A29686:662
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.
The ninth Proposition is this. Sincere Christians may safely §9and groundedly rejoice,1 delight and take comfort in those graces, or in those divine qualities, which in the light of the Spirit they see and know are wrote in their souls. I don't say that a Christian should build the comfort of his justification upon his graces, or that he should rest on his graces, or trust to his graces, or make a Saviour of his graces, for this would be such a piece of Pharisaical Popery, as is justly to be detested ⟨p. 350⟩and abhorred by all that love Christ, or are looking towards heaven: But this I say, a Christian may make several uses of his graces, he may safely look upon his graces as so many evidences of Christ's dwelling in him, and he may look upon his graces as so many heavenly bracelets, or as so many love tokens from God in which he may safely rejoice. The gracious evidences that I have laid down in this Treatise, are blessed symptoms of salvation, and therefore to rejoice in them, can be no transgression of any royal Law of heaven. He that can experimentally subscribe to any of the gracious evidences that are laid down in this Book, has such a fair certificate to show for heaven, that no wicked man or hypocrite under heaven has the like to show; and why such a man should not rejoice in such a certificate, I can't at present see. I may and ought to rejoice in the works of Creation: O! how much more then ought I to rejoice in the work of Renovation, in the work of sanctification, which does so infinitely transcend the work of Creation? I may and ought to rejoice in my natural life, health, strength, beauty; and why then should I not rejoice in grace and holiness, which is the life, health, strength and beauty of my soul?2 Christ delights in the graces of his people. Thou hast ravished my heart, (or thou hast behearted me, as the Hebrew runs) my sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes, (or with one glance of thine eyes, as some read it) with one chain of thy neck. The eye of faith, say some; the eye of love, say others: The chain of obedience, say some; the chain of spiritual graces, say others, ravished Christ's heart; the one eye of faith, the one chain of obedience, unhearted Christ, wounded Christ; this one eye, this one chain robbed Christ of his heart, and laid the Spouse in the room of it.