None but these that value not grace will ever slight the means, or despise and injure the instruments thereof. It is a sad sign of a graceless world when these precious things fall under contempts and slights.
Infer. 5. If grace be so precious, how watchful should all gracious persons be in the days of temptation ! The design of temptation is to rob you of your treasure : When cut-purses get into the crowd, we use to say, Friends, look to your purses. How many brave Chris- tians have we read and heard of, that have rather chosen to part with their lives than with their graces, who have " resisted unto blood, " strivino; ao^ainst sin .'*'' Heb. xii. 4.
O Christians! you live in a cheating age; many seeming Christians have lost all, and many real Christians have lost much ; so much, that they are like to see but little comfort in this world ; who are like to go mourning to the grave with that lamentation, Job xxix. 2, 3. *"^ O that it were with me as in times past !''
Inf. 6. To conclude : Is there such precious worth in saving grace ? Then bless God for, and diligently use all means to increase and improve it in your souls. It is gold for preciousness, and for usefulness, and must not be laid up in a napkin : That is a sin con- demned by the very scope of that parable. Mat. xxv. 14, 15, &c.
All Christians indeed have not the same advantages of improve- ment ; but all must improve it according to the advantages they have, in order to an account. Reserved Christians, who live too abstracted from the society and communion of others, and disperse not their streams abroad to the benefit of others, nor improve the graces of others for their own benefit, are wanting both to their own duty and comfort. See you a man rich in grace, O trade with him if you can to improve yourselves bv him ; and the rather, because you know not how soon death may snatch him from you, and with him all his stock of grace is gone from you too, except what you made your own whilst you conversed with him : But alas ! instead of holy, profitable, soul-improving communion, some are sullenly 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 sad to consider.
And as grace is not improved by communion with men, so I doubt most Christians thrive but little in their communion with God : We
I'ROSPEUITY A FURNACE TO THY OUll ^RACES. 535
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.
Wherein the third doctrine, being' the mairi subject of this treatise^ is opened^ and the method of the whole discourse stated.
That only is to be accounted true grace, which is able to endure all those trials appointed or permitted for the discovery of it.
X HE most wise 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, TCS/satf.aoi', " i. e. [ probation or trial ;] for when he is tried, he shall receive " the crov/n of life,'' &c.
No man can say what he is ; whether his graces be true or false, till they be tried 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 tried in the fire ; i. e. true grace indeed, which appears to be so upon the various proofs and examinations of its sin- cerity, which are to be made in this world, as well as in the great solemn trial it must come to in the world to come.
The sciipture speaks of a twofold trial, viz.
C Opinions, A trial of men's \ and
(. Graces. 1. First, The opinions and judgments of men are tried as by fire ; in which sense we are to understand that place, 1 Cor. iii. 12, 13. " Now if any man build upon this foundation, gold, silver, pre- " cious stones, wood, hay, stubble, every man's work sliall be made " manifest ; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed " by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work, of what sort it is." This text speaks of such persons as held the foundation of Chris- tianity, but yet superstructed such doctrines and practices as were no more able to endure the trial, than hay, wood, or stubble, can
536 PROSPERITY A FURNACE TO TRY OUR GRACES.
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 •f-;'" i. e. as a man is saved by leaping out of his house at midnight, when it is all on lire about his ears; for so that phrase imports, Amos iv. 11. and Jude 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. Trial will Ije made of their hearts, as well as of their heads ; and upon this trial the everlasting safety and happiness of the person depends. If a man's opinions be some of them found hay or stubble, yet so long as he holds the head, and is right in the founda- tion, he may be saved ; but if a man's 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 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, 9. Cor. xiii. 5. " Examine yourselves ; prove yourselves ;" 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 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," saith the prophet, Jer. xii. 3.