78 True Signs ofGrace. Sac r. IL tS$42+7f*4 SRMON XV. Thatfor a man to be willing to have hisSoultarch. edby god, is aAnof grace. P S A L. 26.2. Examineme (0Lord) andproveme ; try my reins andheart. DDAvid in the fir(t verfeofthis Pfalm , `Prayethfor CJodr prefervation and de. fence ofhim in the midfl of 4 hie adverfaries, which he preffeth froma two- s! fold confideration, Firft, His IntegrityandSineerity, which is not to be limited unto the righte- oufnefs ofhiscaufconely, but theinnoceny altoof his whole life, as thePfalm e- videnceth. Secondly , Hisconfidenceandtrufiin God; forthis is an ingaging argument with God, as it is with men. Now as verfe 3. He makesGods Lovingkindaefs theground ofhis trail, fo he manifeftethhisfincerity, Fir(./ , By appealing unto God in my text. Examineme, and try me. And Secondly , By the feveraleffels ofit, verfe 4, 5, 6, I (hall confider that figs ofhis (incerity, wherein he defirethGod would Try him, and/earth him : So that ifthere wereanyHypocrifie, any falte way , any un- foundor impeded principles hewalked in , it was his hearty defire to have all difcovered. And certainly there cannot be a greaterargumentof the truth of Grace, thena willingnefs to come to the light, and a readinefs tobe weighed in the balance; as on the other fideyou have not a Curer charafter of an hypocrite, andan unfound Chriffian, then fear of the light, and unwillingnefs to be ranfaked and (earthed into thevery bowels by the word of God : But Davids hearty wit- lingnefs in this particular apptareth, r. In the leveret words he heapsup together in his Petition, Examine me; as Artificers doe, whether their gold beweight or no : tryme by difcovering whether I am inwardly found or no: 'Prove me, (as the word fignifieth) as when the Artificer melteth his bluer in the fire,that fepara- teththe drofs. a. This doth appear in the objeft matter which he would have thusproved, and that is, His heart, his reins, which are the mon inward and fe- rret motions ofhis foul, he would have a deeperfearching into, and winnow- ingof him then theworld can do. Certainly Davidin this Petition doth difco- ver great horsefly, and faithfulnefsofSpirit. Now, here may be two doubts. There isadon- a. How God can befaid to tempt , or try any man, Peeing fames t.53 god Lietemptation. ufaid to tempt no man;and the divel is called o mre,PsCov , as ifit were his work on- Iy.TheAnfweris obvious ,That there is adoable Temptation: one evil, which is defelhive either in theprinciple, ormeans, or end of the Temptation. And thus the Dive' and our own flesh Tempt. Theother is a good Temptation,arifing from a good principle, ina lawful way, to a good end ; and thus God doch Tempc,that is, Both makea difcoveey what is in man ; not as ifhe were ignorant Of
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