Now, by these short hints, it is evident enough that wicked men do not, nor cannot sincerel}^, seriously desire grace. Certainly, such that are ' poor in spirit,' and that mourn for their spiritual defects, and that hunger and thirst after grace and holiness, after a righteousness imparted and a righteousness imputed, must confess themselves to be in a blessed estate, and consequently in a state of grace ; for what true happiness is there out of it ? or else they must contradict our Saviour, and charge truth itself with untruth, who hath pronounced them blessed that are so qualified, so affected. Were this well weighed and seriously considered of, how would it comfort, refresh, support, and stay up many a troubled soul ; and what a well-spring of life would this be to many a wounded spirit ! DoubtlesSj the greatest part of a saint's perfection in this life (witness Paul's own ingenuous confession, after fourteen years' conver- sion, say some ; and who ever went beyond him ? and how exceedingly do most fall short of him !) consisteth rather in will than in work, and in desire and endeavour more than in deed. Rom. vii. 15, 18, 19, 21, 22. There is so much good in good desires, that it is the main that the godly have to speak of, and to reckon of. Make an inventory of a Christian's estate, and search every room ; if you find not these, you find nothing; and if you set these down in the inventory, you set down even all he is worth for another world. Daniel is called a man of desires, and so is every gracious man, a man wholly made up of gra- cious desires, Dan. x. 1 1. Mark, God makes a judgment upon the sons of men, according as their desires stand ; he that desires to steal, he is a thief in the account of God ; and he that desires to commit adultery, he is an adulterer in the account of God ; and he that desires to op- press, he is an oppressor in the account of God ; and he that desires to deceive, he is a deceiver in the account of God ; and he that desires to persecute, he is a persecutor in the account of God ; and he that desires to profane the Sabbaths of God, he is a profaner of the Sabbaths of God in the account of God, &c. Look, as every wicked man is as bad in the account of God as his desires are bad, so every godly man is as good in the account of God as his desires are good; he that sincerely desires to believe, he does believe in the account of God. ' The desire,' saith one, ' to believe in the want of faith is faith ; though as yet there want firm and lively grace, yet art thou not altogether void of grace ; if thou canst desire it, thy desire is the seed, conception, or bud of what thou wantest.'^ Now is the spring-time of the engraffed word or im- mortal seed cast into the furrows of thy heart; wait but a while, \ising the means, and thou shalt see that leaves, blossoms, and fruits will shortly follow, &c. Another saith [Ursinus], faith in the most holy is not perfect ; nevertheless, whosoever feels in his heart an earnest desire to believe, and a striving again.<*t his doubts, he both may and must assure himself that he is endued with true faith. And he that sincerely desires to repent, he does repent in the account of God. Holy Bradford, writing to Mr Jo. Careless, saith. Thy sins are undoubtedly pardoned, &c., for God hath given thee a penitent and believing heart, that is, a ' Mr Perkins in his ' Grain of Mustard-seed.* [Works, as before. — G.]
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 365
heart which desireth to repent and believe ; for such a one is taken of him, he accepteth the will for the deed, for a penitent and believing heart indeed.^ And he that sincerely desires to mortify sin, he does mortify sin in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to walk with God, he does walk with God in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to honour God, he does honour God in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to deny himself, he does deny him- self in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to be weaned from the world, he is weaned from the world in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to be conformable to God, he is conform- able to God in the account of God ; and he that desires to grow in "race, he does grow in grace in the account of God ; and he that sincerely de- sires to improve mercies, he does improve mercies in the account of God ; and he that sincerely desires to glorify God in the hour of his visitation, he does glorify God in the hour of his visitation in the account of God.^ A gracious man may make a better judgment of his estate by his sincere desires than he can by his duties ; and so a wicked man may make a better judgment of his estate by his desires than he can by his words or works. I have been the larger upon this evidence because of its great usefulness to weak believers. But.
[7.] Seventhly, Ho rnan can sincerely desire graee for grace's sake, viz., faith for faith's sake, and love for love's sake, and, fiumility for humility's sake, and uprightness for uprightness' s sake, a)ul meek- ness for meekness's sake, and holy fear for holy fear's sake, and hope for hope's sake, and holiness for holiness s sake, and self-denial for self-denial's sake, &c., hut he that has ti'ue grace. Mark, no man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for the inward beauty, glory, and excellency of grace, but he that has true grace. ' The kino-'s daughter is all glorious within," Ps. xlv. 13, though within is not all her glory. Grace differs nothing from glory but in name ; grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace at the full ; grace is glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant ; grace has an inward glory upon it, which none can see and love, but such as have grace in their own hearts, 2 Cor. iii. 18. Wicked men can see no beauty, no glory, no excellency in grace why they should desire it, or be taken with it ; and no wonder, for they could see no beauty, nor excellency, nor glory, nor form, nor comeliness in Christ the fountain of grace, why they should desire him, and be taken with him, Isa. liii. 1-4. Though next to Christ, grace is the most lovely and desirable thing in all the world, yet none can de- sire it for its own loveliness and desirableness, but such as have a seed of God in them. Though grace be a pearl of price, thougli it be a jewel more worth than the gold of Ophir, though it be a beam of God, a spark of glory, a branch of the divine nature ; yet carnal hearts can see no glory nor excellency in it, that they should desire it. If carnal eyes were but opened to see the excellency of grace, mirabiles sui excitaret amores, it would ravish the soul in desires after it ; but grace's beauty and glory is inward, and so it is not discerned but with spiritual eyes. Plato was wont to say. If moral virtues could be seen with bodily eyes,
' Foxe and Clarke, as before. — G.