The Touchstone of Sincerity, Chapter 10
CHAP. X.
Shewing that grace only is to be reckoned sincere and real, which can endure those tryals which God appoints, or permits for the discovery of it.
SECT. I.
BEfore I offer you the proofs & evidences of this truth, it will be necessary to prevent some mistakes that may be occasioned by misunderstanding of it.
Caution 1. And in the first place, we are not to think assurance of our sincerity impossible to be had in this life, because as long as we live here we are in a state of tryal; and how many tryals soever have been made upon us already, yet still there are more to come; and we know not what we shall prove in future tryals, though God hath kept us upright in former tryals; no, no▪ this is none of my meaning; nor doth such a conclusion necessarily follow this assertion: for a Christian that hath rightly closed with Christ at first, and been faithful in the duties of active and passive obedience hitherto, may be assured upon good grounds of a victory before he come to the fire of his remaining tryals. So was the Apostle, Rom. 8. 35, &c. who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? nay in all these we are more than conquerours, through him that hath loved us: here's an assured triumph before the Combate. So Job 23. 10. but he knoweth the way that I take when he hath tryed me, I shall come forth as gold, …he appeals to God for the sincerity of his …eart, so far as he had hith …to gone in the way of Religion; and thence concludes …hat whatever tryals God should bring him …o for time to come, he should come forth as gold, (i. e.) he should not lose one grain …y the fire; and this confidence of a graci…us soul, is built not only upon experience gained in former tryals, but upon faith in the …ower▪ promises, and faithfulness of God which a…e engaged for him in the Covenant of grace, to keep him in the greatest dangers …hat befal him in this world.
He believes the power of God is able to make him stand, though he hath no power …or might in himself to overcome the least …emptation, 1 Pet. 1. 5. you are kept foreign, (kept as with a garrison) by the power of God through faith unto salvation: when Christ hath once taken possession of the soul by his spirit, he fortifies it by his power as a garrison, that using the means, it be surprized or betrayed no more into the enemies hand, so as finally to be lost.
He builds this confidence also upon the promises of God, which are his security in all future dangers: and how are all the page… of the Bible bespangled with such promises▪ as the firmament is with bright and gloriou… stars! such are these of the first magnitude▪ 1 Cor. 1. 8, 9. Christ shall… confirm you to th… end, that ye may be blameless in the day of ou… Lord Iesus Christ; God is faithful by who… ye are are called into the fellowship of his So… Iesus Christ our Lord: and no less satisfying and sweet is that, Jer. 32. 40. And I will mak… an everlasting Covenant with them, that I wil… not turn away from them to do them good; … I will put my fear in their hearts, that th… shall not depart from me: and of the same n…ture is that also, John 10. 27, 28. My shee…hear my voice, and I know them and they follo… me: and I give unto them eternal life; and th… shall never perish; neither shall any man plu… them out of my hand.
If there be any Hypocrite in sheeps-cloathin… he hath no part nor lot in this promise; … it secures the whole flock of Christ, great … small, against all danger.
He also builds his assurance upon the faithfulness of God, which stands engaged to make good every line, word and syllable of his promises to his people: so we find it in 1 Cor. 10. 13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful; who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with every temptation make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it: and 2 Thes. 3. 3. but the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.
Add to this the constant prevalent intercession of Christ in Heaven for his people in all their tryals, and then you will see a sincere Christian need not to deny himself the joy & comfort of his assurance upon the account and supposition of his future tryals.
SECT. II.
Caution 2. NOr do we here suppose in this assertion, that inherent grace …n the saints hath a sufficiency of ability in …t self to endure the greatest and severest tryals that can befal it in this world. It is cer…ain that it shall be carryed safely through all, but not in its own strength and ability.
That is a true observation of the learned Gerson: perfectiones sibi relictae, sunt pondera ad …uinam: the most perfect creature left to it …elf will fall into ruine. This was exemplified in the Angels that fell, & in Adam, thoug… in a perfect state-: divine preservation is th… prop which supports the best creatures from ruine. Grace it self is but a creature, an… therefore a dependent being: it is but … stream depends upon the supply of the foun…tain; if the fountain let not forth it self, wha… becomes of the stream? That's a true an… judicious observation of the learned Dr. A…mes; Perseverantia fidelium, vel immutabilis eo…rum conditio secundum integram ejus rationem… non provenit à principio intrinseco solo, nec à sol… extrinseco; sed patrim ab intrinseco, ex natur… vitae spiritualis à Christo fluentis: & patrim … extrinseco, ex custodi…, protectione, & direction… Dei: Amesii Coronis Art. 5. The perse…verance of believers, or the immutability … their condition, if we view the whole groun… and reason of it, is not wholly from within… nor wholly from without it self: but partl… from the nature of the spiritual life whic… flows from Christ into them; and partl… from the keeping, protection and directio… of God. That protection is always afforde… to this life▪ of grace, and this life of grace a…ways needs that protection. The best of me… are but men at best, as one speaks: it wa… not Peters grace and resolution that kep… him, but Christs care of him and interces…sion for him, Luke 22. 32. Be strong in th… Lord, (saith the Apostle) and in the power … …is might, Ephes. 6. 10. Without me (saith Christ) …ou can do nothing, John 15. 5.
Neither of these is that which I have be…ore me to prove, but this is that which I …im at; That such seeming grace as was …ever yet brought to the tryal, nor will be able to bear the tryal when God shall bring … thereto; must not pass for current (as too …requently it doth) among us; such grace will neither comfort us now, nor save us …ereafter: for,
SECT. III.
…. FIrst, Great numbers of persons in the professing world are deceived and destroyed by trusting to seeming and untri…d grace. This was the miserable condition of these Laodicean professours in the Text: they …eckoned themselves rich, but were really …oor, all is notgold that glisters: their gold (as …hey accounted it) was never tryed in the …ire: if a mans whole estate lay in some precious stone, suppose a rich Diamond, how is …e concerned to have it throughly tryed? …o see whether it will bear a smart stroke with the hammer, or fly like a Bristol Diamond under it? All that you are worth lyes …n the truth and sincerity of your grace: and till that be tryed you know not whe…her you be worth any thing or nothing.
Reader, There are two sad sights in the world, which cannot but deeply affect every upright heart: one is to see so many thousands of rational and ingenious men in the Romish Church by an implicite faith in their guides, venturing their souls upon their bare word, never searching the Scriptures with their own eyes, but wholly trusting to the infallibility of the Pope, or a Council, when in the mean time, they would fear to take their word for a sum of money withou… some farther security. It is amazing to behold the soul-destroying, easie credulity of these men: but this is a stroke of madnes… and spiritual infatuation judicially inflicted upon them; that the judgment which i… written might be fulfilled in them, God shal… send them strong delusions that they should believ… a lye, 2 Thes. 2. 11.
And yet more amazing is that stroke of God upon multitudes of vain and formal professours even in the Reformed Protestant Churches; where no man is restrained from searching the Scriptures; nay, wher… men are so frequently and earnestly presse… from Sabbath to Sabbath to examine them selves, and prove their own work, that yet … many are content to leave all at hazard … and without any more ado or farther search in the matter, credit the report of their ow… deceitful hearts, & take all for granted without due tryal or examination of the matter
Surely, no one thing sends down more …ouls daily to hell out of the professing world, …han this doth. The five foolish Virgins (i. e. …he unprincipled Professours in the Refor…ed Churches) perished this way. They took … for granted all was well, because they had …amps of profession as well as others; and saw …ot the cheat, till the cry was heard at mid…ight, and their unfurnished Lamps went …ut, Matth. 25.
2. Secondly, The promises of salvation are …ade over to tryed grace, and such only as …ill endure the tryal: So James 1. 12. Blessed … the man that endureth temptation: for when … is tryed he shall receive the Crown of life …hich God hath promised to them that love him: … must be first tryed, and then crowned. … a man strive for masteries, yet is he not Crown…d, except he strive lawfully, 2 Tim. 2. 5. he …anifestly alludes to the Roman Games to …hich there were Judges appointed, to see …hat no foul play were offered contrary to … Law for wrestling: and where it was …und, the Crown was denyed them. Not to …im that sets forth in the morning with re…lution and gallantry, but to him that holds … till the evening of his life, is the pro…ise made, Matth. 10. 22. He that endureth … the end shall be saved: so Rom. 2. 7. To …em who by patient continuance in well doing … for glory and honour, and immortality; eternal life: and once more, Heb. 3. 15. We are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence, stedfast unto the end. So that if you should endure some few slighter troubles, and faint at last; give out when a closer tryal befals you; all your labours and sufferings are in vain. Sincerity and final perseverance are the conditions of all special promises.
3. Thirdly, Every mans graces and duties must be tryed and weighed by God in the great day; and if they cannot endure these lesser tryals, to which God exposed them now, how will they endure that severe and exact tryal to which he will bring them then? No man can search his own heart with that exactness in this world, as God will search i… in the world to come.
I may say in this case to you as the Lord spake to Ieremiah, cl. ap. 12. 5. If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee; then how canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace wherein thou trustedst, they have wearited thee; then how wilt tho… do in the swelling of Iordan? This was spoken to encourage the Prophet to constancy in his work; and as if the Lord had said, O Ieremy, do the strivings of the men of Anat hoth thine own Town, dishearten thee? pluck up thy spirits and faint not; there are harder Tryals than these that thou must undergo at Ierusalem: these are no more to what is coming, than the running with footmen, is to contending with horses: or the passing a small Rivulet, to the swellings of Iordan.
To allude to this, If our graces and duties cannot bear these lighter tryals, if a little lift of prosperity, or lighter stroke of adversity discover so much falseness, rottenness, pride, and selfishness in the heart: If we cannot resist the motions of corruptions, but yield our selves to obey sin in the lusts of it: If we can neither keep our hearts with God in duties, nor mourn for our wanderings from him: If a few scoffs from wicked tongues, or tryals of persecution from the hands of men will cause us to faint in the way, and turn back from following the Lord; what shall we do when he comes whose fan is in his hand, and who will throughly purge his floor, Mat. 3. 12. who will try every mans work as by fire, 1 Cor. 3. 13. search the secrets of all hearts, Rom. 2. 16. weigh every man to his ounces and drachms? Surely we can take little comfort in that which is so unable to bear the severe tryals of that day, that it cannot stand before the slighter Tryals of this day.
4. Fourthly, True grace is willing to be tryed, and nothing is more desirable to an upright soul than to know his own condition. If therefore we shun the tryal, and are loth to search our selves, or be searched by the Lord, our condition is suspicious, and we can take little comfort in it. It was Davids earnest desire, Psal. 139. 23. that God would throughly search his heart and reins, and see if there were any way of wickedness in him: false grace is shy of Gods eye; it cares not to be examined; but this is the delight of sincere ones: every one that doth evil hateth the light, lest his deeds should be reproved; but he that doth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God, John 3. 20, 21.
The reason is plain why Hypocrisie cannot endure to come to the. Touchstone and test, for Hypocrites …aving a secret consciousness of their own guilt & unsoundness, know that by this means their vain confidence would quickly be confuted, and all their reputation for Religion blasted: but O if men dare not stand before the word, as it is now opened and applyed by Ministers; how will they stand when it shall be opened and applyed in another manner by Jesus Christ?
O professour, if thy condition be good, thy heart right, thou wilt desi…e to know the very worst of thy self; and when thou hast made the deepest search thou canst, thou wilt still fear thou hast not been severe enough, and impa… enough to thy self: nothing will give thee more content than when thou feelest the word dividing thy soul and spirit, thy joynts and marrow: nothing so much comforts thee under, or after an affliction, as the discovery it hath made of thy heart, thou wilt seem to feel with what affections those words came from the Prophets lips, Jer. 12. 3. But thou O Lord knowest me, thou hast seen me, and tryed my heart towards thee. O what a freshing sweetness will stream through thy heart; and all the powers of thy soul, when thou canst make the like appeal to God with like sincerity! And certainly without such a disposition of spirit towards the tryal of our graces, we can have little evidence of the truth of them.