A Cabinet of Choice Jewels, Chapter 1 · Maxim 12
The Twelfth Maxim or Conſideration.
TWelfthly, Conſider that tis a Chriſtians greateſt Wiſdom and higheſt concernment, to take the moſt commodious time for the caſting up of his ſpiritual accounts: If I would know what I am worth for another World, and what I have to ſhew for the inheritance of the Saints in light, then I am to take my heart when tis at beſt, and when I am moſt divinely prepared and fitted for this great ſervice, then to enter upon it: Tis no wiſdom for a man to go to ſee his face in troubled waters, or to look for a Pearl in a puddle. There are ſome particular times and ſeaſons in which tis no way ſafe nor convenient for a Chriſtian to enter upon the tryal of his Spiritual eſtate.Times of deſertion and temptation, are rather times and ſeaſons for mourning, watching, reſtling and ſeeking of God, than for judging and determining of our conditions. As firſt, when the body is greatly diſtempered. 2. When the Soul is greatly tempted by Satan, or ſadly deſerted by God. 3. When the Conſcience is ſo deeply wounded by ſome great falls, as that the Soul is filled with exceeding great fear, terror and horror; it is with many poor Chriſtians in this caſe, as it hath been with ſome who have been ſo ſtruck with the fear and horror of death before the Judg, that though they were good Schollars and able to read any thing, yet fear and horror hath ſo ſurpriſed them, that when their lives have been at ſtake, and the Book hath been given them to read, they have not been able to read one line, one word. So many of the precious ſervants of Chriſt, when they have been under wounds of Conſcience, and when they have been filled with fears, terrors and horrors, they have not been able to look up to Heaven, nor read their evidences, nor turn to the breaſts of the Promiſes,Pſal. 40.12. Pſal. 77. Pſal. 88. Job 23.8, 9. nor call to mind their former experiences, nor behold the leaſt glimpſe of Heavens glories. No man in his wits, if he were to weigh gold, would weigh it in the midſt of high winds, great ſtorms and horrible tempeſts, which would ſo hurry the ballance up and down, this way and that, that it would be impoſſible for him to weigh his gold exactly. Now the tryal of our ſpiritual eſtates is like the weighing of gold,Job 31.6. Dan. 5.27. for we are all to weigh our ſelves by the ballance of the Sanctuary. God himſelf will one day weigh us by that ballance, and if we hold weight when he comes to weigh us, we are ſafe and happy for ever: But when he comes to weigh us in the ballance of the Sanctuary, if we ſhall then be found too light, it had been good for us we had never been born; when Belſhazzar ſaw the hand-writing upon the wall, his countenance was changed,Verſes 5, 6. and his thoughts troubled, and the joynts of his loyns were looſed, and his knees ſmote one againſt another; but what was all this to an everlaſting ſeparation from God, and to thoſe endleſs, eaſleſs, and remedileſs torments that ſuch muſt endure,2 Theſſ. 1.7, 8, 9, 10. who when they are weighed in the ballance, ſhall be found too light? A man that would weigh gold to a grain,The candle will never burn clear whilſt there is a thief in it, ſin indulged in the conſcience, is like Jonah in the ſhip, which cauſeth ſuch a tempeſt, that the Conſcience is like a troubled Sea, whoſe waters cannot reſt, or it is like a more in the eye, which cauſeth a perpetual trouble while it is there. muſt weigh it in a quiet ſtill place: And ſo a man that would make an exact tryal of his ſpiritual eſtate, he muſt take his Soul when tis moſt ſerious, quiet, ſtill, and compoſed; he muſt take his heart when it is in the beſt frame, and moſt diſpoſed to ſolemn and weighty work. There are ſome times which are very unapt for a gracious perſon to ſit as Judg upon his Spiritual eſtate, and to paſs ſentence upon his own Soul. The beſt Chriſtians under Heaven do meet with divers inward and outward changes, ſometimes the light ſhines ſo clear that they can ſee things as they are, but at other times all is dark and cloudy, and tempeſtuous, and then they are apt to judg themſelves by feeling and new repreſentations, and not according to the truth. O Sirs, remember this once for all, that times of inward or outward diſtreſſes are beſt for Praying, and worſt for judging. If a man will at ſuch times paſs ſentence on himſelf, or his eſtate as a Judg, he will certainly judg unrighteous judgment, for then the Soul is not it ſelf, and is very apt and prone to take Satans work for his own, and to ſide with him againſt it ſelf, yea, and then uſually it will ſee nothing, it will think of nothing, it will dwell upon nothing but what makes againſt it ſelf. 4. When God exerciſes a man with ſome exceeding ſevere and unuſual Providences, when God ſteps out of his ordinary way of Diſpenſations in his dealings with a man: When God ſets a man up before all the world as a mark to ſhoot at, as he did Job. Now a poor Chriſtian is ready to doubt and conclude,Job 7.20. c. 16.12 Surely the Lord has no regard of me, he has no entire love for me, his heart is not certainly towards me, ſeeing all theſe ſore tryals make ſo much againſt me; but here the poor Chriſtian is miſtaken, as Jacob once was, Gen 42.36. And Jacob their Father ſaid unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children, Joſeph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away, all theſe things are againſt me. Gen. 45.5, 6, 7, 8, 9.But Jacob was out, for all thoſe things made for him, and for the preſervation of the viſible Church of God in the World. Certainly all the afflictions that befall the people of God,Rev. 3.19. Heb. 12.5, 6. are but his love-tokens. As many as I love I rebuke and chaſten, and therefore thoſe Chriſtians are miſerably miſtaken that take them for teſtimonies of his wrath, and effects of his disfavour. O Sirs! what can be more abſurd, diſpleaſing, and provoking, than for a Chriſtian to make that an Argument of Gods hatred, that he intends for an inſtance of his love? and ye… Chriſtians are apt thus to act. It is obſervable the Apoſtle reckons affliction amongſt Gods honoraries and tokens of reſpect,Judg. 6.12, 13. Exod. 17.7. Phil. 1.29. For to you tis given (ſaith he) not only to believe, but alſo to ſuffer. Which (ſaith Father Latymer) is the greateſt promotion that God gives in this world.Job 7.17, 18. Job (when he was himſelf) could not but admire at it, that God ſhould make ſuch an account of man, and that he ſhould ſo magnify him, and dignify him, as to think him worthy of a rod, a whiping; as to think him worth a melting,Prov. 1.32. Pſal. 73.5. Eccleſ. 9.1, 2. and trying every morning, yea, every moment. Tis certain that great proſperity and worldly glory are no ſure tokens of Gods love, and tis as certain that great troubles and afflictions are no ſure marks of Gods hatred, and yet many poor Chriſtians, when the waters of affliction riſe high, and are ready to overflow them, O how apt are they to conclude that God hates them, and will revenge himſelf upon them, and that they have nothing of God or Chriſt, or the Spirit, or Grace in them? Or, 5.Lam. 1.16. When the Spirit the Comforter ſtands afar off, and witholds thoſe ſpecial influences, without which, in a common ordinary way, a Chriſtian cannot divinely, candidly, clearly and impartially tranſact with God in order to his own peace, comfort and ſettlement. Or, 6. When either a Chriſtians evidences are not at hand, or elſe they are ſo ſoiled, darkned, blotted and obſcured, as that he is not able to read them.Pſal. 88. Job 33.10. It is an old ſaying that Melancholia eſt vehiculum Daemonum. In the German proverb, Luther ſayes it goes for currant, Caput Melancholicum diaboli Balneum, The melancholy head is the Devils bathing place. Or, 7. When a Chriſtian is extreamly oppreſt with melancholy. Melancholy is a dark and dusky humor, which diſturbs both Soul and body, and the cure of it belongs rather to the Phyſitian than to the Divine. It is a moſt peſtilent humor where it abounds, one calls it Balneum Diaboli, the Devils Bath; tis a humor that unfits a man for all ſorts of ſervices, but eſpecially thoſe that concern his ſoul, his ſpiritual eſtate, his everlaſting condition. The Melancholy perſon tyres the Phyſitian, grieves the Miniſter, wounds Relations, and makes ſport for the Devil. There are 5 ſorts of perſons that the Devil makes his Aſs to ride in triumph upon, viz. the ignorant perſon, the unbelieving perſon, the proud perſon, the hypocritical perſon, and the Melancholy perſon. Melancholy is a diſeaſe that works ſtrange paſſions, ſtrange imaginations, and ſtrange concluſions. It unmans a man, it makes a man call good evil, and evil good, ſweet bitter, and bitter ſweet, light darkneſs, and darkneſs light. The diſtemper of the body oftentimes cauſeth diſtemper of ſoul, for the Soul followeth the temper of the body. A Melancholy ſpirit is a dumb ſpirit, you can get nothing out of him,Mat. 9.28, 29. It is no more wonder to ſee a Melancholy man doubt and queſtion his ſpiritual condition, than it is to ſee a child cry when he is beaten, or to hear a ſick man groan, or to hear a drowning man call out for a boat. You may ſilence a Melancholy man, when you are not able to comfort him. Whileſt Nebuchadnezzar was under the power of a deep Melancholy, he could not tell whether he was a man or a Beaſt. Melancholy is the mother of fears, doubts, diſputes, and diſcomforts. and a deaf ſpirit, you can get nothing into him. Now of all the evil ſpirits we read of in the Goſpel, the dumb and the deaf were the worſt; darkneſs, ſadneſs, ſolitarineſs, heavineſs, mourning, &c. are the only ſweet deſirable and delightful companions of melancholy perſons. Melancholy makes every ſweet bitter, and every bitter ſeven times more bitter: the melancholy perſon is marvellouſly prone to bid ſleep farewel, and joy farewel, and meat farewel, and friends farewel, and Ordinances farewel, and duties farewel, and Promiſes farewel, and Miniſters farewel, and his Calling farewel, and tis well if he be not even ready to bid God farewel too. Melancholy perſons are like Idols that have eyes but ſee not, and tongues but ſpeak not, and ears but hear not. Melancholy turns truths into Fables, and fables into truths; it turns fancies into realities, and realities into fancies. Melancholy is a fire that burns inwards, and is hard to quench. Now if a Chriſtian be under the power of natural or accidental Melancholy, his work is not now to be a trying his eſtate, or a caſting up of his accounts to ſee what he is worth for another world, but to uſe all ſuch wayes and means as God hath prepared in a natural way for the cure of Melancholy; for as the Soul is not cured by natural cauſes, ſo the body is not cured by ſpiritual Remedies. Now in the ſeven caſes laſt mentioned, a Chriſtians work lyes rather in mourning, ſelf-judging, ſelf-loathing, ſelf-abhorring, and in repenting and reforming, and in freſh and frequent exerciſes of Faith on the Lord Jeſus, on his Blood, on his Promiſes, and on his free rich ſovereign and glorious Grace, …hat is diſplayed and offered in the Goſpel, and in a patient waiting upon the Lord in the uſe of all holy and heavenly helps for deliverance out of his preſent ſtraits, t…yals and exerciſes, then in falling upon that great work of caſting up his ſpiritual accounts, and of ſearching into the Records of glory, to ſee whether his name be Regiſtred in the Book of Life or no. O Sirs, when poor Chriſtians are bewildered, their proper work is to caſt themſelves upon the Promiſes, to truſt in the name of the Lord,Iſa. 50.10. Job 13.15. and to ſtay themſelves upon their God. Job in a cloudy ſtormy day, reſolves to truſt …n the Lord, though he ſhould ſlay him; and ſo muſt you: And O that this rule were more ſeriouſly minded, and effectually obſerved by all doubting, trembling, and ſtaggering Chriſtians. But,