340 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.
unlike to those in grace, that they desire to be like unto in glory ; and that they are so far below such and such in spirituals, whom they are so far above in temporals.*
(5.) Fifthly, A man may have true grace and yet want assurance, and this may arise from that smoke and clouds, those fears and doubts that corruption raises in the soul; so ihat the soul cannot see those excellent graces that othervjise might be discerned. Though there may be many precious gems and jewels in the house, yet the smoke may hinder a man from seeing them sparkle and shine. So though there may be many precious graces in the souls of saints, yet corruption may raise such a dust, such a smoke in the soul, that the soul is not able to see them in the beauty and glory. The well of water was near Hagar, but she saw it not till her eyes were opened by the Lord, Gen. xxi. 19, 20. So grace is near the soul, yea, in the soul sometimes, and yet the soul doth not see it, till God opens the eye and shews it. ' The Lord was in this place,' saith Jacob, ' and I knew it not,' Gen. xxviii. 16. So many a precious soul may say, grace was in my heart, and I knew it not, I saw it not.*
Blessed Bradford in one of his epistles saith thus, ' O Lord, methinks I feel it so with me, sometimes as if there were no difference between my heart, and the heart of the wicked; my mind is as blind as theirs, my spirit as stout, stubborn, and rebellious as theirs, and my thoughts as confused as theirs, and my affections as disordered as theirs, and my services as formal as theirs,' &c.^ Ah, Christians ! have not many of your souls found it so ? Surely yes ! No wonder then, that though you have grace, yet you have not seen it sparkling and shining in your souls ; as some have thought that their fields have had no corn, because the}' have T)een so full of weeds; and that their heap hath no wheat, because nothing hath appeared but chaff; and that their pile hath no gold, because it hath been covered with much dross. So some have thought that their hearts have been void of grace, because they have been so full of fears and doubts. Peter at one time believes and walks, at another time he doubts and sinks. Mat. xiv, 30. Abra- ham believes and offers up Isaac at one time, he fears and falls at another time. ' Say thou art my sister, lest they kill me,' Gen xx. 2. So David and Job, they had their shufflings, tremblings, faintings, shakings, and questionings, Ps. cxvi. 11, Ps. xxxi. 22. It is not always high water with saints, sometimes they are reduced to a very low ebb. The best of saints are like the ark, tossed up and down with waves, with fears and doubts ; and so it will be till they are quite in the bosom of Christ.*
(6.) Lastly, A man may have grace, and yet not see it, yet not know it ; and this may arise from his non-searching, his non-examining y his non-ransacking, of his own soul. There is gold in the mine, and
> The being of grace is a different thing from the seeing of grace. The blind man in the Gospel called his faith unbelief.
« Yet a saint at worst is not like him in Plutarch, who would not be resolved of his doubts because he would not lose the pleasure in seeking for resolution. No ; he loves, and looks, and longs for resolution to all his doubts.
3 Wiitings of Bradford, by Townsend, 1863 : Letters.— G.
* Eara hora, brevii mora. — Bernard.
KOM. VIII. 32-34.] HEAVEN ON EARTH. 341
men might find it, if they would but dig and search diligently after it/ There is grace in the heart, and you might see it, if you would but take the candle of the Lord, and look narrowly after it. Look, as many a man upon a diligent search may find his temporal estate to be better than he apprehends it, so many choice souls upon a diligent search may find their spiritual estate to be far better than they conceived or judged it to be. Therefore souls, cease from complaining, cease from rash judging and dooming of yourselves to hell, and be diligent in inquiring what the Lord hath done, and what the Lord is a-doing, in you and for you. Compare the books together, compare his working upon you and others together. What ! is there no light, no love, no longings, no hungerings, no thirstings after God ? What ! is there no sighing, no complaining, no mourning, under the sense of sin, and under the want of divine favour V Surely if you search, you will find some of these things ; and if you do, prize them as jewels that are more worth than a world. God will not despise ' the day of small things,' and will you ? Will you, dare you, say that that is little that is more worth than heaven ? The least spark of grace shall at last be turned into a crown of glory. Well ! remember this, that as the least grace, if true and sincere, is sufficient to salvation, so the sense of the least grace should be sufficient to your consolation.
The fourth proposition is this, viz.. That God may deny assurance long, and yet give it in to his children at last, after patient waiting. God appears to David, and brings him out of 'an horrible pit' (or out of a ' pit of noise'), ' and sets his feet upon a rock, and puts a new song into his mouth,' Ps. xl. 1-4.
After the church in the Canticles had run through many hazards and hardships, many difficulties and dangers, she finds ' him whom her soul loved,' chap. iii. 5.
The prophet sits down and bewails his sad condition thus : Ps. Ixix. 8, 20, ' I am weary of my crying ; my throat is dried : mine eyes fail while I wait on my God. And I am full of heaviness ; and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none ; and for comforters, but I found none.' Ay, but at last God appears, and then says he : ' I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving,' ver. 30.
Job sighs it out : ' Behold I go forward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot perceive him : on the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him : he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him,' Job viii. 9. But after this sighing, he sings it out : ' Till I die, I will not remove my integrity from me. My right- eousness I hold fast, and will not let it go : my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live,' chap, xxvii. 5, 6.*
• Worthless daisies grow in sight upon the surface of the earth, but tho^ precious and richest rarities are hid within the bowels of the earth. You are wise, and know how to apply it.
* The cry that was heard in the temple was, Migremu» hinc, Let us go hence, let us go hence. [Josephus, Jewish War, Book vi. — G.]
' Experience doth abundantly evidence, that this is the manner of God's dealing with abundance of those precious souls of whom this world is not worthy. I could say much to this point from my own knowledge, but I must forbear lighting a candle to see the son at noon.
342 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.