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…

SECT. I.

These are some of the ways & methods in which God brings his Gold to the Touchstone, and to the fire, even in this world; before the awful and ⟨p. 145⟩solemn Trial they must come to in the final Judgment. And if we desire to be satisfied what the design and end of God in making such probations of his people is,

THese are some of the ways & methods in which God brings his Gold to the Touchstone, and to the fire, even in this world; before the awful and ⟨p. 145⟩solemn Tryal they must come to in the final Judgment. And if we desire to be satisfied what the design and end of God in making such probations of his people is,

We must conclude in the general, he certainly designs his own glory, and his peoples advantage, and profit in them. If he suffer them to be tried by reproaches, happy are they, the spirit of God and glory resteth on them; there's their profit, and though his name be evil spoken of, yet in the meekness of their spirits, he is glorified, as it is, 1 Pet. 4. 14. If the scourge slay suddenly, he laugheth at the trial of the innocent, Job 9. 23. not at their afflictions, but at the effects and blessed issues and results of them: not that it gives them pain, but that it gives him glory: upon this account the Apostle bids us count it all Joy when we fall into divers temptations or trials: and still the more trials the more joy; for thereby God will produce such effects, as are more precious than gold that perisheth,