CHRIST A REFINER. Book H. ~old, even a Man above the goldm Wedge of Ophir. And Chrift by rcfinin~, and put– mg the whole Church mto the Furnace, feparates the Gold, the fincere Chnfhans trom droffy Hypocrites. SIMILR PARALLEL Vill. A Refine r refines Gold once and again feveral times, if he ddign to make it very pure. V.le read of Silver, ftven l'imes re– fined in a Fumace of Earth, Pfal. xii. 6. IX. A Refiner finds it neceffarv to add or pot fomething of another nature into Gold, an allowed Pro– portion of Alloy, whereby he opens and refines it the fooner; and in– deed if fomething of that nature be not done, Refiners would tell you Gold would be long before (ifever fo well) refined, and fitted for the Hammer. • X. A Refiner cloth not put his Gold into the Furnace, to wafle or fpoil it, but contrariwife that there it may be pmified, not to re– ceive Lofs thereby, he would not lofe a Grain of it. VIII. Chrift to refine and thorotJghly purge and purify his Church, and the Heans of Believers, puts them into one Fire, one AffliCtion, and then into another; hence God fpeaks of purifyinu his People ftven Tinres: For if ye will not for ~hefc Things obey me, I will punifh you feven T imes ·more according to your Sins. God hath manyFires. IX. Chrift adds fomething of ·another Nature, other Metal(as I may fay) into hisGold,hisChmch and People that are in the Furnace, viz, a pro– per Meafure of his Word and Spirir: Did not he add thefe to his People, to refine and purify tl'rem, they would be long in the Fire before their Drofs would bewafhed and confumed away, I Cor. vi. I 1. Nay, without the Word and Spirit, AflliCI:ions could never accomplifh nor perfect theWark, and make them fir for his ufe. X. Jefu• Chrift cloth not put his Church, or any one believing Soul, into the Furnace, to de– ftroy or any ways to hurt them, but purely out of a gracious Defign to make them more pure and ferviceable unto him. Fathersfor afew Days chaf ten us after their Pleafure; but he for our Profit, that we might be partakers of his Holinefs, Heb. xii. 8, 9, to. After he hath tried me, I Jhall come forth as Gold, Job xxiii. 10. He takes much Care that nothing be loft, none of them receive Detriment thereby. XI. A Refiner lets his Gold reXI. Chrift will not fuffer his People to remain main no longer in the Fire than unin the Furnace, or under AffiiCI:ions, any longer til the Drofs be confumed, and it than he fees need of it, no longer than until all ismadepureandfitfor hisPurpofe. their Drofs and Filth be purged 'away. It is bllt in meafure, he knows when ir is enough, and then he foon abates the Fir<, !fa. xxvii. 7, 8. XII. A Refiner in refining his Gold, wafteth his Fuel. XII. Chri!l: often-times in refining of hi• Church, wa!l:eth the Wicked, who are his Fuel, by which he many times purges them. In a fe– cret Way they hereby come ~any times to be bruifed and fmitten, the Fire of God:s Wrath feizes upon them, as m the Cafe of Pharoah, whtlft they are perfecuung hts People. XIII. A Refiner refolves by put– ing his Gold into the Fire to de– ftroy all the Drofs; and indeed there is nothing befides the pure Gold that can endure and abide the Fire; all Filth and droffy Matter flies away like Smoke. XIV. A Refiner finds by Expe– rience, that pure Gold receives no Detriment by the Fire; t though it grow lefs in Q!!antity, and fo that Way may feem to wafle, yet tt ts ~uch better in Nature or~1ality. XIII. Chrift Jefus by putting his Children in– to the Furnace of AffliCtion, refolves to burn up, wafte, and deftroy all Hypocrites and droffy Pro– feffors: In a Day of fiery Trial, they pa(< away like Smoke, But the Wicked Jhall perifh even like Smoke, theyJhall confume as the Smoke vanifheth, fo Jhalt thou drive them away, Pjal. xxxvii. 20. and lxviii. 2. XIV. The Lord Jefus knows that fin cere Souls, or faithful Chriflians, will abide the Day of his Coming, when he fits as a Refiner, viz. in a Day of Diftrefs and Tribulatton, Mal. 111. 2, 3· and thouo-h the Church thereby be made le(, in Bulk or ~lantity; the formal and droffy ·Part being many times more than the other; yet tn Qolahry, the Church thereby will fhine forth more gloriouf– ly, and be~onlequently more acceptable unto God. • P/in.lib. xxxiii. p. 465. Lord Ba"•'s Natural Hift. P· "4· t Plin. lib. xxxiii. cap. 46?. XV. Jefus
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