SECT. III.

First, Profperity, fuccefs, and the increase of outward enjoy

ments, are to grace what fire is to gold. Riches and honours make trial what we are; and by these things many a false heart hath been detected, as well as the fincerity and eminency of other graces difcovered. We may fancy the fire of profperity to be rather for comfort than trial; to refresh us rather than to prove us; but you will find profperity to be a great difcovery, and that scarce any thing proves the truth and strength of mens graces and corruptions more than that doth: Rara virtus eft humilitas bonorata, faith Bernard; to find humility with ho nour, is to find a phoenix. Let an obfcure perfon be lifted up to honour, and how fteady and well compofed foever he was before, it is a thousand to one but his eyes will dazzle, and his head run round when he is upon the lofty pinacle of praise and honour; Prov. xxvii. 21. "As the fining-pot for filver, and "the furnace for gold, fo is a man to his praife:" Put the best gold into the fining-pot of praife, and it is a great wonder if a great deal of drofs do not appear, Ifa. xxxix. 2. the vainglory of good Hezekiah rofe like a froth or fcum upon the pot, when heated by profperity. It was fuch a fining-pot to Herod, as discovered him to be drofs itself, Acts xii. 23. How did that poor worm fwell under that trial into the conceit of a god, and was juftly deftroyed by worms, because he forgat himself to be one? We little think what a ftrange alteration an exalted state will make upon our spirits. When the prophet would abate the vain confidence of Hazael, who would not believe that ever he should be turned into fuch a faváge beast as the prophet had foretold; he only tells him, "The Lord hath fhewed me, "that thou shalt be king over Syria," 2 Kings viii. 13. The meaning is, Do not be too confident Hazael, that thy temper and difpofition can never alter to that degree; thou never yet fat on a throne: When men fee the crown upon thy head, then they will better fee the true temper of thy heart.

How humble was Ifrael in the wildernefs, tame and tractable in a lean pasture; but bring them once into Canaan, and the world is ftrangely altered; then," we are lords, (fay they) we "will come no more unto thee," Jer. ii. 2, 7, 31. Prosperity is a crisis both to grace and corruption. Thence is that caution to Ifrael, Deut. x. 11, 12. "When thou haft eaten, and art "full, then beware left thou forget the Lord thy God." Then

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Magiftratus indicat virum: i. e. Preferment proves a man.

beware, that is the critical time; furely, that man must be acknowledged rich, very rich in grace, whofe grace fuffers no diminution, or eclipfe by his riches; and that man deferves double honour, whose pride the honours of this world cannot provoke and inflame.

It was a fad truth from the lips of a pious divine in Germany upon his death bed; being fomewhat difconfolate, by reflecting upon the barrennefs of bis life, fome friends took thence an occafion to commend him, and mind him of his painful ministry, and fruitful life among them; but he cried out, Auferte ignem, adhuc enim paleas habea; Withdraw the fire, for I have chaff in me; meaning, that he felt his ambition like chaff catching fire from the fparkles of their praifes. Like unto which was the faying of another, He that praiseth me, wounds me.

But to defcend into the particular difcoveries that prosperity and honour make of the want of grace/in fome, and of the weakness of grace in others; I will fhew you what symptoms of hypocrify appear upon fome men under the trial of profperity, and what figus of grace appear in others under the fame trial.

SECT. IV.

PRofperity difcovers many fad fymptoms of a naughty heart; and, among others, these are ordinarily moft confpicuous. 1. First, It cafts the hearts of fome men into a deep oblivion of God, and makes them lay aside all care of duty; Raro fumant foelicibus arae; the altars of rich men seldom smoke, Deut. xxxii. 13, 14, 15. Jefurun fucked honey out of the rock, eat the fat of lambs, and kidneys of wheat : But what was the effect of this; he kicked, and forfook God who made him, and lightly efteemed the rock of his falvation. Inftead of lifting up their hearts in an humble thankful ́acknowledgment of God's bounty, they lifted up the heel in a wanton abuse of his mercy: In the fatteft earth we find the most slippery footing.

He that is truly gracious may, in prosperity, remit some degrees; but a carnal heart there lofeth all that which in a low condition he seemed to fave. Augur's deprecation, as to himfelf, no doubt, was built upon his frequent obfervation how it was with others; Prov. xxx. 8, 9. "Left I be full, and deny "God."

It is faid in Ecclef. v. 12. "That the abundance of the rich "will not fuffer him to fleep ;" and I with that were the worst injury it did him; but, alas! it will not fuffer him to pray, to

meditate, to allow time and thoughts about his eternal concernments; he falls afleep in the lap of profperity, and forgets that there is a God to be ferved, or a foul to be saved. O this is a dangerous fymptom of a very graceless heart!

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2. Secondly, Profperity meeting with a graceless heart, makes it wholly fenfual, and entirely fwallows up its thoughts and affections Earthly things transform and mould their hearts into their own fimilitude and nature: The whole ftrength of their fouls goes out to thofe enjoyments. So those graceless, yet profperous perfons are described, Job xxi. 11, 12, 13. "They "take the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the found of the organ: they spend their days in wealth." They take the timbrel, not the Bible. They rejoice at the found of the "organ;" not a word of their rejoicing in God. "They "fend forth their little ones in the dance :" That is all the catechifm they are taught: "They spend their days in wealth;" their whole time, that precious stock and talent, is wholly laid out upon these fenfitive things: Either the pleasure of it powerfully charms them, or the cares of it wholly engross their minds, that there is no time to fpare for God. They live in pleafureupon earth, as it is, Jam. v. 5. juft as the fish lives in the water, its proper element: Take him off from these things, and put him upon fpiritual, ferious, heavenly employments, and he is Pifcis in arido; Like a fish upon the dry land.

Now, though profperity may too much influence and enfnare. the minds of good men, and eftrange them too much from heavenly things; yet thus to engross their hearts, and convert them into their own fimilitude and nature, fo that these things fhould be the centre of their hearts, the very proper element in which they live, is utterly impoffible.

An hypocrite indeed may be brought to this, becaufe, though Janus like, he have two faces, yet he really hath but one principle, and that is wholly carnal and earthly: So that it is eafy to make all the water to run into one channel, to gather all into one entire stream, in which his heart fhall pour out all its ftrength to the creature.

But a Christian indeed hath a double principle that acts him ; though he have a law of fin that moves him one way, yet there is in him alto the law of grace, which thwarts and croffes that principle of corruption: So that as grace cannot do what it would, because of fin; fo neither can fin do what it would, be caufe of grace, Gal. v. 17.

The heart of a Chriflian, in the midft of enfaaring fenfitive VOL. VII.

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enjoyments, finds indeed a corrupt principle in it, which would incline him to fall asleep upon fuch a foft pillow, and forget God and duty; but it cannot, O no! it cannot do fo; there is a principle of grace within him, that never leaves jogging, dif turbing, and calling upon him, till he rife and return to his God, the true rest of his foul.

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3. Thirdly, A false pretender to religion, an hypocritical profeffor, meeting with profperity and fuccefs, grows altogether unconcerned about the interest of religion, and fenfeless of the calamities of God's people. Thus the prophet convinces the Jews of their hypocrify, Amos vi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. “They "were at eafe in Zion, and trufted in the mountain of Sama"ria:" And fo, having a shadow of religion, and a fulness of all earthly things, they fell to feafting and fporting: "They drank "wine in bowls, and anointed themfelves with the chief ointments, but were not grieved for the affliction of Jofeph." They condoled not, Gnaltheber, over the breakings or tearing to pieces of Jofeph: If they are out of danger once, let the church shift for itself, they are fecure in a warm neft: Let the birds of prey catch and devour that flock with which they fometimes af fociated, they are not touched with it. Mofes could not do so, though in the greatest fecurity and confluence of the honours and pleasures of Egypt, Acts vii. 23. Nehemiah could not do fo, though the fervant and favourite of a mighty monarch, and wanted nothing to make him outwardly happy; yet the pleafures of a king's court could not cheer his heart, or scatter the clouds of forrow from his countenance, whilft his brethren were in affliction, and the city of his God lay waste, Nehemiah ii. 1, 2, 3. Nor indeed can any gracious heart be unconcerned and fenfelefs; for that union that all the faints have with Chrift their head, and with one another, as fellow members in Christ, will beget fympathy among them in their sufferings, 1 Cor. xii 26.

BUT

SECT. V.

UT as the fire of profperity discovers this and much more drofs in a graceless heart, fo it difcovers the fincerity and grace of God's people: I fay not that it difcovers nothing but grace in them: O that it did not! alas! many of them have had a great deal of drofs and corruption discovered by it, as was noted before: But yet in this trial, the graciousness and uprightness of their hearts will appear in thefe, and fuch like workings of it.

1. First, Under profperity, fuccefs, and honour, the upright

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heart will labour to fupprefs pride, and keep itfelf lowly and humble; and ftill the more grace there is, the more humility there will be If God lift him up, he will lay himself low, and exalt his God high. So did Jacob when God had raised and enlarged him; Gen. xxxii. 10. "I am not worthy of the "leaft of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou haft "fnewed unto thy fervant, for with my staff I paffed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands."

Great was the difference in Jacob's outward condition at his return, from what it was at his first passage over Jordan ; then poor, now rich; then fingle and comfortless, now the head of a great family: Yea, but though his outward estate was altered, the frame of his heart was not altered. Jacob was an holy and humble man when he went out, and fo he was when he returned: He faw a multitude of mercies about him, and among them all not one but was greater than himself.

I dare not fay every Chriftian under profperity can at all. times manifeft like humility; but I am fure what pride and vanity foever may rife in a gracious heart tried by profperity, there is that within him will give check to it: He dare not suffer fuch proud thoughts to lodge quietly in his heart; for, alas! he fees that in himself, and that in his God, that will abafe him: Grace will make him look back to his original condition, and fay, with David, "What am I, O Lord God? and what "is my father's houfe, that thou haft brought me hitherto ?" 2 Sam. vii. 18.

It will make him look in, and fee the bafenefs of his own heart, and the corruptions that are there, and admire at the dealings of God with so vile a creature. O, thinks he, if others did but know what I know of myself, they would abhor me more than now they esteem and value me.

2. Secondly, Profperity ufually draws forth the faints love to the God of their mercies: that which heats a wicked man's lufts, warms a gracious man's heart with love and delight in God.

Thefe were the words of that lovely fong which David fang in the day that the Lord delivered him out of the hands of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul; and he said, "I will

love thee, O Lord, my ftrength," Pfalm xviii. title and ver. 1. compared. Thefe outward things are not the main grounds and motives of their love to God; no, no, they love him when he takes away, as well as when he gives: but they are fanctified inAruments to inflame their love to God: they boil up a wicked man's lufts, but they melt a gracious man's foul. O in what a

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