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
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
in their day have laid down such things for evidences or characters of grace which being weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary will be found too light But here a mantle of love may be of more use than a lamp and therefore Secondly Many yea very many there are whose graces are very weak and much buried under the earth and ashes of many fears doubts scruples strong passions prevailing corruptions and diabolical suggestions who would give as many worlds as there be men in the world had they so many in their hands to give to know that they have grace and that their spiritual estate is good and that they shall be happy for ever Now this Treatise is fitted up for the service of these poor hearts for the weakest Christians may turn to many clear and well-bottomed evidences in this Treatise and throw the Gantlet to Satan and bid him prove if he can that ever any prophane person or cunning hypocrite under heaven had such evidences or such fair certificates to shew for heaven which he has to shew The generality of Christians are weak they are rather Dwarfs than Gyants 1 Pet. 2.2 3. 1 John 2.12 13 14. Isa 40.11 they are rather bruised Reeds than tall Cedars they are rather Babes than men Lambs than sheep c. Now for the service of their souls I have been willing to send this Treatise into the world for this Treatise may speak to them when I may not yea when I cannot yea which is more when I am not Famous Mr. Dod would frequently say He cared not where he was if he could but answer these two Questions 1. Who am I And 2. What do I hear am I a child of God and am I in my way But Thirdly Some there are who are so excessively and immoderately taken up with their Signs Marks and Evidences of grace and of their gracious state c. that Christ is too much neglected Where Christ was born they were all so taken up with their guests that he was not minded nor regarded when others lay in stately rooms he must be laid in a manger Luke 2.7 and more rarely minded by them their hearts don't run out so freely so fully so strongly so frequently so delightfully towards Christ as they should do nor as they would do if they were not too inordinately taken up with their Marks and Signs Now for the rectifying of these mistakes and the cure of these spiritual maladies this Treatise is sent into the world we may and ought to make a sober use of characters and evidences of our gracious estates to support comfort and encourage us in our way to heaven but still in subordination to Christ and to the fresh and frequent exercises of faith upon the person blood and righteousness of Jesus But O! how few Christians are there that are skil'd in this Work of Works this Art of Arts this Mystery of Mysteries But Fourthly Some there are who in these dayes are given up to Enthusiastical Fancies strange Raptures Revelations and to the sad delusions of their own hearts crying down with all their might all discoveries of Believers spiritual estates by Scripture Characters 2 Thes 2.9 10 11. Marks and Signs of Sanctification as carnal and low and all this under fair pretences of exalting Christ and maintaining the honour of his Righteousness and Free-grace and of denying our selves and our own righteousness Though sanctification be a branch of the Covenant of grace as well as Justification Jer. 33.8 Ezek. 36.25 26 27. yet there are a sort of men in the world that would not have Christians to rejoyce in their sanctification under a pretence of reflecting dishonour upon their free justification by Christ. There are many who place all their Religion in opinions in brain-sick notions in airy speculations in quaint disputations in immediate Revelations and in their warm zeal for this or that form of worship Now that these may be recovered and healed and prevented from doing further mischief in the world I have at this time put to a helping hand But Fifthly No man can tell what is in the breasts in the womb of divine Providence The Brathmanni had their graves before their doors The Sybarites at Banquets had a deaths head delivered from hand to hand by every guest at the Table The Egyptians in the midst of their Feasts used to have the Anatomy of a dead man set before them as a memorandum to the guests of their mortality The poor Heathen could say that the whole life of man should be meditatio mortis a meditation of death Dwell upon that Deut. 32.29 Prov. 27 1. no man can tell what a a day a night an hour may bring forth Who can sum up the many possible deaths that are still lurking in his own bowels or the innumerable hosts of external dangers which beleaguer him on every side or how many invisible arrows flie about his ears continually and how soon he may have his mortal wound given him by one of them who can tell Now how sad would it be for a man to have a summons to appear before God in that other world before his heart and life is changed and his evidences for heaven cleared up to him The life of man is but a shadow a post a span a vapour a flower c. Though there is but one way to come into the world yet there are many thousand wayes to be sent out of the world and this should bespeak every Christian to have his evidences for heaven alwayes ready and at hand yea in his hand as well as in his heart and then he will find it an easie thing to die The King of terrors will then be the King of desires to him and he will then travel to glory under a spirit of joy and triumph We carry about in our bodies the matter of a thousand deaths and may die a thousand several wayes several hours As many senses as many members nay as many pores as there are in the body so many windows there are for death to enter in at Death needs not spend all his arrows upon us a Worm a Gnat a Fly a Hair a stone of a Raisin a kernel of a Grape the fall of a Horse the stumble of a Foot the prick of a Pin the pairing of a Nail the cutting one of a Corn all these have been to others and any of them may be to us the means of our death within the space of a few dayes nay of a few hours Don't it therefore highly concern us to have our evidences for heaven cleared sealed shining and at hand Naturalists tell us That if a man sees a Cockatrice first the Cockatrice dieth but if the Cockatrice sees a man first the man dies Certainly if we so see death first as to prepare for it as to get our evidences for heaven ready we shall kill it but if death sees us first and arrests us first before we are prepared
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
times of great afflictions temptations desertions fears and doubts a very great aptness and proneness in Christians to expect strange means rather than right means and new means rather than old means and invented means rather than appointed means to build their faith upon somthing beside the Word or that is without the compass of the Word rather than upon the plain and naked Word it self being in this very like to many weak crazy distempered and diseased Patients that are more ready to fancy every new Medicine and new Doctor they hear of and to be tampering with them than to expect a recovery by going through a course of Physick prescribed by the Physician that best understands their diseases and the most proper and effectual means for their recoveries You know when Naaman the Assyrian came to the Prophet Elisha to be cured of his Leprosie he only sent out a Messenger to him who bid him go and wash seven times in Jordan and his flesh should come again unto him and he should be clean 2 Kings 5.10 but Naamans bloud rises and his heart swells and he grows very wrath and all because he did not like the means prescribed by the Prophet and because he thought in his own heart that the Prophet would have used more likely means to have wrought the cure ver 11 12. So many Christians when they lye under great agonies and sore perplexities of soul and are encouraged to act faith upon the promises and to rest their weary souls upon the Word of grace they are ready to think and say that these things these means will never heal them nor comfort them nor be a relief or support unto them unless the Lord does from heaven by extraordinary Revelations Visions Signs and Miracles confirm his promises to them and hereupon they make light of the blessed Scriptures which are the springs of life and the only bottom upon which all our comforts peace and happiness is to be built yea they relinquish that more sure word of prophecy which shines as a light in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 Certainly the acting of faith on the precious promises and the cleaving of the soul unto those blessed truths declared in the Gospel of grace is the most sure ready and compendious way of obtaining a blessed assurance Eph. 1.13 and a full establishment of heart Com. on Gen. cap. 38. in all sound solid and abiding joy and peace and therefore Luther though as he confesseth he was often tempted to ask for Signs Apparitions and Revelations from heaven to confirm him in his way yet tells us how strongly he did withstand them Pactum feci cum Domino Deo meo c. I have saith he indented with the Lord my God that he would never send me Dreams Visions Angels for I am well contented with this gift that I have the holy Scripture which doth abundantly teach and supply all necessaries for this life and that also which is to come Certainly Austin hit the mark when he prayed Lord let thy holy Scriptures be my pure delights in which I can neither deceive or ever be deceived Certainly the ballance of the sanctuary should weigh all the Oracles of God decide all and the Rule of Gods Word be the square and judge of all O Sirs dare you venture your souls upon it that the blessed Scriptures are false that they are but a Fable dare you stand forth and say if the Scriptures be not a lye let us be damned for ever and ever dare you stand up and say we are freely contented that the everlasting worm shall gnaw on our hearts for ever and that our bodies and souls shall for ever and ever lye burning in infernal flames if the Scriptures prove not at last a cheat a deceit a meer forgery and imposture Now if you dare not thus to say and thus to venture then peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture in the great concernments of your precious souls They that would take their parts in promised comforts they must follow the voice of the Word and subscribe to the sentence of conscience following that Word If the Word approve of thee as sound and sincere with God assuredly thou art so for that rule cannot err If the Word saith that thy heart is right with God thou must maintain that Testimony against all disputes whatever Never enter into dispute with Satan or thine own self about thy estate but by taking and making the Scripture the judge of the controversie when fears rise high you say you shall never have mercy bâ—t dotâ— the Word say so The Lord never gave himself to me but doth the Word say so Never was any as I am but doth the Word say so I cannot see nor conceive nor think that the Lord hath any love for me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word say That his thoughts are not as your thoughts nor his wayes as your wayes Isa 55.8 9. But as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his wayes higher than your wayes and his thoughts than your thoughts I have not that peace and joy that others have therefore the Lord intends no good towards me but doth the Word say so Oh but if my inside were but turned outward good men would loath me and wicked men would laugh at me but doth the Word say so Oh but my heart was never right with God but doth the Word say so Oh but that which I have taken all this while for saving grace is but common grace but doth the Word say so Oh but the face of God is hid from me my Sun is set in a cloud and will never rise more but doth the Word say so Oh but Satan is let loose upon me and therefore God hates me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word tell you That those who have been most beloved of God have been most tempted by Satan Witness Christ David Job Joshua Peter Paul c. Oh but I am afflicted so as never was any before me but doth the Word say so Oh let the Word have the casting voice and not thine own frail distempered reason Oh don't only hear what sin and Satan and thine own heart can say against thee but hear also what the Word of the Lord Jesus can say for thee Let the Word of the Lord be judge on both sides and then all will be well I know that the impenitent and unbelieving person that lives and dies without grace in his heart and an interest in Christ shall as certainly be damned as if I saw him this very moment under everlasting burnings because God in the Scripture has said it Mark 16.16 John 3.18.36 Rev. 21.8 Rom. 2.4 5. 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5.19 20 21. Heb. 12.14 And I know that the holy humble true penitent believing self-denying and sin-mortifying Christian shall be as certainly saved as if at this very time I saw him in an actual
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
of Dispensations in his dealings with a man When God sets a man up before all the world as a mark to shoot at as he did Job Now a poor Christian is ready to doubt and conclude Job 7.20 c. 16.12 Surely the Lord has no regard of me he has no entire love for me his heart is not certainly towards me seeing all these sore tryals make so much against me but here the poor Christian is mistaken as Jacob once was Gen 42.36 And Jacob their Father said unto them Me have ye bereaved of my children Joseph is not and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin away all these things are against me Gen. 45.5 6 7 8 9. But Jacob was out for all those things made for him and for the preservation of the visible Church of God in the World Certainly all the afflictions that befall the people of God Rev. 3.19 Heb. 12.5 6. are but his love-tokens As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and therefore those Christians are miserably mistaken that take them for testimonies of his wrath and effects of his disfavour O Sirs what can be more absurd displeasing and provoking than for a Christian to make that an Argument of Gods hatred that he intends for an instance of his love and yeâ— Christians are apt thus to act It is observable the Apostle reckons affliction amongst Gods honoraries and tokens of respect Judg. 6.12 13. Exod. 17.7 Phil. 1.29 For to you t is given saith he not only to believe but also to suffer Which saith Father Latymer is the greatest promotion that God gives in this world Job 7.17 18. Job when he was himself could not but admire at it that God should make such an account of man and that he should so magnify him and dignify him as to think him worthy of a rod a whiping as to think him worth a melting Prov. 1.32 Psal 73.5 Eccles 9.1 2. and trying every morning yea every moment T is certain that great prosperity and worldly glory are no sure tokens of Gods love and t is as certain that great troubles and afflictions are no sure marks of Gods hatred and yet many poor Christians when the waters of affliction rise high and are ready to overflow them O how apt are they to conclude that God hates them and will revenge himself upon them and that they have nothing of God or Christ or the Spirit or Grace in them Or 5. Lam. 1.16 When the Spirit the Comforter stands afar off and witholds those special influences without which in a common ordinary way a Christian cannot divinely candidly clearly and impartially transact with God in order to his own peace comfort and settlement Or 6. When either a Christians evidences are not at hand or else they are so soiled darkned blotted and obscured as that he is not able to read them Psal 88. Job 33.10 It is an old saying that Melancholia est vehiculum Daemonum In the German proverb Luther sayes it goes for currant Caput Melancholicum diaboli Balneum The melancholy head is the Devils bathing place Or 7. When a Christian is extreamly opprest with melancholy Melancholy is a dark and dusky humor which disturbs both Soul and body and the cure of it belongs rather to the Physitian than to the Divine It is a most pestilent humor where it abounds one calls it Balneum Diaboli the Devils Bath t is a humor that unfits a man for all sorts of services but especially those that concern his soul his spiritual estate his everlasting condition The Melancholy person tyres the Physitian grieves the Minister wounds Relations and makes sport for the Devil There are 5 sorts of persons that the Devil makes his Ass to ride in triumph upon viz. the ignorant person the unbelieving person the proud person the hypocritical person and the Melancholy person Melancholy is a disease that works strange passions strange imaginations and strange conclusions It unmans a man it makes a man call good evil and evil good sweet bitter and bitter sweet light darkness and darkness light The distemper of the body oftentimes causeth distemper of soul for the Soul followeth the temper of the body A Melancholy spirit is a dumb spirit you can get nothing out of him Mat. 9.28 29. It is no more wonder to see a Melancholy man doubt and question his spiritual condition than it is to see a child cry when he is beaten or to hear a sick man groan or to hear a drowning man call out for a boat You may silence a Melancholy man when you are not able to comfort him Whilest Nebuchadnezzar was under the power of a deep Melancholy he could not tell whether he was a man or a Beast Melancholy is the mother of fears doubts disputes and discomforts and a deaf spirit you can get nothing into him Now of all the evil spirits we read of in the Gospel the dumb and the deaf were the worst darkness sadness solitariness heaviness mourning c. are the only sweet desirable and delightful companions of melancholy persons Melancholy makes every sweet bitter and every bitter seven times more bitter the melancholy person is marvellously prone to bid sleep farewel and joy farewel and meat farewel and friends farewel and Ordinances farewel and duties farewel and Promises farewel and Ministers farewel and his Calling farewel and t is well if he be not even ready to bid God farewel too Melancholy persons are like Idols that have eyes but see not and tongues but speak not and ears but hear not Melancholy turns truths into Fables and fables into truths it turns fancies into realities and realities into fancies Melancholy is a fire that burns inwards and is hard to quench Now if a Christian be under the power of natural or accidental Melancholy his work is not now to be a trying his estate or a casting up of his accounts to see what he is worth for another world but to use all such wayes and means as God hath prepared in a natural way for the cure of Melancholy for as the Soul is not cured by natural causes so the body is not cured by spiritual Remedies Now in the seven cases last mentioned a Christians work lyes rather in mourning self-judging self-loathing self-abhorring and in repenting and reforming and in fresh and frequent exercises of Faith on the Lord Jesus on his Blood on his Promises and on his free rich sovereign and glorious Grace â—hat is displayed and offered in the Gospel and in a patient waiting upon the Lord in the use of all holy and heavenly helps for deliverance out of his present straits tâ—yals and exercises then in falling upon that great work of casting up his spiritual accounts and of searching into the Records of glory to see whether his name be Registred in the Book of Life or no. O Sirs when poor Christians are bewildered their proper work is to cast themselves upon the
people and to approve of his people and to delight in his people and to interpret his people according to the common bent frame disposition resolution unfeigned desires and constant endeavours of their Souls But c. Thirdly If your obedience be the obedience of Faith then your estate is good then you have assuredly an infallible work of God upon your souls Quest But how shall we know whether our obedience be the obedience of Faith or no how may a man discern when his obedience springs from Faith Answ You may certainly know whether your obedience be the obedience of Faith or no by these following particulars First That obedience that springs from Faith is a full obedience a universal obedience David did look upon his universal obedience as a special testimony of his uprightness Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Mark the Psalmist doth not say When I obey all thy Commandments then shall I not be ashamed but When I have a respect to all thy Commandments then shall I not be ashamed Now a respect to all Gods Commandments notes an inward awe and reverential eye towards every duty that God requires The rule is good and true Quicquid propter deum fit equaliter fit he who doth serve and obey God for Gods sake will equally obey all that God commands him No one Command is unjust or unreasonable to himâ— whose heart is upright in obedience c. Seneca describing a vertuous man Epist 120. saith of him that he is Idem semper et in omni actu par sibi Bacharti from â—achar the word notes a careful and diligent choice upon good tryal and proof The words according to the Hebrew may be read thus Then shall I not blush when my eye is to all thy Commandments Now you know the Traveller hath his eye towards the place whither he is going and though he be short of it yet he is still a putting on and pressing forwards all he can to reach it So when the eye of a Saint is to all the Commands of God and he is still a pressing forwards towards full obedience such a Soul shall never be put to the blush such a Soul shall never be ashamed in the great day of our Lord Jesus So Acts 13.22 I have found David the son of Jesse a man after mine own heart which shall fulfill all my will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all my wills to note the sincerity and universality of his obedience So Acts 24.16 And herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men So Heb. 13.18 We trust we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly That obedience that springs from Faith doth neither dispute Divine Commands nor divide Divine Commands one from another Zacharias and Elizabeth were both righteous before God walking in all the Commandments and Ordinances of the Lord blameless Luke 1.5 6. That obedience that springs from Faith is a full obedience a universal obedience It is universal in respect of the subject the whole man and 't is universal in respect of the object the whole Law Mark he who obeyes sincerely obeyes universally though not in regard of practice which is impossible yet 1. In regard of his will and desires his will and desire is to obey all Rom. 7.18 For to will is present with me Psal 119.5 O that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes 2. In respect of election or choice he chooses to obey all Psal 119.173 Let thine hand help me for I have chosen thy Precepts The word here rendred chosen signifies to choose upon tryal and examination I have chosen thy Precepts before all and above all other things I have chosen thy Precepts for my chiefest good and for my only treasure I have chosen thy Precepts to own them to follow them and to obey them 3. In respect of approbation he approves of all the Commands of God as holy just and good he highly approves of those Royal Commands that he cannot perfectly obey Rom. 7.12 Wherefore the Law is holy and the Commandment holy just and good And Verse 16. I consent unto the Law that it is good He assents to the Commands of God as holy and he consents to them as good 4. In respect of affection he loves all the Commands of God he dearly loves those very Commands that he cannot obey Psal 119.97 O how I love thy Law Such a pang of love he felt as could not otherwise be vented but by this pathetical exclamation O how love I thy Law Verse 113. I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Verse 163. I hate and abhor lying but thy Law do I love Verse 119. Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies Verse 127. Therefore I love thy Commandments above Gold yea above fine Gold Verse 159. Consider how I love thy Precepts Verse 167. My Soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly 5. In respect of valuation or esteem he highly values all the Commands of God he highly prizes all the Commands of God as you may see by comparing these Scriptures together Psal 119.72 127 128. Psal 19.8 9 10 11. Job 23.12 6. In respect of his purpose and resolution he purposes and resolves by divine assistance to obey all to keep all Psal 119.106 I have sworn and will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments Psal 17.3 I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress 7. In respect of his inclination he has an habitual inclination in him to keep all the Commands of God 1 Kings 8.57 58. 2 Chron. 30.17 18 19 20. Psal 119.112 I have inclined my heart to perform thy Statutes alwayes even to the end 8. In respect of endeavours they endeavour to keep all Psal 119.59 I turned my feet unto thy testimonies There is no man that obeyes God truly who doth not endeavour to obey God fully and thus you see in what respects that obedience that flows from Faith is a full obedience a universal obedience A child of God obeyes all the commands of God in respect of his sincere desires purposes resolutions and endeavours and this God accepts in Christ for perfect and compleat obedience This is the glory of the Covenant of Grace that God accepts and esteems of sincere obedience as perfect obedience Such who sincerely endeavour to keep the whole Law of God they do keep the whole Law of God in an evangelical sense though not in a legal sense In the work of Conversion Ezek. 11.19 20. God infuseth all Grace together and writes not one particular Law in the hearts of his children but the whole Law which is a universal Principle inclining the Soul impartially to all The gracious Soul sincerely falls in with every command of God so far as he knows it without prejudice or partiality he dares not
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.
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
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
the rewards of man with a hundred other things may be very prevalent to reform the life to regulate the outward conversation and to keep that in some due decorum and yet all these things will be found too weak too low to change the heart to reform the heart to mend the heart to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 To this great work there are principles of a higher nature required Purifying their hearts by faith 'T is not a guard of moral vertues but a guard of saving graces that can keep the heart in order to reform the heart to keep the heart in a gracious frame is one of the best and hardest works in the world Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life The Text is about matter of life and death The words are mandatory for all counsels in Scripture carry in them the force of a command In the words you have two things observable 1. A duty enjoyned Keep thy heart with all diligence 2. The reason or motive inforcing it For out of it are the issues of life In the duty there are two things considerable 1. Here is the subject matter the thing that is to be done and that is Keep thy heart This duty is charged upon all in peremptory and undispensable terms 2. Here is the manner how it must be done and that is With all diligence Keep The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Natsar to keep hath various significations but the main is to keep in safe custody we should keep our hearts as under lock and key that they may be alwayes at hand when the Lord shall call for them c. Thy heart By the heart the we are not to understand that particular vital member of the body that in common speech we call the heart Heart is not here taken properly for that noble part of the body which Philosophers call the primum vivens c. ultimum moriens the first that lives and the last that dies But by heart in a metaphor the Scripture sometimes understands some particular noble faculty of the soul sometimes the heart is put for the understanding Rom. 1.21 Their foolish heart was darkned that is their understanding was darkned sometimes 't is put for the will and affections Mat. 22.37 So Prov. 23.26 Deut. 10.12 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind that is with thy will and with all thy affections The will is the chiefest power of the soul as the heart is the principal part of the body Mat. 8. and it commands all the affections as the Centurion did his servants Job 27.6 sometimes 't is put for the conscience 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater â—han our heart and knoweth all things that is if our conscience condemn us justly then our case must be assuredly sad because God knows much more by us than we know by our selves and can charge us with many sins that conscience is not privy to Psal 19 12. sometimes 't is put for the memory Psal 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that is in my memory So Luke 2.19 But here 't is taken comprehensively for the whole soul with all its powers noble faculties and endowments together with their several operations all which are to be watched over With all diligence or as the Hebrew runs With all keeping The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shamar signifies Cato Cicero Seneca Socrates and others have laid down excellent rules for the government of the outward man but n one for the government of the heart to keep with watch and ward A Christian is to keep a perpetual guard about his heart A Lapide notes that the Hebrew word is borrowed from military affairs We should keep our hearts as soldiers keep a Garrison with watch and ward Lavater jumps with him and tells us that the word Shamar is taken from a besieged Garrison begirt by many enemies without and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous Citizens within in which danger the soldiers upon pain of death are commanded to watch Junius reads the word thus Keep thy heart Supra omnem custodiam above all keeping So Hierom reads Prae omni custodia above all keeping keep thy heart that is keep keep watch watch c. So Rhodolphus reads it Prae omni custodia and so we read it in the Margin of our Bibles And the Syriack reads it in the same manner that our English doth Cum omni cautione with all caution and wariness we are to keep our hearts O what guards and double guards O what watches and double watches should men put upon their hearts These words keeping keep import both a universal watchfulness over the heart and a diligent watchfulness over the heart and a constant watchfulness over the heart and thrice happy are those persons who keep such a watch upon their hearts A man is to keep his eye and keep his mouth and keep his feet but above all keeping he is to keep his heart 'T is a duty incumbent upon every Christian to keep his own heart Keep thy heart Thy self thou mayest make another thy Park-keeper or thy House-keeper or thy Shop-keeper or thy Cash-keeper or thy Horse-keeper or thy Nurse-keeper but thou must be thy own Heart-keeper Keep thy heart with all diligence some understand this of all kind of watchfulness The Hebrew word is applyed to several sorts of keeping As First It is applyed to those that are the keepers of a prison Gen. 39.21 22 23 So Job 7.12 where dangerous Fellons or Malefactors are to be looked to that they don't break away 1 King 20.39 Keep this man so Joseph was made the Keeper of the prison The Hebrew word is the same with that in Prov. 4.23 Now O â—ow diligent how vigilant are men in looking after their prisoners even so should we be in looking after our hearts c. Secondly It signifies to keep as men would keep a besieged Garrison Hab. 2.1 or City or Castle in time of war So 't is used in that Hab. 2.1 Now what strong guards what watchful guards do men keep up at such a time A gracious heart is Christ's Fort-royal Now against this Fort Satan will imploy the utmost of his strength art craft and therefore how highly does it concern every Christian to keep a strong guard a constant guard about his heart But Thirdly It signifies to keep as the Priests and Levites kept the Sanctuary of God the Temple of God and all the holy things that were committed to their charge So the word is often used by the Prophet Ezek. 44.8 15 16 c. The Temple and all the vessels of the Temple were to be kept pure and clean and sweet Our hearts are the Temples of God the Temples of the holy Ghost and therefore we should alwayes keep a strong
ever before him Godly sorrow will every day follow sin hard at hells Look as a wicked man in respect of his desire and will to sin would sin for ever if he should live for ever so I may say if a godly man should live for ever he would sorrow for ever After Paul had been converted many years some think fourteen you shall find him a mourning and lamenting over his sins Rom. 7. An ingenious child will never cease mourning till he ceases from offending an indulgent father Though sin and godly sorrow were never born together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together And indeed holy joy and godly sorrow are no wayes inconsistent Psal 2.11 yea a godly man's eyes are alwayes fullest of tears when his heart is fullest of holy joy c. A man may go joying and mourning to his grave yea to heaven at the same time But now the sorrow the grief of wicked men for sin 't is like a morning cloud or the early dew or the crackling of thorns under a pot or a Post that quickly passeth by or a dream that soon vanisheth or like a tale that is told c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together As you may see in Esau Ahab Pharaoh and Judas but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run as long as sin hangs upon us and dwells in us 1 Cor. 15.9 I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions David prayeth to the Lord not only to forgive but also to forget both the sins of his youth and the sins of his age David remembred all his faults both of former and of later times David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba and this he remembers and mourns over Psal 51. And 't is very observable that God charged his people for to remember old sins Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness Repentance is a grace and must have its daily operation as well as other graces witness the very covenant of grace it self Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfie himself with one act of repentance than he can satisfie himself with one act of faith or or with one act of hope or with one act of love or with one act of humility or with one act of patience or with one act of self-denial Godly sorrow is a gospel-Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces 't is a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry Sixthly Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow it divorces the heart from sin it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin It is an excellent saying of Austin He doth truly bewail the sins he hath committed who never commits the sins he hath bewailed there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin Isa 28.15 18. but when godly sorrow enters it dissolves that league it separates between a sinner and his sin it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin The union between the root and the branches the foundation and the building the head and the members the father and the child the husband and the wife the body and the soul are all neer very neer unions yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a neerer union Observable is the story of Phaltiel 2 Sam. 3.14 15 16. You know when David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another but when David came to the crown and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him her husband dares not but obey brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife that he now forsakes her O no he was enforced and though she was gone yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim weeping and bemoaning her absence Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul the league the friendship the union that was between the sinner and his sins comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces Hosea 14.8 All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin he that divinely mourns over sin can't live in a course of sin when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul then the soul bids an everlasting farewel to sin now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever O Sirs ☜ this is a most certain Maxim to live and die with that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning or else his mourning will make an end of his sin for he that holds on sinning will certainly leave off mourning no man can make a trade of sin and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame but he that holds on mourning for sin will certainly leave off the trade of sin holy grief for sin will sooner or later break off all leagues and friendships with sin Isa 59.1 2. As sin makes a separation between God and a man's soul so godly sorrow makes a separation between a man's soul and his sin All holy mournings over sin will by degrees issue in the wasting and weakning of the strength and power of sin nothing below the death and destruction of sin will satisfie that soul that truly mourns over sin But now though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins Pharaoh lamented over his sin crying out I have sinned Exod. 9.27 10.16 the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And again Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin So Saul could cry out he had sinned but yet he still continued in his sin he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David and yet he still held on persecuting of him An unsound heart mourns over sin and yet he holds on in a course of sin he sins and mourns and mourns and sins and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more imbolden him
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
mercies and in my own outward mercies O! how much more then ought I to rejoyce in the saving and distinguishing graces of the Spirit especially when I consider that the least dram of grace is more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds Hab. 3.18 Gal. 6.14 Phil. 3.3 as every awakened conscience will tell you when they come to dye Mark firstly mostly and chiefly a Christian is to rejoyce in God and Christ but secondarily and subordinately he may rejoyce in those graces and in those gracious evidences that God has given into his soul Firstly mostly and chiefly a Wife is to rejoyce in the person of her Husband but secondarily subordinately she may rejoyce in the bracelets in the ear-rings in the jewels in the gold chains that are given her by her Husband But The tenth Proposition is this viz. That that assurance that the people of God may rise to by the sight of their graces and upon the sight of their gracious evidences in the light of the spirit is not so clear and bright and high and full a that it utterly excludes all fears doubtings conflicts 1 Cor. 13.12 Phil. 3.12 13 14. or spiritual agonies Our knowledge of God of Christ of our selves and of the blessed Scripture which is the Rule of tryal is imperfect in this life And how then can our assurance be perfect David a man eminent in grace and holiness had his up-hills and his down-hills his Summer days and his Winter nights Psal 73.25 Psal 42.5 11. Now you shall have him upon the Mountains singing and saying The Lord is my portion and presently you shall have him in the Valleys sighing and saying Whâ— art thou cast down O my soul why art thou disquieted within me Job 3. Psal 77. Psal 88. The same is evident in Job Heman and Asaph Such an assurance as shall exclude all fears doubts conflicts agonies iâ— very desirable on earth but shall never be obtained till we come to heaven The grievous assaults of Satan the power of unbelief and the prevalency of other corruptions in a Christians heart may be such as may shake I don't say overturn that assurance which a Christian may gather from the sight and evidence of his graces in the light of the spirit Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth as well against the spirit as it is a spirit of consolation as it lusteth against the spirit as it is a spirit of sanctification and therefore such an assurance as shall exclude all sorts and degrees of fears and doubts Doubting is not a vertue as the Papists would make us believe but 't is a fruit of the flesh and a thing most contrary and opposite to the nature of faith Jam. 1.5 Mat. 21.21 13.31 And therefore Christians should pray hard to be rid of their doubts is not attainable in this life whilst we are in this old world we shall have water with our wine gall with our honey and some clouds with our brightest Sun-shiny dayes c. Most Christians think that as long as they have any doubtings they have no assurance but they consider not that there are many degrees of infalible certainty below a perfect or an undoubting certainty Doubtless some darkness more or less will overspread the face of every Christians soul and unbelief in one degree or another will be making head against their faith and hypocrisie in one degree or another will be making head against sincerity and pride in one degree or another will be making head against humility and passion in one degree or another will be making head against meekness and earthly-mindedness in one degree or another will be making head against heavenly-mindedness c. yet as long as a Christian has the sight of his graces or his gracious evidences he may and ought to walk in much peace comfort and joy Such Christians as are resolved to lye down in sorrow till they have attained to a perfect assurance must resolve to lye down in sorrow till they come to lay down their heads in the dust Our graces are imperfect and therefore that assurance that arises from the sight and evidence of them must needs be imperfect 1 Thes 3.10 perfect signs of grace can never spring from imperfect grace Now if this were seriously apprehended studied and minded by many weak Christians they would not at every turn call their spiritual estates into question as they do because they find some seeds and stirrings of pride hypocrisie vain-glory and other sinful humours and passions working in them But The eleventh Proposition is this viz. When all your signs and evidences of the happiness and blessedness of your condition fails you and are so clouded obscured darkned and blotted that you can't read them that you can't take any comfort from them then it highly concerns you to keep up high and precious and honourable thoughts of God of Christ of his word and of his wayes in your souls Psal 97.2 Cant. 5.6 7. When Christ was withdrawn from his Spouse and when the watchmen that went about the City had smote her and wounded her and when the keepers of the walls had took away her vail from her yet then she keeps up in heart very high precious and honourable thoughts of Christ Ver. 10. My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest among ten thousand Ver. 16. His mouth is most sweet and he is altogether lovely or his mouth is sweetnesses and he is altogether desirablenesses or all of him is desires or he is wholly desirable Here she breaks off her praises in a general Elogy which no words can express enough Alas saith the Spouse I want words to express how sweet how lovely how comely how desirable how eminent and how excellent Christ is in my eye and to my soul Hag. 2.8 he is the desire of all Nations de jure and all that is perfect in heaven or earth is but a dim shadow of his excellency and glory Where Christ is there is heaven heaven it self in the Spouse's eyes without Christ would be but a low little thing The Spouse looks upon Christ as the sparkling Diamond in the ring of glory So David when he was wofully clouded and benighted when all was dark within him and dark about him and dark over him Psal 73. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain See Psal 77. Psal 88. 1 Sam. 30.6 and washed my hands in innocency Ver. 21. My heart was grieved and I was pricked in my reins Ver. 22. I was as a beast before thee or I was as a great beast or as many beasts in one as the Hebrew word Behemoth imports Ver. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth that is my outward man and my inward man faileth me And yet mark at this very time when the Psalmist was thus overcast he keeps up in him very high precious and honourable thoughts of God Ver. 1. Truly God is good to Israel even to such as are of a clean
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
highest Mountains and Hills yet were drowned So let men climb up to the highest duties yet if they be not housed in Christ in his righteousness they will be as certainly damned as the men in the old world were certainly drowned Adam and all his posterity was to be saved by doing Do this and live And hence it is natural to all the sons and daughters of Adam to rest on duties and to look for life and happiness in a way of doing but if salvation were to be had by doing what need of a Saviour Well remember this once for all such as rest on duties such as rest on their own righteousness or on any thing on this side Christ such shall find them as weak as the Assyrian or as Jareb they cannot heal them they cannot cure them of their wounds Hos 5.13 When Ephraim saw his sickness and Judah saw his wound then went Ephraim to the Assyrian and sent to King Jareb yet could they not heal him nor cure him of his wound Duties are to Satan as the Ark of God was to the Philistines he trembles to see a soul diligent in the use of them and yet not daring to rely on them but on Christ but when he can draw poor souls to confide in their duties and to rest on their duties then he has his design then he claps his hands for joy then he cryes out Ah ah so would I have it There is no sin that doth so formally and immediately oppose Christ and reject Christ and provoke Christ as this of resting upon self-righteousness and therefore above all pray against this and watch against this and weep over this There is no man in his wits that hath a precious lading that will dare to adventure it in a crackt and broken vessel so there is no Christian in his wits that will dare to adventure the everlasting safety of his soul upon the leaking vessels and bottoms of his own holiness or services O Sirs your duties cannot satisfie the Justice of God they cannot satisfie the Law of God your present duties cannot satisfie for your former sins and rents that be behind A man that payes his Rent honestly every year does not thereby satisfie for the old Rent not paid in ten or twenty years before Thy new obedience O Christian is too weak to satisfie for old debts and therefore roll thy self on Christ and Christ alone for life and for salvation Bellarmine could say after all his disputes for relying on works on Saints and Angels Tutius est c. The safest way is to rely on Jesus Christ Now let all these things work you to renounce your own righteousness and to take sanctuary alone in the pure perfect and most glorious righteousness of Jesus Christ and in the free-grace of God Austin Paul is called by one the best child of grace in the world Eph. 3.8 for whatsoever he was or had or did he ascribeth all to free-grace he was the chiefest of the Apostles and yet less than the least of all Saints he was very eminent in grace and yet what he was he was by grace By the grace of God I am what I am He lived yet not he but Christ lived in him 1 Cor. 15.10 Gal. 2.20 1 Cor. 15.10 Phil. 4.13 He laboured more abundantly than they all yet not he but the grace of God which was with him He was able to do all things but still through Christ that strengthned him O that these three last things might work you to be more in love with free-grace than ever and to be more in love with the righteousness of Christ than ever and to be more in love with the Covenant of grace than ever But The fourteenth Proposition is this The more grace the more holiness the more any man has of the Spirit of Sanctification the more clear the more fair the more full the more sweet will his evidences be for heaven for salvation and the more comfort and the more assurance and the more settlement and the more of the witness of the spirit of Adoption such a person will certainly attain unto That Spirit which is the earnest of our inheritance and which seals us up to an holy assurance is an holy Spirit Eph. 1.13 14. he is frequently called the holy Spirit Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me Psal 51.11 Isa 63.10 Eph. 4.30 1 Thes 4.8 But they rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit And grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Hâ— therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit To make a man holy is more than to create a world 't is a work too high and too hard for Angels or men it becomes none and it can be done by none but by the holy Spirit Sanctification is the Spirits personal operation 't is the great work of the Spirit to shape 2 Thes 2.13 1 Pet. 1.2 form and fashion the new-creature holiness in all the vessels of glory The Spirit is the root of all holiness and therefore the several parts of holiness are called the fruits of the Spirit Holiness is the very picture of God Gal. 5.22 and certainly no hand can carve that excellent picture but the Spirit of God Holiness is the Divine nature and none can impart that to man but the Spirit the Spirit is the great principle of holiness Now the more grace the more holiness any man hath the more he is the delight of the Spirit and the more the Spirit will delight to witness his Sonship his Saintship and his Heirship unto him Scripture and experience will tell you that commonly men of greatest holiness have been men of greatest assurance This is certain the more holiness the more assurance for so the precious promises runs Isa 32.17 The work of righteousness shall be peace to wit peace of conscience Rom. 5.1 and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever Inherent righteousness for of that he speaks as is evident by the 15. and 16. verses of the same Chapter is the high-way to assurance and peace So Psal 50. ult To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God that is declare my self to be his Saviour say some say others I will give him a prospect of heaven here and a full fruition of heaven hereafter say others I will cause him to see and know that he shall be saved So John 14.21 He that hath my commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him Ver. 23. If any man love me he will keep my words and my father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him Holy Christians shall have most of the spiritual presence of
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