Fourthly, If you wouid strengthen and maintain your assurance, then look that your hearts are more taken up with ChHst than with your graces. Though grace be a glorious creature, yet it is but a creature ; therefore let grace have your eye, but be sure that Christ have your heart. Christ must have your heart. Christ will not allow your very graces to be corrivals with him. He that minds his graces more than Christ, or that sets his graces upon the throne with Christ, will quickly find what it is to lose the face and favour of Christ. Your graces are but Christ's servants and handmaids ; you may look upon them, but you must not match with them. It is a reproach to Christ, that those who have mar- ried the master, should at the same time match with the servant.' The queen may look upon her glistering courtiers, but she must live upon the king ; the wife may take pleasure in her lovely babes, but she must live upon her husband, and be most observant of her husband. So gracious souls may look upon their graces, but they must live upon king Jesus ; they may take pleasure in their graces, but they must live upon Christ, and be most observant of Christ. This is the way to keep Christ and assur- ance, and he that walks contrary to this rule will soon find the loss of both. • Christ will be Alexander or Nemo ; he will be all in all, or he will be nothing at all. Though his coat was once divided, yet he will never suffer his crown to be divided, John xix. 23, Isa. xlii. 8.
Fifthly, If you would have your assurance strengthened and main- tained, then labour to improve it to the strengthening of you against temptations, to the fencing of you against corruptions, to the raisii^g of your resolutions, to the influming of your affections, to tlie better- ing of your conversations} Assurance is a pearl of price ; he that will keep it must improve it. The ready way to maintain our natural strength, and to increase it, is to improve it. Assurance is one of the choicest and chiefest talents that ever God entrusted man with, and he that doth not improve it, and employ it, will quickly lose it, &c. God will not suffer so golden a talent to gather rust, Mat. xxv, 28. Win gold and wear gold, improve gold and keep gold ; win assurance and wear assur- ance, improve assurance and keep assurance. Dionysius the elder, being advised of one that had hidden great store of money, commands him upon pain of death to bring it to him, which h^ did, but not all ; but with the remainder he went and dwelt in another country, where he bought an inheritance, and fell upon some employment, which, when Dionysius heard, he sent him his money again which he had taken from him, say- ing, Now thou knowest how to use riches, take that I had from thea I shall leave you to make the application.
Sixthly, If you would have your assurance strengthened and main- tained, then walk humbly with your God, Micah vi. 8. God makes the humble man's heart his house to dwell in : Isa. Ivii. 15, ' Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite
1 Christ is the pot of manna, the cruse of oil, the bottomless ocean, the most sparkling diamond in the ring of glory, &c. When Darius sent to Alexander that he would be willing to divide the kingdom, No, saith Alexander, there is but one sun in tlie firma- jment. and there can be but one king in a kingdom. So saith Christ, &c.
* We have, saith Cyprian, no such notions as many philosophers have, but we are philosophers in our deeds ; we do not speak great things, but we do great things in our iivea.
526 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. YIII. 32-34.
and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.'' The highest heavens and the lowest hearts are the habitations wherein the Holy One delights to dwell Now this phrase, ' I will dwell with the humble,' takes in several things : 1. It includes God's overlooking* the humble. 2. It takes in God's assist- ing and strengthening of the humble. 3. It takes in God's protection ; I will dwell with the humble, that is, I will protect him and secure him, Job xxii. 29. 4. It takes in God's sympathizing with the humble. 5. It takes in God's appl)ang all suitable good to the humble, Isa. Ivii. 18, and Ixiii. 9. 6. It takes in God's ruling and overruling the heart and the affections of the humble. 7. It takes in God's teaching and learning of the humble. But, 8, and lastly, It includes and takes in a clearer, a fuller, and a larger manifestation and communication of God to humble souls, Ps. x. 17, and xxv. 9. Ah ! saith God, I will dwell with the humble ; that is, I will more richly, more abundantly, and more gloriously manifest and make known my grace and glory, my goodness and sweetness, my loving-kindness and tenderness, to humble souls. Now tell me, humble souls, will not God's dwelling thus with you contribute very much to the strengthening and maintaining of jour assurance ? James iv. 6, * But he giveth more grace : wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud' (or as the Greek word emphatically .signifies, avrndagerai, he sets himself in battle array against the proud), ' but giveth grace to the humble.' Humility is both a grace, and a vessel to receive grace. God pours in grace into the humble souls, as men pour liquor into an empty vessel And verily, the more grace you have, the more will your assurance be strengthened and maintained. Well ! remember this, the humble man's mercies are the sweetest mer- cies, the greatest mercies, the most growing and thriving mercies, the most blessed and sanctified mercies, and the most lasting and abiding mercies. Therefore, as yotr would have your assurance strengthened and maintained, walk humbly with your God ; I say again, walk hum- bly, walk humbly with your God, and you shall wear the crown of assurance to your grave.
Seventhly, If you would keep and maintain your assurance, then take heed and watch a,gainM those very 'particular sins by which other saints have lost tJieir assurance. Take heed of carnal confidence and security. David lost his assurance by not guarding his heart against those evils, Ps. xxx. 6, 7. Again, take heed of a light, slight, careless, and negligent spirit in holy and spiritual things. The spouse in the Canticles lost her assurance, and her sweet communion with Christ, by her slightness of spirit. Cant. v. 2, 3, 6, compared. Again, take heed of a stout and unyielding spirit under the afflicting hand of God ; this made God hide his face from them, Isa. Ivii. 17. In a word, take heed of tasting of forbidden fruit, remembering what Adam lost by a taste.
Eighthly, If you would maintain and keep your assurance, then fre- quently and seriously consider of the wonderful difficulty of recover- ing assurance when it is lost. Oh ! the sighs, the groans, the complaints, the prayers, the tears, the heart-renting, the soul-bleeding that the