A39695:187
The touchstone of sincerity, or, The signs of grace and symptoms of hypocrisy opened…The touchstone of sincerity, or, The signs of grace and symptomes of hypocrisie opened…
The touchstone of sincerity, or, The signs of grace and symptoms of hypocrisy opened in a practical treatise upon Revelations III 17, 18 being the second part of the Saint indeed / by John Flavell ...The touchstone of sincerity, or, The signs of grace and symptomes of hypocrisie opened in a practical treatise upon Revelations III 17, 18 being the second part of the Saint indeed / by John Flavell ...
London: printed for Tho. Parkhurst, 1698
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE Touchstone of Sincerity: OR, THE SIGNS Of GRACE, AND Symptoms o… › Chapter 3 › Section 2
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
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. 29. 2, 3. O that it were with me as in times past!
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, Iob. 29. 2, 3. O that it were with me as in times past!
Infer. 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's Gold for preciousness, and for usefulness; and must not be laid up in a Napkin: that's a sin condemned by the very scope of that Parable, Mat. 25. 14, 15, &c.
All Christians indeed have not the same advantages of improvement, 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; ⟨p. 48⟩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 your selves by 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, 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.