I CHAP. XII. Upon the Resemblance of Wheat and Tares. As wheat refembled is by viler tares; OBSERVATION. 'Tis Jerom's obfervation, that wheat and tares are so much alike in their first springing up, that it is exceedingly difficult to distinguifh the one from the other: These are his words, Inter triticum et lolium quandiu berba eft, et nondum culmus venit ad fpicam; grandis fimilitudo eft; et indifcernendo aut nulla, aut per difficilis diftantia. The difference (faith he) between them, is either none at all, or wonderfully difficult to difcern, which thofe words of Chrift, Mat xiii. 30. plainly confirm. Let them both alone till the harveft; thereby intimating both the difficulty of diftinguishing the tares and wheat; as alfo the unwarrantable rafhnefs of bold and hafty cenfures of men's fincerity or hypocrify, which is there fhadowed by them. H APPLICATION. OW difficult foever it be to difcern the difference betwixt wheat and tares, yet, doubtlefs, the eye of fenfe can much easier difcriminate them, than the moft quick and piercing eye of man can difcern the difference betwixt special and common grace; for all faving graces in the faints have their counterfeits in hypocrites. There are fimilar works in thefe, which a spiritual and very judicious eye may eafily mistake for the faving and genuine effects of the fanctifying Spirit. Doth the Spirit of God convince the consciences of his people of the evil of fin? Rom. vii. 9. Hypocrites have their convictions too, Exod. x. 16. "Then Pharaoh called for Mofes and Aaron in hafte; "and he faid, I have finned against the Lord your God, and against "you." Thus was Saul alfo convicted, 1 Sam. xv. 24. Doth true conviction and compunction work reformation of life in the people of God? Even hypocrites alfo have been famous for their reformations. The unclean fpirit often goes out of the formal hypocrite, by an external reformation; and yet ftill retains his propriety in them, Matth. xii. 43, 44. For that departure is indeed no 43,.44. more than a politic retreat. Many that shall never escape the damnation of hell, have yet efcaped the pollutions of the world, and that by the knowledge of the Son of God, 2 Pet. ii. 21. Doth the Spirit of the Lord produce that glorious and fupernatural work of faith in convinced and humble fouls? In this also the hypocrite apes and imitates the believer, Acts viii. 13. "Then Simon "himself believed alfo." Luke viii. 13. "These are they which «for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away." Doth the precious eye of faith, difcovering the tranfcendent excellencies that are in Chrift, enflame the affections of the believing foul with vehement defires and longings after him? Strange motions of heart have alfo been found in hypocrites towards Chrift and heavenly things, John vi. 34. "Lord, evermore give us this bread." Matth. xxv. 8. "Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out." With what a rapture was Balaam tranfported, when he faid, "Let me die "the death of the righteous, and my laft end be like his !" Numb. xxiii. 10. Doth the work of faith, in fome believers, bear upon its top branches the full ripe fruit of a bleffed affurance? Lo! what strong confidences and high-built perfuafions of an intereft in God, have fometimes been found even in unfanctified ones? John viii. 54. « Of " whom you fay, that he is your God; and yet ye have not known To the fame height of confidence arrived thofe vain fouls. mentioned in Rom. ii. 19. Yea, fo ftrong may this falfe affurance be, that they dare boldly venture to go to the judgment-feat of God, and there defend it, Mat. vii. 22. "Lord, Lord, have we not prophe«fied in thy name?” Doth the Spirit of God fill the heart of the affured believer with joy unspeakable and full of glory, giving them, through faith, a prelibation, or foretafte of heaven itself, in those first fruits of it? How near to this comes that which the apoftle fuppofes may be found even in apoftates, Heb. vi. 8, 9. who are there faid "to tafte the good word "of God, and the powers of the world to come." What shall I fay, if real Chriftians delight in ordinances, thofe that are none may alfo delight in approaching to God, Ezek. xxxiii. 32. It may be you will fay, though the difference be not eafily difcernible in their active obedience, yet, when it fhall come to fuffering, there every eye may difcern it; the falfe heart will then flinch, and cannot brook that work. And yet even this is no infallible rule neither; for the apoftle fuppofes, that the falamander of hypocrify may live in the very flames of martyrdom, 1 Cor. xiii. 3. "If I give my body to be burnt, "and have not charity." And it was long fince determined in this cafe, Non pœna, fed caufa facit martyrem; fo, that without controverfy, the difficulty of diftinguifhing them is very great. And this difference will yet be more fubtle and undifcernible, if I fhould tell you, that as in so many things the hypocrite resembles the faint; fo there are other things in which a real Chriftian may act too like an hypocrite. When we find a Pharaoh confeffing, an Herod practifing, as well as hearing, a Judas preaching Christ, and an Alexander venturing his life for Paul; and, on the other fide, fhall find a David condemning that in another which he practised himself, an Hezekiah glorying in his riches, a Peter diflembling, and even all the difciples forfaking Chrift in an hour of trouble and danger: 0 then how hard is it for the eye of man to difcern betwixt chaff and wheat? How many upright hearts are now cenfured, whom God will clear? How many falfe hearts are now approved, whom God will condemn? Men ordinarily have no clear convictive proofs, but only probable symptoms; which, at moft, can beget but a conjectural knowledge of another's ftate. And they that fhall peremptorily judge either way, may poffibly wrong the generation of the upright; or, on the other fide, abfolve and juftify the wicked. And truly, confidering what hath been faid, it is no great wonder that dangerous miftakes are fo frequently made in this matter. But though man cannot, the Lord both can and will, perfectly discriminate them. "The Lord knoweth who are his," 2 Tim. ii. 19. He will have a day perfectly to fever the tares from the wheat, to melt off the varnish of the moft refplendent and refined hypocrite, and to blow off the afhes of infirmities, which have covered and obfcured the very sparks of fincerity in his people: he will make such a divifion as was never yet made in the world, how many divifions foever there have been in it." And then shall men indeed return, and difcern between the " righteous and the wicked; betwixt him that ferveth God, and "him that ferveth him not." Meanwhile, my foul, thou canst not better employ thyself, whether thou be found or unfound, than in making those reflections upon thyfelf. REFLECTIONS. The cenforious And is this fo? Then, Lord, pardon the rafhnefs and precipitancy of my cenforious spirit; for I have often boldly anticipated thy judgment, and af- foul's reflection. fumed thy prerogative, although thou hast said, "Why doft thou judge thy brother? And why dost thou fet at "nought thy brother? We shall all stand before the judgment-feat " of Chrift. For it is written, As I live (faith the Lord) every knee "fhall bow to me, and every tongue fhall confefs to God. Let us "not therefore judge one another any more," Rom. xiv. 10, 11, 12, 13. And again; "He that judgeth me is the Lord. Let us there"fore judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both "will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make mani"feft the counfels of the heart; and then shall every man have "praife of God," I Cor. iv. 4. 5. What if God will own fome of them for his fons, to whom I refuse to give the respect of brethren? I may pass hasty and headlong cenfures upon others; but where is my commiffion for fo doing? I want not only a commiffion, but fit qualifications for fuch a work as this. Can I pierce into the heart as God? Can I infallibly discover the hidden motives, ends, and principles of actions? Befides, O my foul, thou art conscious of fo much falfeness in thyself, that were there no other confideration, that alone might restrain thee from all uncharitable and hafty cenfures. If others knew but what I know of myself, would they not judge as feverely of me as I do of others? 2. Though I may not judge the final state of The prefumptuous another, yet I may, and ought to judge the state foul's reflection. of my own foul; which is, doubtlefs, a more ne ceffary and concerning work to me. For fince every faving grace in a Chriftian hath its counterfeit in the hypocrite, how needful is it for thee, O my foul, to make a stand here, and folemnly to ponder this question, Whether thofe things, whereon I depend, as my best evidences for the life to come, be the real, or only the common works of the Spirit? Whether they may be fuch as can now endure the test of the word, and abide a fair trial at the bar of my own confcience? Cone then, my foul, fet the Lord before thee, to whom the fecrets of all hearts are manifeft: and in the awful fenfe of that great day make true answer to thefe heart-difcovering queries: For though thou canst not difcern the difference betwixt these things in another, yet thou mayeft and oughtest to discern it in thyfelf: For what man knows the things of a man, fave the spirit of man that is in him! 1. Is my obedience uniform? am I the fame man át all times, places, and companies? Or rather, am I not exact and curious in open and public, remifs and careless in private and fecret duties? Sincere fouls are uniform fouls, Pfal.. cxix. 6. the hypocrite is no closetman, Matth. vi. 5. 2. Doth that which I call grace in me oppofe and mortify, or doth it not rather quietly confift with, and protect my lufts and corruptions? True grace tolerates no luft, Gal. v. 17. No, not the bofom, darling corruptions, Pfal. xviii. 23. 3. Doth that which I call my grace, humble, empty, and abafe my foul? Or rather, doth it not puff it up with felf-conceitedness? All faving grace is humbling grace, 1 Cor. xv. 10. "But the foul which is lifted up, is not upright," Hab. ii. 4. Laftly, Canft thou, my foul, rejoice and blefs God for the grace imparted to others? And rejoice if any defign for Chrift be carried on in the world by other hands? Or, rather, doft thou not envy thofe that excel thee, and careft for no work in which thou art not seen? But ftay, my foul, it is enough: If these be the fubftantial differences betwixt fpecial and common grace, I more than doubt, I fhall not endure the day of his coming, Whofe fan is in his hand. Do not thofe fpots appear upon me, which are not the fpots of his children? Woe is me, poor wretch! the characters of death are upon my foul! Lord add power to the form, life to the name to live, practice to the knowledge, or I perish eternally! O rather give me the faint's heart than the angel's tongue; the pooreft breathing of the Spirit than the richeft ornaments of common gifts! Let me never deceive myself or others in matters of fo deep and everlasting confequence. THE POEM. eaftern countries, as good authors write, Tares, in their springing up, appear to fight, Not like itself, a weed, but real wheat; Whose shape and form it counterfeits to neat, Do gracious fouls melt, mourn, and weep for fin? As far as faints, in fome things farther too; And boldly call (their eyes, with his, being dim) VOL. V. |