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grace in all upright ones. Habits are more deeply radicated, or fruits of obedience more increased.

If any upright soul be stumbled at this, as not being able to discern the increase of his graces after all his duties, let such consider that the growth of grace is discerned as the growth of plants is; we perceive them rather to have grown, than to grow. Compare time past and present, and you may see a growth; but usually our eager desires after more, make us overlook what we have as nothing.

9. The assistance and influences of the Spirit in duties show us what we are.

No vital sanctifying influences can fall upon carnal hearts in duties. The Spirit helps not their infirmities, nor makes intercession for them with groanings which cannot be uttered, as he does for his own people, Rom. viii. 26, 27. They have his assistances in the way of common gifts, but not in the way of special grace. He may enable them to preach judiciously, not experimentally; to pray orderly and neatly, not feelingly, believingly, and broken-heartedly; "for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God," Rom. viii. 14. He never so assists but where he has first sanctified. Carnal men furnish the materials of their duties out of the strength of their parts: a strong memory, a good invention, are the fountains whence they draw. But it is otherwise with souls truly gracious. They have ordinarily a threefold assistance from the Spirit in reference to their duties-first, before duties, exciting them to it, making them feel their need of it, like the call of an empty stomach; "Thou saidst, Seek my face;" my heart answered, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek," Psalm xxvii. 8-secondly, in their duties, furnishing both matter and affection, as in that text lately cited, Rom. viii. 26; guiding them not only what to ask, but how to ask ;-thirdly, after their duties, helping them not only to suppress the pride and vanity of their spirits, but also to wait on God for the accomplishment of their desires.

Now though all these things wherein the sincerity of our hearts is tried in duties, are found in great variety, as to degrees, among saints; yet they are mysteries unknown by experience to other men.

CHAPTER VIII.

The Trial of Sincerity and Hypocrisy by Sufferings on account of Religion.

SECTION 1.

WE are now arrived at the last trial of grace propounded, namely by sufferings for religion.

Thousands of hypocrites embark themselves in the profession of religion in a calm; but if the wind rises, and the sea rages, and they see that religion will not transport them safely to the cape of their earthly hopes and expectations, they desire to be landed again as soon as may be; for they never intended to ride out a storm for Christ. "He endureth for a while; but when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended," Matth. xiii. 20, 21.

But yet it is not every trial by sufferings that separates gold from dross; and therefore my business will be to show, first, when the fire of sufferings and persecutions is hot and vehement enough to separate them; secondly, why it must needs discover hypocrisy when it is at that height; and, thirdly, what advantages sincere grace has to endure that severe and sharp trial.

SECTION 11.

Now the fire of persecution, or sufferings for religion, may be judged intense and high enough to separate gold and dross,

1. When religion exposes us to imminent hazard of our deepest and dearest interests in this world: such are our liberties, estates, and lives. Then it is a fierce and fiery trial indeed. Sometimes it exposes the liberties of its professors, "The devil shall cast some of you into prison," Rev. ii. 10. Sometimes their estates, Heb. x. 34, "Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods:" and sometimes their lives, Heb xi. 37. "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were slain with the sword." Whilst it goes no higher than some small inconveniencies

of life, reputation and sense of honor will hold a false heart; but when it comes to this, few will be found able to endure it, but those who expect to save no more by religion than their souls, and account themselves in good case, if they can but save them with the loss of all that is dear to them in this world. Here the false heart hesitates; here it usually jades and faulters.

2. The fiery trial is then high, when there remains no visible hopes of deliverance, or outward encouragements to sense, that the scene will alter. When "we see not our signs, there is no more any prophet, nor any that can tell us how long," as the case was with the church, Psal. Ixxiv. 9, then our hands hang down and our hearts faint. Nor is it to be wondered at, when the length of troubles prove so sore a temptation even to the upright, to put forth their hands to iniquity, Psal. cxxv. 3. If such a temptation shake such men as build on the rock, it must quite overturn those whose foundation is but sand.

3. When a false professor is engaged alone in sufferings, and is singled out from the herd, as a deer to be run down, it is a thousand to one but he quits religion to save himself. Good company will encourage a fainthearted traveller to jog on a great way; but if he is forsaken by all, as Paul was, with no man to stand by him, if left alone, as Elijah was; what can encourage him to hold out? Indeed, if false professors had the same visible supports those good men had, that the Lord was with them, that would keep them steady; but wanting that encouragement from within, and all shrinking away from without, they quickly tire.

4. When near relations and intimates oppose and tempt us. The prophet speaks of a time "when a man's enemies shall be the men of his own house;" it may be the wife of his bosom, Micah vii. 5, 6. O what a trial is that which Christ mentions in Luke xiv. 26, when we must hate father and mother, wife and children, or quit all claim to Christ and heaven! This is hard work indeed. How hard did that truly noble and renowned Galeacius Carracciolus find this! O what a conflict found he in his bowela! Now Christ and our dearest interest come to

meet like two men upon a narrow bridge; if one go forward, the other must go back, and now the predominant interest can no longer be concealed.

5. When powerful temptations are mixed with cruel sufferings; when we are strongly tempted, as well as cruelly persecuted. This blows up the fire to a vehement height. This was the trial of those precious primitive believers; "They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, they were tempted," Heb. xi. 35, 37. Here was life, liberty, and preferment set on one hand, and death in the most formidable shape on the other. This cannot but be a great trial to any; but when a cruel death and tender temper meet, then the trial goes especially high indeed.

SECTION III.

And 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 in 1 Pet. iv. 12; "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you :" the very design and aim of Povidence in permitting and ordering them, is to try you. The design of Satan is to destroy you, but God's design is to try you. Upon this account you find the hour of persecution called "the hour of temptation or probation," Rev. iii. 10; for then professors are sifted to the very bran, searched to the very bottom. "This is the day that burns as an oven, in which all the proud, and all that do wickedly, shall be as stubble," Mal. iv. 1.

"No

1. In that day the predominant interest must appear and be discovered; it can be concealed no longer. man can serve two masters," says Christ, Luke xvi. 13. A man may serve many masters, if they all command the same things, 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 suffering hour. Christ says, "Be thou faithful to the death;" the flesh says, "Spare thyself and secure the comforts of life."

Christ says, "He that loveth father or mother, wife or children, lands or inheritance, more than me, is not worthy of me;" the flesh says, He that will grieve and break the heart of such dear relations, and forsake, when he might keep, such earthly accommodations, is not worthy of them. Thus the two interests come in full opposition and now have but patience to wait a little, and you shall discern which is predominant. A dog follows two men, while they both walk one way, and you know not which of the two is his master; stay but a little till their path separates, and then you shall quickly see who is the master. So is it in this case.

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2. In that day sensible supports fail, and all a man's relief comes in by the pure and immediate actings of faith; and were it not for those reliefs, his heart would soon faint and die "We under discouragements. away faint not, whilst we look not at the things which are seen, for they are temporal, but at the things which are not seen, for they are eternal," 2 Cor. iv. 17, 18. If we keep not our eye intently fixed upon the invisible and eternal things in the coming world, we shall feel ourselves fainting and dying away under the many troubles and afflictions of this world. "I had fainted," said holy David, "if I had not believed." How then suppose ye shall the hypocrite live at such a time, who has no faith to support him, no relief but what comes in through the senses?

3. In that day all mere notions and speculations about religion vanish, and nothing relieves and satisfies the suffering soul but what it really believes, and what it has satisfying proof and experience of in itself. There are a great many pretty and pleasing notions with which our minds are entertained. Some delight in times of peace, which can do us no service at all in the day of trouble. And as for speculative unpractical knowledge of the greatest truths in religion, as little service is to be expected from them. Except we have better evidence and security about them, we shall be loth to venture all upon the credit of them. That is a very considerable passage to this purpose in Heb. x. 34; "Ye took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that

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