It was a great saying of a very worthy man' that is now with God, viz.. That as he often got much good by his sins, so he often got much hurt by his graces. Dear hearts, when you look upon the stream, re- member the fountain ; when you look upon the flower, remember the root ; when you look upon the stars, remember the sun ; and whenever you look upon your graces, then be sure to remember Christ the foun- tain of grace, else Satan will certainly be too hard for you. Satan is so subtle, so artificial,^ and so critical, that he can make your very graces to serve him against your graces, conquering joy by joy, sorrow by sor- row, humility by humility, fear by fear, and love by love, if you don't look upon all your graces as streams flowing from the fountain above, and as fruits growing upon the tree of life that is in the midst of the paradise of God. Therefore, when one of your eyes is fixed upon your graces, let the other be always fixed upon Christ the fountain of grace. 'Of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace,' John i. 16. Here they eye their graces and the fountain of grace together. So Paul : ' I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me : and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20. Paul eyes Christ and his graces to- gether ; so Peter eyes Christ and his graces together: John xxi. 15, ' Lord, thou knowest that I love thee.' So those worthies of whom this world v/as not worthy ; they eye Christ and their graces together : Heb. xii. 2, ' Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.' Though grace be a new creature, 2 Cor. v. 17, a noble creature, a beautiful creature, an excellent creature, yet grace is but a creature, and such a creature that is strengthened, maintained, cherished, and upheld in your souls, Philip, iv. 12, 13 ; Cant. iv. ult., in life and power, in beauty and glory, by nothing below the spiritual, internal, and glorious operations of Christ : Col, i. 10, 'That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increas- ing in the knowledge of God.' Ver. ]], 'Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuflfering with joyfulness.' Now, whenever you look upon grace as a lovely, beautiful creature, oh then remember that might and glorious power of Christ by which this creature is preserved and strengthened. Christians, your graces are holy and heavenly plants of Christ's own setting and water- ing, and will you mind the plants more than that noble hand that set them ? It is Christ alone that can cause the desires of his people to bud, and their graces to blossom, and their souls to be like a watered ' Foxe [tlie Martyrologist, ai before.— O.']. * ' Artful.' — G.
Chap. V.] a cabinet of jewels. 409
garden, green and flourishing, Isa. Iviii. ] 1, and xxxv. G, 7 ; and there- fore let the eye of your souls be firstly, mostly, and chiefly fixed upon Christ. But,
[8.] The third proposition is this, When you look upon your graces in the light of the Spirit, it highly concerns yoii to look narrowly to itythat you do not renounce and reject [y]our graces as weak and woiih- less evidences of your interest in Christ, and of that eternal happiness and blessedness that comes by Christ. The works of grace, saith my author,^ which consists in those divine qualities of holiness and right- eousness, &c.. Gal. V. 22, 23, is a sure mark, a blessed character, whereby men may know whose children they are, even as the Spartans or Lace- daemonians of old are said to know what stock and lineage they were of by a mark that was made upon their bodies by the head of a lance or spear. I readily grant that you must not trust in your graces, nor make a saviour of your graces, but yet you ought to look upon your graces as so many signs and testimonies of the love and favour of God to your souls. What certainty can there be of election, remission of sin, justi- fication, or glorification, if there be not a certainty of your sanctification and renovation ? If that persuasion that is in you about your grace or sanctification be false, then that persuasion that is in you concerning remission of sin, predestination, justification, and eternal salvation is false. This highly concerns all them to consider, that would not be miserable in both worlds. I know many cry up revelations, impres- sions, visions, yea, the visions of their own hearts, and speak lightly and slightly of the graces of the Spirit, of sanctification, of holiness, as evidences of the goodness and happiness of a Christian's condition. There were some in James his time who cried up faith, and union and communion with Christ, but were destitute of good works, James ii. 18. Well, what saith the apostle ? ' Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works ; for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith A\4thout works is dead,' ver. 26. Look, as the body without the spirit, or without breath, — as the Greek word iniZfia primarily signifies, — is dead ; so that faith that is without works, which are, as it were, the breathings of a lively faith, is a dead faith. Though it be faith that justifieth the man, yet it is works that justifies a man's faith to be right and real, saving and justifying. So there were some in John's time, viz., the Gnostics, who talked high of fellowship and com- munion with Christ, and yet walked in darkness ; they lived in all im- purity, and yet would make the world believe that they were the only people who knew God, and had fellowship with God, but John tells us they were liars : ' If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. What fellowship hath light with darkness?' 2 Cor. vi. 14. Such walk in darkness who promise to themselves the future vision of God's face, whilst they go on in the wil- ful breach of God's royal law. Such who say they knov/ him, and are swallowed up in the enjoyments of him, and yet in the course of their lives walk contrary to him, such are liars : ' He that saith, I know him, and keeps not his commandments, is a liar,' 1 John ii, 4. Sanc- tification and justification are both of them benefits of the covenant of grace, and therefore to evidence the one by the other can be no ' Grotius, in Rom. viii. 16.
470 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. V.