Chap. 23. finExpnJition upon the Book ofyJ OB. Vert, io. 383 grace renders mean excellent andprecious. Every godlyman is gold,yea he is more precious then fine gold; The flnefi Goldis but droffe to Grace ; the wicked of the world are reprobate Jiver, or refute filver ( ter. 6. 3o.) the Saints are finer then Goldrefired in the fire, for they are precious, they are honourable, they are ufefull, they are dureable and laving, they [hall endure cverlaaingly, they are weighty in their worth, and their portion is an eternall weight ofglory. Secondly, Whereas yob faith, when I am tried I ¡ball come forth at gold. Obferve. Agodly man k no leofer by being tried, yea hegaines by it. He who before was reputed but as droffe,andhad much droffe in him, comes out ofthe tryall as gold, and lofeth nothing of his weight, worth, or beautyby being tryed, he only lofcth(a good Joffe) his droffe and the rubbifhofhis corruptions. Grace is not onely graceRill, but more gracious even glorious after tryaLl. Some fpeake ofgrace as ifit were but droffe, confumeable in the fire ; asif every temptation and tryall endanger'd it to an utter confumption,or as if,like lead, it would quite evaporate, & fpend tonothing in the fire. They fticke not to affirme, that a true be- leever may lofe all his graces,and howmuch foever enricht befo e by the Spirit, yet prove a bankrupt in fpir:tualls, yob was Confi dent that his gold would hold the tryall, both of the hoteff af- flic`fions,andof the flriett examinations. He had been tried long in the furnace ofaflii&ion heated leaven times more then ordinary, and yet held his integrity, and thoughhe fhould come to tryall at the Judgement-feat ofGod,which is more then feven- tytimes liven times drifter then the Judgement - feate of man ( according to truth) can be, yet he nothing doubted, that no- thing(as to the general bent ofhis heart and frameof life)fhould be found or appeare but integrity Will. That is but droffegrace, natural grace, if not hypocritical grace, or a counterfeit only of grace, which abides not in the day oftryall. They who lofe the grace which theyhave fhewed, had onely a thew ofgrace.Hypo- crites (hall lofe all at their tryall,their paint, their varnifh will not endure the fire, either ofa lafting affii&ion, or of that Taft exit minati-
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