$acT.I. ------ .,..4,,,,,4+. .4-44444044. A T R E A T I S E GRACE and ASSURANCE; Being CXX. SERMONS. SECT. I° TheDoctrine of Affurance andSignes. SERMON I. Hoer nece f fary and advantagions the Aßurance of our being in the Bate ofGrace ás. a Co R. 13.5. Examine your felves whether ye be in the faith, prove your own (elves, &c. Pßá He Church of Corinth, though it was a Garden immediat- ly pkrnted by the Apoftles, yet quickly was filled with noifome weeds, whereupon the Apoltle threatens it with fevereDifcipline, if they repent not; Ecclefiaflical Di- fcipline being in the Church,as the Sword is inthe Com- monwealth. The Corinthians dillafte this feverity, and queftion his Apoflolical power and authority : Love to mens hafts, and a defire of fecurity in them, rather then any folid Arguments, make men queftion the 7114 Divinum of Chrifts iafhtu- tions. The Apofile proveth his Calling by that fpirisual fuccefs and power- full efficacy which his Word had among chem,and therefore inftead ofproving and examining him,he commands thm to try their own (elves. This very Argu- ment may the faithful) Minifters of God in Englandufe againft manywho now condemntheir Calling. I n the words youhave a Duty enjoyned. a. Theobjeti matter ofit, Which is illuftrated from an abfurd confequent, ifthis dutybe neg mine aur(clves, The Duty is let home in two emphatical words eve y andJg`-a`h Proveyour (elver. The formerword doth inthe generallgnifie to take an experimental knowledge of any thing that is either uncertain, un- inown or hidden. Hence that knowledge whichwe have by general arguments anti abftrafted reafons, cannot be called are') anexperimental knowledge. Now der aufe,befides the bare knowledge, there may be altoa good end or bad pro- pounded in examination, therefore in an illfenfe the word is applied tothedevil and his inftruments, and in a good fenfe to God, and here in theText to our felvcs. It is further to be obferved, that chefe words do imply that men are greyt ítrangers to themfelves, and that fo much felf-love Both blinde them, that they knownot themfelves. Again, Thefe words alto imply thatthere are cer- t; tain l darks and Signs, whereby a manmay come certainly to know what he is, other-
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