136 HOW TO DISCERN OUR TITLE or not ? whether it be holy or not ? whether it be set most on God, or the creatures, on heaven or earth? And when didst thou follow on this examina- tion till thou hadst discovered thy condition, and passed sentence on thyself accordingly ? But because this is a work of so high importance and so com- monly' neglected, Ì will therefore shew, that it is possible, by trying to come to a certainty; what hinders men from trying and knowing their state ; then offers motives to examine ;and directions; together with some marks out of scripture, by which you may try and certainly know, whether you are the people of God or not. § 4. (1) Scripture shows, that the certainty of sal- vation may be attained, and ought to be laboured for, when it tells us so frequently, that the saints before us have known their justification and future salvation : when it declares, that whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish, but have everlasting life; which it would be in vain to declare, if we cannot know ourselves to be believers or not : whèn it makes such a wide difference between the children of God, and the children of the devil : when it bids us give diligence to make our calling and election sure; and earnestly urges us to examine, prove, know our own selves, whether we be in the faith, and whether Jesus Christ be in us, except we be reprobates ; also when its precepts require us to rejoice always, to call God our Father, we live in his praises, to love Christ's ap- pearing, to wish that he may come quickly, and to comfort ourselves with the mention of it. But who can do any of these heartily, that is not in some mea- sure sure that he is the child of God? § 5. (2) Among the many hinderances which keep men from self-examination, we cannot doubt but Satan will do his part. If all the power he hath, or all the means and instruments he can employ, can do it, he will be sure above all duties to keep you from this. IIe is loth the godly should have the joy, as- surance, and advantage against corruption, which the faithful perförmance of self - examination would pro-
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