more or less that will still cleave to our heels whilst we are in a dirty world so there is some defilements and pollutions that will still be cleaving to all our duties services wayes and walkings in this world which we may well call the iniquity of our heels Now a gracious heart rises most against these c. Thirteenthly No man can truly love grace in another but he that has true grace in his own soul 1 John 3.10 No man can love a Saint as a Saint but he that is a real Saint no man can love holiness in another but he that has holiness in his own soul no man can love a good man for goodness sake but he that is really good We know that we have passed from death to life 1 John 3.14 This Text you have opened in the first Maxim of this Book because we love the brethren Sincere love to the brethren is a most evident sign of a Christians being already passed or translated from death to life that is from a state of nature into a state of grace such a poor soul that dares not say that he has grace in his own heart yet dares say before the Lord that he loves delights and takes pleasure to see the holy graces of the Spirit sparkling and shining in the hearts lives and lips of other Saints secretly wishing in himself that his soul were but in their case and that dares say before the Lord Psal 15.1 4. Psal 16.3 He that loves his brother saith Augustine better knows his love wherewith he loves than his brother whom he loves that there are no men in all the world that are so precious so lovely so comely so excellent and so honourable in his account in his eye as those that have the Image of God of Christ of grace of holiness most clearly most fairly and most fully stampt upon them When a poor Christian can rejoyce in every light in every Sun that out-shines his own when he sees wisdom and knowledge shining in one Saint and faith and love shining in another Saint and humility and lowliness shining in another Saint and meekness and uprightness shining in another Saint and zeal and courage shining in another Saint and patience and constancy shining in another and then can make his retreat to his closet admiring blessing of the Lord for the various graces of his Spirit shining in his children and be frequent and earnest with God that those very graces might shine as so many Suns in his soul doubtless such a poor soul has true grace and is happy and will be happy to all eternity In Tertullian's time the Heathen would point out the Christians by this mark See how they love one another Now to prevent mistakes I shall shew you the several properties of sincere love to the Saints First True love to the Saints is spiritual it is a love for the Image of God that is stampt upon the soul 1 John 5.1 Every one that loveth him that begat 1 John 4.7 loveth him also that is begotten of him A soul that truly loves loves the father for his own sake and the children for the fathers sake If the Image of God be the load-stone that drawes out our love to the Saints then our love is real to them he that does not love the Saints as Saints he that does not love them under a spiritual notion he hath no true affection to them Naturally we hate God Gen. 3.15 1 John 3.12 because he is a holy God and his Law because it is an holy Law and his people because they are a holy people 'T is only the Spirit of God that can inable a man to love a Saint for the image of God that is in him many there are which love Christians for their goods not for their good they love them for the money that is in their purses but not for the grace that is in their hearts many like the Bohemian Cur fawn upon a good suit Love to the Saints for the Image of God stampt upon them is a flower that does not grow in natures garden No man can love grace in another mans heart but he that hath grace in his own men do not more naturally love their parents Prov. 29.10 Ezek. 25.15 and love their children and love themselves than they do naturally hate the image of God upon his people and wayes I have read of one who was so lusty and quarrelsom that he was ready to fight with his own image so often as he saw it in a glass O! how many are there in these dayes that are still a quarrelling and fighting with the image of God wherever they see it True love is for what of the divine nature for what of Christ and grace shines in a man it is one thing to love a godly man and anther thing to love him for godliness Many love godly men as they are Politicians or Potent or Learned or of a sweet nature or affable or related or as they have been kind to them
but all this is but natural love but to love them because they are spiritually lovely because of the seed of God in them because they are all glorious within John 1.3.9 Psal 45.13 is to love them as becometh Saints it is to love them at a higher and nobler rate than any hypocrite in the world can reach too The Wasps flie about the Tradesman's shop not out of love to him but the honey and fruit that is there But Secondly True love to the Saints is appretiating a gracious soul sets the highest price and the greatest value and esteem upon those that are gracious Psal 15.4 He honours them that fear the Lord Psal 119.119 Psal 1.4 he looks upon the wicked as lumber but upon the Saints as jewels he looks upon the wicked as dross but upon the Saints as the gold of Ophir he looks upon the wicked as chaff but upon the Saints as wheat 1 John 12. he looks upon the Saints as sons but upon the wicked as slaves Heb. 1. ult he looks upon the Saints as heirs of salvation but upon the wicked as heirs of damnation Gracious souls do not value persons by their great Places Offices Names Professions Arts Parts Gifts gay Cloaths gold Chains Honours Riches but by what they are worth for another world As the great God so gracious souls look not how rational men are but how religious not how great but how gracious not how high but how holy Psal 16.3 and accordingly they value them My goodness extends not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Prov. 12.26 The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour 'T is grace that differences one man from another that exalts one man above another A gracious man though never so poor and low and contemptible in the world is a better man than his wicked neighbour though he be never so great or rich in the world in the eye account and esteem of God Angels and Saints there is no man to the gracious man The Sun doth not more excel and out-shine the Stars than a righteous man doth excel and out-shine his unrighteous neighbour Prov. 28.6 Better is the poor that walketh in his uprightness than he that is perverse in his wayes though he be rich A gracious man prefers a holy Job upon the dunghil before a wicked Ahab upon the Throne he sets a higher price upon a gracious Lazarus though cloathed with rags and full of sores Luke 16. than upon a rich and wretched Dives though he be cloathed gloriously and fares sumptiously every day This is and this must be for a lamentation Psal 45.13 Wicked men may highly prize and admire a the common gifts of the Saints as Pharaoh admired at the wisdom of Joseph and Nebuchadnezzar admired at the wisdom of Daniel but they never prize nor admire at their graces Every one that doth evil hateth the light Joh. 3.20 that this poor blind mad besotted world rates and values men according to their worldly interest greatness glory and grandure but gracious souls they rate and value men by their graces by their inward excellencies and by what they are worth for eternity in the eye of a gracious man there is no wife to a gracious wife no child to a gracious child no friend to a gracious friend no neighbour to a gracious neighbour no Magistrate to a gracious Magistrate no Minister to a gracious Minister no Master to a gracious Master nor no servant to a gracious servant internal excellencies carries it with a gracious man before all external glories The Jews say that those seventy souls that went with Jacob into Egypt were as much worth as all the seventy Nations in the world Doubtless seventy gracious persons in the esteem and judgment of those that are gracious are more worth than a whole world yea than seventy worlds of graceless persons Well Sirs remember this No man can truly prize and highly value grace in another but he that hath grace in his own heart Some prize Christians for their wit others prize them for their wealth some prize them for their birth and breeding others prize them for their beauty and worldly glory some prize them for the great things that have been done by them others prize them for the good things that they have received from them some prize them for their Eagles eyes others prize them for their silver tongues and others prize them for their golden parts but he that is truly gracious he prizes them for the grace of God that is in them he sets the highest value upon them for their holiness No unregenerate person hath a love to all the Saints for though he seems to love some yet he loaths others he is guilty of sinful partiality having the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons They seem to love the rich and despise the poor James 2. c. But Thirdly True love to the Saints is universal to one Christian as well as another to all as well as any to poor Lazarus as well as to rich Alraham to a despised Job as well as to an admired David to an afflicted Joseph as well as to a raised Iacob to a despised Disciple as well as to an exalted Apostle Eph. 1.15 Wherefore I also after I heard of your faith in the Lord Iesus and love unto all the Saints Col. 1.4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Iesus and of the love which ye have to all the Saints Faith in Christ Jesus maketh love to all the Saints therefore they go commonly coupled in Pauls Epistles It was the glory of the Ephesians and Colossians that their faith and love reached to all the Saints their love was not a narrow love a love confined to some particular Saints but it was universal to all Saints Phil. 4.21 Salute every Saint in Christ Iesus the meanest as well as the â—ichest the weakest as well as the strongest the lowest as well as the highest and those that have many infirmities as well as those that have fewer infirmities Eph. 1.21 22 23 1 Pet. 2.17 and those that have but mean parts and gifts as well as those that have the strongest parts and the most raised gifts All Saints have the same Spirit the same Jesus the same Faith c. they are all fellow-members fellow-travellers fellow-soldiers fellow-Citizens fellow-heirs and therefore must they all be loved with a sincere and cordial love Love is set upon the brotherhood upon the whole fraternity of Believers and not here and there upon one Divine love casts an eye of favour upon grace in rags upon a dunghil in a dungeon a den a prison a fiery-furnace Psal 16.3 grace is as lovely in the illiterate as in the greatest Scholar in the servant as in the Master in the maid as in the Mistris in the child as in the Father in the
subject as in the Prince in the buyer as in the seller c. Look as all our delight must be in the Saints so our delight must be in all the Saints 'T is sad sinful to contemn our poor brethren and yet this was the very case of the Corinthians 1 Cor. 11.21 22. for they in their love-feasts carried it so unequally that one was hungry to wit the poor and another was drunken to wit the rich And this made the Apostle put that question to them What have ye not houses to eat and drink in or despise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not or put them to shame that have nothing And the Apostle Iames doth very roundly reprove and condemn that partial love that was generally among the Jews in his dayes Iam 2.1 2 3 4. My brethren have not the faith of our Lord Iesus Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons for if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay cloathing and say unto him sit thou here in a good place and say to the poor stand thou there or sit here under my footstool are ye not then partial in your selves and are become judges of evil thoughts Not that the Apostle doth simply or absolutely prohibit a civil differencing of men in place from others for it cannot be denied but that there is a holy and warrantable respect of persons in respect of their age callings gifts graces and greatness in the world but when the rich mans wealth is more regarded than the poor mans godliness and when men carry it so to the rich as to cast scorn contempt disgrace and discouragement upon the godly poor They that respect a rich man that has but a little grace before a poor man that is rich in grace are worthy of blame All true born sons love to see the image and picture of their father though hung in never so poor a frame and in never so mean a cottage So the true born sons of God they love to see the image of God the picture of God upon the poorest Saints 'T is sad to prefer a worldly lustre before heavenly grace a gold ring before a rich faith a chain of gold before a chain of grace Non ex personis fidem sed ex fide personas Tertul. Ver. 5. Hearken my beloved brethren hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom It is a vile thing saith one of the Ancients to have the faith of Christ in respect of persons We do not judge of faith by persons but of persons by faith 'T is the great wisdom of a Christian not to judge of men by their outwards but by their inwards not by their externals but by their internals not by what they are worth for this world but by what they are worth for that other world The poorest Saints are God's portion Deut. 32.9 They are his pleasant portion Jer. 12.10 They are his peculiar treasure Exod. 19.5 They are his jewels Mal. 3.17 They are the apple of his eye Zech. 2.8 They are his glory Isa 4.5 They are the crown of his glory and royal diadem Isa 62.3 and therefore 't is a dangerous thing to flight them to disown them to look frowningly upon them or to carry it unworthily towards them Pompey told his Cornelia It is no praise to thee to have loved Pompeium Magnum Pompey the Great but if thou lovest Pompeium miserum Pompey the miserable thou shalt be a pattern for imitation to all posterity So I say it is no great matter to love those that are rich and pious great and gracious high and holy but to love the poor Saints of God in their lowest and most miserable condition when they have not a rag to cover them nor a crust to refresh them nor a fire to warm them nor a friend to stand by them nor a penny to help them this is praise-worthy this speaks our much of God of Christ of grace within Romanus the Martyr who was born of noble Parentage intreated his persecutors that they would not favour him for his Nobility For it is not said he the bloud of my Ancecestors but my Christian faith that makes me Noble 'T is not race nor place but grace that makes a man truly noble without a peradventure he that loves one Saint for the image of God that is upon him he cannot but fall in love with every Saint that bears the lovely image of the Father upon him he cannot but love a Saint in rags as well as a Saint in robes a Saint upon the dunghil as well as a Saint upon the throne usually those Christians that have least of the world have most of Christ commonly those Christians that have least of the world have most of heaven in their hearts houses and lives But Fourthly True love to the Saints will extend to those that are most remote in respect of place Rom. 5.26 as well as to those that are near They of Macedonia and Achaia made a contribution for the poor Saints at Jerusalem 3 John 5. The Saints of Macedonia and Achaia did freely and cheerfully contribute to the poor Saints at Jerusalem whose faces probably they had never seen And Gaius is commended for his love to strangers A gracious man that has an estate a treasury an inheritance he is like a common fountain that freely gives out to strangers as well as to near neighbors A great fire will warm those that sit far from it as wel as those that sit neer unto it So sincere love will extend and stretch out it self to those Saints that are most remote gracious souls do dearly love and highly value those Saints whose faces they have never seen nor are like to see in this world and from whose hands they have not received the least civility and all upon the serious reports that they have had of the grace of God that has been sparkling and shining in them Rom. 12.9 1 Pet. 1.22 1 John 3.18 whose habitations are at a great distance from them A sincere love an unfeigned love a hearty love will be running out towards those that live most remote from us if we do but understand that God is in them and with them of truth But Fifthly Our love to the Saints is right when we love them best and most in whom the spiritual and supernatural causes of love are most sparkling and shining where grace draws the affections there the more grace we see the more we shall love Psal 16.3 My goodness extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight Psal 45.19 There are Saints and there are excellent Saints The Hebrew word that is here rendred excellent signifies
upon all your graces and gracious evidences as favours given you from above as gifts dropt out of heaven into your hearts as flowers of Paradise stuck in your bosoms by a divine hand A man should never look upon his graces or his gracious evidences Of thine own saith David have we given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 but should be ready to say these are the jewels of glory with which God has bespangled my soul 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou hast not received What gift what grace what experience what evidence hast thou that thou hast not received All the light and all the life and all the love and all the joy and all the fear and all the faith and all the hope and all the patience and all the humility c. that thou hast with all the evidences that arise from discovery of those graces are all grace gifts they are all from above Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above Jam. 1.17 and cometh down from the father of lights Look as all light flows from the Sun and all water from the Sea so all temporal spiritual and eternal good flows from heaven All your graces and the greatest excellencies that are in you do as much depend upon God and Christ as the light doth upon the Sun or as the Rivers do upon the Sea Joh. 15.1 2 3 4 5. Psal 87.7 or as the branches do upon the root All my springs are in thee all the springs of comfort that I have communicated to my soul and all the springs of grace that I have to quicken me and to evidence the goodness and happiness of my spiritual estate and condition to me they are all in thee When a Christian looks upon his wisdom and knowledge it concerns him to say Here is wisdom and knowledge I but 't is from above here is some weak love working towards Christ but 't is from above here 's joy and comfort and peace c. but these are all such flowers of Paradise as never grew in natures garden Now when a Christian looks thus upon all those costly Diamonds of grace of glory with which his soul is bedeckt he keeps low though his graces and gracious evidences are high Where this Rule is neglected the soul will be endangered of being swell'd and pufft It was a great saying of a very worthy man that is now with God viz Mr. Fox That as he often got much good by his sins so he often got much hurt by his graces Dear hearts when you look upon the stream remember the fountain when you look upon the flower remember the root when you look upon the Stars remember the Sun and when ever you look upon your graces then be sure to remember Christ the fountain of grace else Satan will certainly be too hard for you Satan is so subtile so artificial and so critical that he can make your very graces to serve him against your graces conquering joy by joy sorrow by sorrow humility by humility fear by fear and love by love if you don't look upon all your graces as streams flowing from the fountain above and as fruits growing upon the Tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradise of God Therefore when one of your eyes is fixt upon your graces let the other be alwayes fixt upon Christ the fountain of grace 1 John 16. Of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Here they eye their graces and the fountain of grace together So Paul I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 who loved me and gave himself for me Paul eyes Christ and his graces together so Peter eyes Christ and his graces together Lord John 21.15 thou knowest â—hat I love thee So those Worthies of whom this world was not worthy they eye Christ and their graces together Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith 2 Cor. 5.17 Though grace be a new creature a noble creature a beautiful creature an excellent creature yet grace is but a creature Col. 1.17 Phil. 4.12 13. Cant. 4. ult and such a creature that is strengthned maintained cherished and upheld in your souls in life and power in beauty and glory by nothing below the spiritual internal and glorious operations of Christ Col. 1.10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Ver. 11. Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness Now when ever you look upon grace as a lovely beautiful creature O then remember that might and glorious power of Christ by which this creature is preserved and strengthned Christians your graces are holy and heavenly plants of Christ's own setting and watering and will you mind the plants more than that noble hand that set them 'T is Christ alone that can cause the desires of his people to bud and their graces to blossom Isa 58.11 35.6 7. and their souls to be like a watered garden green and flourishing and therefore let the eye of your souls be firstly mostly and chiefly fixt upon Christ But The third Proposition is this When you look upon your graces in the light of the Spirit it highly concerns you to look narrowly to it that you don't renounce and rejecty our graces as weak and worthless evidences of your interest in Christ and of that eternal happiness and blessedness that comes by Christ The works of grace saith my Author which consists in those divine qualities of holiness and righteousness Grotius in Rom. 8.16 c. Gal. 5.22 â—â— is a sure Mark a blessed character whereby men may know whose children they are even as the Spartans or Lacedemonians of old are said to know what stock and linage they were of by a mark that was made upon their bodies by the head of a Lance or Speer I readily grant that you must not trust in your graces nor make a Saviour of your graces but yet you ought to look upon your graces as so many signs and testimonies of the love and favour of God to your souls What certainty can there be of Election Remission of sin Justification or Glorification if there be not a certainty of your Sanctification and Renovation if that perswasion that is in you ahout your grace or sanctification be false then that perswasion that is in you concerning remission of sin predestination justification and eternal salvation is false This highly concerns all them to consider that would not be miserable in both worlds I know many cry up Revelations Impressions Visions yea the visions of their own hearts and speak lightly and slightly of the graces of the Spirit of sanctification of holiness as evidences of the goodness and
tells you of some that speak evil of the things that they understood not they did reprehend that which they could not comprehend Ignorance is a breeding sin a mother sin all sins are seminally in ignorance ignorance is the mother of all the mistakes and of all the misrule in the world Christ told the Sadduces Mat. 22.29 That they did err not knowing the Scriptures and so I may say many err in crying down such signs and evidences of grace which are bottomed upon Scripture because they are ignorant of what the Scripture saith in the case But Fifthly The generality of Christians are but Lambs Babes and Children in grace Isa 40.11 2 Pet. 2.2 3. 1 John 2.1 the springs of grace runs low in them their fears frequently over-top their faith and their strong passions and corruptions do often raise such a dust and smoak in their souls that 〈◊〉 they might have all the world yea if their salvation lay upon it they were not able to discern the least measure of grace in their own souls A little grace is next to none small things are hardly discerned he had need to have a clear light and good eyes that is to discern a hair a mote or an atome A little grace is not discoverable but by a shining light from above There are none so full of fears and doubts and questions and disputes about the truth of their faith in Christ and the sincerity of their love to Christ as those that least believe and least love The Kingdom of God in most Christians Mark 4.30 31 32. is but as a grain of mustard-seed which is the least of all seeds and therefore 't is no wonder they see it not The root of the matter in most Christians is but small and that small root is often covered over with many sinful infirmities and weaknesses and therefore we are not to look upon it as a strange thing if we see such Christians not sensible of the root of the matter that is in them Weak habits put forth such faint actions and with so much interruption that it is not an easie thing to discern whether they are the products of special or of common grace Now most Christians having but small measures of grace holiness and sanctification in them and these small measures being much obscured and buried under the prevalency of fears doubts and unmortified lusts can speak but weakly and darkly for them upon this ground they are not fond of bringing in this witness of sanctification to speak for them In civil Courts men are not ambitious to bring such witnesses to the Bar as can witnes but weakly faintly in their case T is so here Sixthly Satan is a grand enemy to the peace joy comfort assurance settlement and satisfaction of every poor Christian and therefore he will leave no stone unturn'd nor no means unattempted Psal 77. Psal 88. whereby he may keep them in a low dark unsettled and uncomfortable condition When once a poor soul is brought over to Christ how does the Devil bestir himself to keep such a soul so under fears doubts and bondage as that it may not in the least have an eye to any thing that may have a proper tendency to its comfort joy assurance peace or quiet The Devil will do all he can to furnish such as arâ—â—egotten again by the resurrection of Christ from the dead with all sorts of deadly weapons one of his Armoury to fight against those Arguments and evidences which make for the peace and comfort of their own souls He that shall look seriously and impartially upon the subtile close strong 2 Sam. 2.19 and rhetorical arguings of many distressed Christians above their own natural parts against the peace rest comfort and settlement of their own souls may safely conclude that a hand of Joab a hand of Satan yea a strong hand of Satan has been with them He that shall please to read the life of Francis Spira though he be no great Philosopher yet he may easily discern with what subtilty and wonderful 2 Cor. 11.14 Sophistry Satan helpâ— him to argue against the pardonableness of his sins and the possibility of his salvation Satan knows how to transform himself into an Angel of light Satan does not alwayes appear in one and the same fashion but he appears in as many several shapes fashions and changes as Proteus did among the Poets To deceive some he has assumed a lightsom body as if he were an Angel of heaven as if he had been a holy one cloathed with the brightness of celestial glory To deceive others he has appeared as an Angel of light suggesting such things to them and injecting such things into them under fair and specious shews and pretences of Religion Piety Zeal and Holiness which have had a direct tendency to the dishonour of God the wounding of Christ the grieving of the Spirit the clouding or denying their evidences for heaven the strangling of their hopes and the death of all their comforts and joy But Seventhly and lastly Some Christians live under high enjoyments and singular manifestations of God's love to them they have God every day a shedding abroad of his love into their hearts by the holy Ghost Rom. 5.5 Psal 63.2 3 4. God is every day a filling their souls with life light love glory and liberty Mat. 17.4 Christ every day takes them up into the Mount and makes such discoveries of himself and his glory to them that they are ready frequently to cry out Bonum est esse hic Dan. 9.22 23 Cant. 2.6 It is good to be here Christ often whispers them in the ear with an O man O woman greatly beloved Christ's left hand is every day under their heads and his right hand doth embrace them they sit down every day under his shadow with great delight and his fruit is sweet unto their taste he makes out every day such sweet and clear manifestations of his admirable favour to their hearts Psal 63.2 3 4 5. that their souls are daily satisfied as with marrow and fatness There are some precious Christians I say not all Cant. 8. I say not most who live daily under singular glances of divine glory and who are daily under the sensible embracements of God and who daily lye in the bosom of the Father Cant. 1.13 and who every night have Christ as a bundle of myrrh lying betwixt their breasts Now these choice souls who live daily in the glorious manifestations of the Spirit and enjoy a little heaven on this side heaven these many times are so taken up with their high communion with God with their spiritual enjoyments and with their tastes of the glory of that other world that they do not much mind such evidences as we have had under our consideration And thus much for the Reasons why some cry down Scripture marks signs and evidences of grace of holiness of sanctification and
why others don 't much mind them or take any great notice of them But The fourth Proposition is this If this way of trying our spiritual estates by holy and gracious qualifications were not both lawful and useful then certainly the holy Spirit would never have prescribed it nor never have prest men so earnestly upon it as we find he has done in the blessed Scripture Take a taste 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith Psal 4.4 Vide Chrysostom on the words Gal. 6.3 4. 1 Tim. 6.17 18 19. prove your own selves The precept is doubled to teach us to redouble our diligence in this most needful but much neglected duty of self-examination The final tryal of our eternal estates doth immediately and solely belong to the Court of heaven but the disquisitive part belongs to us Here are two emphatical words in the Greek First 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 examine your selves The word in the general signifies to take an experimental knowledge of any thing that is either uncertain unknown or hidden most men are great strangers to God to Christ to Scripture and to themselves and therefore saith the Apostle Examine your selves Now if there were not sure marks and infallible signs whereby men may certainly know what their present estate is and how 't is like to go with them in another world the redoubled commnad of the Apostle would be in vain The second Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prove your selves The original word signifies a severe and diligent inquisition into our selves so as to have a full experience of what is in us Doubtless the Apostle would never call again and again upon us to try and examine our selves whether we be in the faith if it were not lawful to come to the knowledge of our faith or of our being in the state of faithful Christians in a discursive way arguing from the effect to the cause So in that 2 Pet. 1.10 Wherefore the rather brethren give all diligence to make your calling and election sure The Greek word translated give diligence is very emphatical 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it signifies to do a thing not in an overly lazy careless way but to do a thing with industry vigilancy and unweariedness of spirit Now it is granted on all hands that election cannot be made more sure in respect of God or it self but only in respect of us that we may be more perswaded of it Election cannot be made more sure than it is already for those whom God hath elected shall be certainly glorified but we must make it sure on our parts Rom. 8.29.30 that is we must labour to have a real bottom and grounded assurance that we are elected by God in his eternal decree to obtain life and glory by Jesus Christ There is a double certainty 1. There is certitudo objecti a certainty of the object so our election is sure with God for with him both it and all things are unchangable 2. There is certitudo subjecti the certainty of the subject and so we must make our election sure to our selves in our own hearts and consciences Now the means whereby we are to come to this assurance is by adding grace to grace and by causing those several graces to abound in us This is the way of wayes to make all sure to us Now by these Scriptures 't is most evident that we stand engaged to make our election sure by holy signs and marks But The fifth Proposition is this That other precious Saints that are now triumphing in glory have pleaded their interest in God's love and their hopes of a better life from graces inherent Grace in the working of it is often compared to life Now look as natural life is discerned by the actions thereof as by so many signs so also is supernatural life I 'le only point at some of those Scriptures among many others that clearly speak out this truth the first Epistle of John James 2.17 ult Job 23.10 11 12. and the whole 31. Chapter of Job Psal 119.6 Isa 38.2 3. Neh. 1. ult 13.14 c. Now all these Scriptures do evidently prove that the precious servants of the Lord did take their graces for precious signs and testimonies of God's love of their interest in Christ and thereby received much comfort peace and satisfaction And truly to deny the fruit growing upon the Tree to be an evidence that the Tree is alive is to me as unreasonable as it is absurd Certainly 't is one thing to judge by our graces and another thing to trust in our graces to make a Saviour of our graces There is a great deal of difference betwixt declaring and deserving Christians they may doubtless look to their graces as evidences of their part in Christ and salvation and the clearer and stronger they are the greater will be their comfort and assurance but not as causes No man advanced free grace like Paul no man debased his own righteousness like Paul he counted it but dung and dross and no man exalted the righteousness of Christ like Paul Phil. 3.6 7 8 9 and yet by this way of signs he gathered much comfort and assurance 2 Tim 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth is laid up for me a crown of righteousness How plainly how fully doth he here conclude his right to the crown of life from his fighting a good fight his finishing his course in a way of grace and holiness and his keeping the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is boasting they boasted in the testimony of their consciences O the quiet and tranquility that arises from the testimony of a mans sincerity both in heart and life By this great instance you may clearly see that a Christian may greatly exalt Christ lift up free grace tread upon his own righteousness as to justification and at the very same time take comfort in his graces and in his gracious actings So in that 2 Cor. 1.12 Our rejoycing is this the testimony of a good conscience that in godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world His joy was founded on the testimony of his conscience but from what did his conscience testifie from his sincere conversation Again take that memorable instance of Job God hid his face from him the arrows of the Almighty stuck fast in him Satan was let loose upon him the wife of his bosom proved a tempter to him a tormenter of him his most inward acquaintance deserted him reproached him and condemned him as an hypocrite God writ bitter things against him and made him to possess the iniquities of his youth all was clouded above him and he stript of all the outward comforts that did once surround him so that he had nothing left to stay him to refresh him to support him and to be a comfort and joy to him Job 1.8 2.3 but the
consolation doth as it were put his hand and seal to our receits Eph. 4.30 whence he is said to seal us up unto the day of redemption The graces of the Spirit are a real earnest of the Spirit yet they are not alwayes an evidential earnest therefore an earnest is often superadded to our graces For ever remember these few hints 1. That it is the work of the Spirit to plant grace in the soul 2. That it is the work of the Spirit to act and exercise the graces that he has planted there 3. That it is the work of the Spirit to shine upon those graces that he has planted in the soul and to cause the soul to see and feel what he has wrote 4. That it is the work of the Spirit to raise springs of comfort and joy in the soul upon the discovery of that grace which he has wrote in the soul O Christians till the Spirit of the Lord shine upon your graces Job 33. you will still be in the dark 'T is only God's own Interpreter that must shew a man his righteousness When the holy Ghost shines upon a Christians graces then a Christian finds the springs of comfort to rise in his soul and then he finds the greatest serenity and calmness in his spirit O Sirs no man can by any natural light or evidence in him come to be assured of the grace wrought in his soul Look as no man can see the Sun but in the light of the Sun so no man can see the graces of the Spirit but in the light of the Spirit 1 Joh. 5.13 A man may have grace and not see it he may be in a state of grace and not know it as the child lives in the womb but don't perceive it is heir to a crown but don't know it Isa 50.10 Rom. 8.13 O! till the Spirit shines upon his own work a child of light may walk in darkness and see no light Look as no man can subdue his sins but by the power of the Spirit so no man can see his graces but in the light of the Spirit The confidence that a believer hath of the truth of grace wrought in him springs more from the Spirits removing his slavish fears and answering his doubts and shining upon his graces and supporting his soul than it does from that excellency and beauty of grace which shines in him A man may read the promises over and over a thousand times and yet never be affected delighted or taken with them till the Spirit of the Lord set them home upon his soul And a man may read the threatnings over and over a thousand times and yet never startle nor tremble though he knows himself guilty of those very sins against which the threatnings are denounced till the Spirit of the Lord sets home the threatnings in power upon his conscience and then every threatning will be like the hand-writing upon the wall which will cause his countenance to be changed and his thoughts to be troubled Dan. 5.6 7. and his joynts to be loosed and his knees to be dashed one against another It is just so in the matter of our graces and gracious evidences till the holy Spirit shine upon them till in the light of the Spirit we come to see them they won't be witnessing comforting and refreshing to us and therefore let not the pious Reader think that by the strength of his natural light he shall ever attain to know the certainty of that grace which is in his soul but let him rather beg hard of God for his holy Spirit and that his Spirit may shine upon that good work which he hath begun in him that so he may be perswaded assured and comforted Without the light of the Spirit the work of the Spirit can't be seen no more than a book written in the fairest hand or print can be seen without light to see it or read it by But The ninth Proposition is this Sincere Christians may safely and groundedly rejoyce Most Christians by experience find that their assurance and joy rises and falls as grace and holiness and as the evidences of grace and holiness rise and fall in their souls delight and take comfort in those graces or in those divine qualities which in the light of the Spirit they see and know are wrote in their souls I don't say that a Christian should build the comfort of his justification upon his graces or that he should rest on his graces or trust to his graces or make a Saviour of his graces for this would be such a piece of Pharisaical Popery as is justly to be detested and abhorred by all that love Christ or are looking towards heaven But this I say a Christian may make several uses of his graces he may safly look upon his graces as so many evidences of Christ's dwelling in him and he may look upon his graces as so many heavenly bracelets or as so many love tokens from God in which he may safely rejoyce The gracious evidences that I have laid down in this Treatise are blessed symptoms of salvation and therefore to rejoyce in them can be no transgression of any royal Law of heaven He that can experimentally subscribe to any of the gracious evidences that are laid down in this Book has such a fair certificate to shew for heaven that no wicked man or hypocrite under heaven has the like to shew and why such a man should not rejoyce in such a certificate I can't at present see I may and ought to rejoyce in the works of Creation O! how much more then ought I to rejoyce in the work of Renovation in the work of sanctification which does so infinitely transcend the work of Creation I may and ought to rejoyce in my natural life health strength beauty and why then should I not rejoyce in grace and holiness which is the life health strength and beauty of my soul Cant. 4.9 Christ delights in the graces of his people Thou hast ravished my heart or thou hast behearted me as the Hebrew runs my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes or with one glance of thine eyes as some read it with one chain of thy neck The eye of faith say some the eye of love say others The chain of obedience say some the chain of spiritual graces say others ravished Christ's heart the one eye of faith the one chain of obedience unhearted Christ wounded Christ this one eye this one chain robbed Christ of his heart and laid the Spouse in the room of it Now shall Christ's heart be ravished with his childrens graces and shall not their hearts be ravished and delighted with those very graces that ravish Christ's own heart I may yea I ought to rejoyce in the graces of others 1 Thes 1 â— 3 4 5. 2 Thes 1.3 4. and why then not in my own I may yea I ought to rejoyce in others outward
heart Ver. 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand Ver. 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory Ver. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Ver. 26. God is the strength or rock of my heart and my portion for ever Ver. 28. It is good for me to draw near to God So the Church in that Micah 7. When God had hid his face from her Ver. 7. When she sate in darkness Ver. 8. When she was under the indignation of the Lord. Ver. 9. When the righteous man was perished and there was none upright among men Ver. 2. And when her enemies rejoyced insulted and triumphed over her Ver. 8. ver 10. Yet now even now she keeps up in her soul very high precious and honourable thoughts of the Lord. Ver. 7. My God will hear me Ver. 8. When I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me Ver. 9. He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousness I might give you twenty more instances but enough is as good as a feast Dear Christians when your graces are not transparent when your evidences for heaven are blotted and when the face of God is clouded O then keep up in your hearts high precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ and of his Word and wayes Acts 27.20 c. When your Sun of righteousness is set in a cloud when great darkness is upon your spirits when all Moon-light and Star-light of your graces and gracious evidences fails you Psal 22.3 yet then say with David Thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel and with Ezra Thou hast punished me less than mine iniquities deserve Ezra 9.13 Neh. 9.33 and with Nehemiah Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly and with the Church The Lord is righteous Lam. 1.18 In the darkest night and under your deepest soul-distresses say Well if I perish if I should miscarry for ever yet I will maintain and keep up in my heart high and precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ Say well though my graces are obscured and my evidences for heaven are blurred and soyled yet I shall to my last breath say the Lord is good and his Word is good and his wayes are good yea though he should slay me yet I will trust in him Job 13.15 and entertain noble and glorious thoughts of him This is the way of wayes to have your graces cleared and strengthned your evidences brightned your comforts restored and your assurance confirmed But The twelfth Proposition is this viz. That it is the great duty and concernment of Christians to keep the evidences of their gracious and happy condition alwayes bright and shining Christians should make conscience of blurring and disfiguring the golden characters of grace in their souls The least character of grace in the soul is more worth than all the gold of Ophir yea more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds Eph. 4.30 Psal 51.11 12 and therefore every gracious Christian should be marvellous careful that he does not by wilful omissions or sinful commissions cloud dim or darken the least character of grace such as blot or lose their evidences for heaven they lose the comfort of their lives in this world Satans master-piece is first to work Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory by committing this or that hainous sin and then his next work is to rob them of their evidences for glory that so though at the long run they may get safe to heaven that yet Jacob like they may go halting and mourning to their graves Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences are bright and shining a Christian is temptation-proof Satan may tempt him but he can't conquer him he may assault him but he can't vanquish him Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences for heaven are bright and shining no afflictions can sink him nor no opposition shake him nor no persecution discourage him nor no outward wants perplex him and therefore he will use all his power and policy all his arts crafts and parts to draw poor Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory Satan knows that a man may lose one friend and easily get another lose his Trade in one place and soon get a Trade in another place lose health and get it lose an estate and get an estate c. But if he loses his evidences for heaven he knows it will cost him many a prayer and many a sigh and many a groan and many a tear and many a sad complaint before he recovers his lost evidences and therefore his grand design is to plunder a Christian of his evidences for heaven O Sirs keep but your evidences for heaven alwayes bright and shining and then heavy afflictions will be light and long afflictions will be short 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. and bitter afflictions will be sweet and then every evidence fainly written in your hearts will be a living comfort to you in a dying hour When the tokens of death are upon your bodies and you shall see the lively characters of grace shining in your souls Luke 2.29 you will then cry out with old Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace and with the Spouse Make hast my beloved Cant. 8. ult and be like to a Roe or to a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Rev. 22.20 Phil. 1.23 and with the Bride Come Lord Jesus come quickly and with Paul I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ When a man's evidences for heaven are either lost or blotted and blur'd then he will be ready to cry out wiâ—h David O spare me yet a little that I may recover strength before I go hence and be seen no more Isa 38.3 and with Hezekiah to turn his face to the wall and weep There are four things that above all others a Christian should labour to keep 1. Christ 2. His own heart 3. The Word 4. His evidences for heaven bright and shining But The thirteenth Proposition is this viz. It is the high concernment of every Christian either when he is in the dark or when his graces shine brightest and when his evidences for heaven are clearest and his springs of comfort rise highest then to have his heart and the eye of his faith most firmly fixt upon these three royal Forts or these five Cities or refuge It must be granted that though our graces are our best jewels yet they are imperfect and do not give out their full lustre they are like the Moon which when it shines brightest hath her dark spots and therefore a Christian had need have his eye his heart fixt upon the five following royal Forts
Christ and of the singular manifestations of the love of Christ to their souls The great reason of reasons why the springs of comfort of joy of inward peace and of assurance rises no higher in many Christians souls is because the springs of grace and holiness rises no higher in their souls Had Christians more grace and more holiness in their hearts and lives God would quickly bring down more of heaven and assurance into their souls There is a blessed assurance as I have told you before which arises from the discovery of grace in the soul Now the more ample large and full the matter of our assurance is the more ample large and full must our assurance be Methinks the connexion of these four verses in Titus 2.11 12 13 14. shews this When grace that appears to us teacheth us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts c. See what follows then we are most likely to look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And that prayer of the Apostle for his Ephesians Eph. 3.16 17 18 speaks as loudly in the case That God would grant them to be strengthned by the Spirit c. to be rooted and grounded in love And what then That ye may comprehend with all Saints the length and breadth of the love of God Suppose in health or sickness living or dying a man should labour to support comfort and chear up his spirit in the thoughts or meditations of his eternal election and free justification And suppose that at that very time the Spirit of God his own conscience â— Thes 2.13 14. a faithful Minister or an experienced Christian should tell him That if he be really justified he is really sanctified Now if this man should say What do you tell me of sanctification or I know not whether I am sanctified or no or I look not to sanctification I mind not holiness I regard not the fruits of the Spirit will not the holy Spirit will not an enlightned conscience will not a faithful Minister will not an experienced Christian reply Then certainly thou art not elected thou art not justified for it is a truth as clear as the Sun a truth that will admit of no dispute viz. Rom 8.1 13 29 30. That none are eternally elected and freely justified but they are sanctified and that they that are not sanctified are not justified Mark there is a closs connexion of sanctification with justification in the promises of the Covenant sanctification and justificatiòn go hand in hand they come forth like twins out of the womb of free-grace as you may see in these remarkable Scriptures Jer. 33.8 Bern. in Cant. Serm. 37. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Here you see them both expressed together in the same deed I will cleanse them from all their iniquity there is our sanctification promised And I will pardon all their iniquities there is justification promised So Mich. 7.19 He will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt câ—st all their sins into the depths of the Sea Here you find justification and sanctification again in the promise He will subdue our iniquities This is sanctifying And he will cast all their sins into the depths of the Sea This is justifying Heb. 8.10 I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts there is the promise of sanctification Vâ—r. 12. And I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more There is the promise of justification 1 John 1.9 If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins There is our justification promised And to cleanse us from aâ—l unrighteousness There is the promise of sanctification Ezek. 36.25 From all your filthiness and from all your idols will I cleanse you There is the promise of sanctification Ver. 29. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses There is the promise of justification 1 Cor. 6.11 But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified Justification and sanctification are inseparable companions distinguished they must be but divided they can never be where sin is pardoned the gift of sanctity is still conferred 'T is weakness 't is wickedness for a man to conclude that he is in an elected and justified estate when he has nothing when he has not the least thing to evidence himself to be in a sanctified estate Both justification and sanctification have a necessary respect to the salvation of all those that shall go to heaven He that will go to heaven must be sanctified and he that will go to heaven must be justified No man can go to heaven without both no man can go to heaven unless he be justified Rom. 8.30 Whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them he also glorified None are justified but such as are called and none are glorified but such as are justified And as no man can go to heaven but he that is justified so no man can go to heaven but he that is sanctified John 3.5 Jesus answered and said unto him verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God Ver. 5. Jesus answerd verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God See my Treatise on Holiness Heb. 12.14 And holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By these Scriptures 't is evident that there is an absolute necessity both of sanctification and justification in reference to salvation Now as sanctification and justification are linkt together so the more clear the more full the more evident and the more eminent a mans sanctification is the more clear the more full the more evident and the more eminent will the evidences of his justification be The greatest evidences of our sanctification carries with them the greatest assurance of our justification and of our salvation But The fifteenth Proposition is this When your graces are strongest and your evidences for heaven are clearest and your comforts rise highest upon the sight of your graces or gracious evidences then in a special manner it concerns you to make it your great business and work to act faith a fresh to act faith with a greater strength upon the free rich and glorious grace of God and upon the Lord Jesus Christ 'T is reported of the Chrystal that it hath such a vertue in it that the very touching of it quickens other stones and puts a luster and beauty upon them This is most true of faith faith is a grace that gives strength and efficacy to all other graces it is like a silver thred that runs thorow a chain of pearl it hath an influence upon all other graces
that are in the soul faith is as the spring in the watch that moves the wheels not a grace stirs till faith sets it at work What is said of Solomons vertuous woman viz. Prov. 31.15 27 Heb. 11. Rom. 4.3 8.24 Zech. 12.10 That she sets all her Maidens to work is most true of faith faith sets all the graces in the soul at work We love as we believe and we obey as we believe and we hope as we believe and we joy as we believe and we mourn as we believe and we repent as we believe all graces keep time and pace with faith c. Now when your graces are most shining and your evidences for heaven are most sparkling O then give faith elbow-room give faith full scope to exercise it self upon the Lord Jesus Adams obedience to innocency was not more pleasing and delightful to God than the exercise of your faith on the Lord Jesus will be at such a time pleasing and delightful to him you are to look upon all your graces and gracious evidences as your highest encouragement to a lively cheerful 1 Joh. 5.13 Rom. 1.17 and resolute acting of faith upon the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ c. All a Christians graces and all his gracious evidences should be but as a golden bridge Gen. 45.19 21 27. or as Josephs wagons a means to pass his soul over to Christ afresh by a renewed exercise of faith When your graces and gracious evidences are most splendent then be sure that Christ be found lying as a bundle of myrrhe between your breasts and all is well and will be well Dear Christians Cant. 1.12 when your eyes are fixt upon inherent righteousness Plutarch in the life of Phocion tells us of a certain gentle-woman of Ionia who shewed the wife of Phocion all the rich jewels and precious stones she had She answered her again all my riches and jewels is my Husbands This is more applicable to Christ c. The precious stone Opalum is said to have the vertue of all stones the brightness of the Carbuncle the purple colour of the Amethist the amiable greenness of the Emerald but what are all these to Christ and upon your gracious evidences then let your hearts be firmly fixt upon the Lord Jesus Christ and his imputed righteousness Pauls eye was fixt upon his grace upon his better part Rom. 7.22 I delight in the Law of God after the inward man Ver. 25. And with my mind I serve the Law of God And yet at the very same time his heart was set upon Christ and taken up with Christ Ver. 25. I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ Though Paul had an eye to his noble part his better part his regenerate part yet at the same time his heart was taken up with the Lord Jesus Christ as freeing of him from the curse of the Law the dominion of sin the damnatory power of sin and as translating of him into the glorious liberty of the sons of God I thank God through our Lord Jesus Christ So in Col. 2.2 3. You have their eyes fixt upon grace and at the same time their hearts fixt upon Christ That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God and of the father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Their eyes were upon grace but their hearts were taken up with Christ So in Phil. 3.8 The Apostle had his eye upon the excellent knowledge of Christ But Ver. 9. his heart is taken up with the righteousness of Christ That I might be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousness which is of God by faith Though Paul had his eye upon grace upon inherent righteousness yet in the very presence of his grace his heart was taken up with Christ and with his imputed righteousness as is evident in the Text. This is your glory Christians in the presence and sight of all your graces and gracious evidences to see the free grace of Christ and his infinite spotless matchless and glorious righteousness to be your surest sweetest highest and choicest comfort and refuge Look as Rebkekah was more taken with the person of Isaac than she was with his ear-rings Gen. 24.30 53 64 65 66 67. bracelets jewels of silver and jewels of gold So it becomes a Christian in the presence of his graces and gracious evidences which are Christs ear-rings bracelets and jewels to be more taken up with Christ than with them He that holds not wholly with Christ doth very shamefully neglect Christ Aut totum mecum tene aut totum omitte Grego Nazien Christ and his Mediatory righteousness should be more in a Christians eye and always lye nearer to a Christians heart than inherent righteousness Grace is a ring of gold and Christ is the sparkling diamond in that ring Now what 's the ring to the sparkling diamond 'T is not safe to pore more upon inherent righteousness than upon imputed righteousness 'T is not wisdom to have our thoughts and hearts more taken up with our gracious dispositions and gracious actings than with the person of Christ the righteousness of Christ the life of Christ the death of Christ the satisfaction of Christ c. Dear Christians was it Christ or was it your graces or your gracious evidences or your gracious dispositions or your gracious actings that trod the wine-press of your Fathers wrath that satisfied divine justice that pacified divine anger that did bear the curse that fulfill'd the Law that brought in an everlasting righteousness that discharged your debts that procured you pardon that made your peace and that brought you into a state of favour and friendship with God If you answer as you must none but Christ none but Christ O then let your thoughts and hearts be firstly mostly chiefly and lastly taken up with the Lord Jesus Though inherent grace be a glorious creature yet 't is but a creature Now when your thoughts and hearts are more taken up with inherent grace than they are with Christ the spring and fountain of all grace you make an idol of inherent grace John 1.16 Col. 2.2 3. and reflect dishonour upon the Lord Jesus A Christian may lawfully look upon his graces and his gracious evidences and a Christian ought to be much in blessing and praising of God for his graces and gracious evidences and a Christian may safely take comfort in his graces and gracious evidences as they are the fruits of God's eternal and unchangable love Isa 38.3 2 Cor. 1.12 but still his work should be to live upon Christ and to lift up Christ above all 'T is Christ 't is his Mediatory righteousness 't is free-grace that a Christian ought to make the
happiness of a Christians condition There were some in James his time who cryed up faith James 2.18 and union and communion with Christ but were destitute of good works Well what saith the Apostle Shew me thy faith without thy works Ver. 26. and I will shew thee my faith by my works for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead Look as the body without the spirit or without breath as the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 primarily signifies is dead so that faith that is without works which are as it were the breathings of a lively faith is a dead faith Though it be faith that justifieth the man yet it is works that justifies a mans faith to be right and real saving and justifying So there were some in Johns time viz. the Gnosticks who talkt high of fellowship and communion with Christ and yet walkt in darkness they lived in all impurity and yet would make the world believe that they were the only people who knew God and had fellowship with God but John tells us they were lyars 2 Cor. 6.14 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth What fellowship hath light with darkness Such walk in darkness who promise to themselves the future vision of God's face whilst they go on in the wilful breach of God's royal Laws Such who say they know him and are swallowed up in the enjoyments of him and yet in the course of their liveâ— walk contrary to him such are lyars He that saith I know him 1 John 2.4 and keeps not his commandements is a lyar Sanctification and justification are both of them benefits of the Covenant of grace and therefore to evidence the one by the other Jer. 33.8 9. Heb. 8.10 12. can be no turning aside to the covenant of works You may run and read in the Covenant of grace that he that is justified is also sanctified and that he that is sanctified is also justified and therefore why may not he that knows himself to be really sanctified upon that very ground safely and boldly conclude that he is certainly justified O Sirs the same spiriâ— that witâ—esses to a Christian his justification can shine upon his graces 1 Cor. 2.12 1 Joh. 4.13 14. and witness to him his sanctification as well as his justification and without all controversie 't is as much the office of the Spirit to witness to a man his sanctification as 't is to witness to him his justification But you will say Sir pray what should be the reasons why many men have and why some do still cry down marks and signs and deny sanctification to be an evidence of mens justification c. and speak disgracefully of this practice that is now under consideration I conjecture the Reasons may be such as follow First Many Professors take up in a great name and in a great profession and in great parts and gifts though they have never found a through change 1 Thes 5.23 John 3.3 5. 2 Cor. 5.17 Acts 26.28 though they have never past the pangs of the new birth though they have never experienced what it is to be a new creature a throughout Christian And hence it comes to pass that they make head against this way of evidencing the goodness and happiness of a mans condition by inward gracious qualifications Of all men these are most apt to out-run the truth and to run from one extream to another and to be only constant in inconstancy But Secondly Many professors are given up to spiritual judgments which are the sorest of all judgments viz. luke-warmness dead-heartedness formality indifferency Apostacy blindness hardness and to strong delusions that they should believe a lye 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved Now is it any wonder to see such men quarrel and wrangle and rail against the way and method of evidencing the goodness and happiness of a mans spiritual condition by inherent gracious qualifications But Thirdly In some this ariseth from their lusts which they indulge and connive at and which they have a mind to live quietly in they are desirous to keep their peace and yet unwilling to forsake their lusts and hence they exclude this witness of water or sanctification to testifie in the Court of Conscience whether they are beloved of God or whether they are sincere hearted or no or whether they have the root of the matter in them or no for the want of this witness water or sanctification is a clear and full witness against them that they are yet in their sins under wrath and in the way to eternal ruin and that they have nothing to do with peace Isa 57. ult Psal 50.16 or comfort or the promises or Christ or heaven to take God's name into their lips seeing they secretly hate to be reformed There are many fair Professors that are foul sinners and that have much of God and Christ and heaven and holiness in their lips when they have nothing but sin and hell in their hearts and lives These mens conversions shame their profession and therefore they cry out against sanctification as a sure and blessed evidence of a mans justification Such sinners as live in a course of sin that make a Trade of sin 1 Thes 2.12 that indulge their sins that take up arms in defence of sin that make provision for sin that make a sport of sin that take pleasure in sin and that have set their hearts upon their sins such sinners can't but look upon the witness of sanctification as the hand-writing upon the wall Dan. 5.5 6. But Fourthly There are many who are great strangers to their own hearts and the blessed Scriptures and are ignorant of what may be said from the blessed Word 'T is sad to be a stranger at home and to be least acquainted with a mans own heart Aristotle to evidence the lawfulness of this practice that is under our present consideration And hence it comes to pass that they cry down marks and signs and deny sanctification to be a sure and blessed evidence of mens justification Ignorat sane improbâ—â— omnis ignorance is the source of all sin the very well-spring from which all wickedness doth issue 'T is said of knowledge non habet inimicum praeter ignorantem Ignorance inslaves a soul to Satan it lets in sin by Troops locks them up in the heart shuts out the means of recovery and so plaisters up a mans eyes that he can't see the things that belongs to his own or to others internal or eternal peace The Scripture sets ignorant persons below the Ox and the Ass Did men either see the deformity of sin Isa 1.3 or the beauty and excellency of holiness they would never delight in the one nor cry down the other Peter 2 Pet. 2.12