[9.] The ninth proposition is this, Sincere Christians may safely and groundedly rejoice, delight, and take comfort in those graces, or in those divine qiudities, which in the light of the S2:)irit they see and know are wrought in their souls} I do not say that a Christian should build the comfort of his justification upon his graces, or that he should rest on his graces, or trust to his graces, or make a saviour of his graces ; for this would be such a piece of pharisaical popery, as is justly to be detested and abhorred by all that love Christ, or are look- ing towards heaven. But this I say, a Christian may ma,ke several uses of his graces ; he may safely look upon his graces as so many evi- dences of Christ's dwelling in him, and he may look upon his graces as so many heavenly bracelets, or as so many love-tokens from God, in which he may safely rejoice. The gracious evidences that I have laid down in this treatise are blessed symptoms of salvation ; and therefore to rejoice in them can be no transgression of any royal law of heaven. He that can experimentally subscribe to any of the gracious evidences that are laid down in this book, has such a fair certificate to shew for heaven, that no wicked man or hypocrite under heaven has the like to shew ; and why such a man should not rejoice in such a certificate, I cannot at present see. I may and ought to rejoice in the works of crea- tion. Oh how much more then ought I to rejoice in the work of reno- vation, in the work of sanctification, which does so infinitely transcend the work of creation ? I may and ought to rejoice in my natural life, health, strength, beauty ; and why then should I not rejoice in grace and holiness, which is the life, health, strength, and beauty of my soul ? Christ delights in the graces of his people. ' Thou hast ravished my heart' (or thou hast behearted me, as the Hebrew runs), ' my sister, my spouse ; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes' (or with one glance of thine eyes, as some read it), ' with one chain of thy neck,' Cant. iv. 9. The eye of faith, say some ; the eye of love, say others ; the chain of obedience, say some ; the chain of spiritual graces, say others, ravished Christ's heart. The one eye of faith, the one chain of obedience, unhearted Christ, wounded Christ ; this one eye, this one chain, robbed Christ of his heart, and laid the spouse in the room of it. Now, shall Christ's heart be ravished with his children's graces, and shall not their hearts be ravished and delighted with those very graces that ravish Christ's own heart ? I may, yea, 1 ought to rejoice in the graces of others, and why tlien not in my own ? I may, yea I ought to rejoice in others' outward mercies, and in my own out- ward mercies, 1 Thes. i. 2-5, 2 Thes. i. 3, 4. Oh how mucli more then ought I to rejoice in the saving and distinguishing graces of the Spirit,
' Most Christians by experience find that their assurance and joy rises and falls as grace and holiness, and as the evidences of grace and holiness rise and fall in their souls.
Chap. V.] a cabinet of jewels. 479
especially when I consider, that the least dram of grace is more worth than tea thousand thousand worlds, as every awakened conscience will tell you when they come to die, Hab. iii. 18, GaL vi. 14, Philip, iii. 3. Mark firstly, mostly, and chiefly, a Christian is to rejoice in God and Christ ; but secondarily and subordinately, he may rejoice in those graces, and in those gracious evidences that God has given into his soul. Firstly mostly, and chiefly, a Avife is to rejoice in the person of her husband '; but secondarily, subordinately she may rejoice in the bracelets in the ear-rings, in the jewels, in the gold chains that are given her' by her husband. But,
[10.] The tenth proposition is this, viz., That that assurance that the people of God may rise to hy^ sight of their graces, and iqwn the sight of their gracious evidences in the light of the Spirit, is not so clear and bright, and^ high, and full, as that it utterly excludes all fears', douhtings, conflicts, or spiritual agonies, ] Cor. xiii. 12 ; Philip, iii' 12-14 Our knowledge of God, of Christ, of ourselves, and of the blessed Scripture, which is the rule of trial, is imperfect in this life. And how then can our assurance be perfect ? David, a man eminent in grace and holiness, had his up-hills and his down-hills, his summer days and his winter nights. Now you shall have him upon the mountain singing and saying, * The Lord is my portion,' Ps. Ixxiii 25 ; and pre- sently you shall have him in the valleys, sighing and saying, ' Why art thou cast down, O my soul ; why art thou disquieted within me ?' Ps. xhi. 5, 11. The same is evident in Job, Heman, and Asaph, Job iii. • Ps. Ixxvii. ; Ps. Ixxxviii. Such an assurance as shall exclude all fears doubts, conflicts, agonies, is very desirable on earth, but shall never be obtained till we come to heaven. The grievous assaults of Satan, the power of unbelief, and the prevalency of other corruptions in a Chris- tian's heart, may be such as may shake, I do not say overturn, that assurance which a Christian may gather from the sight and evidence of his graces in the light of the Spirit. ' The flesh lusteth as well against the Spirit,' Gal. v. 17, as it is a Spirit of consolation, as it lusteth ao-ainst the Spirit as it is a Spirit of sanctification ; and therefore such an assur- ance as shall exclude all sorts and degrees of fears and doubts, is not attainable in this life.^ Whilst we are in this old world we shall have water with our wine, gall with our honey, and some clouds with our brightest sunshiny days, &c. Most Christians think, that as lono- as they have any doubtings they have no assurance ; but they consider not that there are many degrees of infallible certainty, below a perfect or an undoubting certainty. Doubtless some darkness, more or less, will overspread the face of every Christian's soul, and unbelief in one de- gree or another will be making head against their faith ; and hypocrisy in one degree or another will be making head against sincerity, aud pride in one degree or another will be making head against humility, aud passion in one degree or another will be making head against meek- ness, and earthly-mindedness in one degree or another will be makiuo- head against heavenly-mindedness, &c., yet as long as a Christian has the sight of his graces or his gracious evidences, he may and ought to
' Doubting is not a virtue, as the papists would make us believe, but it is a fruit of the flesh, and a thing most contrary and opposite to the nature of faith, James i. 5 ; Jlat. xxi. 21, and xiii. 31. And therefore Christians should pray hard to be rid of their doubts.
480 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. V.