232 DIRECTIONS HOW TO LEAD A them, may raise desire and urge pursuit, but he will have little joy. Who will set his heart on another man's possessions ? If your houses, your goods,. your cattle, your children, were not your own, you would less mind them, and less delight in them. O Christian ! rest not, therefore, till you can call this rest your own : bring thy heart to the bar of trial: set the qualifications of the saints on one side, and of thy soul on the other, and then judge how near they resemble. Thou hast the same word to judge thyself by now, as thou must be judged by at the great day. Mistake not the scripture's description of a saint, that thou neither acquit nor con - demn thyself upon mistakes. For as groundless hopes tend to confusion, and are the greatest cause of most ïnen's damnation ; so groundlessdoubts tend to and are the great cause of the saint's perplexity and distress. Therefore lay thy foundation for trial safely, and pro- ceed in the work deliberately and resolutely, nor give over till thou canst say, either thou hast, or hast not yet, a title to this rest. O ! if men did truly know, that God is their own Father, and Christ their own Re- deemer and Head, and that those are their own ever- lastino. habitation, and that there they must abide and be happy for ever; how could they choose but be transported with the fore - thoughts thereof! If a Chris- tian could but look upon the sun, moon, or stars, and reckon all his own in Christ, and say, "These are the blessings that my Lord hath procured nie, and things incomparably greater than these ;" what holy raptures would his spirit feel ! § 12. The more do they sin against their own com- forts, as well as against the grace of the gospel, who plead for their unbelief, and cherish distrustful thoughts of God, and injurious thoughts of their Redeemer ; who represent the covenant, as if it were of works, and not of grace ; and Christ as an enemy, rather than a Sa- viour; as if he were willing they should die in their unbelief, when he bath invited them so often, and so affectionately, and suffered the agonies that they should suffer. Wretches that we are ! to be keeping up jealousies of our Lord, when we should be rejoicing
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