golden vine which never withereth. All gracious desires are such golden, desires as never wither. Take a Christian when you will, and where you will, and among whom you will, and in what condition you will, and still 5'^ou shall find his heart full of gracious desires. Oh that I had grace ! Oh that I had much grace ! &c. Balaam in a fit, in a good, mood, desires to die the death of the righteous, but his desires were fleeting and flashy, they were transient, not permanent, Num. xxiii. ] 0. Some poor sinners, when they are in a good mood, or imder some dis- tress of conscience, or under some grievous trials, or when they see the handwriting upon the wall, Dan. v. 6 ; and when death, which is the king of terrors, and the terror of kings, knocks at their doors, oh then they cry out. Oh that we had grace ! Oh, what shall we do for gi-ace ! Oh, send to such a minister, and to such a Christian, whom we have bated, scorned, reproached, and opposed, and desire them to be earnest with God, that he would give us grace ; for now we see, that without grace there is no escaping of hell, nor no coming to heaven. But all these desires of theirs are but like the morning cloud, or the early dew, that quickly passeth away, Hosea vi. 4, Ps. Ixxviii. 37, Ps. v. 9. But now if you look upon the weak Christian, as you shall commonly find a tear in his eye, a sigh in his breast, and a complaint in his mouth ; so you shall always find desires in his heart after grace, Oh that I had grace ! Oh that I had much grace ! Oh that I did but excel in grace I Oh that I had as much grace as such a Christian ! Oh that I had a greater exercise of grace ! Ps. xlii. 1-3, and Ixiii. 1, 2, 3, 8. Whatever outward or inward changes may attend a Christian in this world, yet you shall stiU find him full of holy desires, and breathings, and hanker- ings, and longings after God, and Christ, and grace, and holiness. Oh that I had more of these ! Oh, when shall I have more of these ! Oh that God would cut me short in anything, yea, in everything,, rather than cut me short in these things, that the desires of my soul are so much running after ! These desires of theirs may further be set forth by a spring between a couple of hills ; the spring will always run through those lets' that stop it, or else it wiU run over those lets, for it cannot cease running if it be a living spring ; so the desires of a gracious soul will still be running after God, and Christ, and grace. The good desires of bad men after God, and Christ, and grace, and holiness, are like water in a cistern, that quickly runs out ;. but the desires of a godly man after God, Christ, grace, holiness, are like water in a fountain that is still a-running. An unsound Christian is never good at all times; he is only good by fits, and starts, and turns, sometimes when he is sermon-sick, or under a smarting rod, or a galled conscience, or when he is under some heavy cross or sad loss. Oh, then he will be good ! Oh, then he will have God, and he will have Christ, and he will have grace, and he will have heaven ; but this good frame, this good temper of his, is not lasting, it is not abiding ; it is like a vapour that quickly vanishes, or like a windmill that goes as long as the wind fills the sails, but no longer. These are like Sigismund the emperor, who, when he was sick, would be very godly, but when he was well, none more wicked. But,
[12.] Twelfthly, No man can sincerely desire to abound and excel most in those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary ^ ' Hindrances,' as before, page 370. — G.
372 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.
to those paHicular sins which his natural tsTnper, constitution, com- plexion, calling, or condition, does most expose him and incline him to, but lie that has true grace, but he whose heart is sincere with God. Ps. xviii. 23, ' I was upright before him, and I kept myself from mine iniquity/ If passion be a sincere Christian's head -lust, then his desires run most out for meekness ; if pride, then his desires are most for humility ; if earthliness, then his -desires are most for heavenly-minded- ness ; if unbelief, then his desires are most for faith. You shall then find him with the disciples, crying out, ' Lord, increase our faith,' Luke vii. 5. But now, though a wicked man's heart rise against every grace, yet it rises most strongly against those particular graces which are most opposite and conti'ary to those particular lusts Which are a wicked man's bosom lusts, his darling sins, &c. Hence the covetous heart rises and swells most against liberality, as you see in Judas, ' What need this waste V Mat. xxvi. 8, 9. Flesh and blood looks upon all as lost that is laid out upon Christ, his servants and services. And the luke- warm Christian's heart rises and swells most against zeal and fervency. Rev. iii. 15-17, Luke xix. ; and the griping usurer's heart rises and swells most against restitution ; and the adulterer's heart rises and swells most against purity, chastity, continency; and the ignorant man's heart rises and swells most against light and knowledge. The ignorant man is willing to go to hell in the dark, and ready and bold enough to conclude that we never had such sad and bad times as w^e have had since there hath been so much preaching, and so much hearing, and so much fasting, and so much praying, and so much light and knowledge in the world. But now it is quite otherwise with a true child of God ; for his heart rises and swells most against the toad or toads that are in his own bosom, Rom. vii. 22, 23 ; and the daily and earnest desires of his soul are, that God would make him eminent in every grace, yea, that God would make him most eminent in those particular graces which are most opposite and contrary to those particular lusts and cor- ruptions which more peculiarly, more especially he hath cause to call his iniquity, or the iniquities of his heart, and of his heels, Ps. xlix. 5. Look, as we have some dirt, more or less, that will still cleave to our heels whilst we are in a dirty world/ so there is some defilements and pollutions that will still be cleaving to all our duties, services, ways, and walkings in this world, which we may well call the iniquity of our heels. Now, a gracious heart rises most against these, &c.