A Cabinet of Choice Jewels, Chapter 1 · Maxim 17 – Maxim 18
The ſeventeenth Maxim or Conſideration.
SEventeenthly, When ever you caſt your eye upon your gracious evidences, it highly concerns you ſeriouſly to remember that you have to deal with God in a Covenant of Grace, and not in a Covenant of Works. Every breach of peace with God, is not a breach of Covenant with God. Though the Wife hath many weakneſſes and infirmities hanging upon her, and though ſhe may often grieve, provoke and diſpleaſe her Husband, yet as long as ſhe remains faithful, and truly loving, and in the main obedient to him, though he may alter his carriage towards her,Jer. 3.12, 14, 22. Hoſ. 14.4. Iſa. 43.22. to 26. ch. 57.16, 17, 18, 19. Every thing which is a ground of grief or ſorrow to the people of God, is not a ſufficient ground of queſtioning their integrity, or the goodneſs and happineſs of their ſpiritual eſtates and conditions. If upon every ſlip, failing and infirmity, a Chriſtian ſhould queſtion all that ever was wrought in him, and done by God upon him, his life will certainly be made up of fears and doubts, and he will never attain to any ſetled peace, comfort, or aſſurance or be able to live that life of joy, praiſe, and thankfulneſs that the Goſpel calls for. yet he will not withdraw his love from her, or deny his relation to her. No more will God towards his weak miſcarrying ones, as you may evidently ſee by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together. Doubtleſs there are many dear Chriſtians whoſe troubles of Conſcience about their ſpiritual and eternal eſtates, ariſes from their looking upon God, and dealing with God in a Covenant of Works. Are there not many precious Chriſtians, who when they fall before temptations, and are worſted by their corruptions, that are ready to queſtion all, and throw up all as loſt, and peremptorily to conclude againſt their own Souls, that all is naught, very naught, ſtark naught, and that they are Hypocrites, and that God will never own ſuch as they are, nor never accept of ſuch as they are, nor never delight in ſuch as they are, nor never have any thing to do with ſuch as they are, and all this becauſe they do not a right underſtand the Covenant of Grace, and think that they have to deal with God in a Covenant of Works. Though many Chriſtians do freely and readily acknowledg that there is a Covenant of Grace, yet upon the leaſt ſtirring of any corruption, or the leaſt conqueſt that is made upon them by the violence of any temptation, they are ſo full of fears, faintings, reaſonings, diffidences, and deſpondencies, &c. And they carry it ſo weakly and unworthily towards the Lord, as if there were no Covenant of Grace at all, or as if they had wholly and only to deal with God in a Covenant of works. Now what a high diſhonour is this to the free, rich, infinite, ſovereign, and glorious Grace of God, which ſo ſparkles and ſhines in the Covenant of Grace, and which tells us that our eternal eſtates ſhall never be judged by a Covenant of Works, and that the want of an abſolute perfection ſhall never damn a believing Soul, and that the obedience that God requires at our hands, is not a Legal, but Evangelical? O that all thoſe dear Chriſtians who are ſo apt to be dejected and overwhelmed upon the account of the prevalency of ſuch and ſuch corruptions, and becauſe they fail in keeping Covenant with God, and in walking in a Covenant-relation with God, I ſay, O that all theſe would frequently and ſeriouſly conſider of theſe three things!
Firſt, That ſo long as a Chriſtian doth not renounce his Covenant with God, ſo long as he doth not wilfully and wickedly break the bond of the Covenant, the ſubſtance of the Covenant is not yet broken, though ſome Articles of the Covenant may be violated, Pſal. 89.30. to 35. 2 Sam. 23.5. (while Chriſt lyes at the bottom of the Covenant, it cannot be utterly broken) As among men there be ſome treſpaſſes againſt ſome particular clauſes in Covenants, which though they be violated, yet the whole Covenant is not forfeited; tis ſo here, every jar, every miſcarriage doth not break the Marriage-Covenant; no more doth every ſin, every miſcarriage break the Covenant between God and the Soul. B…t,
Secondly, Seriouſly conſider that many weak Chriſtians are much miſtaken about the terms and condition of the Covenant of Grace, they think that the condition of the Covenant is perfect and unſinning, obedience, whereas tis only ſincere obedience.Iſa. 54. Iſa. 7.8, 9, 10. Jer. 31.33, 34, 35, 36, 37. Mark, that man ſincerely obeyes and ſincerely walks in Covenant with God, who ſincerely, who heartily, who ordinarily deſires, labours, and endeavours to obey the Law of God, the will of God, and to walk in Covenant with God. Mark, particular actions do not denominate any eſtate, it is the courſe of actions which doth denominate a mans walking in Covenant with God, or his not walking in Covenant with God; if his courſe of actions be ſinful, he walks not in Covenant with God; but if his courſe of actions be holy and gracious, he walks in Covenant with God. Though the needle of the Seamans Compaſs may jog this way, and that way, yet the bent of the needle will ſtill be Northward; ſo though a Chriſtian in Covenant with God may have his particular ſinful joggings, this way or that way, yet the bent of his heart will ſtill be to walk in Covenant with God. But,
Thirdly, Conſider that infirmities, aberrations of weakneſs, do not nullify or evacuate our Covenant with God, nor hinder our walking in Covenant with God; for if they ſhould, then no man could poſſibly keep Covenant with God, or walk in Covenant with God; Infirmities God paſſes by and pardons in courſe, and will never put them into the account, and therefore they cannot hinder our walking in Covenant with God. Breaches made in the firſt Covenant were irreparable, but breaches made in the Covenant of Grace are not ſo, becauſe this Covenant is eſtabliſhed in Chriſt, who is ſtill a making up all breaches. Mark, there are five things which ſhew that the deviations of Gods people are only infirmities, and not enormities, weakneſſes, and not wickedneſſes; and the firſt is this, viz. That they do frequently and principally ariſe from the ſubtilty and ſudden power of Satans temptations. 2.1 Chron. 21.1. Rom. 7.15, 16, 19, 23, 24. That the frame of their ſpirits is againſt the evil that they do. 3. Their daily cries, tears, and complaints, ſpeaks it out to be an infirmity, they are in this particular like a loſt ſheep, or a loſt child, or a loſt friend. 4. Though they do fall, yet they riſe again, though they do ſtep or wander out of the way, yet they do return into the right way again. 5. When they do fall, there is a vaſt difference, a mighty difference between their falls, and the falls of wicked men that are not in Covenant with God, and that firſt, in reſpect of willingneſs. 2. In reſpect of choice. 3. In reſpect of affection. 4. In reſpect of courſe. 5. In reſpect of quietneſs. 6. In reſpect of continuance. Mark, When wicked men fall, when men out of Covenant with God fall, then they fall willingly, they fall out of choice, they fall out of affection to fall, they fall in a courſe, they fall, and they are quiet under their falls; they fall, and continue to fall,Iſa. 55.12. to morrow ſhall be as to day. But perſons in Covenant with God, though they do fall, yet they do not fall, nor cannot fall as they do that are out of Covenant with God. For firſt, There is in all ſuch perſons an habitual purpoſe to keep Covenant with God. 2. An habitual deſire to keep Covenant with God. 3. An habitual reſolution to keep Covenant with God. 4. An habitual endeavour to keep Covenant with God. Now where tis thus, there that man is certainly in Covenant with God, and that man walks in Covenant with God, he is under a Covenant of Grace, his ſins are pardoned, and therefore they ſhall never be his ruine.Iſa. 63.17. Doubtleſs many precious Chriſtians have charged and condemned themſelves for thoſe things that the great God will never charge them with, nor condemn them for. Bleſſed Bradford wrote himſelf an Hypocrite, a painted Sepulcher, but doubtleſs God will never bring in ſuch a charge againſt him. O Sirs, the ſtirrings of ſin, and the workings of ſin, and the prevalency of ſin, for particular acts will ſtand with the Covenant of Grace, though not with the Covenant of Works. You may not by any means conclude that you are not in a Covenant of Grace, becauſe ſuch and ſuch corruptions ſtirs in you, or becauſe ſuch or ſuch weakneſſes now and then breaks forth and diſcovers themſelves, either in your lips or lives: Did Chriſtians but ſtudy the Covenant of grace more, and underſtand better than they do the difference between the Covenant of grace and the Covenant of works, how would their fears and doubts about their ſpiritual and eternal eſtates vaniſh, as the clouds before the Sun when it ſhines in its greateſt ſtrength and glory, &c.
'Twas the ſaying of an eminent Miniſter on his death-bed, That he had much peace and quietneſs, not ſo much from a greater meaſure of grace than other Chriſtians had, or from any immediate witneſs of the ſpirit, but becauſe he had a more clear underſtanding of the Covenant of grace than many others, having ſtudyed it, and Preached it ſo many years as he had done. Doubtleſs had Chriſtians a more clear and a more full underſtanding of the Covenant of grace, they would live more holily, ſerviceably, humbly, fru…tfully, comfortably and ſweetly than they do, and they would dye more willingly, readily, and cheerfully than many (may I not ſay than moſt) Chriſtians uſe to do. But,
The Eighteenth Maxim or Conſideration.
EIghteenthly and laſtly, That trouble, grief, and ſorrow for ſin, that drives a man from God, is ſinful, and muſt one day be repented of, and wept over. All true trouble,Hoſ. 5.14, 15. chap. 6.1, 2, 3. Jer. 31.18, 19, 20. Pſal. 51. Hoſ. 14.1, 2. Pſal. 25.11. grief, and ſorrow, drives to God, as is evident by the Scriptures in the Margent; Suppoſe thou haſt ſo and ſo ſinned, yet tis a falſe inference that therefore thou ſhouldeſt be diſcouraged, and let thy hopes ſink, and thy heart faint, as if there were no help, no hope, no comfort for thee in thy God.
Queſt. But when is a mans trouble or ſorrow for ſin ſinfull?
Anſw. 1. When it keeps Chriſt and the Soul aſunder. 2. When it keeps the Soul and the Promiſes aſunder. 3. When it unfits a man for the duties of his place and calling wherein the providence of God has ſtated him. 4. When it unfits a man for the duties of Religion, either private or publick. 5. When it takes off the ſweet and comfort of all outward comforts and enjoyments, and renders all our mercies like the white of an Egg, that has no taſt or ſavour in it. 6. When it weakens, waſts or deſtroyes the outward man, all godly ſorrow is a friend to the Soul, and no enemy to the body.
And thus much for thoſe divine Maxims, Conſiderations, and Rules that are ſeriouſly to be minded and obſerved in order to the clearing up a mans Intereſt in Chriſt, and his title to all the glory of another world. Certainly theſe Eighteen Maxims, Conſiderations, or Rules (if God ſhall pleaſe powerfully to ſet in with them) are of ſingular uſe for the clearing up of the ſaving work of God upon poor ſouls. And therefore it highly concerns Chriſtians ſeriouſly to ponder upon them, as Mary did upon the ſayings of the Angel in her heart. Now theſe things being premiſed, I ſhall come in the next Chapter to lay down ſome infallible evidences of ſaving Grace.Luke 2.19.