Chapter 2, A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a… by Thomas Brooks (1669) | AskReformation

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Sixthly, Wicked men don't, nor can't truly and seriously §6desire saving grace; witness that enmity, hatred, rage and madness that is in them against the Saints, whose hearts and lives are enamel'd with grace, Gen. 3.15. Psal. 34.21. Psal. 44.10. Job 31.29. Amos 5.10, &c. I have read of a desperate wretch, that when he came to die, he gave good portions to all his children but one, and to him he would give but twelve pence; and being asked the reason of it, he made answer, he was a Puritan; I have heard him say, said his wretched father, That he had a promise to live on; let us now see whether a promise will maintain him or no. Certainly, wherever there are true serious desires after grace, there is a dear love to those upon whose hearts the ⟨p. 176⟩work of grace is past. Now by these short hints, 'tis evident enough, that wicked men don't, nor can't sincerely, seriously desire grace; certainly such that are poor in spirit, and that mourn for their spiritual defects, and that hunger and thirst after grace and holiness, after a righteousness imparted and a righteousness imputed, must confess themselves to be in a blessed estate, and consequently in a state of grace; (for what true happiness is there out of it?) or else they must contradict our Saviour, and charge truth it self with untruth, who hath pronounced them blessed that are so qualified, so affected. Were this well weighed and seriously considered of, how would it comfort, refresh, support and stay up many a troubled soul? and what a well-spring of life would this be to many a wounded spirit? Doubtless the greatest part of a Saints perfection in this life (witness Pauls own ingenious confession after fourteen years conversion,¹ say some; and who ever went beyond him? and how exceedingly do most fall short of him?) consisteth rather in will than in work, and in desire and endeavour more than in deed. There is so much good in good desires, that it is the main that the godly have to speak of, and to reckon of; make an inventory of a Christians estate, and search every room, if you find not these you find nothing; and if you set these down in the inventory, you set down even all he is worth for another world. Daniel is called a man of desires, and so is every gracious man, a man wholly made up of gracious desires.² Mark, God makes a judgment upon the sons of men, according as their desires stand;

:386p. 176–177§6

he that desires to steal, he is a Thief in the account of God; and he that desires to commit adultery, he is an adulterer in the account of God; and he that desires to oppress, he is an oppressor in the account of God; and he that desires to deceive, he is a deceiver in the account of God; and he that desires to persecute, he is a persecutor in the account of God; and he that desires to profane the Sabbaths of God, he is a profaner of the Sabbaths of God in the account of God, &c. Look, as every wicked man is as bad in the account of God, as his desires are bad; so every godly man is as good in the account of God, as his desires ⟨p. 177⟩are good; he that sincerely desires to believe, he does believe in the account of God.¹ The desire (saith one) to believe in the want of faith, is faith; though as yet there want firm and lively grace, yet art thou not altogether void of grace; if thou canst desire it, thy desire is the seed, conception or bud of what thou wantest. Now is the Spring-time of the engrafted Word or immortal seed cast into the furrows of thy heart, wait but a while, using the means, and thou shalt see that leaves, blossoms and fruits will shortly follow, &c. Another saith,² Faith in the most holy is not perfect, nevertheless, whosoever feels in his heart an earnest desire to believe, and a striving against his doubts, he both may and must assure himself, that he is endued with true faith. And he that sincerely desires to repent,³ he does repent in the account of God. Holy Bradford writing to Mr. Jo. Careless, saith, Thy sins are undoubtedly pardoned, &c. for God hath given thee a penitent and believing heart; that is, a heart which desireth to repent and believe,⁴ for such a one is taken of him (he accepting the will for the deed) for a penitent and believing heart indeed. And he that sincerely desires to mortify sin, he does mortify sin in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to walk with God, he does walk with God in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to honour God, he does honour God in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to deny himself, he does deny himself in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to be weaned from the world, he is weaned from the world in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to be conformable to God, he is conformable to God in the account of God;

he that desires to steal, he is a Thief in the account of God; and he that desires to commit adultery, he is an adulterer in the account of God; and he that desires to oppress, he is an oppressor in the account of God; and he that desires to deceive, he is a deceiver in the account of God; and he that desires to persecute, he is a persecutor in the account of God; and he that desires to prophane the Sabbaths of God, he is a prophaner of the Sabbaths of God in the account of God, &c. Look, as every wicked man is as bad in the account of God, as his desires are bad; so every godly man is as good in the account of God, as his desires ⟨p. 177⟩are good; he that sincerely desires to believe, he does believe in the account of God.¹ The desire (saith one) to believe in the want of faith, is faith; though as yet there want firm and lively grace, yet art thou not altogether void of grace; if thou canst desire it, thy desire is the seed, conception or bud of what thou wantest. Now is the Spring-time of the ingraffed Word or immortal seed cast into the furrows of thy heart, wait but a while, using the means, and thou shalt see that leaves, blossoms and fruits will shortly follow, &c. Another saith,² Faith in the most holy is not perfect, nevertheless, whosoever feels in his heart an earnest desire to believe, and a striving against his doubts, he both may and must assure himself, that he is indued with true faith. And he that sincerely desires to repent,³ he does repent in the account of God. Holy Bradford writing to Mr. Jo. Careless, saith, Thy sins are undoubtedly pardoned, &c. for God hath given thee a penitent and believing heart; that is, a heart which desireth to repent and believe,⁴ for such a one is taken of him (he accepting the will for the deed) for a penitent and believing heart indeed. And he that sincerely desires to mortifie sin, he does mortifie sin in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to walk with God, he does walk with God in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to honour God, he does honour God in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to deny himself, he does deny himself in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to be weaned from the world, he is weaned from the world in the account of God; and he that sincerely desires to be conformable to God, he is comformab•e to God in the account of God;

1Mr. Perkins in his grain of mustard-seed.
2Ursin.
3Mr. Fox.
4Let thy desires be before God, and he which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly; thy desire is thy prayer, and if thy desire be continual, thy prayer is continual, &c.

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Seventhly, No man can sincerely desire grace for grace sake, viz. faith for faiths sake, and love for loves sake, and humility for humility's sake, and uprightness for uprightness sake, and meekness for meekness sake, and holy fear for holy fears sake, and hope for hopes sake, and holiness for holiness sake, and self-denial for self-denials sake, &c. but he that has true grace. Mark, no man can sincerely and seriously desire grace, for the inward beauty, glory and excellency of grace,¹ but he that has true grace. The Kings daughter is all glorious within, though within is not all her glory; grace differs nothing from glory but in name, grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace at the full; grace is glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant; grace has an inward glory upon it, which none can see and love, but such as have grace in their own hearts: Wicked men can see no beauty, no glory, no excellency in grace, why they should desire it, or be taken with it;² and no wonder, for they could see no beauty, nor excellency, nor glory, nor form, nor comeliness in Christ the fountain of grace, why they should desire him, and be taken with him. Though next to Christ grace is the most lovely and desirable thing in all the world, yet none can desire it for its own loveliness and desirableness, but such as have a seed of God in them; though grace be a pearl of price, though it be a jewel more worth than the gold of Ophir, though it be a beam of God, a spark of glory, a branch of the divine nature; yet carnal hearts can see no glory nor excellency in it, that they should desire it. If carnal eyes were but opened to see the excellency of grace, Mirabiles sui excitaret amores, it would ravish the soul in desires after it; but graces beauty and glory is inward, and so it is not discerned but with spiritual eyes. Plato was wont to say, if moral virtues could be seen with bodily eyes, they would stir up in the heart extraordinary flames of admiration and love.³ I might say much more of grace; Grace, 1. Puts ⟨p. 179⟩an excellency, it puts a lustre and beauty upon mens persons.⁴ The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour; and pray what makes him so but grace?⁵ Wisdom makes a mans face to shine; riches, and honours, and dignities, and royal ornaments, and costly fare, and noble attendants, don't put an excellency and glory upon man;

Seventhly, No man can sincerely desire grace for grace sake, viz. faith for faiths sake, and love for loves sake, and humility for humilities sake, and uprightness for uprightness sake, and meekness for meekness sake, and holy fear for holy fears sake, and hope for hopes sake, and holiness for holiness sake, and self-denial for self-denials sake, &c. but he that has true grace. Mark, no man can sincerely and seriously desire grace, for the inward beauty, glory and excellency of grace,¹ but he that has true grace. The Kings daughter is all glorious within, though within is not all her glory; grace differs nothing from glory but in name, grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace at the full; grace is glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant; grace has an inward glory upon it, which none can see and love, but such as have grace in their own hearts: Wicked men can see no beauty, no glory, no excellency in grace, why they should desire it, or be taken with it;² and no wonder, for they could see no beauty, nor excellency, nor glory, nor form, nor comeliness in Christ the fountain of grace, why they should desire him, and be taken with him. Though next to Christ grace is the most lovely and desirable thing in all the world, yet none can desire it for its own loveliness and desirableness, but such as have a seed of God in them; though grace be a pearl of price, though it be a jewel more worth than the gold of Ophir, though it be a beam of God, a spark of glory, a branch of the divine nature; yet carnal hearts can see no glory nor excellency in it, that they should desire it. If carnal eyes were but opened to see the excellency of grace, Mirabiles sui excitaret amores, it would ravish the soul in desires after it; but graces beauty and glory is inward, and so it is not discerned but with spiritual eyes. Plato was wont to say, if moral vertues could be seen with bodily eyes, they would stir up in the heart extraordinary flames of admiration and love.³ I might say much more of grace; Grace, 1. Puts ⟨p. 179⟩an excellency, it puts a lustre and beauty upon mens persons.⁴ The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour; and pray what makes him so but grace?⁵ Wisdom makes a mans face to shine; riches, and honours, and dignities, and royal ornaments, and costly fare, and noble attendants, don't put an excellency and glory upon man;

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witness Antiochus, Saul, Haman, Herod, Dives, &c. but saving grace does; the graces of the Spirit are that chain of pearl that adorns Christ's Bride. 2. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans duties; By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain; faith put an excellency upon Abel's sacrifice. 3. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans natural and acquired excellencies; it puts an excellency upon beauty, honour, riches, name, arts, parts, gifts. Now, how excellent and glorious must that be, that puts an excellency upon all our excellencies? 4. Grace makes a man conformable to God and Christ. 5.¹ Grace fits a man for communion and fellowship with Father, Son and Spirit. 6. Grace fits a man for the choicest services. 7. Grace turns all things into a blessing. 8. Grace fills the soul with all spiritual excellencies. 9. Grace preserves a Christian from the worst of evils, viz. sin. 10. Grace sweetens death, it makes the King of terrors to be the King of desires. 11. Grace renders a man acceptable to God, and that's the height of a Christians ambition in this world, 2 Cor. 5.9. Wherefore we labour ([Greek or Hebrew], we are ambitious) that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. The Apostles made it their ambition to get acceptance in heaven: riches, and honours and gifts, and arts, and parts, &c. may commend us to men; but 'tis only grace that commends us to God, and that renders us lovely in his eyes. 12. Grace will eternalize your names, grace will perfume and embalm your names, Heb. 11.2. By faith the Elders obtained a good report. Ver. 39. And these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise. Nothing raises a mans name and fame in the wo•ld like grace. A man may obtain a great report without grace, nothing below grace will perpetuate a mans name.² The seven Deacons that the Church chose were gracious ⟨p. 180⟩men,³ and they were men of good report, they were men well witnessed unto, well testified of, as the Greek word imports.⁴ Cornelius was a gracious man, and he was a man of good report among all the Nation of the Jews. Ananias was a gracious man, and he was a man of a good report. Gaius and Demetrius, they were both gracious men, and they were men of good report, witness that third Epistle of John. How renowned was Abraham for his faith? and Moses for his meekness?

witness Antiochus, Saul, Haman, Herod, Dives, &c. but saving grace does; the graces of the Spirit are that chain of pearl that adorns Christ's Bride. 2. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans duties; By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain; faith put an excellency upon Abels sacrifice. 3. Grace puts an excellency upon all a mans natural and acquired excellencies; it puts an excellency upon beauty, honour, riches, name, arts, parts, gifts. Now, how excellent and glorious must that be, that puts an excellency upon all our excellencies? 4. Grace makes a man conformable to God and Christ. 5.¹ Grace fits a man for communion and fellowship with Father, Son and Spirit. 6. Grace fits a man for the choicest services. 7. Grace turns all things into a blessing. 8. Grace fills the soul with all spiritual excellencies. 9. Grace preserves a Christian from the worst of evils, viz. sin. 10. Grace sweetens death, it makes the King of terrors to be the King of desires. 11. Grace renders a man acceptable to God, and that's the heighth of a Christians ambition in this world, 2 Cor. 5.9. Wherefore we labour (〈non-Latin alphabet〉, we are ambitious) that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. The Apostles made it their ambition to get acceptance in heaven: riches, and honours and gifts, and arts, and parts, &c. may commend us to men; but 'tis only grace that commends us to God, and that renders us lovely in his eyes. 12. Grace will eternalize your names, grace will perfume and embalm your names, Heb. 11.2. By faith the Elders obtained a good report. Ver. 39. And these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise. Nothing raises a mans name and fame in the wo•ld like grace. A man may obtain a great report without grace, nothing below grace will perpetuate a mans name.² The seven Deacons that the Church chose were gracious ⟨p. 180⟩men,³ and they were men of good report, they were men well witnessed unto, well testified of, as the Greek word imports.⁴ Cornelius was a gracious man, and he was a man of good report among all the Nation of the Jews. Ananias was a gracious man, and he was a man of a good report. Gaius and Demetrius, they were both gracious men, and they were men of good report, witness that third Epistle of John. How renowned was Abraham for his faith? and Moses for his meekness?

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and Jacob for his plain-heartedness? and Job for his uprightness? and David for his zeal? and Joshua for his courage?¹ Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years, and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as a Rose, to this very day. Grace will make your names immortal; The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance: The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. Wicked men many times out-live their names, but the names of just men out-live them; when a gracious man dies, he leaves his name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him, his fame shall live when he is dead. According to the Hebrew the words may be read thus; The memory of the just shall be for a blessing; the very remembering of the just shall bring a blessing upon them that remember them. When a gracious man dies, as he carries a good conscience with him, so he leaves a perfumed name behind him. Grace is the image of God, the delight of God, the honour of God, the glory of God; grace is the purchase of Christ, and the birth of the Spirit, and the pledge of glory; grace is the joy of Angels, the glory of man, and the wonder of the world; what's the body without the soul? what's the cabinet without the jewels? what's the Sun without light? what's the fountain without water? what's Paradise without the Tree of Life? what's Heaven without Christ? That's a soul without grace. Now every gracious soul sees a real, internal excellency, beauty and glory in grace, and accordingly it is carried out in its desires after it; it sees such an innate excellency, beauty and glory in that faith, wisdom, humility, meekness, patience, zeal, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness, uprightness, &c. that sparkles and shines in such and such Saints, that it many times ⟨p. 181⟩strives with God in a corner, even to sweat and tears, that it may be bedecked and enriched with those singular graces that are so shining in others. O, that I had the wisdom of such a Christian, and the faith of such a Christian, and the love of such a Christian, and the humility of such a Christian, and the meekness of such a Christian, and the zeal of such a Christian, and the integrity of such a Christian, &c. O, that my soul was but in their case! I don't covet their riches but their graces: Oh, that I had but those graces!

and Jacob for his plain-heartedness? and Job for his uprightness? and David for his zeal? and Joshua for his courage?¹ Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years, and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as a Rose, to this very day. Grace will make your names immortal; The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance: The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot. Wicked men many times out-live their names, but the names of just men out-live them; when a gracious man dies, he leaves his name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him, his fame shall live when he is dead. According to the Hebrew the words may be read thus; The memory of the just shall be for a blessing; the very remembring of the just shall bring a blessing upon them that remember them. When a gracious man dies, as he carries a good conscience with him, so he leaves a perfumed name behind him. Grace is the image of God, the delight of God, the honour of God, the glory of God; grace is the purchase of Christ, and the birth of the Spirit, and the pledge of glory; grace is the joy of Angels, the glory of man, and the wonder of the world; what's the body without the soul? what's the cabinet without the jewels? what's the Sun without light? what's the fountain without water? what's Paradise without the Tree of Life? what's Heaven without Christ? That's a soul without grace. Now every gracious soul sees a real, internal excellency, beauty and glory in grace, and accordingly it is carried out in its desires after it; it sees such an innate excellency, beauty and glory in that faith, wisdom, humility, meekness, patience, zeal, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness, uprightness, &c. that sparkles and shines in such and such Saints, that it many times ⟨p. 181⟩strives with God in a corner, even to sweat and tears, that it may be bedecked and inriched with those singular graces that are so shining in others. O, that I had the wisdom of such a Christian, and the faith of such a Christian, and the love of such a Christian, and the humility of such a Christian, and the meekness of such a Christian, and the zeal of such a Christian, and the integrity of such a Christian, &c. O, that my soul was but in their case! I don't covet their riches but their graces: Oh, that I had but those graces!

1Heb. 11.4. Psal. 112.6. Prov. 10.7.

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Eighthly, No man can sincerely desire all grace, every §8grace, or the whole chain of graces, but he that has true grace.¹ Vain men, when they are under some outward or inward distresses, may to serve their present turns, desire (in a cold, formal, customary way) patience, or contentation, or meekness, or hope, or faith, &c. but they don't, nor can't, whilst they are wicked, whilst they are in their natural estate,² whilst they are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, sincerely desire every grace, especially those particular graces that are most opposite to their master sin, to their darling lusts, to their constitution sins, to their complexion sins, to those particular lusts that are to them as dear as their right eyes or right hands. Austin before his conversion, he was much given to whoredom, and he would often pray, Lord, give me continency, but not yet; Lord, give me continency, but not yet; he was afraid lest God should have heard him to soon, as himself confesseth. Wicked men would be very sorry if God should take them at their words, and in good earnest answer the cold and lazy desires of their souls: If when the drunkard in a good mood should desire sobriety, God should take him at his word, he would be very angry; or if when the unclean person should desire chastity, continency, God ⟨p. 182⟩should answer his desires, he would not be very well pleased; if when the covetous person, should (under some pangs of conscience) desire a free, a charitable, a noble, generous spirit, God should take him at his word, he would be sorely displeased. The same may be said of all other sorts of sinners; but now a real Christian, though he be never so weak, yet he seriously desires every grace, he is for every link of the golden chain of graces, he finds in his own heart, sins that are contrary to every grace, and therefore he desires every grace, that he may make head against every sin; and he finds his heart and life so attended and surrounded with all sorts and kinds of temptations, that he earnestly, seriously, and frequently desires the presence and assistance of every grace, that so he may be temptation-proof, yea, victorious over every temptation; and he sees and feels the need of every grace, to fill up every place, station and condition wherein the Lord has set him, and therefore he begs hard for every grace;

12 Pet. 1.5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
2Act. 8.19. to 25.

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Ninthly, No man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for gracious ends and purposes, but he that has true grace in his soul.¹ No man can truly desire grace, that he may enjoy communion and fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and that he may be made conformable to Christ, and that he may be serviceable and useful to the interest of Christ, and that he may walk even as Christ walked,² in the exercise of every grace, and that he may be rid of his sins, yea all his sins, especially his special sins; and that he may run the ways of God's commands more easily, more readily, more delightfully, more resolutely, more patiently, more unweariedly, and more zealously; and that he may be made victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil; and that he may so live, as to be a praise, a name, an honour, and a glory to Christ; and that after all, and by all, he may be prepared and fitted for an eternal fruition and enjoyment of Christ, ⟨p. 183⟩but he that has true grace in his soul. Now, every weak believer is able to appeal to God, that he desires grace for gracious ends and purposes, as for the ends last cited, and others of the like nature with them. Wicked men may in a fit desire grace,³ as Simon Magus did desire the holy Ghost to get money by it, or when they are under some pangs of conscience, they may desire grace to be rid of their horrors and terrors, or when they are upon a dying bed they may desire so much grace as may keep them out of hell, and bring them to heaven; but in all this they look no further than self, they are far from desiring of grace for gracious ends and purposes. There is nothing in all the world that the great God so much regards as man; All these things have my hands made, but to this man will I look, Isa. 66.2. Nothing in man so much as the heart; My son, give me thy heart. That is the Mount Zion which God loveth above all the dwellings of Jacob, and nothing in the heart, so much as the aim and end of it. Let a mans profession be never so glorious, let him be never so abundant in the performance of duties, let his desires after this and that good thing be never so strong, yet if his ends be wrong, all his pretensions and performances are but beautiful abominations. Did David pray three times a day?⁴ so did the Pharisees. Did David and Daniel fast? so did the Pharisees, and that twice in the week. Did Cornelius give alms?

Ninthly, No man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for gracious ends and purposes, but he that has true grace in his soul.¹ No man can truly desire grace, that he may enjoy communion and fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, and that he may be made comformable to Christ, and that he may be serviceable and useful to the interest of Christ, and that he may walk even as Christ walked,² in the exercise of every grace, and that he may be rid of his sins, yea all his sins, especially his special sins; and that he may run the ways of God's commands more easily, more readily, more delightfully, more resolutely, more patiently, more unweariedly, and more zealously; and that he may be made victorious over the world, the flesh, and the devil; and that he may so live, as to be a praise, a name, an honour, and a glory to Christ; and that after all, and by all, he may be prepared and fitted for an eternal fruition and enjoyment of Christ, ⟨p. 183⟩but he that has true grace in his soul. Now, every weak believer is able to appeal to God, that he desires grace for gracious ends and purposes, as for the ends last cited, and others of the like nature with them. Wicked men may in a fit desire grace,³ as Simon Magus did desire the holy Ghost to get money by it, or when they are under some pangs of conscience, they may desire grace to be rid of their horrors and terrors, or when they are upon a dying bed they may desire so much grace as may keep them out of hell, and bring them to heaven; but in all this they look no further than self, they are far from desiring of grace for gracious ends and purposes. There is nothing in all the world that the great God so much regards as man; All these things have my hands made, but to this man will I look, Isa. 66.2. Nothing in man so much as the heart; My son, give me thy heart. That is the Mount Sion which God loveth above all the dwellings of Jacob, and nothing in the heart, so much as the aim and end of it. Let a mans profession be never so glorious, let him be never so abundant in the performance of duties, let his desires after this and that good thing be never so strong, yet if his ends be wrong, all his pretentions and performances are but beautiful abominations. Did David pray three times aday?⁴ so did the Pharisees. Did David and Daniel fast? so did the Pharisees, and that twice in the week. Did Cornelius give alms?

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Tenthly, No man can sincerely desire & earnestly endeavour §10after the highest pitches of grace, but he that has true grace; though the weak Christian has but a little grace in his heart,¹ yet he has the top of grace, the perfection of grace in his sincere aims, in his sincere desires, and in his earnest and constant endeavours; and if the weakest Saint might have his ⟨p. 184⟩desires, his mind, his wish, his will, his choice, he would never sin more, he would never dishonour Jesus Christ more, he would never grieve the spirit of grace more, he would yield unsinning obedience, he would obey in this lower world, as the Angels, and as the spirits of just men made perfect do obey in that upper world;² the weakest Christian has his eye to the highest round in Jacob's ladder, and fain he would be at the top of it; and Oh, how sweet is every Providence, and every Ordinance, and every duty, and every mercy, and every opportunity, that helps his soul more Christ-wards, and heaven-wards, and holiness-wards! sincere desires, and serious endeavours to grow in grace,³ is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace. Look, as a man may have grace and not know it, so a man may grow in grace and yet not discern it. As in the lopping of a Tree there seems to be a kind of diminution and destruction, yet the end and issue of it is better growth; and as the weakening of the body by Physic seems to tend to death, yet it produceth better health and more strength; and as the Ball by falling downward riseth upward, and water in pipes descends that it may ascend, so the Christians spiritual growth, when seemingly dead and declining, and to stand at a stay, is still carried on by the hidden method of God to increase; for every true Christian is a member of a thriving body, in which there is no Atrophy, but a continual issuing of spirits from the head;⁴ so that life being wrought by the spirit of life never dyeth, but is always upon the growing hand (except in the dark winter night of desertion and temptations) ripening and increasing even in the midst of all ordinary troubles and trials.

Tenthly, No man can sincerely desire & earnestly endeavour §10after the highest pitches of grace, but he that has true grace; though the weak Christian has but a little grace in his heart,¹ yet he has the top of grace, the perfection of grace in his sincere aims, in his sincere desires, and in his earnest and constant endeavours; and if the weakest Saint might have his ⟨p. 184⟩desires, his mind, his wish, his will, his choice, he would never sin more, he would never dishonour Jesus Christ more, he would never grieve the spirit of grace more, he would yield unsinning obedience, he would obey in this lower world, as the Angels, and as the spirits of just men made perfect do obey in that upper world;² the weakest Christian has his eye to the highest round in Jacob's ladder, and fain he would be at the top of it; and Oh, how sweet is every Providence, and every Ordinance, and every duty, and every mercy, and every opportunity, that helps his soul more Christ-wards, and heaven-wards, and holiness-wards! sincere desires, and serious endeavours to grow in grace,³ is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace. Look, as a man may have grace and not know it, so a man may grow in grace and yet not discern it. As in the lopping of a Tree there seems to be a kind of diminution and destruction, yet the end and issue of it is better growth; and as the weakning of the body by Physick seems to tend to death, yet it produceth better health and more strength; and as the Ball by falling downward riseth upward, and water in pipes descends that it may ascend, so the Christians spiritual growth, when seemingly dead and declining, and to stand at a stay, is still carried on by the hidden method of God to encrease; for every true Christian is a member of a thriving body, in which there is no Atrophy, but a continual issuing of spirits from the head;⁴ so that life being wrought by the spirit of life never dyeth, but is alwayes upon the growing hand (except in the dark winter night of desertion and temptations) ripening and encreasing even in the midst of all ordinary troubles and trials.

1Phil. 3.12, 13, 14, 15, 16, &c.
2Heb. 12.22, 23. Luke 17.5.
32 Pet. 3.18. 1 Pet. 2.2. 1 Joh. 5.13. 1 Joh. 3.9.
4The righteous shall flourish like the Palm tree, Psal. 92.12, 13, 14. The Palm tree never loseth his leaf or fruit, Pliny. Grace grows not alike in all Saints; in the parable, some brought forth thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold.

:397p. 184–185§10

The Apostle tells us, that the whole body of Christ (whereof every true Christian is a limb) is so compact together in it self, and so firmly fastened with certain spiritual nerves and ligaments to the head, that from it there is by them conveyed to each part a continual supply of spiritual grace, both sufficient to furnish it, and to further the growth of it. Let me give a little further light into this particular, by this similitude: A man is bound for the East-Indies, and shapeth his course thitherward, but by the way is put often off by cross winds to the Westward; ⟨p. 185⟩he is by contrary winds compelled to put into divers Harbours, and to make some stay by the way there, either to shift off stormy weather, or to take in fresh water, or to stop a leak, or to get some fresh provisions; and yet all this while we truly say, he is going on in his way in his voyage, because his settled purpose and constant resolution is to make to his Port, his Haven whither he is bound, and all these seeming lets shall help forward his voyage. It is so in spiritual things, for our very growth in grace consists much in sincere desires, in fixed resolutions, and in faithful endeavours to grow in grace.¹ Aristotle makes it the mark of a good man, that he studieth how he may grow better than he is, not contenting himself with any degree or measure of goodness. And another Heathen observes, that the earnest desire of what men would have, maketh them forgetful of what they have. I forget what's past (saith the Apostle) and press on to what is before. Their eye is more upon what they want, than upon what they have. It is with good Christians in this case, as it is with rich worldlings; that like men in a race, have their eye on those that be before them, not on those that come after them, they are ever eying those that seem to out-strip and out-go them in wealth, and think they have nothing, and that they are but poor men, so long as they come short of such and such, who are rich and great in the world: And so it is with many precious Christians, they have still their eye sixth upon those whose examples they either read of, or whose courses and graces they are eyewitnesses of;

The Apostle tells us, that the whole body of Christ (whereof every true Christian is a limb) is so compact together in it self, and so firmly fastned with certain spiritual nerves and ligaments to the head, that from it there is by them conveyed to each part a continual supply of spiritual grace, both sufficient to furnish it, and to further the growth of it. Let me give a little further light into this particular, by this similitude: A man is bound for the East-Indies, and shapeth his course thitherward, but by the way is put often off by cross winds to the Westward; ⟨p. 185⟩he is by contrary winds compelled to put into divers Harbours, and to make some stay by the way there, either to shift off stormy weather, or to take in fresh water, or to stop a leak, or to get some fresh provisions; and yet all this while we truly say, he is going on in his way in his voyage, because his setled purpose and constant resolution is to make to his Port, his Haven whither he is bound, and all these seeming lets shall help forward his voyage. It is so in spiritual things, for our very growth in grace consists much in sincere desires, in fixed resolutions, and in faithful endeavours to grow in grace.¹ Aristotle makes it the mark of a good man, that he studieth how he may grow better than he is, not contenting himself with any degree or measure of goodness. And another Heathen observes, that the earnest desire of what men would have, maketh them forgetful of what they have. I forget what's past (saith the Apostle) and press on to what is before. Their eye is more upon what they want, than upon what they have. It is with good Christians in this case, as it is with rich worldlings; that like men in a race, have their eye on those that be before them, not on those that come after them, they are ever eying those that seem to out-strip and out-go them in wealth, and think they have nothing, and that they are but poor men, so long as they come short of such and such, who are rich and great in the world: And so it is with many precious Christians, they have still their eye fixt upon those whose examples they either read of, or whose courses and graces they are eyewitnesses of;

1Aristot. Rhet. l. 1. c. 11. Seneca l. 2. c. 27. Phil. 3.13.