Wherein the third doctrine, being the main subject of this
Prosperity a Furnace to try our Graces.
whilst you conversed with him : But, alas ! alas ! instead of holy, profitable, foul-improving communion, some are fullenly reserved ; some are negligent and lazy; some are litigious and wrangling ; more apt to draw forth the dross, than the gold;
I mean the corruptions, than graces of others. And how few there be that drive a profitable trade for increase of grace, is fad toconfider.
And as grace is not improved by communion with men, so I doubt most Christians thrive but little in their communion with God: We are too seldom in our closets, too little upon our knees; and when we are there, we gain but little ; we come not off such gainers by duty as we might. O Christians ! think when you are hearing and praying, I am now trading with heaven for that which is infinitely better than gold. God is rich to all that call upon him : What a treasure may I get this hour, if the fault be not in mine own heart ?
And thus of the second observation .
CHAP.
IV.
Wherein the third doctrine, being the main subject of this treatise, is opened, and the method of the whole discourse stated.
DOCT .
That only is to beaccountedtruegrace, which is able to endure all those trials appointed or permitted for the discovery of it.
T SECT Ι .
HE most wife God hath seen it fit to set all his people in a state of trial in this world.
First, he tries, and then he crowns them ; James i. 12.
Blessed is the man that " endureth temptation, wειρασμον, i. e. [probation or trial] ; " for when he is tried, hethall receive the crown of life, " &c.
Nomancansaywhat he is ; whether his graces be true or false, till they be tried and examinedbythose 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 tried 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
Prosperity a Furnace to try our Graces. in this world, as well as in the great solemn trial it must come to in the world to come.
The scripture speaks of atwofold trial, viz.
Opinions, Atrial of mens and Graces.
1. First, The opinions and judgments of menaretried as by fire; in which sense we aretounderstandthat place, 1 Cor. iii,
12,13. " Now if anyman build upon this foundation, gold, 66 silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's
" work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try eve ry man's work, of what fort 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 trial, than hay, wood, or stubble, can endure the fire *.
Such a person hereby brings himself to danger ; and though the apostle will not deny the possibility, yet he asserts the difficulty of his salvation ; "He
" shall be saved, yet so as by fire †; " i, e. as am an is favedby leaping out of his house at midnight, when it is all on fire a bout his ears ; for so that phrase imports, Amos iv. 11. and Jude23. Glad to escape naked, and with the loss of his goods; blessing God he hath his life fora 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.
Trial will be made of their hearts, as well as their heads ; and upon this trial the everlasting safety and happiness of the person depends.
If am an's opinions be fomeof them found hay or stubble, yet so long as he holds the head, and is right in the foundation, he maybe saved; but if am an's supposed graces be found so, all the world cannot save him: There is noway of escape, if he finally deceive himself herein.
And of this trial of graces my text speaks : Sincere grace is gold tried by fire.
There is a twofold trial of grace ; active and passive.
First, An active trial of it, in which we try it ourselves, 2Cor. xiii . 5. " Examine yourselves ; prove yourselves ;" i. e. measure your hearts, duties and graces,by the rule of the word;
* Upon a thorough trial they ranish into smoke.
† From which judgment he shall escape just as one does naked, or with his bare life, out of the midst of flames.
Chryfoftome.
Prosperity a Furnace to try our Graces.
leehowthey 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 trial of it: whether we try it or no, God will try it, he will bring our gold to the touchstone, and to the fire.
" Thou, O Lord, knowest me; thou hast seen " me, and tried mine heart towards thee," faith the prophet,
Jer.xii. 3.
Sometimes he tries the strength and ability of his servants graces; and thus he tried Abraham, Heb. xi. 17. And fometimeshe tries the foundness and sincerity of our graces ; so the Ephesianangelwas tried, and founddross, Rev. ii. 2. Andfo
Job was tried, and found true gold, Job xxiii. 10.
These trials are not made by God for his own information; for he knows what is in man; his eyes pierce his heart and reins; but for our information ; which is the true sense of Deut. viii. 2.
" Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God " led thee these forty years in the wilderness to humble thee,
"and to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart;" i. e. to make thee know it, by giving thee such experiments and trials of it in those wilderness straits and difficulties.
And these are the trials of grace I am here to speak of, not excluding the active trials made by ourselves; no, no, all these trials madebyGod upon us, are designed to put us upon the trial of ourselves: When God tries, we should try too.
Now the method into which I shall cast this discourse, shall betoshewyou, 1. First, What those things are which try the sincerity of our graces, as fire tries gold.
2. Secondly, For what ends doth God put the graces of his people upon such trials in this world.
3. Thirdly, That such grace only is sincere as can endure these trials.
4. Fourthly, and lastly, To apply the whole, in the main uses of it.
SECT.
II.
2. First, What those things are which try the sincerity of grace, as fire tries gold.
Before I enter into particulars, it will be needfulto acquaint you, that the subject before me is full of difficulties.
There is need, as one speaks, of much cautious respect to the various fizesanddegrees of growth among Christians, and the viciffi-
Prosperity a Furnace to try our Graces. tudesof their inwardcate; else we may darken and perplexthe way, instead of clearing it.
The portraiture of a Christian is such as none can draw to one model, but with respect to the infancy of some, as well as the age and strength of others.
Great heed ought also to be had in the application of marks and signs ; we should first try them, before we try ourselves or others by them.
Marks and signs are by some distinguished into exclusive, inclusive, and positive : Exclusive marks serve to shut out bold pretenders, by shewing them how far they come short of a saving work of grace ; and they are commonly taken from some necessary common duty, as hearing, praying, &c.
He that doth not these things, cannot have any work of grace in him ; and yet if he do them, he cannot from thence conclude his estate to be gracious : He that so concludes, deceives himself.
Inclusive marks rather discover the degrees than the truth of grace, and are rather intended for comfort than for conviction :
If we find them in ourselves, we do not only find sincerity, but eminencyof grace : They beingtakenfromfome raised degree and eminent acts of grace in confirmed and grown Christians.
Betwixt the two former there is a middle fort of marks, which are called positive marks, and they are such as are always, and only found, in regenerate souls : The hypocrite hath them not; the grown Christian hath them, and that in an eminent degree:
The poorest Christian hath them in a lower, but saving degree :
Great care must be taken in the application of them. And it is past,doubt, that many weak 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 souls, than Saul's armour did David's body.
These things beingpremised, and a due carecarriedalongwith us through this discourse, I shall next come to the particulars, and shewyou 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 befałs us, but it takes fomeproof, 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 trials 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.
Prosperity a Furnace to try our Graces.
SECT .
III .
First, Prosperity, success, and the increase of outwardenjoyments, are togracewhat fire is to gold. Riches and honours make trial what we are ; and by these things many a false heart hath been detected, as well as the sincerity and eminency of other graces discovered. We may fancy the fire of prosperity to be rather for comfort than trial ; 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 ofmens graces andcorruptions more than that doth : Rara virtus eft humilitas honor at a, faith 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 is a thousand to one but his eyes will dazzle, and his headrunroundwhenhe is upon the loftypinacle of praise and honour * ; Prov. xxvii. 21. "As the fining-pot for silver, and " the furnace for gold, so is a man to his praise :" Put the bestgoldintothe fining-pot of praise, and it is a great wonder if a great deal of dross do not appear, Ifa. xxxix. 2. the vainglory of good Hezekiah rose like a froth or scum upon the pot, whenheatedby prosperity.
It was such afining-pot to He rod, as discovered him to be dross itself, Acts xii. 23. How did that poor worm swell under that trial into the conceit of a god, and was justly destroyedbyworms, because he forgat himself to be one ? We little think what a strange alteration an exalted statewillmake upon our spirits. When the prophet would abatethe vain confidence of Hazael, who would not believe that ever he should be turned intosucha savage beast as the prophet had foretold; he only tells him, " The Lord hath shewed me,
" that thou shalt be king over Syria," 2 Kings viii. 13. The meaning is, Do not be too confident Hazael, that thy temper anddispositioncannever alter to that degree ; thou never yet fat ona throne : When men see thecrownuponthyhead,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; but bring them once into Canaan, and the world is strangely altered; then, "we are lords, (say they) we
"will come no more unto thee," Jer. ii. 2, 7, 31.
Prosperity is a crisis both to grace and corruption.
Thence is that caution to Israel, Deut. x. 11, 12. " When thou haft eaten, and art
" full, then beware left thou forget the LordthyGod." Then *Magiftratus indicat virum: i. e. Preferment proves a man.
Prosperity a great Trial. beware, that is the critical time; surely, thatman must be acknowledged rich, very rich in grace, whose grace suffers nodiminution, or eclipse by his riches; and that man deserves doublehonour, whose pride the honours of this world cannot provoke and inflame.
It was afad truth from the lips of a piousdivine in Germany uponhisdeathbed; being somewhat disconsolate, by reflecting upon the barrenness of bis life, some friends took thence anoccafiontocommend him, and mind him of his painful ministry, and fruitful life among them; but he cried out, Auferte ignem, adhuc enim pale as habeo ; Withdraw the fire, for I have chaffin me; meaning, that he felthisambition like chaff catching fire from the sparkles of their praises.
Like unto which was the saying of another, He that praiseth me, wounds me.
Buttodefcend into the particular discoveries that prosperity andhonour make of the want of grace in some, and of the weakness of grace in others ; I will shew you what symptoms ofhypocrify appear upon somemenunderthe trial of prosperity, and what sigus of grace appear in others under the fame trial.
SECT.
IV.
Prosperity discovers many fad symptoms 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 ; Raro fumant foelicibus arae; the altars of rich men seldom smoke,
Deut. xxxii. 13, 14, 15.
Jesurun fucked 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 who made him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation.
Instead of lifting up their hearts in an humble thankful acknowledgment of God's 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 gracions may, in prosperity, remit some degrees; but a carnal heart there loseth all that which in a low condition he seemed tofave. Augur's deprecation, as to himself, no doubt, was built upon his frequent observation how it was with others; Prov. xxx. 8, 9. " Lest I be full, and deny
" God."
It is said in Eccles. v. 12. " That the abundance of the rich " will not fufferhim to sleep;" and I wish that were the worst injury it did him; but, alas! it will not fufferhim to pray, to
Prosperity a great Trial.
meditate, toallowtime and thoughts about his eternalconcernments ; he falls asleep in the lap of prosperity, and forgets that there is a God to be served, or a soul to be saved. O this is a dangerous symptom of a very graceless heart !
2. Secondly, Prosperity meeting with a graceless heart, makes it wholly sensual, and entirely swallows up its thoughts and affections : Earthly things transform andmould their hearts into their own similitude and nature : The whole strength of their souls goes out to those enjoyments. So those graceless, yet prosperous persons are described, Jobxxi. 11, 12, 13. " They
" take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the found of the 66 organ: they spend their days in wealth."
They take the timbrel, not the Bible. " They rejoice at the found of the "
" organ;" not a word of their rejoicing in God.
They " fend forth their little ones in the dance :" That is all the catechism they are taught : " They spend their days in wealth ;" their whole time, that precious stock and talent, is wholly laid
-out upon these sensitive things : Either the pleasure of it powerfully charms them, or the cares of it wholly engross their minds, that there is no time to spare for God. They live inpleafureupon earth, as it is, Jam. v. 5. just as the fish lives in the water, its proper element : Take him off from these things, and put him upon spiritual, serious, heavenly employments, and he is Piscis inarido; Like a fish upon the dry land.
Now, though prosperity may too much influence and ensnare the minds of good men, and estrange them too much from heavenly things ; yet thus to engross their hearts, and convert themintotheir own similitude and nature, so that these things should be the centre of their hearts, the very proper element in which they live, is utterly impossible.
An hypocrite indeed maybebroughtto this, because, though Janus like, he have two faces, yet he really hath but one principle, and that is wholly carnal and earthly: So that it is easy to make all the water to run into one channel, to gather all into one entire stream, in which his heart shall pour out all its
-strength to the creature.
But a Christian indeed hath a double principlethatacts him ; though he have a law of sin that moves him one way, yet there is in him alto the law of grace, which thwarts and crosses that principle of corruption : So that as grace cannot do what it would, because of fin; so neither can fin do what it would, because of grace, Gal. v. 17.
The heart of a Christian, in the midst of ensaaring sensitive
VOL. VII.
Prosperity a great Trial.
-enjoyments, finds indeedacorrupt principle in it,which would •incline him to fall asleep upon such a soft pillow, and forget
God and duty; but it cannot, O no ! it cannot do fo; there is a principle of grace within him, that never leaves jogging, disturbing, andcallinguponhim,till he rife and return to his God, the true rest of his soul.
3. Thirdly, A false pretender to religion, anhypocriticalprofeffor, meeting with profperityand success, grows altogether unconcerned about the interest of religion, and senseless of the *calamities of God's people.
Thus the prophet convinces the Jews of their hypocrisy, Amos vi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. "They
" were at ease in Zion, and trusted in the mountain of Sam a- " ria:" And fo, having a shadowofreligion, andafulness of all earthly things, they fell to feasting and sporting : " They drank
" wine in bowls, andanointedthemselves with the chief oint- " ments, but were not grieved for the affliction of Joseph."
Theycondolednot, Gnaltheber, over the breakings or tearing to pieces of Joseph : If they are out of danger once,letthechurch shift for itself, 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 touched with it.
Mosescould not do fo, though in the greatest security and confluence of the honours and pleasures of Egypt, Acts vii. 23. Nehemiah could not do so, though the servant and favourite of a mighty monarch, and wanted nothing to make him outwardly happy ; yet the pleasures of a king's court could not cheer his heart, or scatter the clouds of sorrow from his countenance, whilst his brethren were in affliction, and the city of his God lay waste, Nehemiah ii. 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 be get sympathy among them in their sufferings, 1 Cor. xii.
26.
SECT .
BUUT as the fire of profperitydiscovers this and much more dross in a graceless heart, so it discovers the sincerity and grace of God's people : I say not that it discovers nothing but grace in them : O that it did not ! alas! many of them have had agreatdeal of dross and corruption discovered by it, as was noted before : But yet in this trial, the graciousness and uprightness of their hearts will appear in these, and such like workings of it.
1. First, Under prosperity, success, andhonour, the upright
Prosperity a great Trial.
heart will labour to suppress pride, and keep itself lowly and 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 Jacob when God had raised. and enlarged him ; Gen. xxxii. 10. " I am not worthy of the " least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast
" snewedunto thy servant, for with my staff I passed over this " Jordan, and now I am become two bands."
Great was the difference in Jacob's outward condition at his return, from what it was at his first passage over Jordan ; 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.
Jacob was an holy and humble man when he went out, and 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 tried by prosperity, thereisthatwithinhim will give check to it : He dare not suffer such proud thoughts to lodge quietly in his heart ; for, alas ! he fees that in himself, and that in his God, that will abase him: Grace will make him look back to his original condition, and say, with David, " What am I, O Lord God ? and what
" is my father's house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ?"
2 Sam. vii. 18.
It will make him look in, and 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, if others
did but know what I know of myself, they would abhorme more than now they esteem and value me.
2. Secondly, Prosperity usually draws forth the faints love to the.
God of their mercies : that which heats a wicked man's lusts, warms a gracious man's 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 hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, " I will
" love thee, O Lord, my strength," Psalm xviii.title andver.
1. compared.
These outward things are not the main grounds andmotivesoftheir lovetoGod; no, no,they love him when he takes away, as well aswhenhegives : but they are sanctified inAruments to inflame their love to God: they boil up a wicked man's lusts, but they melt a gracious man's soul. O in what a
Prosperity a greet Trial.
Pang of lovedidDavid go into the prefenceofGodunder the sense of his mercies ! his melting mercies ! when he thus poured out his whole foul in a stream of love to his God, 2 Sam. vii. 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 providencesdousually become cautions against sin, when they meet with a sanctified foul.
This is the natural inference of a gracious foul 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 ix. 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 felthimselfunder the power of a special corruption ; " Well, (faith he) now will
" Igoforth in the strength of this mercy, to mortifyandfub- " due that corruption. "
I will not measure every Christian by the eminent workings of grace in some one; but surely fo far I may safely go, that sincerity knows not how to fin, because grace hathabounded, any more than it dare fin, thatgracemay abound.
4. Fourthly, A truly gracious foul 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 providencehed 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, faith my soul," Lam. iii. 24. and the soul can best tell what it hath made its choice, and whereon ithathbestowed 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 foul, and heaven, and hell at hazard; but focannot the upright.
These things in fubordination ; but peither these, nor any thing under the fun, in comparison with, or opposition to God.