fruits of God's displeasure in future punishment, is attended with a proportionable increase of fear of his displeasure itself; the diminishing of the fear of hell, with an increase of the fear of sin. The vanishing of jealousies of the person's state, is attended with a proportionable increase of jealousy of heart, in a distrust of its strength, wisdom, stability, faithfulness, &c. The less apt he is to be afraid of natural evil, having his heart fixed in trusting in God, and so, not afraid of evil tidings, the more apt he is to be alarmed with the appearance of moral evil, or the evil of sin. As he has more holy boldness, so he has less of self-confidence, and a forward assuming boldness, and more modesty. As he is more sure than others of deliverance from hell, so he has more of a sense of the desert of it. He is less apt than others to be shaken in faith; but more apt than others to be moved with solemn warnings, and with God's frowns, and with the calamities of others. He has the firmest comfort, but the softest heart: richer than others, but poorest of all in spirit: the tallest and strongest saint, but the least and tenderest child among them.

CHAPTER X.

ANOTHER THING WHEREIN AFFECTIONS THAT ARE TRULY GRACIOUS AND HOLY, DIFFER FROM THOSE THAT ARE FALSE, IS BEAUTIFUL SYMMETRY AND PROPORTION.

NOT that the symmetry of the virtues, and gracious affections of the saints, in this life is perfect : it oftentimes is in many things defective, through the imperfection of grace, for want of proper instructions, through errors in judgment, or some particular unhappiness of natural temper, or defects in education, and many other disadvantages that might be mentioned. But yet there is, in nowise, that monstrous disproportion in gracious affections, and the various parts of true religion in the saints, that is very commonly to be observed, in the false religion, and counterfeit graces of hypocrites.

In the truly holy affections of the saints is found that proportion, which is the natural consequences of the universality of their sanctification. They have the whole image of Christ upon them: they have put off the old man, and have put on the new man entire in all its parts and members. It hath pleased

:

the Father that in Christ all fulness should dwell: there is in him every grace; he is full of grace and truth and they that are Christ's, do "of his fulness receive grace for grace;" that is, there is every grace in them, which is in Christ: grace for grace; that is, grace answerable to grace. There is no grace in Christ, but there is its image in believers to an

swer it the image is a true image: and there is something of the same beautiful proportion in the image, which is in the original; there is feature for feature, and member for member. There is symmetry and beauty in God's workmanship. The natural body, which God hath made, consists of many members; and all are in a beautiful proportion: so it is in the new man, consisting of various graces and affections. The body of one that was born a perfect child, may fail of exact proportion through distemper, and the weakness and wounds of some of its members; yet the disproportion is in no measure like that of those that are born monsters.

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It is with hypocrites, as it was with Ephraim of old, at a time when God greatly complains of their hypocrisy Ephraim is a cake not turned," half roasted and half raw-there is commonly no manner of uniformity in their affections.

There is in many of them a great partiality, with regard to the several kinds of religious affections; great affections in some things, and no manner of proportion in others.-A holy hope and holy fear go together in the saints, Psalm xxxiii. 18. and cxlvii. 11. But in some of these is the most confident hope, while they are void of reverence, selfjealousy and caution, and have to a great degree cast off fear. In the saints, joy and holy fear go together, though the joy be never so great: as it was with the disciples, in that joyful morning of Christ's resurrection: "And they departed quickly from the sepulchre, with fear and great joy.' But

* "Renewed care and diligence follows the sealings of the

many of these rejoice without trembling their joy is of that sort, that it is truly opposite to godly fear.

- But particularly, one great difference between saints and hypocrites is this, that the joy and comfort of the former is attended with godly sorrow and mourning for sin. They have not only sorrow to prepare them for their first comfort, but after they are comforted, and their joy established. As it is foretold of the church of God, that they should mourn and loathe themselves for their sins, after they were returned from the captivity, and were settled in the land of Canaan, the land of rest, and the land that flows with milk and honey: "And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for which I lifted up mine hand to give it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled, and ye shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, for all your evils that ye have committed." A true saint is like a little child in this respect; he never had any godly ́sorrow before he was born again; but since he has it often in exercise as a little child, before it is born, and while it remains in darkness, never cries; but as soon as ever it sees the light, it begins to cry; and thenceforward is often crying. Although Christ hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, so that we are freed from the sorrow of punishment,

Spirit. Now is the soul at the foot of Christ, as Mary was at the sepulchre, with fear and great joy. He that travels the road with a rich treasure about him, is afraid of a thief in every bush." Flavel's Sacramental Meditations, Med. 4.

and may now sweetly feed upon the comforts Christ hath purchased for us; yet that does not hinder our feeding on these comforts from being attended with the sorrow of repentance. As of old, the children of Israel were commanded, evermore to feed upon the paschal lamb, with bitter herbs.* True saints

"If repentance accompanies faith, it is no presumption to believe. Many know the sin, and hence believe in Christ, trust in Christ, and there is an end of their faith. But what confession and sorrow for sin? what more love to Christ follows this faith? Truly none. Nay, their faith is the cause why they have none. For they think, if I trust in Christ to forgive me, he will do it; and there is an end of the business. Verily this hedge faith, this bramble faith, that catches hold on Christ, and pricks and scratches Christ, by more impenitency, more contempt of him, is mere presumption; which shall one day be burnt up and destroyed by the fire of God's jealousy. Fye upon that faith, that serves only to keep a man from being tormented before his time! Your sins would be your sorrows, but that your faith quiets you. But if faith be accompanied with repentance, mourning for sin, more esteem of God's grace in Christ; so that nothing breaks thy heart more than the thoughts of 'Christ's unchangeable love to one so vile, and this love makes thee love much, and love him the more; as thy sin increaseth, so thou desirest thy love's increase; and now the stream of thy thoughts run, how thou mayest live to him that died for thee: this was Mary's faith, who sat at Christ's feet weeping, washing them with her tears, and loving much, because much was forgiven." Shepard's Sound Believer, p. 128, 129.

"You shall know godly sorrow, (says Dr. Preston, in his Discourse on Paul's Conversion) by the continuance of it; it is constant; but worldly sorrow is but a passion of the mind; it changes, it lasts not. Though for the present it may be violent and strong, and work much outwardly, yet it comes but by fits, and continues not: like a land flood, which violently, for the present overflows the banks: but it will away again: it is not always thus. But godly sorrow is like a spring, that still keeps his running both winter and summer, wet and dry, in heat and cold, early and late. So this godly sorrow is the same in a regenerate man still take him when you will, he is still sorrowing for sin. This godly sorrow stands like the centre of the earth, which removes not, but still remains."

"I am persuaded, many a man's heart is kept from breaking and mourning, because of this. He saith (it may be) that he