A29686:272
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…
A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain discovery of, or, what men are worth for eternity, and how 'tis like to go with them in another world ... / by Thomas Brooks ...A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain discovery of, or, what men are worth for eternity, and how 'tis like to go with them in another world ... / by Thomas Brooks ...
London : Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock ..., 1669
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
It would fain have, not only sinful acts, but also sinful dispositions; and not only irregular actions, but also inordinate affections mortified and subdued. O friends! heart-sins are root-sins, they are the springs that set all the wheels a going, the Fountain that sets all the streams a running, the fire that sets the Furnace a smoking, the Bellows that sets the fire a burning. Certainly a proud heart hath more of Satan in it than a proud look, and a wanton heart is more vile than a wanton eye, and a murderous or adulterous heart, is worse than a murderous or adulterous act, &c. And therefore true grace makes head against heart-sins, against spiritual sins, ⟨p. 101⟩against the most inward secret sins, against those very sins that lye not within the reach of reason, or the Sword of the Magistrate, or the piercing eye of the most knowing or observing man in the World, but are only obvious to an omniscient eye. But now carnal men, as they make little of outward sins, so they make nothing of heart-sins, of spiritual sins. If they are not drunkards, nor swearers,1 nor extortioners, nor whoremasters, nor cursers, nor cheaters, nor oppressors, nor liars, nor persecutors; if they are good negative Christians, then they think themselves very good Saints, and in a very fair way for heaven, and that no man can say Black is their eye; when their hearts are as full of evil thoughts, and secret lusts, as Ignorance, Atheism, unbelief, pride, envy, discontent, anger, formality, hypocrisy, indifferency, lukewarmness, deadness and hardness, &c. as the Sun is full of light, or as Hell is full of darkness. Restraining grace, common grace, only makes head against gross enormities, against palpable vanities, as you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees; but saving grace makes head against heart-sins, against spiritual sins. Common grace is all for washing the outside, but Saving grace is for washing the inside as well as the outside. Common grace is only for washing the feet and the head, but Saving grace is for washing both feet, head, and heart. Look as in a dark night we can only see those stars that are of the greatest magnitude;2 so by the star-light of natural Conscience, the natural man can only see those sins that are more great and gross.