THE

TOUCHSTONE OF SINCERITY:

OR, THE SIGNS OF GRACE, AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPOCRISY.

Because thou sayest I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable, and poor and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me Gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salpe, that thou mayest see. Revelations iii. 17, 18.

CHAP. I.

COLD is the complexion and natural temper of those that are wholly alienated and estranged from Christ and religion. Hot, is the gracious temper of those that know and love Jesus Christ in an excelling degree. Lukewarm, or Tepid, is the temper of those who have too much religion to be esteemed carnal, and too little to be truly spiritual; a generation that is too Politic to venture much, and yet so foolish as to lose all. They are loath to forsake truth wholly, and more loath to follow it too closely. The form of religion they affect as an honour, the power of it they judge a burden.

This is that temper which the Lord hates; and this was the disease of Laodicea, which Christ, the great and only Heart-Anatomist and Soul-Physician, discovers in verse 17, and prescribes a cure

for in verse 18. So that the words resolve them. selves into two parts; viz.

I. A faithful discovery; II. a proper remedy of the disease of Laodicea.

I. Their disease is faithfully discovered to them, in its symptoms, cause, and aggravations.

First, Its Symptoms; an unconcerned, indifferent, regardless spirit in matters of religion, neither hot nor cold; the true temper of formal-professors, who never engaged themselves thoroughly and heartily in the ways of God, but can take or leave, as times govern, and wordly interest comes to be concerned.

Secondly, Its cause and root; which is the defect and want of the truth, and power of inward grace, noted in these expressions, Thou art wretched and miserable, poor, blind, and naked; that is, thou art destitute of a real principle a solid work of grace. These five epithets do all point at one and the same thing; namely, the defectiveness and rottenness of their foundation. The two first, wretched and miserable, are more general, concluding them in a sad condition, a very sinful and lamentable estate. The three last, poor, blind and naked, are more particular; pointing at those grand defects and flaws in the foundation, which made their condition so wretched and miserable.

1. Poor; that is, void of righteousness and true holiness before God. These are the true riches of Christians, and whoever wants them, is poor and miserable, how rich soever he be in gifts of the mind, or treasures of the earth.

2. Blind; that is without spiritual illumination, and so neither knowing their disease nor their remedy; the evil of sin, or necessity of Christ.

3. Naked; without Christ, and his righteousness. Sin is the soul's shame and nakedness; "Christ's pure and perfect righteousness is its ca

vering or garment." This they wanted, how richly soever their bodies were adorned. These were Laodiceans; that is, a just, or righteous people (according to the meaning of that word) whose garments with which they covered themselves, were made of the home-spun thread of their own right

eousness.

Thirdly, The disease of Laodicea is here opened to them in its aggravations. 'Thou saidst I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; but knowest not,' &c.

To be really graceless and Christless is a miserable condition: but to be so, and yet confidently persuaded of the contrary, is most miserable. To have the very symptoms of death upon us, and yet tell those that pity us, we are as well as they, is lamentable indeed!

O the efficacy of a spiritual delusion! Their disease was gracelessness, and the aggravation of it, was their senselessness.

II. We have a proper remedy prescribed, verse 18. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, &c. In which we have to consider, First, what is prescribed for the cure. Secondly, where it is to be had. Thirdly, how to be obtained.

First, What are the remedies prescribed? They are three-gold, white raiment, and eye-salve.— First, gold, the cure of poverty, yea, gold tried in the fire; that is, grace that hath been variously proved already. And the more it is proved, the more its truth will be conspicuous, The next is white raiment, the remedy against nakedness.-And, lastly, eye-salve; the effectual cure of blindness. Under all these choice metaphors more choice and excellent things are shadowed, even spiritual graces; real holiness, more precious than gold; Christ's imputed righteousness, the richest

garment in all the wardrobe of heaven; and spiritual illumination, the most excellent eye-salve that ever was, or can be applied to the mental eye, or understanding of man in this world.

Secondly, Where may these precious remedies be had? Christ hath the monopoly of them aH.— Buy of me, saith Christ in the text. He is the repository of all graces. Angels, ministers, ordinances cannot furnish you with them, without Christ.

Thirdly, How may they be obtained from him? Buy of me. But what have they, that are poor, wretched, miserable, and want all things, to give as price, or by way of merit, for those inestimable treasures of grace? Buying in this place, can signify or intend no more than the acquisition, compassing, or obtaining these things from Jesus Christ, in the use of such means and methods as he hath appointed. In the use of them we merit grace no more than the patient merits of his physician by coming to him, and carefully following his prescriptions in the use of such medicines, ás he freely gives him. And that place, Isa. lv. 1, from which this phrase seems to be borrowed, fully clears it. "He that hath no money, let him come and buy wine and milk without money and without price."

From all which, these three observations fairly offer themselves to us.

DOCT. 1. That many professors of religion are under very great and dangerous mistakes in their profession.

DocT. 2. That true grace is exceeding precious, and greatly enriches the soul that possesseth it. DOCT. 3. That only is to be accounted true grace, which is able to endure all those trials appointed, or permitted for the discovery of it.

The first doctrine naturally rises out of the scope of the text, which is to awaken and convince unsound professors.

The second, from the use the Holy Ghost makes of the best and choicest things in nature, to shadow forth the inestimable worth and preciousness of grace.

And the third, from that particular, and most significant mataphor of gold tried in the fire; by which I here understand a real and solid work of grace, evidencing itself to be so in all the proofs and trials that are made of it. For whatsoever is probational of grace, and puts its soundness and sincerity to the test, is that to it which fire is to gold. In this sense it is used in Scripture, Psalm Ixvi. 10. Thou hast tried us as silver is tried. Also Zech.xiii. 9. I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and try them as gold is tried. So that whatsoever it is which examines and tries grace, whether it be sound and sincere, that is the fire Christ here speaks of; and such grace as abides these trials, is the gold here intended.

CHAP. II.

БОСТ.1

That many professors of religion are under very great and dangerous mistakes in their professions.

SECT. I.

ALL flattery is dangerous, Self-flattery is more dangerous. Self-flattery in the business of salvation, is the most dangerous of all.