the Christian's store. A Christian is no loser, but a gainer, by flesh-displeasing performances; the more strength you lay out for God, the more you fetch in. This is one means to keep a spiritual treasure from being lost. Neither men nor devils can deprive you of it; you may take up blessed Paul's bold and triumphant challenge, Rom. viii. 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" All the powers of darkness cannot loose this knot betwixt a precious Saviour and a gracious soul. The covenant is ordered in all things, and sure, it contains the sure mercies of David, it is a covenant of salt. "The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." Isaiah liv. 10. Grace is the seed of God that abides for ever; God may repent of bestowing common gifts, but these saving gifts and this holy calling are without repentance. All the motions and commotions in the world cannot rob the believing soul of its treasure. Those flames that shall burn the world cannot dissolve, but will rather cement and solder, the blessed union of a saint to his Saviour; the treasured Christian may stand upon the world's ruins, and say, I have nothing of all this huge heap to lose; I shall not be a mite poorer for the stupendous conflagration of this goodly fabric. Let brutish worldlings weep and wail over their fair houses, large domains and full bags, numerous cattle, and gorgeous attire; I am rich still, as rich as ever I was, and some richer, for what I had in hope and expectation, I have now in full enjoyment and possession. Augustine sweetly discourseth concerning one Paulinus Bishop of Nola, who, having lost a great estate by the invasion of the Barbarians, prayed thus, * 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Isaiah lv. 3. "Lord, I shall not be troubled for silver or gold, for where my all is, thou knowest;" for, saith Austin, there he had his all, where he, who had forewarned the world of these approaching evils, had warned him to lay it. * A little after, he saith that some were tortured by the Barbarians to discover their riches, but adds he, "nec prodere nec perdere potuerunt bonum quo ipsi boni erant;" they could neither betray nor lose that good by which they themselves were good, namely, their graces and virtues. Oh sirs, what would you give to have your estates secured in a losing, plundering, desolating day. Here is an insuring office, the God of heaven will secure the well-laden ship, that it shall come safe to shore. Certainly this is a rich privilege in a day when we can be sure of nothing, that, that only which can make us happy, that and nothing else can be made sure. 8. God knows and owns, that treasure which sometimes is hid from the possessor. This is a sweet consideration; Col. iii. 3, "Our life is hid with Christ in God," that is, sometimes it is hid from our own eyes, as well as from the eyes of others, but still it is hid with God, and he that hides can find. Saints are called God's hidden ones, and their life is hidden, alike in respect of safety, secresy, and obscurity. A Christian may have more of God in him than he knows of; it is one thing to have grace, another to know that we have grace. A child of God may have the seed and root of holiness, yet want the bud and blossom of actual comfort. A sincere soul hath always the solid foundation for, yet * Domine, non excrucier propter aurum et argentum, ubi enim sint omnia mea tu scis: ibi enim habebat omnia sua, ubi eum condere et thesaurizare ille monuerat; qui hæc mala mundo ventura prædixerat.-Vide plura in lib. 1, de Civit. Dei cap. 10, cui Titulus est—" Quod sanctis in amissione rerum temporalium nihil per eat." * may, at some time, be without the actual possession of divine consolations. Sometimes God withdraws the light of his countenance, and leaves the soul in darkness and desertion; he often suspends that act of the Spirit, which may evidence the soul's interest and sincerity; sometimes the Christian is lazy, and useth not God's appointed means to beget assurance; or by thinking of more comfort, than God is willing to impart, may deny what he hath; or by entertaining some beloved lust, or by the prevalency of melancholy, or inability of natural parts, this treasure may be hid from the eyes of the believer himself. These, and other reasons, divines have laid down as causes of a Christian's want of comfort or assurance. Every saint knows this by too sad experience, that he is often at a loss, and cannot tell what to make of his condition; he hath his nights as well as days, a nipping winter as well as a flourishing summer. The sap of grace may retreat into the root-the herbs and flowers, and plants, may shrink and disappear-and this goodly new creation may droop and lose its glorious verdure, yet life may be there. A summer may come at the return of the year, when the glorious sun of righteousness shall reflect beauty upon these hidden graces, and draw them forth into lively fruits of gospel obedience, whereby the saint shall live again, and know that he lives; believe, and know that he believes. In the mean time, while such a soul doth walk in darkness and see no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, † and stay himself upon his God; let him even cast anchor in the dark, and repose his troubled heart upon the rock of ages; faith is a venture, and you must venSymond's Deser. Soul's Case. See Dr. Sibb's Soul's Conflict. Baxter's Rest, part 3, p. 156–169. + Isaiah 1. 7. ture your all on this bottom, use God's appointed means for obtaining comfort, improve free grace, study the promises, awaken your graces, recollect experiences, renew your repentance, walk closely with God, be importunate at the throne of grace, and certainly joy and comfort will spring forth speedily. Peace is the usual result of the exercise of grace, and as the striking of flint and steel together produceth fire, so the lively acting of sincere grace, upon its proper object, begetteth the light and heat of joy and warmth; yea, it is the observation of a good divine, * that the comfort of letting out our hearts to God, is a greater comfort, than any comfort we can have in receiving any thing from God; but this is sure, if you have a treasure of graces, God will, in due time, give you a treasure of comforts; if he do not fill you with joy and peace in believing, yet he will maintain his interest in you, and keep you from fainting; if you have not spiritual suavities, you shall have secret sustentation; if your state be not sweet, yet it shall be sure; his grace shall be sufficient for you, and that is equivalent to the mercy desired, and the less comfort you have in the way, the more you shall have in the end, and it matters not much whether comfort come an hour before death, or an hour after, since it will certainly come, as a man of God once said. In the mean time, approve your hearts to God, he searcheth the hearts, and knoweth what you are and have, though neither yourselves nor others know it; he sees how your principles lie within you, and knows, that is, approves the way of the righteous, † and though your way be troublesome, yet your end shall be peace, ‡ and though you may be ready to misjudge your state and acts in a hurry of temptation, yet your happiness doth * Mr. Burrough's on Hos. ii. 19, page 606. + Psal. i. 6. Psal. xxxvii. 37. not depend upon your account of yourselves, but upon God's account of you in Christ. A gracious soul may not know the acts of faith, yet may be satisfied respecting the object of faith; he cannot say sometimes, I know that I do sincerely believe, but yet may say, I know in whom I have believed, and desire again to believe. The good soul may say, I know not how things are with me, I have lost myself in a thicket of cares and fears; yet, I put my hand into his, who knows the way, and can lead me out, and let him, who in tender care of my soul shed his precious blood for it, see to the safe conducting of it to a blessed place of rest, and to the lodging of it in the bosom of Abraham. 9. A treasured believer hath a treasure in heaven, and indeed, his best treasure is above; for this treasure in his heart is the counterpart of a treasure in the heavens. These are always conjoined. Never is any soul brought up to heaven, but first God brings down heaven into it. God furnisheth the soul by the operations of his grace, and then takes possession of it by the earnest of his spirit, before he fill it with glory.-2 Cor. v. 5. Hast thou a treasure laid up in thy heart? That is, the first fruits of a larger vintage; light is sown for the righteous, and, I may say, in the hearts of the righteous; if gracious treasures be laid up in the temple of your souls, glorious things are laid up in the new Jerusalem for you, such things as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor heart conceived. Happy art thou, oh poor soul, or rather rich soul, poor in this "world, rich in faith, and heir of a kingdom," yea, "of the kingdom;"† thou mayest both sigh and smile at the mad and frantic world, that weary themselves for very vanity, that torment themselves in caring and toiling for an earthly treasure, which, when obtained, doth rather beget torment than content, and leads at last to final desperation. 2 Tim. i. 12. ↑ James ii. 5. |