A golden mine opened, or, The glory of God's rich grace displayed in the…

2. They may be compared to Chaff, in regard of the great pains that is, and must be used to separate it from the Wheat: ⟨p. 19⟩The wheat must be threshed and fanned, nay fanned again and again, before all the Chaff can be severed from it. So unsound Professors or some Hypocrites in the Church, seem to cleave so close to the Godly, and are in such seeming union and and oneness with them, that the Lord sees there is no other way to sever them from each other, but by threshing his wheat with the flail of Persecution, and then the chaff flies away by the wind of this fan. O what a multitude seemed to cleave to our blessed Saviour, and to be his Disciples, in a day of peace and prosperity, when he was riding in Triumph to Jerusalem, Crying out, Hosanna, blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord! but when our Saviour came to the Cross, how did they ¹leave him, and disown him, nay, may be cried out Crucify, Crucifice him: So and in like manner in our former days of ²Liberty, what great numbers flocked to our Assemblies, and made a profession of Religion; but when that hot persecution arose, how did they fall off, and disown that People which once they seemed to cleave unto: The fan of persecution fanned them away as chaff, and not only a multitude of Professors, but also how many great Preachers did basely betray the truth which they professed, and in their Pulpits seemed a little before zealously to maintain, particularly that of Separation from the National Church. This way Christ took to discover the filthy and rotten hearts of some, and slavish fear and weakness of Faith in others, who were left to a sinful Compliance and Conformity, building again that which they had destroyed, and destroying that which they had been a building; and thus it appears ³as Chaff, cannot bear fanning, but is blown away; so chaffy Professors cannot bear spiritual fanning, i. e. they cannot stand in an hour of Temptation, but fall away. Alas! tho we have now again multitudes that seem to cleave to our Churches and to our Assemblies, yet should Christ come with his Fan upon us, you will soon see (it is to be feared) the former Effects again.