116 ·- ~tlf4tpal. obey him, even when he commands the hardell: duties, and thofe which moll croffe the dcftres of theflefh? is it thy farrow when thou breakelr thy refolution herein, and thy joy when thou keepefl: clofe m obed1encc unto hm1 '? and though the world and flefh do fometimes inticc and over-reach thee, yet, IS 1t thy ordinary defire and reio. !mien to obey,fo that thou wouldell: not change thy Lord and Mafter for all the world, -Or on the contrary, doft thou not mdeed d1f-be1Jeve Jefus Chriit ? though tiJC tongue may fay that Chr& ~s thy Lord and SaviOur, yet thou never foundell: thy felf fo loll without him, as to dnve thee to feek hnn, and trnfl: him, and to lay thy.falvati– on to him alone, or at !call: thou d1dfl: never heart!ly confent that he fhould govern thee as thy Lord? nor d1dll: refigne up thy foul and IJfe to be m!ed by him, nor takell: his \Vord for the Law of thy thoughts and aCtions? it may be thou hall: now and then a motion or purpofe to good, yet is not the ordinary defire and choice of thy hea_rt the other way? + The quellions thus put, force we our hearts to anfwer ; fulfer them not to be filent, nor to jangle, and think of other matters; if any quellion be hard, through t~e darknefs of our hearts, yet d? not give it over fo, but fcarch the ~lofer, and ftudy tne cafe the more exaCtly; and, 1f 1t be poffiblc, let not our hearts g1ve over till they have rcfolved the quellion, and told us offor on, in what cafe we arc : yea, wreltle with our hearts till we have prevailed, and fay, !will not let theego, till thouhaft anf– wered, he that can preva1le With h1s own heart, fhall alfo be a preva~ler with God. 5. When we have difcovered the truth of our llates, then paffc the fentence on our fclves accordingly, meer examination will do us little good,if it proceed not to a judg– ment. Conclude as we find, either that we are true bclif:1Jerr, or that we are not; ehher that we have a title to heaven, or that we have not. But paffe not this fentence with fcif– jlattery, nor from melancholy terrors and feares. !fay, I. Not wuhJclf-jlauery; alas what will it profit us to quit our felves as the children of God, when we vifibly ex– preffe the power of fin and Satan in our lives? oh, rather fay to our felves, whofc tmage andfuper{cription is this pride, this earthlmefft':~ this malice, this hatred "f that which is good? what, arn10tthe>vorkJ ofthejlejh mamfefl, envyings, >·ailings, drunktnffi, &c? Andj!Jalll be fo m~td to live in lyingjivearing,uncleannef;,any grojJewickJdncf;,& yet per– fivade my .{elf to be in agoodJlate 1 oh myfoul tak; heed cfje!f-Jiauery! 2. On the other fide, paffe not this fcntence from melancholy, unbelicf, terrors, feares; as the car– nalman fails the former way,. fo the tempted Chrill:ian fomctimes failes this way, in this cafe run we over our n>tdences agam and agame, and proceed we from thofe that are more facile, to thofe tnat are more difficult; one figne may perhaps be more eafily perceived then another, and ifwe can but ;lifcover fome, yea, ifbut one, we may affuredly gather all the,reft·are there. Come then, paffe on now to fentenee! 0 but.~implore the Spirits affillance; now, if ever, defirc him to fhine on our graces; and th.en fp~aj{ groundedly, and deliberately, and truly, as we finde according to our very conf~i~nccs. I)o not conclude_as fome do, I amgood C~riflian: or as others do, I am a reprobate, or an hy pocrite, and fha/1 be damned; when w~· have no ground fo\ what we fay, but our own fancy, or hopes, ilr fcares; let not our judgment be any way byaffed, or bribe!'~, and fo forell:alled from fenten~ing aright. 6. Labour to ge' our he.arts kindly affeCted with its difcovcred condition, according to the fentence paffed on it; do not think it Cl!ough to know, but labour to feel what God lylth made us to.fee. If we finde our felves undoubtly graccleffe, oh get this to our hearts, and thinkwhat a doleful conditio9 it is, to be ao enemy to God, to be un– pardoned, to be unfanetified, and (if we fhould.fo dye) to be eremally,damned: one would think fuch a t;hoyght fhoulc\ make an heart of /lone to qua~e. On the contrary, if ,;,r_ find our felves renewed, and fanClified indeed, oh get this ,varme, ard c!Ofe to our hearts; bethink our felves what a. bleffed)ta-~eha!h the tord brought us into; to be his children, his friends ; to be p.a~doned, jl)ftifl.cd, and fure to be faved ; why, wh~t is it we.need to feare b.ut fi!Hli.ngagain!lo him-? come war; or plague, or ficknef•, or d~ath, we are fure 'they can but thrull: us into heaven. Thus.follow thefe Mcdita· tions, till they have.left their imp.reflions on o,ur.h_earts. _ 7· Be fure to record this fentence fo paff~d; write it d9wn,; brat leall: wrire it in • our memories; atfuch a time upon through-exnmination I fonnd ihyJPirirual flate to be thus, or thus. 'rhis record will be very u,fefull to us hereafter; if we be ungodly, what a dampe will ,it be to our prefumption and fecurity to go on, and read rh~ fentcnce
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