competent only to those that are strong men in Christ, and that are grown to a high pitch of grace, of holiness, of communion with God, of spiritual enjoyments and heavenly attainments, and sweet and blessed ravishments of soul ; and by this means they come to conclude ao-ainst the works of the blessed Spirit in them, and to perplex and disquiet their own souls with needless fears, doubts, and jealousies. Others, on the other hand, are apt to judge of themselves, and to try themselves, by such things, rules, or evidences that are too short, and will certainly leave them short of heaven ; as a fair, civil deportment among all sorts and ranks of men ; a good nature, paying every man their due ; charity to the poor ; a good name or fame among men, yea, happily amono" good men ; outward exercises of religion, as hearing, praying, readino-, fasting ; or that they are good negative Christians, that is to say, that they are no drunkards, swearers, liars, adulterers, extortioners, oppress- ors, Sabbath-breakers, persecutors, &c., Mat. xxiii. 4, seq., Luke xviii. 9-12, Isa. i. 2-5. Thus far Paul attained before his conversion, but if he had gone no further he had been a lost man for ever, Philip, iii. 4-6, Gal. vi. 3, Isa. xxxiii. 14 ; and by this means they flatter them- selves into misery, and are still a-dreaming of going to heaven till they drop into hell, and awake with everlasting flames about their ears. And oh that all that preach or print, read or write, would seriously lay this to heart ! Some, in describing the state of a Chris- tian, shew rather what of right it should be than what indeed it is ; they shew what Christians ought to be rather than what they find themselves to be, and so they become a double-edged sword to many Christians. But,
The fourth maxim or consideration.
IV. Fourthly, consider, Where there is any one grace in. truth, there is every grace in truth, though every grace cannot he seen. Look, as a man may certainly know a wicked man by his living under the reio-n and dominion of any one sin, though he does not live under the power of other sins, because there is not any one sin mortified in that man that hath any one sin reigning in him, and that does not set himself in good earnest against it as his greatest enemy ; so when a Christian can but find any one grace in him, as love to the saints for grace sake, for god- liness sake, he may safely conclude that there is in him all other graces. Where there is but one link of this golden chain, there are all the links of this golden chain : John xiii. 35, ' By this shall all men know ye are my disciples, if ye love one another." He doth not say if ye work miracles, if ye raise the dead, if ye give eyes to the blind, or ears to the deaf, or tongues to the dumb, or feet to the lame, but 'if ye love one another.'' There have been many, yea, very many, precious Christians who have lived and died with a great deal of comfort and peace from the application of that text to their own souls : 1 John iii. 14, ' We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.' Sincere love to the brethren is a most evident sign of a Chris- tian's being already passed or translated from death to life. Observe,
' As they say of the cardinal virtues, Virtutes mnt inter se connezce. The virtues are chained together ; bo we may say of the graces of the Spirit, &c. Mark, saith Chrysos- tom, it is not working of miracles, casting out of devils, but love to our brethren, that ia tlie infallible proof of being a disciple. [On Luke ii. 20, Homil. — G.]
25-i A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
the apostle doth not say, we think we have passed from death to life, but we knoiv we have passed from death to life ; nor he does not say, we conjecture we have passed from death to life, but we knoiv we have passed from death to life ; nor he does not say, we hope we are passed from death to life, but we are assured that we are passed from death to life, that is, from a state of nature into a state of grace, ' because we love the brethren.' For ever remember this, when all other evidences have failed many gracious Christians, and all other texts of Scripture have afforded them no comfort, here they have anchored, here they have found rest for their distressed souls ; and upon this one single plank, this one evidence, they have swam safely and comfortably unto the haven of eternal happiness. Every real Christian hath in some measure every sanctifying grace in him. As a child so soon as it is born is a per- fect man for integrity of parts and entireness of limbs, though not for bio-ness and bulk of body, so every regenerate person, at the very first hour of his conversion, he is in part renewed in all parts ; all the habits of o-race are infused into the soul by the Spirit at once. At first con- version the soul is bespangled with every grace, though every grace is not then grown up to its full proportion or perfection ; so that where there is one grace in truth, there is every grace in truth. That soul that can truly and seriously conclude that he has any one grace in him, that soul ought to conclude that there is every gTace in him.^ Such as diligently search the Scripture shall find that true blessedness, happi- ness, and salvation is attributed to several signs : sometimes to the fear of God, sometimes to faith, sometimes to repentance, sometimes to love, sometimes to meekness, sometimes to humility, sometimes to patience, sometimes to poverty of spirit, sometimes to holy mourning, sometimes to hungering and thirsting after righteousness ; so that if a godly man can find any one of these in himself, he may safely and oTOundedly conclude of his salvation and justification, though he cannot see all those signs in him.^ There is no saint but may perceive one sign in him, when he cannot another. Now, he that can groundedly be per- suaded 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,
TJie fifth maxim or consideration.
V. Fifthly, consider. That the promises of God are a Christian's magna charta, his chiefest evidences for heaven. Divine promises are God's deed of gift ; they are the only assurance which the saints have to shew for their right and title to Christ, to his blood, and to all the happi- ness and blessedness that comes by him. Look, as Judah^ by pleading and brino"ino" forth the signet, the bracelets, and the staff, saved her life. Gen. xxxviii. 18-27; so we by believing, pleading, and bringing forth the pro- mises, 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