and compendious way of obtaining a blessed assurance, and a full estab- lishment of heart, in all sound, solid, and abiding joy and peace, Eph. i. 13 ; 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 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 balance of the sanctuary should weigh all the oracles of God, decide all, and the rule of God's word be the square and judge of all. O sirs ! dare you ven- tre 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 8 lie, let us be damned for ever and ever ? dare you stand up and say, W^e 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 lie ourning in infernal flames, if the scriptures prove not at last a cheat, a deceit, a mere 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 controversy. When fears rise high, you say you shall never have mercy ! But doth 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 ways as your ways' ? But as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are his ways higher than your ways ; and his thoughts than your thoughts,' Isa. Iv. 8, 9. 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 loathe 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 ? Oil ! 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 there- fore 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
' Com. on Gen., cap. 38.
264 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
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 ! do not only hear what sin, and Satan, and thine own heart can say against thee, but hear also wiiat 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 cer- tainly be damned, as if I saw him this very moment under everlasting burnings ; because God in the Scripture has said it, Mark xvi. 1^ ; John iii. ]8-36 ; Rev. xxi. 8 ; Rom. ii. 4, 5 ; 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10 ; Gal. v. 19-2] ; Heb. xii. 14. And I know that the holy, humble, true, pen.- tent, believing, self-denying, and sin-mortifying Christian, shall be is certainly saved, as if at this very time I saw him in actual possession of glory ; because God in the Scripture has said it, Mat. v. 3-12 ; Rom viii. 1-13 ; Acts x. 43 ; John iii. 15, 16, 36 ; vi. 37-40, &c. 0 sirs ! nc man in his wits dares dispute against the authority of Scripture, or deny it, as false and erroneous ; and therefore if the Scripture say a man has grace, he ought in conscience to subscribe to it against all objections or temptations to the contrary. For ever remember this, till a man comes to be willing to have his spiritual and eternal estate to be determined by Scripture, he will never enjoy any settled rest or quiet in his spirit. When once the goodness of a man's estate is cleared up to him by the word, he is never to regard what Satan or carnal reason objects against him. Satan is a liar and a deceiver of near six thousand years' stand- ing ; he is full of envy, and full of malice, and full of wiles, devices and fetches,^ and therefore give no credit to any of his reports against the report of the word, but stand by the testimony of the word, and the witness of your own consciences, against all Satan's cavils, temptations, objections and suggestions ; and then, and not till then, will you find rest to your souls. He that would hold on cheerfully and resolutely in a Christian course, and go merrily to his grave, and singing to heaven, he must maintain the testimony of the word against all the gainsay ings of sense or carnal reason ; he must hear nothing, nor believe nothing against the word, nor against the goodness and happiness of his own estate or condition, which has been evidenced to him from the word. Men will not be easily baffled out of their estates. If some great man should come and lay claim to your estates, you will not presently give them up, though your evidences are not at hand, or though they are blotted, or though perhaps you cannot clearly make out your title, yet you will not tamely and quietly give up your estates ; and yet how ready are many Christians, upon every clamour of Satan against their souls and spiritual estates, to give up all, and to conclude that they are hypocrites, and have no true grace and spiritual life in them ! &c. But,
Tlie eigJdh maxim or consideration.
VIII. Eighthly, Consider, that a godly man way not only come to a sure knowledge of his gracious estate, hut it is also more easily attain-
■ ' Tricks or expedients.' — G.
Chap. I.] a cabinet of jewels. 265