Ans. Sol. Canst thou truly say, in the presence of the great and glorious God, that is the trier and searcher of all hearts, that thou hast given up thy head and life to the rule, authority, and govern- ment of Jesus Christ ; and that thou hast chosen him to be thy sovereign Lord and King, and art truly willing to submit to his dorainion, as the only precious and righteous, holy and heavenly, sweet aiul pleasant, profitaJjle and comfortable, safe and best dominion in all the world; and to resign up thy heart, thy vrill, thy affections, thy life, thy all, really to Christ, ivholly to Christ, and only to Christ 1^ Canst thou truly say, O dear Lord Jesus ! other lords, viz., the world, the flesh, and the devil, have had dominion too long over me ; but now these lords I utterly renounce, I for ever renounce, and do give up my- self to thee, as my only Lord, beseeching thee to rule and reign over me for ever and ever, Isa. xxvi. 13; O Lord, though sin rages, and Satan roars, and the world sometimes frowns, and sometimes fawns, yet I am resolved to own thee as my only Lord, and to serve thee as my only Lord, Joshua xxiv. 5 ; my greatest fear is of offending thee, and my chiefest care shall be to please thee, and my only joy shall be to be a praise, a name, and an honour to thee. O Lord, I can appeal to thee in the sincerity of my heart, that though I have many invincible weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon me, and though I am often worsted by my sins and overcome in an hour of temptation, yet thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts, thou dost know that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ, and do daily give it up to his rule and government ; and it is the earnest desire of my soul, above all things in this world, that Jesus Christ "may still set up his laws in my heart, and exercise his dominion over me. Now% doubtless there is not the weakest Christian in the world, but can venture him- self upon such an appeal to God as this is ; and without all peradventure, where such a frame and temper of spirit is, there the dominion of Jesus Christ is set up ; and where the dominion of Christ is set up, there sin has no dominion ; but where the dorainion of Christ is not set up, there sin is in full dominion. Christ's dominion cannot consist with sin's dominion, nor sin's dominion cannot consist with Christ's dotni- ' Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24, xxvi. 2 ; Jer. xi, 20, xvii. 10 ; Prov. xvii. 3 ; I Tlies. ii. 4.
280 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
nion, Mat. vi. 24. Now by these eight things, if men are not resolved beforehand to put a cheat upon their own souls, they may know whether their sins have dominion over them or no, and so accordingly conclude for or against themselves. But,
[1 5.] Fifteenthly, and lastly, A godly man may argue thus : There is no condemnation to them who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, Rom. viii. 1 ; but I walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit ; therefore there is no condemnation to me.^ Walking after the flesh notes a course of sin, and walking after the Spirit notes a course of godliness. Now, to such as keep off from a course of sin, and that keep on in a course of godliness, there is no condemnation, there is not one condemnation ; for God the Father won't condemn such a person, nor Jesus Christ won't condemn such a person, nor the Holy Spirit won't condemn such a person, nor the word of grace won't condemn such a person, nor no commandment or threatenings will condemn such a person, no, nor such a man's own heart nor conscience, if it be rightly informed, won't condemn him ; and therefore well may the Hol}^ Ghost say to such a one. There is no condemnation to such a one ; there is not one condemnation, &c.
Now thus you see, ' by comparing spiritual things with spiritual things,' and by a rational arguing from Scripture, a man may attain unto a comfortable certainty of his gracious state, and safely and groundedly conclude his interest in Christ. Now this assurance of God's favour, ' by the witnessmg of our own spirits,' which assurance is deduced by way of argument syllogistically, is more easily attained than many — may I not say than most ? — Christians imagine ; for let a gracious man but clear himself of heart-condemning sins, and rationally argue as before has been hinted, and he will .speedily reach to some comfortable, supporting, soul -satisfying and soul-quieting assurance, there being an infallible connection between the fore-men- tioned graces and future glory, 1 John iii. 20, 21. These fifteen argu- ments may well be looked upon as fifteen sure and infallible evidences of the goodness and happiness of a Christian's estate.
Oh that you would often, every day, think on this, viz. that the un- doubted verity of God's promises proveth an inseparable connection between true faith and eternal glory : John iii. 14-16, ' And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up ; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.' John v. 24, ' Verily, verily' — these serious asseverations or protestations amount almost to an oath — ' I say unto you. He that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation ; but is passed from death to life.' John iii. 36, ' He tliat believeth on the Son hath everlasting life/ He hath it in the promise, he hath it in the first-fruits, Rom. viii. 23 ; he hath it in the earnest, Eph. i. 13, 14 ; and he hath it in Christ his head, Eph. ii. 6. Mark xvi. 16, ' He that believetli, and is baptized, shall be saved ; he that believeth not shall be damned.' 1 Peter ii. 6, ' Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, ' Walking, in Scripture, signifies to bold on a course of life, Gen. v. 22, and xvii, 1.
Chap. I.] a cabinet of jewels. 281