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according to the Directions I fhall lay down from the Word of God. I demand nothing unreasonable or impoffible. It is but to be tow a few Hours, to know what fhall become of thee for ever. If a Neighbour,

or Friend, defire but an Hour's Time of thee in Converfation, or Bufinefs, or any Thing in which thou mayit be of Service, furely thou wouldst not deny it; how much lefs fhouldft thou deny this to thyfelf in fo great an Affair? I pray thee take from me this Requeft, as if, in the Name of Chrift, I presented it. to thee on my Knees; and I will betake me on my Knees to Chrift again, to beg that he will perfuade thy Heart to the Duty.

12. (4) The Directions how to examine thyself are fuch as thefe:Empty thy Mind of all other Cares and Thoughts, that they may not diftract or divide thy. Mind. This Work will be enough at once, withour joining others with it.Then fall down before God in hearty Prayer, defiring the Affiftance of his Spirit, to difcover to thee the plain Truth of thy Condition, and to enlighten thee in the whole Progrefs of this Work.Make Choice of the most convenient Time and Place. Let the Place be the most private;. and the Time, when you have nothing to interrupt you; and, if poffible, let it be the prefent Time.-Have in Readiness, either in Memory or Writing, feme Scriptures, containing the Defcriptions of the Saints, and the Gospel Terms of Salvation; and convince thyself thoroughly of their infallible Truth-Proceed then. to put the Question to thyself. Let it not be, whether there be any Good in thee at all? Nor, whether thou haft fuch or fuch a Degree and Measure of Grace? But, whether fuch or fuch a faving Grace le in thee in Sincerity, or not? If thy Heart drev back from the Work,, force it on.. Lay thy Command upon it. Let Reafon interpof, and ufe its Authority. Yea, lay the

Command

Ch. 8. Command of God upon it, and charge it to obey upon Pain of his Difpleafure. Let Confcience alfo do its Office, till thy Heart be excited to the Work.

-Nor let thy Heart trifle away the Time, when it Aould be diligently at the Work. Do as the Pfalmift, my Spirit made diligent Search. He that can prevail with his own Heart, fhall alfo prevail with God.

If, after all thy Pains, thou art not refolved, then feck out for Help. Go to one that is godly, experienced, able, and faithful, and tell him thy Cafe, and defire his belt Advice. Ufe the Judgment of fuch a one, as that of a Phyfician for thy Body; though this can afford thee no full Certainty, yet it may be a great Help to flay and direct thee. But don't make it a Pretence to put off thy own Self-Examination: Only ufe it as one of the laft Remedies, when thy own Endeavours will not ferve.When thou hast dif• covered thy true State, pafs Sentence on thyself accordingly; either that thou art a true Chriftian, or that thou art not. Pafs not this Sentence rafhly, nor with SelfFlattery, nor from melancholy Terrors; but deliberately, truly, and according to thy Confcience convinced by Scripture and Reafon.Labour to get thy Heart affected with its Condition, according to the Sentence paffed on it. If graceless, think of thy Mifery. If renewed and fanctified, think what a bleffed State the Lord hath brought thee into. Pursue these Thoughts, till they have left their Impreffion on thy Heart. Write this Sentence, at least in thy Memory. "At fuch a Time, upon thorough Examination, I "found my State to be thus, or thus." Such a Record will be very ufeful to thee hereafter. Trust net to this one Difcovery, fo as to try no more: Nor let it hinder thee in the daily Search of thy Ways: Neither be difcouraged, if the Trial muit be often repeated. Especially take Heed, if unregenerate, not to

conclude

conclude of thy future State by the prefent. Don't fay, "becaufe I am ungodly, I fhall die fo, becaufe I am "an Hypocrite, I fhall continue fo." Don't defpair. Nothing but thy Unwillingness can keep thee from Chrift, though thou haft hitherto abufed him, and diffembled with him.

$ 13. (5) Now let me add fome Marks by which you may try your Title to the Saint's Reft. I will only mention thefe two,taking God for thy chief Good, ——and heartily accepting Chrift for thy only Saviour and Lord.

He that.

$ 14. Every Soul that hath a Title to this Reft, dath place his chief Happiness in God. This Reft confifteth in the full and glorious Enjoyment of God. maketh not God his chief Good, and ultimate End, is in Heart a Pagan and a vile Idɔlater. Let me ask then, Doft thou truly account it thy chief Happiness to enjoy the Lord in Glory, or doft thou not? Canst thou fay, the Lord is my Portion? Whom have I in Heaven but thee? and there is none upon Earth that I defire befides thee. If thou be an Heir of Rest, it is thus with thee. Tho' the Flesh will be pleading for its own Delights, and the World will be creeping, into thine Affections; yet in thy ordinary, fettled, prevailing Judgment and Affections, thou preferreft God before all Things in the World.

Thou

makeft him the very End of thy Defires and Endeavours. The very Reafon why thou hearet and prayeft, and defireft to live on Earth, is chiefly this, that thou mayft feek the Lord, and make fue of thy Reit. Though thou doft not feek it fo zealoufly as thou fhouldit; yet hath it the chief of thy Defires and Endeavours, fo that nothing elfe is defired or preferred before it.-Thou wilt think no Labour or

Suffering too great to obtain it. And though the Flesh may fometime fhrink, yet thou art refolved and con-.

tented

tented to go through all.- Thy Efteem for it will alfo be fo high, and thy Affection to it jo great, that thou wouldft not exchange thy Title to it, and Hopes of it, for any worldly God whatsoever. If God should fet before thee an Eternity of earthly Pleasure on one Hand, and the Saint's Reft on the other, and bid thee take thy Choice; thou would refufe the World, and chuse this Reft.But if thou art yet unfantified, then thou deft in thy Heart prefer thy worldly Happiness before God; and tho' thy Tongue may fay, that God is thy chief Good, yet thy Heart doth not fo efteem him. For the World is the chief End of thy Defires and Endeavours. Thy very Heart is fet upon it. Thy greatest Care and Labour is to maintain thy Credit, or flefhly Delights. But the Life to come hath little of thy Care or Labour. Thou didst never perceive fo much Excellency in that unfeen Glory of another World, as to draw thy Heart after it, and fet thee a labouring heartily for it. The little Pains thou bestowest that Way, is but in the fecond Place. God hath but the World's Leavings, only that Time and Labour which thou canft fpare from the World, or those few, cold, and careless Thoughts, which follow thy conftant, earnest, and delightful Thoughts of earthly Things. Neither wouldst thou do any Thing at all for Heaven, if thou kneweft how to keep the World. But left thou fhouldft be turned into Hell, when thou can't keep the World no longer, therefore thou wilt do fomething. For the fame Reafon thou think ft the Way of God too Arict, and wilt not be perfuaded to the conftant Labour of walking according to the Gofpel-Rule; and when it comes to the Trial, that thou muft forfake Chrift, or thy worldly Happiness, then thou wilt venture Heaven rather than Earth, and fo wilfully deny thy Obedience to God. And certainly if God would but give thee Leave to live in Health

Health and Wealth for ever on Earth, thou wouldst think it a better State than Reft. Let them feek for Heaven that would, thou wouldft think this thy chief Happinefs. This is thy Cafe, if thou art yet an unregenerate Perfon, and haft no Title to the Saint's Reit.

$15. And as thou takeft God for thy chief Good, fo thou doft heartily accept of Chrift for thy only Saviour and Lord to bring thee to this Reft. The former Mark was the Sum of the firft and great Command of the Law, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, This fecond Mark is the Sum of the Command of the Gofpel, Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved. And the Performance of thefe. two is the whole of Godliness and Chriftianity. This Mark is but a Definition of Faith. Deft thou heartily confent that Chrift alone fhall be thy Saviour? and no further truft to thy Duties and Works, than as Means appointed in Subordination to him? not looking at them as in the leaft Meafure able to fatisfy the Curfe of the Law, or as a legal Righteoufnefs, or any Part of it? but content to truft thy Salvation on the Re-, demption made by Chrift? Art thou also content to take him for thy only Lord and King, to govern and guide thee by his Laws and Spirit? And to obey him, even when he commandeth the hardeft Duties, and those which moft cross the Defires of the Flesh? Is it thy Sorrow when thou breakeft thy Refolution herein? And thy Joy when thou keepeft clofeft in Obedience to him? Wouldst thou not change thy Lord and Mafter for all the World? Thus it is with every true Chriftian.But if thou be an Hypocrite, it is far otherwije. Thou mayit call Chrift thy Lord and thy Saviour; but thou never foundeft thyfelf fo loft without him, as to drive thee to feek him, and truft him, and lay thy Salvation on him alone. At

leaft

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