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very name, trials or temptations, both words of the same signification. The things that put it to the proof, whether men will prefer God to other things in practice, are the difficulties of religion, or those things which occur that make the practice of duty difficult, and cross to other principles besides the love of God; because in them, God and other things are both set before men together, for their actual and practical choice; and it comes to this, that we cannot hold to both, but one or the other must be forsaken. And these things are all over the scripture called by the name of trials or proofs *. And they are called by this name, because hereby professors are tried and proved of what sort they be, whether they be really what they profess and appear to be; and because in them, the reality of a supreme love to God is brought to the test of experiment and fact; they are the proper proofs, in which it is truly determined by experience, whether men have a thorough disposition of heart to cleave to God or no; Deut. viii. 2. And 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, whether thou wouldst keep his commandments, or no, Judg. ii. 21, 22. I also will nat henceforth drive out any from before them, of the nations which Joshua left when he died: that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord. So chap. iii. 1, 4. and Exod. xvi. 4. And the scripture, when it calls these difficulties of religion by the name of temptations or trials, explains itself to mean thereby, the trial or experiment of their faith, Jam. i. 2, 3. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 1 Pet. i. 6, 7. Now for a season-ye are in heaviness, through manifold temptations; that the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold, &c. So the apostle Paul speaks of that expensive duty of parting with our substance to the poor, as the proof of the sincerity of the love of Christians, 2 Cor. viii. 8. And the difficulties of religion are often represented in scripture as being the trial of professors, in the same manner that the furnace is the proper trial of gold and silver; Psal, Ixvi. 10, 11. Thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried: thou broughtest us into the net, thou laidest affliction

* 2 Cor. viii. 2. Heh. xi. 36. 1 Pet. i. 7. Chap iv. 12. Gen. xxii. 1. Deut. viii. 2, 16. Chap. xiii. 3. Exod. xv. 35. Chap. xvi. 4. Judges ii. 22. Chap. iii. 1, 4. Paal. Ixvi. 10, 11. Dan. xii. 10. Rev. iii. 10. Job xxiii. 19. Zech. xiii. 2. Jam. i. 12. Rev. ii. 10. Luke viii. 13. Acts xx. 19. Jam, i. 2, 3. 1 Pet. i. 5.

upon our loins. Zech. xiii. 9. And I will bring the third part of them through the fire; and I will refine them as silver is refined: and I will try them as gold is tried. That which has the colour and appearance of gold, is put into the furnace to try whether it be what it seems to be, real gold or no. So the difficulties of religion are called trials, because they try those that have the profession and appearance of saints, whether they are what they appear to be, real saints. If we put true gold into the furnace, we shall find its great value and preciousness; so the truth and inestimable value of the virtues of a true Christian appear, when under these trials; 1 Pet. i. 7. That the trial of your faith being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, might be found unto praise, and honour, and glory. True and pure gold will come out of the furnace in full weight: so true saints when tried come forth as gold, Job xxiii: 10. Christ distinguishes true grace from counterfeit by this, that it is gold tried in the fire, Rev. iii. 17, 18. So that it is evident that these things are called trials in scripture, principally as they try or prove the sincerity of professors. And from what has been now observed, it is evident that they are the most proper trial or proof of their sincerity; inasmuch as the very meaning of the word trial, as it is ordinarily used in scripture, is the difficulty occurring in the way of a professor's duty, as an experiment of his sincerity. If trial of sincerity be the proper name of these difficulties of religion, then doubtless these difficulties of religion are properly and eminently the trial of sincerity; for they are doubtless eminently what they are called by the Holy Ghost: God gives things their name from that which is eminently their nature. And if it be so, that these things are the proper and eminent trial, proof or experiment of the sincerity of professors; then certainly the result of the trial or experiment, (that is, persons' behaviour or practice under such trials), is the proper and eminent evidence of their sincerity. For they are called trials or proofs, only with regard to the result, and because the effect is eminently the proof, or evidence. And this is the most proper proof and evidence to the conscience of those that are the subjects of these trials. For when God is said by these things to try men, and prove them, to see what is in their hearts, and whether they will keep his commandments or no: we are not to understand, that it is for his own information, or that he may obtain evidence himself of their sincerity; (for he needs no trials for his information); but chiefly for VOL. IV.

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their conviction, and to exhibit evidence to their consciences *. Thus when God is said to prove Israel by the difficulties they met with in the wilderness, and by the difficulties they met with from their enemies in Canaar. to know what was in their hearts, whether they would keep his commandments, or no; it must be understood, that it was to discover them to themselves, that they might know what was in their own hearts. So when God tempted or tried Abraham with that difficult com. mand of offering up his son, it was not for his satisfaction, whether he feared God or no, but for Abraham's own greater satisfaction and comfort, and the more clear manifestation of the favour of God to him. When Abraham had proved faithful under this trial, God says to him, Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that thou hast not with-held thy son, thine only son from me. Which plainly implies, that in this practical exercise of Abraham's grace under this trial, was a clearer evidence of the truth of his grace, than ever was before; and the greatest evidence to Abraham's conscience; because God himself gives it to Abraham as such, for his comfort and rejoicing; and speaks of it to him, as what might be the greatest evidence to his conscience of his being upright in the sight of his Judge. Which proves what I say, that holy practice under trials, is the highest evidence of the sincerity of professors to their own consciences. And we find that Christ frequently took the same method to convince the consciences of those that pretended friendship to him, and to shew them what they were. This was the method he took with the rich young man, Matth. xix. 16, &c. He seemed to shew a great respect to Christ; he came kneeling to him, and called him good master, and made a great profession of obedience to the commandments; but Christ tried him by bidding him go and sell all that he had, and give to the poor, and come and take up his cross, and follow him; telling him, that then he should have treasure in heaven. So he tried another, Matth. viii. 20. He made a great profession of respect to Christ: says he, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Christ immediately puts his friendship to the proof, by telling him that the foxes had holes, and the birds of the air had nests, but that the Son of man had not where to lay his head. And thus Christ.

* "I am persuaded, as CALVIN is, that all the several trials of men, are to shew them to themselves, and to the world, that they be but counterfeits; and to make saints known to themselves, the better-Rom. v. 5. Tribulation works trial, and that hope. Prov. xvii. 3, If you will know whether it will hold weight, the trial will tell you."-SHEPARD'S Parable, Part I. p. 191.

is wont still to try professed disciples in general, in the course of his providence. So the seed sown in every kind of ground, stony ground, thorny ground, and good ground, which in all appears alike, when it first springs up; yet is tried, and the difference is made to appear by the burning heat of the sun.

Seeing therefore that these are the things which God employs to try us, it is undoubtedly the surest way, in order to pass a right judgment, to try ourselves by the same things. These trials are not for his information, but for ours; therefore we ought to receive our information from thence. The surest way to know our gold, is to examine it in God's furnace, where he tries it for that very end, that we may see what it is. If we have a mind to know whether a building stands strong or no, we must look upon it when the wind blows. If we would know whether that which appears in the form of wheat, has the real substance of wheat, or be only chaff, we must observe it when it is winnowed. If we would know whether a staff be strong, or a rotten broken reed, we must observe it when it is leaned on, when weight is borne upon it. If we would weigh ourselves justly, it must be in God's appointed scales. These trials in the course of our practice, are as it

* Dr. SIBBS, in his Bruised Reed, says, "When Christ's will cometh in competition with any worldly lass or gain, yet if then, in that particular case, the heart will stoop to Christ, it is a true sign. For the truest trial of the power of grace, is in such particular cases as touch us nearest; for there our corruption maketh the greatest head. When Christ came home to the young man in the gospel, he lost a disciple of him."

Mr. FLAVEL speaks of a boly practice under trials, as the greatest evidence of grace. "No man (says he) can say what he is, whether his grace be true or false, until they be tried, and examined by those things, which are to them as fire is to gold." Touchstone of Sincerity, chap. iv. sect. 1. Again, speaking of great difficulties and sufferings in the way of duty, wherein a person must actually part with what is dearest of a worldly nature, or with his duty; he says, "That such sufferings as these will discover the falseness and rottenness of men's hearts, cannot be doubted; if you consider, that this is the fire designed by God for this very use and purpose, to separate the gold from the dross. So you will find it, 1 Pet. iv. 12.“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial that is to try you,” i. e. The very design and aim of Providence in permitting and ordering them, is to try you. Upon this account you find the hour of persecution (in a suitable notion) called the hour of temptation or probation, Rev. iii. 10. For then, professors are sifted to the very bran, searched to the very bottom principles. This is "the day that burn's as an oven; all that do wickedly shall be as stubble," Mal. iv. 1. For in that day the predominant interest must appear and he discovered, it can be concealed no longer. "No man can serve two masters," saith Christ, Luke xvi. 13. A man may serve many masters, if they all command the same thing, or things subordinate to each other: but he cannot serve two masters, if their commands clash and interfere with each other; and such are the commands of Christ and the flesh in a suffer. ing hour:-thus the two interests come in full opposition. And now have but patience and wait a little, and you will discern which is predominant. A dog follows

were the balances in which our hearts are weighed, or in which Christ and the world, or Christ and his competitors, as to the esteem and regard they have in our hearts, are weighed, or are put into opposite scales, by which there is opportunity to see which preponderates. When a man is brought to the dividing of paths, the one of which leads to Christ, and the other to the objects of his lusts, to see which way he will go; when set as it were between Christ and the world, Christ on the right hand, and the world on the left, so that if he goes to one he must leave the other; this is just the same thing as laying Christ and the world in two opposite scales: and his going to the one, and leaving the other, is just the same thing, as the sinking of one scale, and rising of the other. A man's practice, therefore, under the trials of God's providence, is as much the proper experiment and evidence of the superior inclination of his heart, as the motion of the balance, with different weights in opposite scales, is the proper experiment of the superior weight.

Argument III. Another argument, that holy practice, in the sense which has been explained, is the highest kind of evidence of the truth of grace to the consciences of Christians, is, that in practice, grace in scripture style is said to be made perfect, or to be finished. So the apostle James says, Jam. ii. 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect, or finished? So the love of God is

two men, while they both walk one way, and you know not which of the two is bis master: stay but a little, until their path parts, and then you shall quickly see who is his master: so it is in this case." Ibid. chap. viii. § 3. And in another chapter he says, "Great numbers of persons are deceived and destroyed by trusting to seeming untried grace. This was the miserable condition of the Laodicean professors; they reckoned themselves rich, but were really poor: all is not gold that glisters: their gold (as they accounted it) was never tried in the fire. If a man's whole estate lay in some precious stone, suppose a rich diamond, how is be concerned to have it thoroughly tried, to see whether it will bear a smart stroke with the hammer, or fly like a Bristol diamond!" Ibid. chap. x. § 3. Again, in the same place, "The promises of salvation are made over to tried grace, and that only as will endure the trial."

"The Lord will try you. God hath his trying times: and they were never sent, but to discover who were dross, who were gold. And the main end of all God's trials, is to discover this truth that I now am pressing upon you. Some have a thorough work; and now the trial discovers the truth, as in Abraham, Heb.xi. 17. Some have a superficial work, and they fall in trial, as in Saul; and it doth discover it was but an overly work. For this is the question God makes, Is it thorough, or no? Ay, saith the canal beart; Yes, saith a gracious heart. Hence it is strange to see what men will do when a trial comes."-SHEPARD'S Parable, Part I. p. 219.

"There is an hour of temptation which tries men, which will discover mea indeed."-SHEPARD'S Parable, Part II. p. 60.

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