A Little Cabinet, Section 43
Several Divine Sentences.
Firſt of Chriſt.
HE that was the Son of of God, became the ſon of man, that we who were the ſons of men, might become the ſons of God.
He was made ſin for us, that knew no ſin, that we might be made the right…ouſneſs of God in him, 2 Cor. 5. 21.
The more vile Chriſt made himſelf for us, the more dear he ought to be unto us; therefore let us beware of Chriſt-diſhonouring, and ſoul-undoing opinions.
All good things are in Chriſt, eminently, perfectly, and eternally.
Faith in the blood of Chriſt, the witneſs of the Spirit of Chriſt, a ſenſe of feeling and the love of Chriſt, and the hope of reigning with Chriſt, are the only things to be deſired. Chriſt is as well the fountain of common gifts, as of ſaving grace.
A true Chriſtian cannot find fulneſs in the creature, nor ſweetneſs in ſin, nor life in any Ordinance without Chriſt; he will weep over other mens weakneſſes, and rejoyce at their graces.
We muſt lean more upon Chriſt, and leſs upon our own ſtrength; leſt with Peter we reſt upon ſome old ſtrength, and fall before a new temptation.
Chriſt can heal a ſoul ſpeedily, perfectly, freely, and eternally.
Oh that Chriſt ſhould ſhed his blood for thoſe ſins that we never ſhed one tear for!
A true Chriſtian doth labour for unity in the Church, as well as purity; he loves to ſee Chriſts coat without rent, as well as without ſpot, Phil. 3. 15.
Chriſt did admit his ſpouſe into the garden ſweetly, though ſhe kept him out of her houſe ſluggiſhly.
What a poor ſoul doth for Chriſt ſincerely, that our precious Saviour takes ſweetly; though it be done ill, he doth accept it well.
Nay, though we carry our ſelves in our choiceſt performances, very weakly, yet he doth carry himſelf towards us very ſweetly, and doth accept of that which we do kindly, although done in much infirmity: let us enter into his ſervice, and we ſhall ſoon experience his ſweetneſs.
Chriſt doth weigh the heart of the giver, more then the value of the gift, and delights to ſee his people give cheerfully, though they cannot give bountifully.
Let us give over meaſuring his mercy by the narrow ſcantling of our dark underſtandings though difficulties may ariſe, and Chriſtians hearts may fail, yet the work of Chriſt ſhall go on, &c.
Of affliction for ſin, in Sentences.
GOD is as ſevere in puniſhing as he is gracious in pardoning; his houſe of correction is his School of inſtruction; God had one Son without corruption, but no Son without correction; he had one Son without Sin, but no Son without Sorrow. A Soul may be dearly beloved, although ſoarly afflicted; ſin and puniſhment are linked together; if thou wilt be ſinful, thou muſt be miſerable: Oh what is the ſtate of a man that hath ſinned! it will coſt him more grief, ſorrow, heart-breaking and ſoul-bleeding, before conſcience will be ſatisfied, comfort reſtored, evidences cleared, and pardon in the court of conſcience ſealed: for God can look ſowrly, and chide bitterly, and ſtrike heavily, even where and when he loves dearly; a ſoul may be full of holy affection, when it is empty of divine conſolation; there may be true grace where there is not one drop of comfort, nor one dram of joy.
Of Sin, in Sentences.
MOſt men are fallen into ſin, as if there were no God to puniſh them, no juſtice to condemn them, no hell to torment them.
That man ſhall be a ſlave to ſin, that will not avoid the occaſions of ſin.
It is impoſſible for that man to get the conqueſt of ſin, that plaies and ſports with the occaſions of ſin.
It is better to be kept from ſin, then to be cured of ſin; as it is better to be kept from a diſeaſe, then to be cured of that diſeaſe; the greateſt ſinners ſhall be the greateſt ſufferers. Sin ſhall never be our bane, if it be our burden; ſin doth intice us to that which is againſt Gods holineſs, as well as againſt our happineſs, There is no ſin little, becauſe there is no little God to ſin againſt.
There is many a one full of ſinful corruption, that ſhews it not for want of occaſion; but the more grace thrives in the Soul, the more ſin dies in the ſoul: Sin may break our Communion, but not our Union with God.
Every ſin doth put God upon complaining, Chriſt upon bleeding, and the ſpirit upon grieving, and ſo men go on from folly to folly, till they be ripe for eternal miſery.
Of doing or practiſing, in Sentences.
WE ſhould ſpend our and time pains about that which will make us live happily, die comfortably, and raign eternally.
It is not knowing man, nor the talking man, nor the reading man, but the doing man, that at laſt will be found the happieſt man.
Therefore no danger or difficulty ſhould hinder a Chriſtian from his duty; for if our knowledge be not turned into practiſe, the more knowledge we have, the more miſerable ſhall we be.
We ſhould be thankfull under mercies, faithfull in our places, humble under divine appearances, and fruitfull under pretious o…dinances.
For he that thinks himſelf too good to be ruled by Gods word, will be found too bad to be owned by God.
To reward good for evil, is divine; to reward good for good, is humane; to reward evil for evil, is brutiſh; but to reward evil for good, is deviliſh; we are apt to have two eyes to behold our dignity and priviledges, and not ſo much as one eye to ſee our duty and ſervices.
Of the Riches, Honour and Glory of the world, in Sentences.
A Man may be great and graceleſs with Pharaoh, honourable and damnable with Saul, rich and miſerable with Dives.
A man may have enough of this world to ſink him, but he can never have enough to ſave him; though good Chriſtians have here but little in poſſeſſion, yet they have a glorious kingdom in reverſion.
It is better to be gracious then great, inwardly holy then out wardly happy, for the beſt mans honour is as glaſs, bright and brittle, and evermore in danger of breaking: the things of this life are not ſo abſolutely given us, but that God retains ſtill a right to it, and an intereſt in it, and may demand it when and how he pleaſe.
Of the Devil and his temptation, in Sentences.
THE Devil aims principally to make us walk ſinfully, that ſo we might live uncomfortably. If Satan be alwaies roaring, we ſhould be alwaies watching, for though Satan cannot rob a Chriſtian of his crown, yet he will endeavour to ſpoil him of his comfort: It is not Satans tempting, but our conſenting, not his inticing, but our yielding, that makes temptation ſinful.
Therefore let us not yield to Satans temptations, who hath the worſt name, and the worſt nature of all created creatures: our carnal ſecurity is his opportunity; and he that would not be taken with Satans deviſes, let him make preſent reſiſtance againſt Satans firſt motions.
Of aſſurance of Salvation, in Sentences.
A Sſurance is a ſalve for every ſore, and a remedy for every malady; a Chriſtians anchor at ſea, and his ſhield at land, a ſtaff to ſupport him, a ſword to defend him, and a pavilion to hide him.
Aſſurance makes heavy afflictions light, and long afflictions ſhort, and bitter afflictions ſweet; God hath made an everlaſting ſeparation between ſin and peace, ſin and joy, ſin and aſſurance; if ſin and our ſouls be one, God and our ſouls muſt needs be two.
He that will get aſſurance, muſt mind his work more then his wages, for aſſurance is heavenlywages, that God gives not to loiterers, but to the ingenious labourers.
Though no man merits aſſurance by his obedience, yet God uſually crowns obedience with aſſurance.
That ſoul will never attain to any ſettled aſſurance of Salvation, that builds his hopes upon a ſandy foundation; We cannot diſtruſt our ſelves too much, nor truſt Chriſt too much.
It is one thing for God to love a ſoul, and another thing for God to aſſure that ſoul of his love.
A man may be truly holy, and yet not have aſſurance that he ſhall be eternally happy.
God writes many a mans name in the book of life, and yet not let him have aſſurance of it till the hour of death; aſſurance is a mercy too good for moſt mens hearts, a crown too weighty for moſt mens heads. It is the beſt and greateſt mercy, and therefore God will only give it to his neareſt and deareſt friends. As faith is often attended with unbelief, and ſincerity with hypocriſie, and humility with vain glory, ſo is aſſurance with fears and doubts.