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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,