A Cabinet of Choice Jewels, Chapter 1 · Maxim 14 – Maxim 15
The Fourteenth Maxim or Conſideration.
FOurteenthly, Conſider you muſt never judg your ſelves unſound, or hypocrites for ſuch things, or from ſuch conſiderations, or by ſuch Arguments or reaſonings, which being admitted and granted to be true, will neceſſarily and unavoidably prove the whole generation of the faithful,Pſal. 7….15. the whole body of them that fear the Lord, to be unſound, and to be a pack of notorious hypocrites; he that ſhall judg himſelf unſound or an hypocrite, becauſe his thoughts and imaginations are, that he is not ſincere,Iſa. 55.7, 8, 9. for becauſe he is thus and thus tempted, or becauſe he is at particular times and in particular caſes thus and thus worſted and captivated by ſin, (notwithſtanding all the reſiſtance that he is able to make againſt it, and notwithſtanding his hatred of it, and his loathing and judging of himſelf for it) or becauſe he is thus and thus afflicted in his Family,Jacob, Joſeph, Job, David, Heman, Paul, and thoſe worthies in the 11th. of the Hebre…s, have been as much afflicted as thou haſt been; now for thee to conclude that thou art not beloved, becauſe thou haſt been thus afflicted, this is to conclude againſt all thoſe worthies, of whom this world was not worthy, Heb. 11.38. or in his Relations, or in his own perſon; or becauſe he is thus and thus d…ſtracted in Prayer, and ſtraitned in Prayer; or becauſe he is ſomtimes troubled with ſad, hard, hideous, and blaſphemous thoughts of God; he does in ſo judging, judg and condemn the whole Generation of the Righteous, for there are none of them but firſt or laſt, more or leſs, have been exerciſed even as he is, or as he has been exerciſed: Who dare judg his neighbour, his brother, his friend, an hypocrite, becauſe the hand of the Lord has been various wayes lifted up againſt him, or becauſe Satan has been let looſe to play with his grand battery upon him? Now if thou dareſt not judg thy neighbour an hypocrite upon theſe accounts, how dareſt thou to judg thy ſelf an hypocrite upon the very ſame accounts? When thy neighbour, thy brother, thy friend is thus and thus afflicted, tempted, diſtreſſed, &c. thou canſt tell them that this has been the common lot of the People of God in all the Ages of the World; thou canſt tell them that no man knows love or hatred by theſe things; and that all things come alike to all;Eccleſ. 9.1, 2, 3. Iſa. 1.25. chap. 27.9. Heb. 12.10, 11. James 5.10, 11. thou canſt tell them that the moſt choiceſt Saints have been moſt afflicted, tempted, clouded, and diſtreſſed; thou canſt tell them that all ſhall end well, that all ſhall iſſue well. Remember the patience of Job, and conſider the end that the Lord made with him. Thou canſt tell them that thou haſt got that good by afflictions, temptations, cloudings, diſtreſſes that thou wouldſt not exchange for ten thouſand worlds. Now if Chriſtians when they are afflicted, tempted, clouded, diſtreſſed, would be but as kind, favourable, and merciful to themſelves as they are to others in the ſame condition, how we…l would it be with them, how ſoon would they get out of the ſnare. O Sirs, if th…s rule were but prudently conſidered, and ſeriouſly practiſed, how would the fears, doubts, and darkneſſes of many poor weak doubting ſtaggering and trembling Chriſtians vaniſh, and what peace, comfort, and ſettlement would they quickly find. O Sirs, we muſt never ſtand to that judgment which we paſs upon our Spiritual eſtates, which is irrational, or without ſufficient ground from Scripture, or which would be to condemn the Generation of the juſt; we may ſafely appeal from that ſentence of our judgment which acts it ſelf in times of paſſion, or violent temptation, as he did from Alexander drunk, to Alexander ſober, &c. We muſt not unjuſtly vex our own hearts, and daſh out our integrity, when the ſentence that we paſs upon our ſelves is rather of imagination than of reaſon. When a man thinks, and thinks again and again that his heart is not ſincere with God, though many (if not all) evidences of ſincerity appear in him, and when he cannot produce any one inherently diſtinguiſhing ground of an hypocrite in himſelf, why this is but an imaginary judgment, and utte…ly unreaſonable, for this is to condemn the innocent without cauſe. O Sirs! that ſoul will never be ſetled in peace and comfort, which gives way to his own imaginations and paſſions, and which hath a conceit that every ſinful thought, or violent temptation, or more durable conflict with an inward corruption, or the reſurrection of ſome old ſin, or frequent diſtractions in Religious duties, or particular falls or flips into this or that ſin, cannot ſtand with grace, cannot ſtand with uprightneſs, cannot ſtand with ſingleneſs and ſoundneſs of heart; O that you would for ever remember this, viz. That where a man hath either no ground at all, or thoſe that he hath are falſe, he ſhould never ſo ſettle on them, and yield and entertain them, as to queſtion his eſtate for them, or for them to ſhut the door of comfort againſt his own Soul. But,
The Fifteenth Maxim or Conſideration.
FIfteenthly, Conſider in judging of your ſelves, and your ſpiritual eſtates and conditions, you muſt alwayes have an eye to your natural tempers, complexions, conſtitutions, and inclinations, and the ſins and temptations that theſe do lay you moſt open too, and remember that as in ſome tempers a little grace makes a very great ſhew; ſo in other tempers a great deal of grace makes but a very little ſhew.A little gold ring upon an Alablaſter hand, makes a more glorious ſhew than a very great Ring upon a leprous hand; the Application is eaſy. A little water in a long narrow mouth'd glaſs ſeems to be a great deal, when ten times, yea twenty times as much in a large Ciſtern is hardly diſcernable; the application is eaſie. A little Sugar will ſerve well enough for ſweet Wines, but much more is requiſite to ſweeten that Wine that is ſharp and harſh. A little grace will make a very glorious ſhew in ſuch men and women whoſe very natural tempers are ſweet, ſoft, gentle, meek, affable, courteous; when a great deal of Grace is hardly diſcernable in thoſe men and women whoſe very natural tempers are croſs, crooked, cholerick, fierce, paſſionate, ruff and unhewen. As a good man ſaid of an eminent light now in Heaven, That he had Grace enough for ten men, but ſcarce enough for himſelf, his natural temper was ſo bad, which he would himſelf often lament and bewail, ſaying to his friends, That he had ſuch a croſs crooked nature, that if God had not given him grace none would have been able to have lived one day quietly with him. A ſincere Chriſtian may have more roughneſs of nature, and more ſturdineſs of paſſions than is in many a moral man; he that hath more Chriſtianity, may have leſs Morality, as there is more perfection of animal and ſenſitive faculties in ſome bruits than in ſome men. Tis an old experienced truth, that thoſe ſins are with the greateſt pains, labour, travel and difficulty ſubdued and mortified, which our natural tempers, complexions and conſtitutions do moſt ſtrongly incline and diſpoſe us to, and were but thoſe luſts ſubdued and brought under, it would be no difficult thing to bring all other ſins to an under; when Goliah was ſlain, the Philiſtims fled; when a General in an Army falls,1 Sam. 17.51, 52. the common Souldiers are quickly routed. So tis here, get but the ſins of your natural tempers, complexions and conſtitutions under your feet, and you will quickly ride in a holy triumph over the reſt. When Juſtice is effectually done upon your conſtitution ſins,2 Sam. 18.14. ult. other ſins will not be long lived, thruſt but a dart through the heart of Abſolom, and a compleat conqueſt will follow. Now before I cloſe up this particular, let me adviſe you frequently to conſider, that you can never make a true, a right, a ſerious judgment of your ſelves, or of your ſpiritual eſtates and conditions, without a prudent eye upon your natural tempers, complexions, and conſtitutions, granting to your ſelves ſuch indulgence and grains of allowance upon the account of your natural tempers, as will ſtand with ſincerity and the Covenant of Grace. But,