A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…

Fifthly, He that conflicts most with heart-sins, and is most §5affected with spiritual sins,¹ and that laments and mourns most over secret sins, invisible sins, sins that lye most hid and remote from the eyes of the World, he is certainly a gracious soul; Grace in truth, and grace in power, will rise and conflict, and make head against the most inward and secret vanities of the Soul, as against secret self-love, and secret hardness of heart, Isa. 63.17. and secret unbelief, Mark 9.24. and secret carnal confidence, and secret hypocrisy, and secret envy, and secret malice, and secret vain-glory, and secret fretting and murmuring, and secret lustings, and secret runnings out of the Soul after the meat that perisheth, ⟨p. 100⟩and secret pride; hence Hezekiah humbles himself for the pride of his heart;² and so David, he humbles himself for the pride of his heart in numbering of the people. And how does the same Prophet chide himself for sinful dejection of spirit,³ Why art thou cast down O my Soul, and why art thou disquieted in me? And how does he at another time be-fool himself, and be-beast himself, for his secret grudging and fretting at the prosperity of the wicked. So foolish was I and ignorant, I was as a beast before thee. And so Paul was most affected and afflicted with a law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind; Inward pollutions and defilements did sit closest and sadest upon his spirits. And the same Apostle in that 2 Cor. 7.1. is for keeping down the filthiness of the spirit, as well as the filthiness of the flesh; he is for inward cleansing, as well as for outward cleansing.⁴ Having therefore these Promises, (dearly beloved) let as cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God: So Mr. Bradford was a man that had attained to so great and eminent a height of holiness, that Doctor Taylor (the Martyr) calls him, That Saint of God John Bradford; and yet O how sadly does he bewail his secret hypocrisy. True Grace makes opposition as well against the being of sin in a mans nature,