'DireEiions for deubting (lwiftiaiJS. Direll. 5• §• 14• Direct. 5· JY!Jw y9u come to try yoHr particul11r 1itle to the blef!ingr of the Coven 4111 h fore thtJt }"H wc1J undcrftand the covtlitio1rl of the Cot·ena1tt ; and loDk for the performance of ~l t For more r~r· condition in yoHr fclvtl OJ the infaUible Evidence of your title : And k.,ttow that the conditio,/~' ~icub.r Mn~s, notbing h11t an '!"feigmd Confvu NHt~ the Covcn~nt. Or fuch a Belief of the Gofpel as m1k;~ f:et~~~ri~~~d e(h you tr:uly wtUtn~ of aU the mcrcur _offered .m the Gofpcl, and of the DutitJ rt:quired in in prep2.ra:ion order to thofe merciC:s. And 7'hat notlnng deprJVflh any man th;Jt heareth the Go[pel of Chrijf for the Sacra~ and pardo~, and falvation, b~t objliJt<.~te Hnrriliingn~[r or rtfufal of the mercy, and the ~tctjfary an: mcm. nexcd duuer. Underfland th1s well, and then perule the Covenant of Grace, ( which is, but to ta~ God for your God and Happinefl, your Fatber, your S~viour and your Sa1rllijjer ) : · and then as~ your hearts, whether here be any thing that you are Hm:viUing of ; and unwilling of in a pre~ vai/ing degree (when it is greater than your wiOingntji ) : And if truly you are willing to be in Covenant wirh your God, and Saviour, and S.md'ifier upon thc:fe terms, know· that your Confrnt, or JYiUingncji, or Acceptance of the mercy offered you , is your true performance of the Condition of your title, and confcquently the infallible evidence of your tide : evtn as ~arria~e Confr.:nt is a titlc·condition to the perfon and priviledges :. And therefore if you hnd dHs, your doubts arc anfwered: You have found as good an evidence· as Scripture doth acquaint us wi1h: And if this will not quiet and fatisfie you, you underlland not the bufi.. tu~ts ; nllr is it Reafon or Evidence that can fatisfie you , till you are better prepared ro un~ derfland them. Bur if really you are un"iVing, and wiU Hot confint ro the terms of the Cove.. mnt, ·then infiead of doubting, be pafi doubt that you arc yet unfanClified : And' your work is prefently to confider beuer of the termr and benefits , and of thofe unreafonable reafons rhat make you unrr>iUing 1 till you fee that your happinefs lyeth upon the bufinefs, and that you have all the reafon in the world to make you willinf, and no true Rcafon for the withholding of your Confent : And when the light of thefe confidetations hath prevailed for your Coulent, the: match is made, and your Evidence: is Jure. Dirrl/. 6 , ~· 15· DireCl. 6. Judgt not of your hearts aml Evidences upon every fuddtn glance or fttling, but upon a [obeY. deliPerate txamination, .rvhen ) 1 0Ur minds are in a clear compoftd frame : .And ar then you find your }elver, rrcord the judgement or difcovery : an4 believe not every fuddrn i1tconfdcrate appeara1ue, or p.tffion:zte [c12r, 11g:zinji th.Jt Record. Otherwitc you will never be qui· et or refolved ; but canyed up and down by prefent fenfe. The cafe is W\:ighry , and not to be decided by a fudden afpetl, nor by a fcattercd or a difcompofed mind : If you coli your unprovided ot your ditlempered undcrfiandings fuddtnly to fo great a work, no wonder if you are deceived. You mull not judge of colours when your 'Ye is blood-lhotten, or when you look through a coloured Glafs, or when the obj<Cl is far off. lt is like cafiing up a long and difficult account ; which mull be done dc:li~erately as a work of time; and when it is fo done , and the fumms fubfcribed , if afterwards you will queflion that account again , you muft take as full a time to do it , and that when you are as calm and va.. cant as before ; and not unfctde an (XaCl account upon a fuddcn view , or a thought of fame one particuJ.r. Thus mull you trufi to no examinations and dc:cilions about the llare of your fouls , but thofe that in long and calm deliberation , have brought it to an iffuc. ~· 11S. Direct. 7• And in doing 1his , ntglt/1 nDI lo ·m•'<! ufe of 1he affiftance of an ablt Dirrl1·7• faithful Goide, fo fJr ;,, yo~tr '"'" wearneji maJ,p il nmffary. Your doubling !hewcth that you are not fufficient to difpatch it fatisfaClorily your felves : The <l!/_dlion then is, What help a wifer man can give you ? Why, he can clearlier open to you the: true nature ofGrace, and the marks that are inf.tllibk, and the extent of the Grace and tenour of the Covenant ; and he eau h:lp you how to trace your hearts , and obferve the difcoveries of good or evil in them : he can lhc:w you your miftakes, and help you in the application , and tell you much of his own and others rxperiences : And he can pafs a firons; Coffjtllure upon your own Cafe in particular , if he be one that knoweth the courfe of your lives , and is intimately acq~ainted with you : For Sin and Grace are both exprrffiue operative thingr, like Life that ordinarily will fiir , or Fire that will be feen : Though their judgement cannot be infallible of you , and though for a while Hypocrifie tmy hide you from the knowledge of another, yet ( filia non dirt, &c. ) ordinanly N'ture will be feen , and that which is within you will fhew it felf: fo that your familiar acquaintance that fee your Jives in private: and in publick, may palS a very firong conjecture at r.our tlare, whether you fet your (elves indeed to pleafe God in finccrity or no. Therefore, it pollib!e , choofe fuch a ma• ro help you, as is r. Able, •• Faithful, and 3· Well acquaint~d with you : And undervalue not his judgement. ?· I7• Dirc6t. 8. Jf'btn you ca11not att~tin to a Certaiuty of your cafe , undervahte not and J>irel/.'S, ntgleli nol 1ht Comforl! which • bare probability may afford you : I knuw that a Cmainty in fo weighty a cafe , !hould be earneHly defired , and endeavoured to the urtermofi. But ~et it is no fmall comfort which a lii(flihood or hopefidnefi. m•y yidd you. Husband and Wtfe are uncertain ev~1y day , whether one of them may kill the ochrr ~ . And yet they _ea~ l1ve comfortably together , becaufe it is an unlikely thing ; and thou~h Jt ~e poffible , It J~ not much to be feared: All the comforts of Chrit\ians dLpcndeth not on theu Ajfurance: It IS but few Chrifiians in the world thi! reach to clear Atfurance : For all the Papills, Lutherans · and
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