SE c T. I I. True Signs ofGrace. 67 444441.444.44:44.4444.4441. SERMON XIII. HandlingSincerity as a Sign of grace. 2 COL I. I2. For our relaying is this, the tef1imony ofour confcience, thatin godly fm- plicityandfincerity, &c. AT the eighth verle in this Chapter, theApoltle beginneth a Narrative of his troubles, which hedefcribeth from the place where (in Afa :) Some think this relates to the tumult raided by Demetrius agamlt him, AU. r3. but it may referee to the many troubles hehad feverally inAfa. In the next place, thefe are amplified by the quality of them, it was a preffure abovemeafure, above ftrength, it was not zv9goiair& antetopds, anhumane temptation ; It was above the ftrengthof nature, though not of grace. The heavineffeof it is expelled in that is made defpairof life, to bealtogether anxious not knowing any way CO efcape, in- fomuch that he had received the f ntence of death in bimfelf ámvxptpx, Though fome underhand it offome anfwer to be given immediatlyby God, yet Beza doth molt probably underhand it as an expreffion from Malefa&ors who are fencenced to die : Further the Apostleilluftrateth this from the finall cattle, which was two- fold, first, not to troll in oarfelves; fecondly, but in God which raifeth thedead. This is a comfortableconfederation in all times ofcalamities, God who raìfeeb the dead.in the next placehe declareth hisdeliverance amplifiedpartly by their praiers for him,and partly by his fencerity towards them,fo that in the words you have a twofold propofition : the fie:l exprelethTaals carriage in the world, efpecially inrefpe&of hisminifferr, and that pofrcively, then negatively; PoJitsvely in two emphaticall words, s. a.d.onrs,fmplichy, an heart that is not guileful, double, oppo- fedtodl,ríïs,and m1,4oeht; 2.elcievv6a, fincerity, a word they fay from the Eagle that tryeth her genuine young ones by the fan- beams, or rather in the fun.beams, there being both àoyn, ins, or light, and by the light thereof we fee the least motes, and thus it fignifieth a man whole heart beinginligh ned findeth out all the fècrec and hidden motions oflinne, or elfe in thefan-beams there is 'are do, hear, which cloth feparate thom hetecogeneal things that cold had congregated,and thus it dot h lignifie an heart purged from droffe, unmix'd with corrupt and finfull ends, for as Aquinasobferveth well, thefoul may be joynedto things more noble then it [elf (as when Giver is mingled with gold) and this doth not debafe bun ennoble the foul, for when it lovethGod or is joyned toChrift, herein the foul is advanced: or fe- condly, it maybe joyned to things inferiout to it, as when gold is mingled with lead, and thisdoth much debate andcorrupt : now filch a kinde of mixture is here denyed. The ApoRle expreffeth hiscarriage negatively, when he faith it was not in flefbly wi¡edom;wifdome may be called carnali or flefhly,either originally in refpe& of the fountain whence itflowech, or efficiently becaufe it enclineth to, and pro- duceth she works of the flesh, or finally, becaufe it rules only for flefhly motives, and carnall ends. The fecund propofirion in theText is, that this fincere deport- ment of Pansin the work of his miniftery, was a Ggn unto him, a Nppm pier, a te- Rimonyand witnefleof that goodneffe and grace which was in him, and fo by con- fequent theobjea of much joy and comfortto hisfoul. Doá. Thatfncerity and uprightnejre of heart in our motives and ends, is afore 0hfety, K 2 snarl
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