'Diren. r. For Exami· mtion. lnjlmaions for .tJ,e UncOII'Wted in Sicknefs. they ne jlrange and undifpo[td, and think it impotlible to be done; And if they mufi have no Hf)pes but upon fuch terms as thefe, they think they !lull have none at all : Or elfe if they hear that there is no oth~'r Hope, and that none but the h9ly can be faved, they will fora thernfclves 10 hope that they have all this, and that they are truly converted, and become new creatures and do L Go~ and holimJj above_aH: not he_c~u_fe indec.d it Ufo, ·but bec~ufe they would have it jo, for fear 0~{bemg ~.1rnued : And mllead of hndmg !hat _they they ate vo1d of faith and Love. aud H!)/int[!, and labounng to get a renewed foul, they thmk H a nearer way to mike thern{clvts believe that it is J~ already_: And thus in their prc~umpti_on, ~elf-deceiving and falfc hopes, they linger out that little ttme rhJ.t IS left them to be convrrted 111, till death open their eyes, and hell do undrceive ·them. 7· And the fune Devil, and wicked men his infiruments,. that kept them in health from true Re– penrance, will be as diligent to kerp them from it in their tickntfs; and will be loth to Jr,fc all at !he ~:1ft caft, ~h-tc_h they had bten winning all the ti~e before. And if the Dtvil can but ktt'p tht.m m h1s power, till hcknefs come and take them up With pain and fear, he wiN. hope to keep them a frw daye; lortger) till he have tinin1cd that which he had begun and carrycd on fo far. And if there be heie and there one, that will be held no longer by falfe hopu and rcfumption, he will at !all think to taKe them off bydrfperation, and make the~zybelievc that there is no remedy. ~· 4· And indeed it is a thing fo d;ffi,ulr, and unlikely, to convert a finner in all his plin and weaknefs at the laji, that even the Godly fritndJ of fuch do many limes, even let them al~1 e as thinki_ng that there is little or no hope. .81.1t this is a very finful courfe: As long as rhnc iS /ife, there ts fnme hope. And u long as there JS hope, we mufi ufe the means : A Phyficion will try the bell Remedies he hath) in the moll dangerous difeafe which is not dcfperate: For when ir is cer– tain th~t there is no hope w~thout th~m,_ if rhey do no good, the_y do no harm. So mull we try the favtng of a poor foul, whtle there ts life and any hope ; For tf once death end their lime and hopes, it will be then too late; and theywill be out of our reach and help for ever. To 1hofc rhat ficknefs tindeth in fo fad a cafe, I !lull f,ive here but a fei:;, brief Dird1iom, becaufe I have done it more at large in rhe firH 1ome and tidl Chapter, whither I refer them. ~. 5· ·Direl\:. I. Set {frcidily and [triou{ly to the Judging of your [cllltJ, ,u tbo[e that are gain~ tiJ be judged of God. And do it in the manntr following. z, DJ it wiUingly and refolvedly, as know– i_ng that it is now no time to remain uncertain of your everlafting flare, it you can poflibly get ac– quainted with it. Is it not time for a man to k.fzuw himfelf, whether he be a j"an!lifivd believer or not, when he is jufl:' going to appear b<.:fore his maker, and there be judged as he is found? 2. DrJ it -impartiaUy; as one char is not willing to find hirnfelf deceived, as foon as death hath acquaint– ed him with the truth; 0 take heed, as you love your fouls, of being fooliO>ly tender of your felves, and refolving for fear of being troubled at your mifcry ; to believe that you an: fafe, whether ir be true or falfe. This is the way that thoufands are undone by. Thin)IJng that you are f"n{lijied will .neither provt you fo, nor maJte you [o : no more than thin~ng that you are weU, will prove or milk.! you well. And what good will it do you to thiv"-. you are pard.ned and !hall be {avcd, for a few days longer, and then to tind too late in Hdl that you were rnifb.k~n? Is the eafl of fo ihort a deceit worth all the pain and lofs that it will coll you? Alas poor foul ! God knowcth it is not needldly to affright thee, that we ddire to convince thee of thf mift.ry ! We do not cruelly it1fult over thee or defire to torment thee? But we pity thee in fo fad a cafe : To fee an unfanditied perfon ready to pafs into another world, and to be doomed unto endlefs mifery, and will not know it till he is there? Our principal reafon of opening your danger is becaufe it is neceffary to your efcaping it; If foul difeafeJ were like bodily difi•fu which may fomctimes be cured without the patic:nts knowing them and the danger of them, we would never trouble you at fuch a time as this. Bnt it will not be fo done; You mull undetfland your danger if you will be faved from it; There– fore he impartirJl with your fclf if you arc" wi'fe, and be uuly willing to know the worl1. 3· In Judging your felvu proceed ~y the fame Rule or Law that God wiU judge you by ; that is, by the wo,.dnf GodrevealedintheGofpel. For your work now is not to lleal a little Chort·ltved quiet to your Confciences, but to know how God wiU judgt your[ouiJ, and whether he wjjl doom you to end~ lefs joy or mifery; And how can you know this, but by that Law or Rule that God will judge you by ' And certainly God will judge you, by the fame Law or Rule by which he Governed you, or which he gave you toLiveby in the world. It will go never the better or worfc there with any man, for his g~o"d or badconceits of himfclf, if they were his mithkes; But jufi what God luth f1id in his word, that he will do with any man ;, thu will he do with him in the day of judgement. All !hall be jufiified whom the Go(pel jufiirieth ; and all Oull be condemned that it condemneth ; and there· fore judge your felf by it ; By what figncs you may know an un[ail{iijied man, I have told you before, Tom. 1· Ch.JP· 1. Vir. 8. And by what fignes true: grace may be known 1tald you before, in Preparation for the Sicrament. 4• If1 you cannet f1titie your fclf about your own condition, advife with fome Godly able Minifier or other Chrifiian that is bell acq,uinted with you: that _knoweth how you have lived towards Gqd and mm; or at leafi open all your heart and life to him lhat he may know it : And if he tell you that he feareth you are yet unfanCt;fied, you have the more reafon to fear the worll:. But then be fure that he be not a carnal ungodly worldly m1n himfdf: f'or they that lhtter and decciv:e themftlves, are not unlike to do fo by others; Such blind deceivers will dawb over all, and bid you never trouble your felf; but even comfort you as they cpmfort themfelves, and bid you believe that all is well, and it will be well; or will m1kc you beli;::ve that fame forced confeffion and unfound Repentance, wiH fervc infh:ad of true Converfion. But a man th:u is going 1 o the bar of God, !hould be loth to be dwceived by himfdf or othm.
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