[Chrysammoi] Golden sands, or, A few short hints about the riches of grace. Part I begun to be opened from the words of the Apostle, in Eph. 2,7 ... : dedicated to the royal bud of our English hopes, Princesse Elizabeth / by John Bachiler ...

The severall wayes by which the Riches of Grace are participated by, and divided among the Saints.

FIrst, consider the losses which Free Grace sustein's from the Saints. Had Adam stood,

and his posterity after him, what a revenue of love, obedience and ho∣nour should God have had, for almost 6000. yeares? Millions of milli∣ons had come in unto him, treasuries of glory, which by means of that unhappy fall, he hath to∣tally & irrecoverably lost. For though the wicked rout of men, which shall certainly perish and goe down to hell at last, must thereby undergoe eter∣nall torments for the making of some kind of payment to Divine Ju∣stice: yet the Elect goe

free, altogether free, as touching their own indi∣viduall persons; so that Grace is an absolute loser by them, hath no pay∣ments at all from their hands, no not one single farthing for all the rents that have beene so long behind.

Secondly, consider the debts which Grace freely forgiv's to the Saints. Their sinnes are their debts, witnesse our Saviour's owne words, Mat 6.12. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Now 1. How innume∣rable

are these debts? what multitudes of trans∣gressions of all sorts are the Saints guilty of? Da∣vid was a man after God's owne heart, yet heare what he saith, Psal. 19.12. Who can un∣derstand his errors? and more fully, Psal. 40.12. Innumerable evils have compassed me about. A man would soone lose himselfe in the observation of the very actuall aberrations which are multiplyed by him continually; but what are these to the swarmes of searet corrup∣tions within him, that lye out of sight?

2. How great and vast are the summes, which these debts a∣mount unto? thinke on that also. The Saints cannot sinne at so cheap a rate as others. Christ is a King to them, and God is Their Father. Now suppose a Child that hath had costly breeding, yea and more love then ordinary from his carefull and tender Fa∣ther, should breake out in some act of violence and indignity against his Father, that hath de∣serv'd better at his hands: or suppose a pro∣fessed

subject, who by all the lawes of nature & nations, is obliged to loy∣alty under his gratious Soveraign, should be∣come guilty of Rebellion; Nay, to rise yet a great deale higher, suppose a favorite at court, one that is familiar with the King, that know's his secrets, liv's in his very heart, that ever stand's before, and even next his chaire of State; and which is yet more, one whose life hath beene sav'd, and that many times over by the mercy and clemency of this his Lord the

King: And besides all this hath been advanced to eminent places of Ho∣nour, with all the marks of Royall love upon him. I say, suppose such a fa∣vorite as this should a∣sperse the Name, deface the picture, rend the Arms, clip the coyn, con∣temne the Lawes, vilifie the government of the King. Suppose he should suggest plots unto, or any way strengthen the hands of those that seek his life; or would make an Assault upon his Crown and Dignity: Would not this man's crimes be

more then ordinarily treasonable? For a stran∣ger that liv's under ano∣ther Prince, or a sworne enemy to doe this, would be the lesse wonder; but for one so many wayes, and so strongly ty'd by all the bands of Humani∣ty, ingenuity, gratitude, obedience, yea, and of friendship it selfe (which is ever wont to bind with silken cords) I say for such an one to fall in∣to so foule a fault, what punishment can be a suf∣ficient expiation for it? And yet all the sinnes of the Saints even every one

of them are more or lesse of this horrid na∣ture: For God is a Fa∣ther to them, though not to others; and Christ is a King to them, even a King acknowledged and owned by them, though not by others: There∣fore for them to Crucifie him afresh, or be any way in the least, accessary to such mutinies and re∣bellions against him, as are found in the hearts even of the very best of them; how great a wrong is it? surely the sinnes of the Saints then are debts of no petty or small values.

And it were well if this were all, for over and above there are o∣ther debts of another kind, and these as great and as innumerable as the former, which the Saints perpetually run into: And if this rich grace did not suffer them to doe so, they must all famish and starve quickly, even (as the proverb is) for cold and hunger: not one of them being able to put bread into their mouthes, or get a rag for their backs, without a supply from the hand of grace. They all live on

credit, and take up on trust: so that should they cease from borrowing, they would soon cease to be. And 'tis not a little that Grace furnisheth them withall; not such trifling summes as shillings or pounds, but with hun∣dreds, with thousands, with millions. And it is not but for now and then onely, or very seldome, but which add's abun∣dantly to all the rest, 'tis constantly. They not only never wipe out old scores, but on the quite contra∣ry, still are beginning new ones, multiplying scores

without number. Oh the piles of debt-bookes that lye heaped up in Free-grace her Counting-house! All which as Grace suffer's with riches of patience, so she forgiv's at last with riches of mercy.

Now that Grace is able to doe this, & that with∣out feeling it or being impaired at all by it, how convincing an argu∣ment is it of the riches of it? Should any man alive, even the richest of the whole race of Adam doe so; should he lose mighty revenues, forgive multi∣tudes of vast debts, sup∣ply

the wants of thou∣sands, suffer old scores and new to increase upon him, from a numberlesse number of bankrupt and bad debtors, and that continually, would it not break him over and over? could he be able to hold up his head, or keep his trade going? yet Grace doth this, and break's not. As there are multitudes of sinnes and debts which the Saints can never take off, so Grace hath multi∣tudes of mercies to crosse them out: and as those debts are vast and ex∣ceeding great, so Grace

hath as tender and great mercies, even bowels, row∣ling bowels of pitty to for∣give. It abundantly par∣dons, Esay 55.7. and where sinne abound's, there to a Beleever this Grace superabounds. Rom. 5.20.

One would think, the very back of Grace should crack under it, that it should be totally impove∣rished and undone. But behold, it is so far from sinking, or giving out, that as if it had suffered no losse at all, or met with no bad debtors, but had received its due unto

the utmost, it liv's and maintain's its port with as much magnificence as e∣ver. Grace reigneth, saith the Apostle, Rom. 5.21. keep's Court in Heaven like an Empresse notwith∣standing.

Notes

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