The Touchstone of Sincerity, Chapter 4
CHAP. IV.
Wherein the third Doctrine, being the main subject of this Treatise is opened, and the method of the whole discourse stated.
Doct. 3. That only is to be accounted true grace which is able to endure all those tryals appointed or permitted for the discovery of it.
SECT. I.
THE most wise God hath seen it fit to set all his people in a state of tryal in this world. First, he tryes, and then he Crowns them. Jam. 1. 12. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation, foreign, (i. e.) probation or tryal] for when he is tryed, he shall receive the crown of life, &c.
No man can say what he is, whether his graces be true or false, till they be tryed and examined by those things which are to them as fire is to gold. These self-deceivers in the Text, thought they had grace; yea they thought they had been rich in grace; but it proved no better than dross: and therefore Christ here counsels them to buy of him gold tryed in the fire, (i. e.) true grace indeed, which appears to be so upon the various proofs and examinations of its sincerity which are to be made in this world, as well as in the great solemn tryal it must come to in the world to come.
The Scriptures speak of a twofold tryal, viz.
A tryal of mens
Opinions and Graces.
1. First, The opinions and Judgments of men are tryed as by fire, in which sense we are to understand that place, 1 Cor. 3. 12, 13. Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, precious stones; wood, hay, stubble every mans work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every mans work of what sort it is.
This text speaks of such persons as hold the foundation of Christianity, but yet superstructed such doctrines and practices, as were no more able to endure the Tryal, than hay, Dum probantur toti in fumum abeunt.wood, or stubble can endure the fire. Such a person hereby brings himself into danger, and though the Apostle will not deny the possibllity, yet he asse…ts the difficulty of his salvation: he shall be saved, Quo ex judicio velut ex incendio nuddus effugit. Chrysoft.yet so as by fire, (i. e.) as a man is saved by leaping out of his house at midnight when it is all on fire about his ears: for so that phrase imports, Amos 4. 11. and Iude 23. glad to escape naked, and with the loss of his goods, blessing God, he hath his life for a prey: as little regard shall such have to their erroneous notions, and unscriptural opinions at last.
2. Secondly, The graces of men are brought to the test as well as their opinions. Tryal will be made of their hearts, as well as of their heads; and upon this tryal the everlasting safety & happiness of the person depends: if a mans opinions be some of them found hay or stubble, yet so long as he holds the head, & is right in the foundation, he may be saved; but if a mans supposed graces be found so, all the world cannot save him: there is no way of escape if he finally deceive himself herein: and of this tryal of Graces my text speaks: Sincere Grace is Gold tryed by fire.
There is a twofold tryal of grace, Active, and Passive.
First, an Active tryal of it, in which we try it our selves, 2 Cor. 13 5▪ Examine your selves, prove your selves: (i. e.) measure your hearts, duties and graces by the rule of the word; see how they answer to that rule, bring your hearts and the word together by solemn self-examination: confer with your reins, and commune with your own hearts.
Secondly, A Passive tryal of it: whether we try it or no, God will t…y it, he will bring our gold to the touchstone, and to the fire. Thou O Lord knowest me, thou hast seen me and tryed mine heart towards thee, saith the Prophet, Ier. 12. 3.
Sometimes he tryes the strength and ab… lity of his servants graces, and thus he trye Abraham, Heb. 11. 17. and sometimes … tryes the soundness and sincerity of our grace so the Ephesian Angel was tryed, and foun… dross, Rev. 2. 2. And so Iob was tryed an… found true gold, Iob 23. 10. These tryals a… not made by God for his own information for he knows what is in man, his eyes pier… his heart and reins; but for our information which is the true sense of Deut. 8. 2. Th… shalt remember all the way which the Lord th… God led thee these forty years in the wilderness humble thee, and to prove thee, to know wh… was in thy heart, (i. e.) to make thee know it, by giving thee such experiments and try als of it in those wilderness straits and di… ficulties.
And these are the tryals of grace I am here to speak of, not excluding the Active tryals made by our selves; no, no, all these tryals made by God upon us are designed t… put us upon the tryal of our selves: whe… God tryes, we should try too.
Now the method into which I shall ca… this discourse, shall be to shew you,
1. First, What those things are which try the sincerity of our graces, as fire tryes gold.
2. Secondly, For what ends doth God pu… the graces of his people upon such tryals in this world.
3. Thirdly, That such grace only is sin…ere as can endure these tryals.
4. Fourthly and Lastly, To apply the whole, … the main uses of it.
SECT. II.
First, WHAT those things are which try the sincerity of grace, as fire …yes gold.
Before I enter into particulars, it will be …eedful to acquaint you, that the subject be…re me is full of difficulties. There is need as one speaks) of much cautious respect to …e various sizes and degrees of growth a…ong Christians, and the vicissitudes of their …ward case: else we may darken and per…lex the way instead of clearing it.
The pourtracture of a Christian is such …s none can draw to one Model, but with …espect to the infancy of some, as well as the …ge and strength of others.
Great heed also ought to be had in the ap…lication of marks and signs, we should first … them, before we try our selves, or others by …em, Marks and signs are by some distinguish…d into exclusive, inclusive, and positive: ex…usive marks serve to shut out bold pretend…s, by shewing them how far they come …ort of a saving work of grace, and they are …ommonly taken from some necessary com…on duty, as hearing, praying, &c. he that doth not these things, cannot have any wo… of Grace in him; and yet if he do them, … cannot from thence conclude his estate to … gracious: he that so concludes deceive himself.
Inclusive Marks rather discover the degree… than the truth of grace, and are rather intended for comfort than for conviction: we find them in our selves, we do not only find sincerity, but eminency of grace: they being taken from some raised degree and … minent acts of grace in confirmed an… grown Christians.
Betwixt the two former there is a midd… sort of marks, which are called positive mark… and they are such as are alwayes and onl… found in regenerate souls. The Hypocrite hath them not, the grown Christian hath them, and that in an eminent degree… the poorest Christia… hath them in a lower but saving degree great care must be taken in the applicatio… of them: and it's past doubt that many wea… and injudicious Christians have been greatly prejudiced by finding the experiences of eminent Christians proposed as rules to measure their sincerity by. Alas! these no more fit their …ouls, than Sauls Armour did Davids body▪
These things being premised, and a du… care carried along with us through this discourse; I shall next come to the particulars and shew you what those things are which discover the state and tempers of our souls. And though it be true, that there is no condition we are in, no providence that befals us, but it takes some proof, and makes some discovery of our hearts: yet to limit this discourse, and fall into particulars as soon as we can, I shall shew what Tryals are made of our graces in this world, by our prosperity, and our adversity, by our corruptions, and our duties: and lastly by our sufferings upon the score and account of Religion.
SECT. III.
FIrst, Prosperity, Success, and the increase of outward enjoyments, are to grace what fire is to gold. Riches and Honours make tryal what we are, and by these things many a false heart hath been detected, as well as the sincerity & eminency of others graces discovered: we may fancy the fire of prosperity to be rather for comfort than tryal; to refresh us rather than to prove us; but you will find prosperity to be a great discovery; and that scarce any thing proves the truth and strength of mens graces and corruptions more than it d…th: Rara virtus est humilit as honorata, saith Bernard, to find humility with honour is to find a Phoenix; let an obscure person be lifted up to honour, and how steady and well-composed soever he was before, it's a thousand to one but his eyes will dazle and his head run round whe… he is upon the lofty pinacl… of praise and honour:Magistratus indicat virum. Prov… 27. 21. As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise: pu… the best gold into the fining pot of praise, and it's a great wonder if a great deal of dros… do not appear. Isa. 39. 2. the vain glory o… good Hezekia… rose like a froth or scum upon the pot, when heated by prosperity. It wa… such a sining pot to Herod as discovered him to be dross its self, Acts 12. 23. How did that poor worm swell under that tryal into the conceit of a God? and was justly destroyed by worms, because he forgat himself to be one: we little think what a strange alteration an exalted estate will make upon our spirits. When the Prophet would abate the vain confidence of Hazael who could not believe that ever he should be turned into such a salvage beast as the Prophet had foretold: he only tells him, The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be King over Syria, 2 King. 8. 13. The meaning is, don't be too confident Hazael, that thy temper and disposition can never alter to that degree, Th…u never yet satest in a Throne; when men see the Crown upon thy head, then they will better see the true temper of thy heart.
How humble was Israel in the Wilderness, tame and tractable in a lean pasture …t bring them …once into Canaan, and the orld is strangely altered; then, we are Lords, …y they, we will come no more unto thee, Jer. 2, 7, 31. Prosperity is a Crisis both to …ace and corruption. Thence is that caution … Israel, Deut. 10. 11, 12. When thou hast …aten, and art full, Then beware lest thou forget …he Lord thy God. Then beware, that's the Critical time; surely that man must be ac…nowledged rich, very rich in grace, whose grace suffers no diminution or eclipse by his …iches; and that man deserves double ho…our, whose pride the honours of this world cannot provoke and inflame.
It was a sad truth from the lips of a pi…us divine in Germany upon his death bed; …eing somewhat disconsolate by reflecting upon the barrenness of his life: some …riends took thence an occasion to commend …im, and mind him of his painful Ministry, and fruitful life among them; but he cryed out, auferte ignem, adhuc enim paleas habeo; withdraw the fire for I have chaff in me; meaning that he felt his ambition like chaff catching fire from the sparkles of their praises: like unto which was the saying of another, He that praiseth me, wounds me.
But to descend into the particular discoveries that prosperity and honour make of the want of grace in some, and of the weakness of grace in others: I will shew you what symptomes of Hypocrisie appear upon some men under the Tryals of prosperity, and what signs of grace appear in others under the same tryal.
SECT. IV.
PRosperity discovers many sad symptomes of a naughty heart, and among others these are ordinarily most conspicuous.
1. First, It casts the hearts of some men into a deep oblivion of God, and makes them lay aside all care of duty: rare fumant faelicibus Arae. The Altars of rich menseldom smoke, Deut. 32. 13, 14, 15. Iesurun sucked honey out of the rock, eat the fat of Lambs, and kidneys of wheat; but what was the effect of this? he kicked, and forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation; instead of lifting up their hearts▪ in an humble thankful acknowledgment of Gods bounty, they lifted up the heel in a wanton abuse of his mercy: in the fattest earth we find the most slippery footing.
He that is truly gracious may in prosperity remit some degrees, but a Carnal heart there loseth all that which in a low condition he seemed to have. Agurs deprecation as to himself, no doubt was built upon his frequent observation how it was with others, Prov. 30. 8, 9. Lest I be full, and deny God. It's said in Eccles. 5. 12. That the abundance of … rich will not suffer him to sleep, and I wish …at were the worst injury it did him; but …s, it will not suffer him to pray, to meditate, allow time and thoughts about his eternal …ncernments; he falls asleep in the lap of …osperity, and forgets that there is a God to … served, or a soul to be saved. O this is a dan…rous symptom of a very graceless heart.
2. Secondly, prosperity meeting with a …aceless heart, makes it wholly sensual, and …tirely swallows up its thoughts and af…ctions: Earthly things transform and …old their hearts into their own similitude …d nature: the whole strength of their …s goes out to those enjoyments. So those …aceless, yet prosperous persons are descri…d, Job 21. 11, 12, 13. They take the Timbrel …d Harp, and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ, … spend their dayes in wealth; they take the …mbrel, not the Bible. They rejoyce at the sound the Organ, not a word of their rejoycing … God. They send forth their little ones in the …nce. That is all the Catechism they are …ught. They spend their days in wealth. Their …oletime, that precious stock and Talent … wholly laid out upon these sensitive …ings: either the pleasure of it powerfully …arms them, or the cares of it wholly en…oss their minds; that there is no time to …are for God, They live in pleasure upon earth, … it is Iam. 5. 5. Just as the fish lives in the water its …roper element, take him o… from these things, and put him upon spir… tual serious heavenly imployments, and … is Piscis in arido. Like a fish upon the d… Land.
Now though prosperity may too muc… influence, and ensnare the minds of goo… men, and estrange them too much from he… venly things; yet thus to engross the… hearts, and convert them into their ow… similitude and nature, so that these thin… should be the Centure of ther hearts, the v… ry proper element in which they live, is u… terly impossible.
An Hypocrite indeed may be brought … this, because though Ianus like, he have tw… faces, yet he really hath but one principle and that is wholly carnal and earthly: … that it's easie to make all the water to … in one channel, to gather all into one enti… stream, in which his heart shall pour out a… its strength to the Creature.
But a Christian indeed hath a doub… principal that acts him: though he have law of sin, that moves him one way, … there is in him also the Law of grace, whic… thwarts and crosses that principle of corru… tion; so that as grace cannot do what would, because of sin; so neither can sin … what it would, because of grace, Gal. 5. 17.
The heart of a Christian in the midst ensnaring sensitive enjoyments finds indeed a corrupt principle in it, which would incline him to fall asleep upon such a soft pillow; and forget God and duty: but it cannot; Oh no, it cannot do so, there's a principle of grace within him that never leaves jogging, disturbing, and calling upon him, till he rise and return to his God the true rest of his soul.
3. Thirdly, A false pretender to Religion, an Hypocritical Professour meeting with prosperity and success, grows altogether unconcerned about the interest of Religion, & senseless of the calamities of Gods people. Thus the Prophet convinces the Jews of their hypocrisie, Amos 6. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. They were at ease in Zion, and trusted in the Mountain of Samaria: and so having a shadow of Religion, and a fulness of all earthly things, they fell to feasting and sporting: they drank wine in bowls, and anointed themselves with the chief oyntment, but were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph: they condoled not Gnalsheber over the breakings or tearing to pieces of Ioseph; they are out of danger once, let the Church shift for it self; they are secure in a warm nest, let the birds of prey catch and devour that flock with which they sometimes associated, they are not toucht with it. Moses could not do so though in the greatest security, and confluence of the honours and pleasures of Egypt, Acts 7. 23. Nehemiah could not do so, though the servant and favorite of a mighty Monarch, and wanted nothing to make him outwardly happy: Yet the pleasures of a Kings Court could not cheer his heart, or scatter the clouds of sorrow from his Countenance, whilest his brethren were in affliction, & the City of his God lay waste, Nehem. 2. 1, 2, 3. nor indeed can any gracious heart be unconcerned and senseless; for that Union that all the Saints have with Christ their head, and with one another as fellow members in Christ, will beget sympathy among them in their sufferings, 1 Cor. 12. 26.
SECT. V.
BUT as the fire of prosperity discovers this, and much more dross in a graceless heart; so it discovers the sincerity and grace of Gods people. I say not that it discovers nothing but grace in them. O that it did not! alas! many of them have had a great deal of dross and corruption discovered by it, as was noted before: but yet in this Tryal, the graciousness and uprightness of their hearts will appear in these and such like workings of it.
1. First, Under prosperity, success and honour, the upright heart will labour to suppress pride, and keep it self lowly & humble▪ and still the more grace there is, the more humility there will be. If God lift him up, he will lay himself low, and exalt his God high. So did Iacob when God had raised & enlarged him, Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant, for with my staff I passed over this Iordan, and now I am become two …ands.
Great was the difference in Iacobs outward condition at his return, from what it was at first passage over Iordan: then poor, now rich; then single and comfortless, now the head of a great family. Yea, but though his outward estate was altered, the frame of his heart was not altered. Iacob was an holy and humble man when he went out, & so he was when he returned: he saw a multitude of mercies about him, and among them all, not one but was greater than himself.
I dare not say every Christian under prosperity can at all times manifest like humility; but I am sure what pride and vanity soever may rise in a gracious heart tryed by prosperity, there's that within him, will give check to it: he dare not suffer such proud thoughts to lodge quietly in his heart: for a…as he sees that in himself, and that in his God that will abase him; grace will make him look back to his original condition, & say with David, What am I O Lord God, and what is my fathers house; that thou hast brought me hitherto? 2 Sam. 7. 18.
It will make him look in, & see the baseness of his own heart, and the Corruptions that are there, and admire at the Dealings of God with so vile a Creature. O thinks he, … others did but know what I know of my self they would abhor me more than now they esteem and value me.
2. Secondly, Prosperity usually draws forth the Saints love to the God of their mercies that which heats a wicked mans lusts, warm… a gracious mans heart with love and delight in God.
These were the words of that lovely song which David sang in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul, and he said, I will love thee O Lord my strength… Psalm 18. Title and v. 1. compared: these outward things are not the main grounds and motives of their love to God; no, no, they love him when he takes away, as well, as when he gives: but they are sanctified instrument… to inflame their love to God: they boyle up a wicked mans lusts, but they melt a gracious mans soul. O in what a pang of love did David go into the presence of God under the sense of his mercies? his melting mercies; when he thus poured out his whole soul in a stream of love to his God, 2 Sam 7. 19, 20. Is this the manner of men, O Lord God! and what can David say more unto thee! an expression that turns up the very bottom of his heart.
3. Thirdly, Prosperity and comfortable providences do usually become cautions against …in when they meet with a sanctified soul. This is the natural inference of a gracious soul from them, Hath God pleased me, then hath he obliged me to take more care to please him. O let me not grieve him, that hath comforted me. So Ezra 9. 13. After such a deliverance, as this, should we again break thy Commandments! what! break his Commandments who hath broken our bonds! God forbid.
It was an excellent resolution of a Christian once, who receiving an eminent mercy, at the same time he felt himself under the power of a special Corruption; Well, (saith he) now will I go forth in the strength of this mercy to mortifie and subdue that Corruption. I will not measure every Christian by the eminent workings of grace in some one; but surely so far I may safely go, That sincerity knows not how to sin, because grace hath abounded, any more than it dare sin, that grace may abound.
4. Fourthly, A truly gracious soul will not be satisfied with all the prosperity and comforts in the world for his portion. Not thine Lord, but thee is the voice of grace: when providence had been more than ordinarily bountiful in outward things to Luther, he began to be afraid of its meaning, and earnestly protested, God should not put him off so. The Lord is my portion saith my soul, Lam 3. 2, 4. and the soul can best tell what it hath made its choice, and whereon it hath bestowed its chief delights and expectations.
An unsound heart will accept these for its portion: if the world be sure to him, and his designs fail not there; he can be content to leave God, and soul, and heaven, and hell at hazard: but so cannot the upright. These things in subordination; but neither these, nor any thing under the Sun in Comparison with, or opposition to God.