8. Eighthly, fire tumeth all, as much as it can, to fire ; so grace lahoureth to breed the like impression in others, and make as many good as it can. Grace likewise maketh a gracious use even of natural and civil things, and doth spiritualise them. AVhat another man doth only civilly, a gracious man ■\\al] do iiohly. "Whether he eateth or di-inketh, or whatsoever
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he doth, he doth all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31, making evei-ything serviceable to the last end.
9. Ninthly, sparks by nature fly upwards ; so the Spirit of grace carrleth the soul heaven-ward, and setteth before us holy and heavenly alms. As it was kindled from heaven, so it carries us hack to heaven. The part followeth the whole : fii'e mounteth upward, so every spark to its own element. Where the aim and bent of the soul is God-wards, there is grace, though opposed. The least measm'e of it is holy desires springing fi'om faith and love, for we cannot desire anything which we do not believe first to be, and the desire of it issues from love. Hence desires are counted a part of the thing desired, in some measure ; but then they must be, first, co)istant, for constancy shews that they are supernaturally natural, and not enforced ; secondly, they must be carried to spiritual things, as to believe, to love God, &c. : not out of a special exigent, because, if now they had grace, they think they might escape some danger, but as a loving heart is carried to the thing loved for some excellency in itself ; and thirdly, with desire there is grief when it is hindered, which stirs up to prayer : ' Oh that my ways were so directed, that I might keep thy statutes !' Ps. cxix. 5 ; 0 miserable man that I am, who shall deliver ? &c., Rom. vii. 24 ; fourthly, desires put us onward stUl : 0 that I might serve God with more liberty ; 0 that I were more free fi'om these offensive, unsavoury, noisome lusts !
10. Tenthly, fire worketh itself, if it hath any matter to feed on, into a larger compass, and mounteth higher and higher, and the higher it riseth, the purer is the flame ; so where true grace is, it groweth in measure and pm'ity. Smoking flax will grow to a flame ; and as it increaseth, so it worketh out the contrary, and refineth itself more and more. Ignis, quo magis lucet, eo minus fumat. Therefore, it argueth a false heart to set ourselves a measure in grace, and to rest in beginnings, alleging that Ckrist will not quench the smoking flax. But this merciful disposition in Christ is joined with perfect holiness, shewed in perfect hatred to sin ; for rather than sin should not have its deserved punishment, himself became a sacrifice for sin, wherein his Father's holiness and his own most of all shined. And besides this, in the work of sanctification, though he favours his work in us, yet favours he not sin in us ; for he will never take his hand from his work, until he hath taken away sin, even in its very being, from our natures. The same Spirit that purified that blessed mass whereof he was made, cleanseth us by degrees to be suitable to so holy a head, and frameth the judgment and affection of all to whom he sheweth mercy, to concur with his own, in labouring to farther his ends, in abolishing of sin out of our nature.
[Chapter XII. — Scruples hindering comfort removed.]
Use. From the meditation of these rules and signs, much comfort may be brought into the souls of the weakest ; which, that it may be in the more abundance, let me add something for the helping them over some few ordinary objections and secret thoughts against themselves, which getting within the heart, oftentimes keep them under.
1. Some think they have no faith at all, because they have no full assurance ; whcnas the fairest fire that can be will have some smoke. The best actions will smell of the smoke. The mortar wherein garlic hath been stamped, will always smell of it ; so all our actions will savour some- tliing of the old man.
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2. In weakness of body some think grace dietli, because their perfonn- ances are feeble, their spirits, being the instruments of their souls' actions, being wasted ; not considering that God regards those hidden sighs of those that want abihties to express them outwardly. He that pronounceth them blessed that consider the poor, will have a merciful consideration of such himself.
3. Some again are haunted with hideous representations to theu* fantasies, and with vile and unworthy thoughts of God, of Christ, of the word, &c., which, as busy flies, disquiet and molest their peace ; these are cast in like wildfire by Satan, as may be discerned by the, 1, strangeness ; 2, strength and violence ; 3, horribleness of them even unto natiu'e corrupt. Vellem. scrvari Doniine, seel cogitationes non. patiuntur. A pious soul is no more guilty of them, than Benjamin of Joseph's cup put into his sack. Amongst other helps prescribed by godly wi'iters, as abomination of them, and diver- sion from them to other things, &c., let this be one, to complain unto Christ against them, and to fly under the wdngs of his protection, and to desire him to take oui* part against his and our enemy. Shall every sin and blasphemy of man be forgiven, and not these blasphemous thoughts, which have the devil for their father, when Christ himself was therefore molested in this kind, that he might succour all poor souls in the hke case ?