lest you bear false witness against the real work of the Spirit in you. There are none so apt to question the truth of their grace as those are that are truly gracious. Though Satan cannot hinder the Holy Spirit from working true grace in the soul, yet he will do all he can to fill the soul witlr fears and doubts and jealousies about the truth of that grace that the Holy Spirit has wrought in it, 1 Johniv. 4 ; Ps. Ixxvii. When did you ever know the devil to tempt an hypocrite to believe that his graces were not true, and that certainly he had not the root of the matter in him ? If you cannot say that you have an interest in Christ, yet do nut say that you have no interest in Christ ; for a man may have an interest in Christ, and yet not see his interest in Christ, not know his interest in Christ. There are many precious Christians that walk in darkness, who yet have an interest in that Jesus that is all light, life, and love, Isa, 1. 10. If you cannot say that your pardon is sealed in the court of your own conscience, yet do not say that it is not sealed in the court of heaven ; for many a Christian has his pardon sealed in the court of heaven, before it is sealed in the court of his own conscience, Ps. li. A pardon sealed in the court of conscience, is that new name and white stone which God does not give to every one at first conversion, Rev. ii. 17. God will take his own time to seal up every Christian's pardon in his bosom. If you cannot say that your name is written in the book of life, yet do not say that it is not written in the book of life. The disciples' names were first written in heaven before Christ bid them rejoice because their names were written in heaven, Luke X. 20. A man may have his name written in heaven, and yet it may be a long while before God may tell him that his name is written in heaven. Ay, you cannot say that the precious promises are yours, yet do not say that they are children's bread, and such dainties that your soul shall never taste of. It is not every precious Christian, that has an interest in the promises, that can run and read his interest in the promises, Ps. Ixxvii., Lxxxviii.; 1 Pet. i. 4. If you cannot say that the heavenly inheritance is yours, yet do not say that it is not yours. A Christian may have a good title to the heavenly inheritance, and yet not be able to make good his title, to clear up his title ; as a child in the arms or in the cradle may be heir to a crown, a kingdom, and ■yet he is not able to make good his title. If you cannot say that you have assurance, yet do not say that you shall never have assurance, for a man may want assurance one year, and have it the next ; one month, and have it another ; one week, and have it another ; one day, and have it another ; yea, one hour, and have it another, Luke xix. 1-10 ; Acts xvi. 29-35 ; Rom. xi. S3. If you cannot say that you shall cer- tainly go to heaven, yet do not say that you shall undoubtedly go to hell ; for wlio made you one of the privy-councillors of heaven ? Who acquainted you with the secret decrees of God ? &c. Now were this rule but thoroughly minded, and conscientiously practised, oh how well would it go with many tempted, troubled, bewildered, and clouded Christians ! Oh how would Satan be disappointed, and poor souls quieted, composed, and refreshed. But,
The seventeenth maxim, or consideration.
XVII. Seventeenthly, WJienever you cast your eye upon your gra- cious evidences, it1ii[/hly concerns you seriously to remember that you
Chap. L] a cabinet of jewels. 803
have to deal tuith God in a covenant of grace, and. not in a covenant of works. Every breach of peace with God is not a breach of covenant with God. Though the wife hath many weaknesses and infirmities hanging upon her, and though she may often grieve, provoke, and dis- please her husband, yet as long as she remains faithful, and truly lov- ing, and in the main obedient to him, though he may alter his carriage towards her, yet he will not withdraw his love from her, or deny his relation to her. No more will God towards his weak miscarrying ones, as you may evidently see by comparing the scriptures in the margin together.' Doubtless there are many dear Christians whose troubles of conscience about their spiritual and eternal estates arise from their looking upon God and dealing with God in a covenant of works.^ Are there not many precious Christians, who, when they fall before tempta- tions, and are worsted by their corruptions, that are ready to question all, and throw up all as \o9 and peremptorily to conclude against their own souls, that all is naught, very naught, stark naught, and that they are hypocrites, and that God will never own such as they are, nor never accept of such as they are, nor never delight in such as they are, nor never have anything to do with such as they are ; and all this because they do not aright understand the covenant of grace, and think that they have to deal with God in a covenant of works. Though many Christians do freely and readily acknowledge that there is a covenant of grace, yet upon the least stirring of any corruption, or the least con- quest that is made upon them by the violence of any temptation, they are so full of fears, faintings, reasonings, diffidences, and despondencies, &c., and they carry it so weakly and unworthily towards the Lord, as if there were no covenant of grace at all, or as if they had wholly and only to deal with God in a covenant of works. Now what a high dis- honour is this to the free, rich, infinite, sovereign, and glorious grace of God, which so sparkles and shines in the covenant of grace, and which tells us that our eternal estates shall never be judged by a covenant of works, and that the want of an absolute perfection shall never damn a believing soul, and that the obedience that God requires at our hands is not a legal but evangelical ! Oh that all those dear Christians who are so apt to be dejected and overwhelmed upon the account of the prevalency of such and such corruptions, and because they fail in keeping covenant with God, and in walking in a covenant-relation with God ; I say, oh that all these would frequently and seriously consider of these three things.
[1.] First, That so long as a Christian doth not renounce his cove- nant vjitli God, so long as he doth not wilfully and wickedly break the bond of the covenant, the substance of the covenant is not yet broken, though some articles of the covenant may be violated, Ps. Ixxxix. 30-35, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. While Christ lies at the bottom of the
> Jer. iii. 12, 14, 22 ; Hosea. xiv. 4 ; Isa. Ixiii. 22-26 ; Ivii 16-18.