A39695:267
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 5 › Section 3
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.
1. First, A Graceless heart is not quickly and easily brought to see the hand of God in those troubles that befall it, and be duly affected with it, Isa. 26. 11. Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see: when it hath ⟨p. 73⟩smitten, or is lifted up to smite, they shut their eyes: 'tis the malice of this man, or the negligence of that, or the unfaithfulness of another that hath brought all this trouble upon me: thus the Creature is the Horizon that terminates their sight, and beyond that they usually see nothing: sometimes indeed the hand of God is so immediately manifested, and convincingly discovered in afflictions, that they cannot avoid the sight of it, and then they may (in their way) pour out a prayer before him, but ordinarily they impute all to second causes, and overlook the first cause of their troubles.
2. Secondly, Nor is it usual with these Men under the rod to retire into their Closets, and search their hearts there; to find out the particular cause and provocation of their affliction: No man repented him of his wickedness, saying what have I done? Jer. 8. 6. what cursed thing is there with me, that hath thus incensed the anger of God against me? God visits their iniquities with afflictions, but they visit not their own hearts by self-examinations. God judges them, but they judge not themselves; he shows their iniquities in a clear glass, but none saith, What have I done? This phrase, What have I done? is the voice of one that recollects himself after a rash action; or the voice of a Man astonished at the discovery afflictions make of his ⟨p. 74⟩sins, but no such voice as this is ordinarily heard among carnal Men.
2. Secondly, Nor is it usual with these Men under the rod to retire into their Closets, and search their hearts there; to find out the particular cause and provocation of their affliction: No man repented him of his wickedness, saying what have I done?