AnEnquiry after a manse ate. canye k. oro ? No? then your egate is very bad: find out force good toke s in you except yoube reprobates.This command makes it a clear duty. But a fécond reat'on to prove it our duty to enquire what elate we are in, is, becaufe without the knowledge thereofwe can never have any true peace in our confciences : The confci- ence :Huff needs bewithout peace, io long as we are ignorant ofwhat eftate we are in : Beingjuftified by faith we havepeace with cod through our Lord?efus Orig. Firit the Apoltle (hew- eth their estate ; they were in a Efate ofyuf ification : and from the knowledge thereof they had Peace. We are bound to get true peace to our confciences ; Oh, what a lamentable maze are we in till our confciences. have peace?and this they cannot haveuntill we are fully acquainted in what cafe we ítand before God: Acquaint thy (èlfwithGodand heat peace. 3. Thirdly, we can never be fit for any dutyof Gods wor- (hip, as long aswe know not what eitate we are in : Wecan never be fit forany holy duty to beare, pray, receive the Sacra- ment : Let a man examinehimfelfe andfo let him eat, &c. Fir{t, he mutt examine in what estate he is before he can be fit for that high fervice. So for repentance : Let us /earch and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord: firít find our felves in an ill eflate, and then So for joy ; it is a duty to rejoyce in the Lord : But we are never fit for re}oycing, till we have proved what &ítate we are in : Let ev'rJ man prove his own arorh_ o"hall he have rejoycing. We can never'he fit for any duty until( we know in what citatewe are in becaufeevery dirty varieth ac- cording as the estate ofevery man is.To inítance in prayer ; He that is not in the 'lateof grace mull pray one way and he that is in the 'late of salvation mull pray anotl.er way : the one that he may be converted and brought home to God ; the o- ther that he may be ftrengthned and .inc.ea{ d ingrace. And fo for the duty ofbearing, &c. The íecond Life is for direction to let us underhand by what means we may know what eílate we are in, There be foure means to know this. C 2 Roani 5. a. I.Cor.II. 28. Lain. 3,4o Gal. 6.4. Vfe of Di. rec`lion.
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