'^ Ever siuce man ceased to bo what lie should bo, lie striveth to seem to bo what ho is IJUL It is not the outward show that shews what things are. 3 ' Take lli-'ht.'— U.
Chap. I.] a cabinet of jewels. 283
that they may upon gospel grounds justly claim as their portion, as their inheritance ? And oh that all such Christians would seriously and frequently lay to heart these eight things.
[1.] First, Tliat they Idghly dishonour the blessed God, and the work of his grace, by denying that ivhich he hath done for them and wrought in them.
[2.] Secondly, They are spiritual murderers, they are self-murderers, they are soul-murderers ; for by this means they stab and wound their own precious souls and consciences through and through with many a deadly dart. Now is there any murder like to spiritual murder, to self- murder, to soul-murder ? Surely no. But,
[3.J Thirdly, They are thieves; for by this means tlteyrob their ov:n 'precious souls of that joy, peace, comfort, rest, content, assurance, and satisfaction which otherwise they might enjoy. Now there is no theft to spiritual theft ; and of all spiritual theft, there is none to that which reaches the precious and immortal soul. Mark all prevalent disputes about our personal integrity, they do hold off the application and tastes of comfort, though they do not disannul the title and right. Even the good man will walk uncomfortably so long as he concludes and strongly fears that his estate is sinful ; for sensible comfort riseth or falleth, Cometh on or goeth off, acccording to the strength of our judgment and present apprehensions. Observe, it is not what indeed our estate is, but what we judge of it, which breeds in us sensible comfort or discomfort. A false heart may even break with a timpany^ of foolish joy upon an erring persuasion of his estate, and so may a sound sincere heart be very heavy and disconsolate upon an unsound misconstruction and judging of its true condition. But,
[4-.] "Fourthly, They bear false witness against Christ, his Spirit, their own souls, a.nd the work of grace that is wrought in them. Oh how many dark, doubting, drooping Christians are there, who, if you would give them ten thousand worlds, yet would never be brought to bear false witness against their poorest neighbour, brother, or friend, and that out of conscience, because of that command, ' Thou .shalt not bear false witness," &c., who yet make no conscience, no bones of it, fre- quently to bear witness against the Lord Jesus Christ, and his gracious works upon then- own hearts ! But,
[5.] Fifthly, They join luith Satan and his work and his sugges- tions, and with that strong party he has in them, against the Lord Jesus Christ and his work, and his tveak party in them. Sin is Satan's work, and grace is Christ's work. Now, how sad is it to see a Christian fall in with Satan's work in him, against the work of Christ that is in him.^ Satan has a strong party in their souls, and Christ has but a weak party. Now, how unjust is it for them to help the strong against the weak, when they should upon many accounts be a-helping the weak against the strong, ^^helping the Lord against the mighty, a- helping weak grace against strong and mighty corruptions. Ah, how skilful and careful are many weak Christians to make head against the work of Christ in their own souls, and to plead hard for Satan and his
' ' S-welling,' = up-rising. — G.
'' Seo Mr Dod ou the Commandmeuts, pp. 310, 311 ; and pp. 321-324. [1606 and 1622, 4to, partly by Uieavur. — G.]
284 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. I.
works in them, as if they had received a fee from him to plead against Christ and their own souls. O Christians ! that you would be wise at last, and let Baal plead for Baal, let Satan plead for himself, but do you plead for Christ and that seed of God that is in you. Well, remember this, that as fire is often hid under the embers, so grace is often hid under many foul distempers ; and as a little fire is fire, though it be even smothered under the embers, so a little grace is grace, though it be even smothered under much corruption, 1 John iii. 9.
Now, by these short hints you may easily perceive how many royal commands these poor Christians transgress who deny and belie the blessed work of the Lord in them. But,
[6.] Sixthly, They rob the Spirit of all the honour and glory that h due unto him for that blessed tvork of grace and holiness that he has formed up in their hearts. Oh what a grief and dishonour must it be to the Holy Spirit, that when he hath put forth a power in men's hearts equivalent to that by which the world was created, and by which Christ was raised from the dead, we find it overlooked, and not at all acknow- ledged, Rom. viii. 11. Spiritus Sanctus est res delicata, the Holy Spirit is a very tender thing. But do these poor doubting souls carry it tenderly to him ? Surely no. Dear Christians, the standing law of heaven is, 'Quench not the Spirit,' 1 Thes. v. J 9. Now, if the word Spirit is not here taken essentially for the three persons in Trinity, nor yet metonymically for the fruits of the Spirit, but hypostatically for the third person in Trinity, as some conceive, then you must remember that you may grieve and quench the Spirit (1.) not only by your enormities, Isa. Ixiii. 10 ; (2.) not only by refusing the cordials and comforts that he brings to your doors, yea, that he puts to your mouths, Ps. Ixxvii. 2 ; (3.) not only slighting and despising his gracious actings in others, Acts ii. 13 ; (4.) nor only by fathering those sins and vanities upon him that are only the brats and fruits of Satan and your own hearts ; but also, (5.) in the fifth place, by misjudging and miscalling the precious grace that he has wrought in your souls, as by judging and calling your faith fancy, your sincerity hypocrisy, your wisdom folly, your light darkness, your zeal wild-fire, &c.' Now, O sirs ! will you make conscience, yea, much conscience, of quenching the Spirit in the four first respects, and will you make no conscience of quenching the Spirit in this fifth and last respect ? Oh, how can this be ? Oh, why should this be ? But,
[7.] Seventhly, They keej) grace at a very great under; for how can grace spring, and thrive, and flourish, and increase in the soul, when the soul is full of daily fears and doubts that the root of the matter is not in it, Job xix. 28 ; or that the root is still unsound; or that the work that is passed upon it is not a tuork in 'power, 1 Thes. i. 5 ; or that it is not a special and peculiar work, but some common work of the Spirit, which a man may have and go to hell ? But,
[8.] Eighthly, and lastly, I'hey very much discourage, dishearten, and disanimate many poor, weak Christians, who observing of them, of whom they have had very high and honourable thoughts for the grace of God that they have judged to be in them, to be still a-(]uestioning of their integrity, and still a-doubting of the graciousness and goodness of