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…

It was a great saying of a very worthy man that is now with God, viz, ¹That as he often got much good by his sins, so he often got much hurt by his graces. Dear hearts, when you look upon the stream, remember the fountain; when you look upon the flower, remember the root; when you look upon the Stars, remember the Sun; and when ever you look upon your graces, then be sure to remember Christ the fountain of grace, else Satan will certainly be too hard for you: Satan is so subtle, so artificial, and so critical, that he can make your very graces to serve him against your graces conquering joy by joy, sorrow by sorrow, humility by humility, fear by fear, and love by love; if you don't look upon all your graces as streams flowing from the fountain above, and as fruits growing upon the Tree of life that is in ⟨p. 335⟩the midst of the Paradise of God. Therefore when one of your eyes is sixth upon your graces, let the other be always sixth upon Christ the fountain of grace.² Of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace. Here they eye their graces, and the fountain of grace together. So Paul, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, ³who loved me and gave himself for me. Paul eyes Christ and his graces together; so Peter eyes Christ and his graces together. Lord, ⁴thou knowest •hat I love thee. So those Worthies of whom this world was not worthy, they eye Christ and their graces together.⁵ Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith. ⁶Though grace be a new creature, a noble creature, a beautiful creature, an excellent creature, yet grace is but a creature,⁷