and the other. Is it any derogation to the grace of Christ,
to know what is freely given us? Doth it not rather commend his grace,
when a soul looks upon itself, beautified with his comeliness, and adorned
with his graces, and loathes itself in itself, and ascribes all the honour
and praise to him? Is it not more injury to the fountain and fulness of
grace in Christ, not to see the streams of it at all nor to consider them,
than to behold the streams of grace that flow out of this fountain, as
coming out of it? I think Christians may be ready to idolize their graces,
and make them mediators, when they are known, but is this a good remedy of
that evil, to abandon all sight and knowledge of the things freely given
us of God? Shall we not speak of the freeness of grace, because men's
corruptions turn grace into carnal liberty and wantonness? If these graces
be in us, sure I am, it is no virtue to be ignorant of them, but rather a
weakness and darkness. It must then be the light and grace of God to know
them, and from thence to conclude(163) that assurance of faith, which is
not a forced, ungrounded persuasion, and strong fancy, without any
discovered reason of it. Sure I am, the apostles counsel is, to make our
election sure, by making our calling sure. How shall any venture to look
into those secrets of the Lamb's book of life, and read their name there?
Undoubtedly they belong not to us,--they are a light inaccessible, that
will but confound and darken us more. Therefore, whoever would know their
election, according to the Scriptures, must read the transcript and copy
of the book of life, which is written in the hearts and souls of the
elect.

The thoughts of God are written in his works upon the spirits of men. His
election hath a seal upon it,--"The Lord knoweth them that are his;" and
who can break up this seal? "Who hath known the mind of the Lord?" None
can, until the Lord write over his thoughts in some characters of his
Spirit, and of the new creature, in some lineaments and draughts of his
own image, that it may be known they are the epistle of Christ, not
written with ink and paper, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on
tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart, 2 Cor. iii. 3. Christ
writes his everlasting thoughts of love and good-will to us in this
epistle; and that we may not think this doth extol the creature, and abase
Christ, it is added, ver. 5,--"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves,-