li:Z. How to judge of our Spiritual jtate. Tit. 3· DireCtions. for Self-judging aJ ta our Eftates, ta knolli 1vhether we are in a regmerate and jt'fiified ftate, or not. Dirdl. I· Direct. I· IF you wor~Id fo judge of the ftate. of. your jouls ~raJ not to he dcc~i~ed, come not to the tryal wttb an over-confident prt]UdJct or concut ~f your own condttzon, either M good or bad. He that is already fo prcpo!fdfcd as to refolve what to judge before he trycth, doth make his tryal, but a means to confirm him in his conceit. {1 Direct. 2· Let not ftlf·lave , partiali'.Y , or pride on the one fide, or [t~Jr on the othir fide, pervert Dire ' 2 ' your judgement in the tryal, and hindtr yor• from tiJe difcerning of the truth. Some men cannot fee the clearefi tvidcn,cs of their unfand'ified hearts, bccaufe fclf-love will give them leave to believe no– thing of thcmfdves which is bad or fad. They will believe that which is good and pleafant, be it never fo evidently falfe. As if a Thief could be faved from the G•llows , by a lhong con– ceit that he is a uue man : or the conceit that one JS learned would make him learned : Others through timcroufnejj can believe nothing that is good or com!ortable of themfelvcs: Like a ·man on the top of a Steeple, who thou~h he know that he llandeth fall and fafe, yet tremblctn when he looketh down and can fcarce believe his own underilandiAg. Silence all the ObjeCtions of an over-timer.ous mind, and it will doubt and tremble fiill. Dir£11. 3• Dir<<l:. 3• Surprif• not your filves OH the foddcn and unpr<pared, .,;tb the quejlion, whtthtr you 11re jujlified or nut ; but [tt 'about it 01 tbe mofl forioUI bujint[J of )6ur lifr. A great and difficult qudl:i– on mutt have awell fiudied anfwer, and not be anfw~red hailily and raihly. If one fhould meet you in the Srreer, and demand fame great and long account of you, you would defirc him toHay, till you review your memorials, or have time to cal\ it up. Tcke fame appointed rime todo this, when you have no intruding thoughts to hinder you, and think not that it rnufi be refolved ealily or quickly upon the firfi enquiry, but by the moll fobcr and judicious confideration, and patient attendance till it be done. Dire<l:. 4· Underlland the tenour of the Covenant of Grace, which is the Law that you mull DirfiJ, 4• judge of your ellates by : for if you mifiake that you will err in the concl•flon. He is an unfit Judge, who is ignorant of the Law. · Dirrll. 5 • Direct. 5· Millake not the nature of true faith in Chri.ll. Thofe that think it is a believing that they are actually pardoned, and !hall b~ favcd, do fome of them prefume, or believe it when it is fa){i:; and fome of them defp•ir, becaufe they tannot believe it. And thofe that think that faith is fuch a recumbency on Chrifi as alwayes quieteth the mind, do think they have no faith, when they have no fuch quietnefs: And thofe that think it is only the rcfiing on the blood of Chrill for pardon, do take up with that which is no true faith : Bur he that knoweth that fairh in Chrift, i9 nothing elfe but ChrijHaHity, or confenting to theChrifiian Covenant, may know that he Con[tntetb 1 even when he findeth much timeroufnefs and trouble, and taketh not up with a deceit· ful faith. Dirc{l. 6. Dirtct. 6. Remember in your kif-judging, that the YYi/1 is the Man, and what you truly would be) that you are, in the fcnfc: of the Covecant of Grace. Dircli. 7 • Dirt:Cl. 7· Bur remember alfo tha.t your EndtavoHrs mufi prove the truth of your Defires, and that idle willies are not the denominating aCh of the Will. , Direll. 8. Direct. 8. Alfo your [ucce{]'es mufl be the proof of the finccrity of your Endeavours: For fuch (hiving againfi fin as endeth in yielding to it, and not in viCtory, is no proof of the uprightncfs of your hearts. Direll· 9• Dirdl. .9· Mark what you arc in the day of tryal : For at other times it is more eafie to be d(ceivcd ; And record what you then difcovcr in your feU : What a man is in tryal, that he is indeed. Direll· IO· Direct. 10 • . Efpccially try your felves in the gteat point of forJ..kJng aU for CHrij!, and for the hopes of the fruition of God in Glory : Know once whether God or the Creature can do more with you, a·nd whether Heaven or Euth ite dearer to you, and mofi cfieemed and practically preferred •nd then you may judge infallibly of your llm. Dircll. 11 • DireCt. 11. Remember that in melancholy and wcakm:Cs of underfianding, you are not fit for, the cafting up of fa great accounts ; bur mull take up with the remembrance of former difcovc– .-iesland with the judgement of the judicious,and be patient till a ficter feafon, before you c.m exp~ct, to ft:e in your fc:lvcs the clear evidence of your fiate. Vircll. 12 • DireCT- 12· Neirher forgo what former difooveriu you have made, nor yet wholly rrft in them, without renewing your kif-examination. They that have found their fir:cerity , and think tlut the next time they are in doubt, they fhould fetch no comfort from what is pall, do deprive them– fclves of much of the means of thdr peace. And thofe that trufl all to the former diiCoveries, of their good dlarc:, do proceed upon unfafc and negligenr principles; and will find that fuch flothtul and venturous courfes, will not ferve turn. VircCl. J3• Dirdl 13· Judge net of ycur filve~ by that which is unufual and extraordinary with you, but by the tcnour and drift of your hearts and lives : A bad man may feem good, in fome good mood; and a good
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