2
An
Enquiry
after
a
mans
eflate.
Rem,
i6.
Parsl;and
he
relleth
us
in
what
eflateApelles
was
in
before
God,
is.
namely,
in
an
estate
of
approbation,
approved
in
Christ.
And
the
fame
Apoftle fpeaketh on the
contrary
of
the unconverted
Gentiles,
that they
were
firrangrers
stop; the life
of
God,
Ephef.4
Ephef.
4'
t
F.
Secondly,
as
it
is
a
relation unto
God,
fo
it
is a
ftanding re-
18'
lation
:That
wherein
he
ftandeth towards
God
,
that
is a
mans
eflate before
God. There
is
a
difference
between one
that
doth
fin
and
one
that
is
in
the
{}ate
of
fin:
A
child
of
God
may
fin,
but
he
is
not
in
a
Date
of
fin;you
cannot
call
him
a
wicked
man,
So
allo
there
is
difference
between
one
that
doth
fame
good
actions
and
one
that
is
in a
good
eftate
:
A
carnal! man may
do
lame
good
things,
but
he
is
not
in
a
good
eftate, The eflate
of
a
man
is
a
{landing
thing, it
is
the
relation that
he
flandeth
in
towards
God.
Thirdly,
It
is
the relation
that
a
man
ftandeth
in
towards
God
as he is
the
free fountain of ¡
irituall
Efe
a.rsd
fal-
vation.
It
is
not
every
ftanding relation
towards
God
For
a
man may
be
confidered
in
relation to
God
as
a
Creatour,
and
,fo
the
heavens and
the earth
and
the
very
brute
beafts
ítand
in
relation
to
God
as
they
are his
creatures;
but they have
not
this
eftate
that
we fpeak
of,
which
is
a
relation
to God
as
the free
giver
of
fpirituall
life
and falvation.
(He
is
free,
he
may choose
whether
he
will
give
it
or no.) Now
this
is a
mans
eftate, the
relation
he
flandeth
in
unto
God,whether
the Lord hath
given
him his
laving grace,
yea
or
no
;
fpirituall
life
in
Chrifl
J
efus,
yea
or no; title to
heaven and
faivation, yea
or
no
?
this
is
the
meaning
when we (peak
of
a
mans
eftate.
It
is
laid
of
Sodom,
Gem
13.
They
»»ere
fanners
before God
:
that
is,
they were
in
a
bad eflate,.
L3
kc
r.
G.
a
{fate
of
fin.
It
is
faid
of
Zachary
and
elizabeth,They
»vere
both
Objèrv.
righteoats
before
God;
that
is,
they were
both
in
a
very
good
Mini{ters
Date,
are
to en
All Chriflians believe
that
there
is
a
God
:
It
behoveth
eve
-
qu.re
after ry
one
now to
confider
in
what eftate
he
ftandeth
to
his
God..
the
edtate
This
is a
great queítion
that
we which
are Minifters ought
to
pop
er
demand
of
our people,
to know
their
eftates.
Rea
ons.
Firfl,
becaufe
we
are
Shepherds, and are bound
to
look
well
f
how it
ítandcth
with
ourflock,If
we
do
not
labor
to
knowyour
eftates,