Chapter 1 › Maxim 18: The Eighteenth Maxim or Consideration., A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a… by Thomas Brooks (1669) | AskReformation

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:253p. 88–89§1

First, A universal willingness to be rid of all sin, is an ⟨p. 89⟩infallible evidence of the truth of Grace in a mans Soul;¹ the first saving work of the Spirit upon the soul, is the dividing between sin and the soul, tis a making an utter breach betwixt sin and the soul, tis a dissolving of that old League that has been between the sinner and his sin. The first work of the Spirit, is to make a man look upon sin as an enemy and to deal with sin as an enemy, to hate it as an enemy, to loath it as an enemy, to fear it as an enemy, and to arm against it as an enemy. When the holy spirit takes possession of the Soul, from that day forward the soul looks upon sin with as evil, and as envious an eye as Saul looked on David when the evil spirit was upon him. O, saith Saul, that I were but once well rid of this David; and O (saith the gracious Soul) that I were but once well rid of this proud heart, this hard heart, this unbelieving heart, this unclean heart, this froward heart, this earthly heart of mine, &c.² Look as the daughters of Heth even made Rebekah weary of her life, so corruptions within makes the gracious soul even weary of his life. Many a day have I sought death with tears (said blessed Cowper) not out of impatience, distrust, or perturbation, ³but because I am weary of sin, and fearful to fall into it. Look as when Christ hath won the will, he hath won the man: So when sin hath lost the will, it hath lost the man. The will is the heart; My Son give me thy heart, is, My Son give me thy will; the will is the Fort-Royal of the Soul, tis that strong hold that stands out stoutest, and longest against all the Assaults of Heaven; when the will is won all is won, the Castle is won, the heart is won; the man is won when the will is won. A mans judgment and reason may say, I ought t• ••rn from sin, and his Conscience may say, I must turn from sin, or it will be bitterness in the end, and yet the work not done, nor the Soul won; but when the heart says, the will says, I will turn from sin, then the work is done, and the man is won. Where reason saith these lusts ought to be subdued, and the Conscience saith these lusts must be subdued, and the Will saith these lusts shall be subdued, (Psal. 65.3. As for our transgressions, thou sha•t purge them away) there is a saving work upon the Soul.

First, A universal willingness to be rid of all sin, is an ⟨p. 89⟩infallible evidence of the truth of Grace in a mans Soul;¹ the first saving work of the Spirit upon the soul, is the dividing between sin and the soul, tis a making an utter breacl betwixt sin and the soul, tis a dissolving of that old League that has been between the sinner and his sin. The first work of the Spirit, is to make a man look upon sin as an enemy and to deal with sin as an enemy, to hate it as an enemy, to loath it as an enemy, to fear it as an enemy, and to arm against it as an enemy. When the holy spirit takes possession of the Soul, from that day forward the soul looks upon sin with as evil, and as envious an eye as Saul look'd on David when the evil spirit was upon him. O, saith Saul, that I were but once well rid of this David; and O (saith the gracious Soul) that I were but once well rid of this proud heart, this hard heart, this unbelieving heart, this unclean heart, this froward heart, this earthly heart of mine, &c.² Look as the daughters of Heth even made Rebeccah weary of her life, so corruptions within makes the gracious soul even weary of his life. Many a day have I sought death with tears (said blessed Cowper) not out of impatience, distrust, or perturbation, ³but because I am weary of sin, and fearful to fall into it. Look as when Christ hath won the will, he hath won the man: So when sin hath lost the will, it hath lost the man. The will is the heart; My Son give me thy heart, is, My Son give me thy will; the will is the Fort-Royal of the Soul, tis that strong hold that stands out stoutest, and longest against all the Assaults of Heaven; when the will is won all is won, the Castle is won, the heart is won; the man is won when the will is won. A mans judgment and reason may say, I ought t• ••rn from sin, and his Conscience may say, I must turn from sin, or it will be bitterness in the end, and yet the work not done, nor the Soul won; but when the heart sayes, the will sayes, I will turn from sin, then the work is done, and the man is won. Where reason saith these lusts ought to be subdued, and the Conscience saith these lusts must be subdued, and the Will saith these lusts shall be subdued, (Psal. 65.3. As for our transgressions, thou sha•t purge them away) there is a saving work upon the Soul.

1Isa. 28.15, 18. Isa. 30.22. Hos. 14.8. Rom. 7.22, 23, 24.
2Gen. 26.35.
3Restraining grace doth only suppress and abate the acts of sin, it doth never alter the disposition and will of a man as to sin. You may chain up a Lyon, but you cannot change the nature of a Lyon.

:255p. 90–91§1

A universal willingness to be rid of all sin, speaks the heart to be sound and sincere with God; the enmity that Grace works in the heart against sin, is against the whole kind, tis against all sin, as well profitable and pleasurable sins, as disparaging and disgracing sins; and as well against small sins as against great sins; true Grace strikes at root and branch, at head and members, at father and son. A true Israelite would not have one Canaanite left in the Holy Land, he would have every Egyptian drowned in the Red Sea of Christs blood, Psal. 119.104. I hate every false way, Psal. 139. ult. Search me O Lord, and see if there be any wicked [way] in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Saving Grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts, as a Slave is willing to leave his Galley, or a Prisoner his Dungeon, or a Thief his Bolts, or a Beggar his rags. But now take a man that is in his natural condition, and he is as unwilling to part with his sins, as Abraham was to turn Hagar and Ishmael out of doors. Ambrose reports of one Theotimus, that having a disease upon his body, the Physician told him, That except he did abstain from intemperance, drunkenness, uncleanness, &c. he was like to lose his eyes; his heart was so desperately set upon his lusts, that he answered, Vale lumen amicum, Farewell sweet Light then, he had rather lose his eyes, than leave his sins. So they in Micah 6.6, 7. do make very large offers for a dispensation to live in their sins, They offer Calves of a year old, they offer thousands of Rams, and ten thousand Rivers of Oil; yea, they offer their first born for thei• transgressions, the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls. Sinners hearts are so glued to their lusts, that they will rather part with their nearest, dearest, and choicest enjoyments, than part with their sins; yea, when they are put hard to it, they will rather part with God, Christ, and all the glory of another world, than they will part with some base bosom lust; witness that young man in the Gospel, who went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions, Matth. 19.21, ⟨p. 91⟩22. Look as a man leaves his Wife and Children,¹ his Country, Estate, and Trade, with tears in his eyes, and sorrow in his heart; so does an unregenerate man leave his lusts, with tears in his eyes, and sorrow in his heart.

A universal willingness to be rid of all sin, speaks the heart to be sound and sincere with God; the enmity that Grace works in the heart against sin, is against the whole kind, tis against all sin, as well profitable and pleasurable sins, as disparaging and disgracing sins; and as well against small sins as ag•inst great sins; true Grace strikes at root and branch, at head and members, at father and son. A true Israelite would not have one Canaanite left in the Holy Land, he would have every Egyptian drowned in the Red Sea of Christs bloud, Psal. 119.104. I hate every false way, Psal. 139. ult. Search me O Lord, and see if there be any wicked [way] in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Saving Grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts, as a Slave is willing to leave his Gally, or a Prisoner his Dungeon, or a Thief his Bolts, or a Beggar his rags. But now take a man that is in his natural condition, and he is as unwilling to part with his sins, as Abraham was to turn Hagar and Ishmael out of doors. Ambrose reports of one Theotimus, that having a disease upon his body, the Physician told him, That except he did abstain from intemperance, drunkenness, uncleanness, &c. he was like to lose his eyes; his heart was so desperately set upon his lusts, that he answered, Vale lumen amicum, Farewel sweet Light then, he had rather lose his eyes, than leave his sins. So they in Micha 6.6, 7. do make very large offers for a dispensation to live in their sins, They offer Calves of a year old, they offer thousands of Rams, and ten thousand Rivers of Oyl; yea, they offer their first born for thei• ••ansgressions, the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls. Sinners hearts are so glued to their lusts, that they will rather part with their nearest, dearest, and choicest enjoyments, than part with their sins; yea, when they are put hard to it, they will rather part with God, Christ, and all the glory of another world, than they will part with some base bosom lust; witness that young man in the Gospel, who went away sorrowful, because he had great possessions, Matth. 19.21, ⟨p. 91⟩22. Look as a man leaves his Wife and Children,¹

1Gen. 21.11. Matth. 19 21, 22. 2 Sam. 3.15, 16. Augustin in his youth (before his Conversion) prayed thus, I said indeed with my lips, Lord give, and yet in my heart I was too willing to give longer day, and could have said, Lord, pray not yet, I was even afraid lest thou shouldst hear me too soon, and too soon heal and subdue my corruption for me. Aug. Con.

:257p. 92–93§2

Secondly, A constant habitual willingness to be rid of all sin, is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the Soul; 'tis not a transient willingness to be rid of sin, when a man is either under some outward trouble, or some inward distress, that speaks out the truth of saving grace, but a permanent, lasting, and abiding willingness to be rid of sin does. Pharaoh in a fit, in a fright, when Thunder, and Hail, and Frogs, and Flies were upon him, was then willing to let Israel go, but when his fright was over, and the Judgments removed, he grew prouder and harder than before. So many men, when they are a little Sermon-sick, or under some smart pangs of Conscience, or under some startling or amazing Judgments, O then they will be willing to let Israel go, then they will be willing to let drunkenness go, and pride go, and uncleanness go, and worldliness go, &c. but when their sickness is over, and the pangs of Conscience abated, and Judgments removed, O then they return with the Dog to his vomit,¹ and with the Sow to the wallowing in the Mire again. There was a man well known to a Minister in this City, who in the time of his sickness was so terrified in his Conscience for his sins, that he made the very bed to shake upon which he lay, and cried out all night long, I am damned, I am damned, I am damned; and this man in the days of his outward and inward distresses, made many and great protestations of amendment of life, if God would be pleased to recover him; in a little while he did recover, and being recovered, he was as bad, and as wicked, if not worse than he was before. So in the time of the great sweat in King Edwards days, as long as the heat of the Plague lasted, all sorts and ranks of people were still a crying out, Peccavi; Mercy good Lord, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Then Lords and Ladies, and other persons of quality cried out to the Ministers, For Gods sake tell us what we shall do to avoid the Wrath of God, take these bags, pay so much to such a one whom I have deceived, and so much restore ⟨p. 93⟩unto another, whom in bargaining I over-reached; O give so much to the Poor, and give so much to such and such Pious uses. But after the sickness was over, they were just the same men that they were before. Men in time of trouble are very ready to cry out, Arise and save us, Jer. 2.27. And with them, Deliver us this time, Judges 10.15.

Secondly, A constant habitual willingness to be rid of all sin, is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the Soul; 'tis not a transient willingness to be rid of sin, when a man is either under some outward trouble, or some inward distress, that speaks out the truth of saving grace, but a permanent, lasting, and abiding willingness to be rid of sin does. Pharaoh in a fit, in a fright, when Thunder, and Hail, and Frogs, and Flies were upon him, was then willing to let Israel go, but when his fright was over, and the Judgments removed, he grew prouder and harder than before. So many men, when they are a little Sermon-sick, or under some smart pangs of Conscience, or under some startling or amazing Judgments, O then they will be willing to let Israel go, then they will be willing to let drunkenness go, and pride go, and uncleanness go, and worldliness go, &c. but when their sickness is over, and the pangs of Conscience abated, and Judgments removed, O then they return with the Dog to his vomit,¹ and with the Sow to the wallowing in the Mire again. There was a man well known to a Minister in this City, who in the time of his sickness was so terrified in his Conscience for his sins, that he made the very bed to shake upon which he lay, and cryed out all night long, I am damn'd, I am damn'd, I am damn'd; and this man in the dayes of his outward and inward distresses, made many and great protestations of amendment of life, if God would be pleased to recover him; in a little while he did recover, and being recovered, he was as bad, and as wicked, if not worse than he was before. So in the time of the great sweat in King Edwards dayes, as long as the heat of the Plague lasted, all sorts and ranks of people were still a crying out, Peccavi; Mercy good Lord, Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Then Lords and Ladies, and other persons of quality cryed out to the Ministers, For Gods sake tell us what we shall do to avoid the Wrath of God, take these bags, pay so much to such a one whom I have deceived, and so much restore ⟨p. 93⟩unto another, whom in bargaining I over-reached; O give so much to the Poor, and give so much to such and such Pious uses. But after the sickness was over, they were just the same men that they were before. Men in time of trouble are very ready to cry out, Arise and save us, Jer. 2.27. And with them, Deliver us this time, Judges 10.15.

12 Pet. 2.20, 21, 22.