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…

Sixthly, True desires of grace is grace, true desires after Christ, and grace, and holiness, is grace; he who does sincerely desire to believe, he does really believe; and he that does sincerely desire to repent, he does really repent; and he that does sincerely desire to obey the Lord,¹ and to fear the Lord, and to serve the Lord, he does really obey the Lord, and fear the Lord, and serve the Lord. It is the first step to grace, for a man to see his heart void of grace; and it is the first degree of grace, for a man to desire grace. Mark, all true desires of grace, have the very nature and truth of grace in them. As there is true fire in a spark, as well as in a flame, and true water in a drop, as well as in a stream, and true light in a beam, as well as in the Sun, and true gold in the very filings of gold, as well as in the whole wedge of gold; the least of any thing partakes of the nature of the whole.² True desires of grace argues a state of grace and salvation, Psal. 38.9. Lord thou knowest all my desire, my groanings is not hid ⟨p. 171⟩from thee. Mat. 5.6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled; or as the Greek runs (after the participle of the present tense) they that are hungering and thirsting; intimating, that where ever this is the present disposition of mens souls, they are blessed, Rev. 22.17. And let him that is a thirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. ³Sincere desires of grace are those holy seeds, those divine beginnings of grace in the soul, out of which grace springs and grows up to its measure and perfection. O Sirs! look as no man can sincerely seek God in vain, so no man can sincerely desire grace in vain. A man may love gold, yet not have it; but no man loveth God, but is sure to have him. Wealth a man may desire, and yet be never the nearer for it; but grace no man ever sincerely desired and missed it: And why? it is God that hath wrought this desire in the heart, and he will never frustrate the desire that himself hath there wrought; let no man say, I have no faith, no repentance, no love, no fear of God, no sanctifying, no saving grace in me. Doth he see a want of those things in himself? yes, that is it which so grieves him, that he cannot love God, stand in awe of him, trust in his mercy, repent of sin as he should;