Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/92

 80

Integrity is necessary, because the most holy God will never give himselfe to be possessed and enjoyed to a spirituall adultresse, who doth affect any other lover more, or besides him. A woman may have many friends, but one as an Husband: Conjugall love of it own nature, is of that kind, that it must be of one, and cannot be communicated to many. If God be wholly ours, we must be wholly his. And if we joyne ought with God, or take in ought with him, we doe not, we cannot cleave to him alone. When there are two objects upon which the heart is set, it is divided: and men of divided hearts, can have no fellowship or communion with him. We cannot serve God, unlesse we serve him intirely: he cannot be our Master, if we have any other. Matth. 6. 24. God heares them that pray with their whole heart. Jer. 29. 12, 13. is found of them that seeke him with their whole heart. Psal. 119. 2. Deut. 4. 29, 30. takes pleasure in them that be intire in their way. Prov. 11. 20. and accepts their work. Deut. 33. 11. If a Christian be not intire, he can never be perfect in degree: for what is defective in parts, can never be made up by any growth. He can never come to be a perfect man in Jesus Cerist,Christ [sic] and every way compleate, in whom the work of grace is imperfect and maimed in the parts essentiall or integrall. If a plant be imperfect, it will never be a perfect tree: If a Child be borne maimed or imperfect, no growth of parts received can restore what is defective in nature: If a Christian be sanctified in mind only, or in some affection only, and not in every part, no growth in what he hath obtained, can ever make his sanctification perfect and compleate. Integrity is the qualification of a subject capable of finall pardon, and eternall blessednesse through grace. Remission of sins is received by faith, but faith that embraceth pardon, doth unite and knit the soule inseparably to God, and to the word of his grace, it seasoneth every affection, and stirreth them up to their proper functions according as the word directeth. Blessed is the man whose iniquity is forgiven, and whose sin is covered: Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

God will passe by the imperfections which he espieth in the best service of his children, when once he seeth their hearts to be intire and perfect towards him. Hypocrisie drowneth many excellent graces, and causeth God to take no notice of them: but integrity is so well pleasing to his Majesty, that if it be not shaken, he will