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…

Well Sirs, look as the fairest day hath its clouds, the finest linen its spots, the richest jewels their flaws, the sweetest fruits their worms; so when many precious Christians are not themselves, when they are in an hour of temptation, when their corruptions are up, and their graces down, they may and too often do,¹ envy and repine at those graces, excellencies and abilities that do over-cast, cloud,² darken and outshine their own. The best of men are but men at the best, and there is still those bitter roots of pride, vain-glory, self-love, envy, &c. remaining in them, that occasions their hearts to rise and swell, yea sometimes to cast disgrace upon those excellencies in others that themselves want: As that great man that could not write his own name,³ and yet called the liberal Arts, A public Poison and Pestilence. This spiritual disease is mostly to be found among Christians that are got into some of the highest forms in Christianity; take your ordinary common Christians, and they commonly rejoice most where they see most grace: And so do your Christians in a higher form too, when they come to themselves, and to make up their accounts, and have wept over those cursed roots of bitterness that are so apt to be sprouting out. Now, there is no greater argument that our grace is true, and that we do love others for grace sake, than our loving them best that have most grace, though they have but little of the world. A pearl is rich if found on a dunghill, though it may glister more when set in a ring of ⟨p. 198⟩gold; so many a poor believer is rich in grace, and precious, and glorious in the eye of Christ, and should be so in ours, though like Job he sits upon a dunghill; though in the eyes of the world he may seem to glister most, when adorned with riches, honour and outward pomp. If grace be the true reason why we love any person, then the more grace that person hath, the more we shall love him. A godly man loves all that are godly, but he loves them most, that excel most in the power, purity and practise of godliness, &c. But,

Well Sirs, look as the fairest day hath its clouds, the finest linnen its spots, the richest jewels their flaws, the sweetest fruits their worms; so when many precious Christians are not themselves, when they are in an hour of temptation, when their corruptions are up, and their graces down, they may and too often do,