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Job,

3,

to.

Rom

3

,

x

i

vfe

4.

Of

Ex-

hortati-

on.

An

Enquiry

after

a

mans

eflate,

2.

Prefumption

is

another

impediment.

Men

pray and hear

and

do other

good

duties, and

fo

take

all

to

be

well

without

ferious

examining. This

was

the

cafe

of

the

Laodicean

people

They

thought

they had

that

in

them

which

they

had

not,

and

that

their eftate

was

good,

when it

was

nothing

fo.

Another

let are

the

cares

of

this

life

.

Whereby the heart

is

fo

occupied

that

it

doth not

find

time

to

fearch

its

own eftate,

Therefore

our

Saviour faith,

lake

heed

that

your hearts

be

not

over

-

charged with

the

cares

of

this life,

left

that

they

come upon

you

unawarer

:

intimating

that

theíè

cares

are

great

lets

from

confidering our eftates.

4,

Another let

is

an evil

confcience, which

affrighteth

a

man

fo

loon

as

he

beginneth

to

ftirre,

and

maketh

him

afraid

to

go

on

to look

foundly

into

his

elate,

He

that

loth evil

hateth

the

light.

5.

Another

let

is

ignorance. There

is

none

that

underftand-

eth,

none

that

feeke.

t

h

after

god. Mark

;

they did

not

leek in

what

cafe

they

flood

before

God,

becaufe

they

did

not

under-

fland.

_

6.

Another let

is,fpiritual

cloth

and fluggifhnefle

ofheart.Men

cannot endure

to

take

pains

with

their own hearts

til they have

made out

a

true

judgment

in

what

cafe

they

are

:

They begin

and quickly

give

over;

and

fo

for want

of

diligence and painf-

taking make

nothing

lure.

The

)aft

ufe

is

for exhortation

:

That

all men

would beflirre

them

felves

and

fet

in

earneft

upon

this

enquiry,That

we may

e-

very one

know

in

what

flare

«

-e

(land,

r.

Confider,

this

is

an

enquiry about

our

fouls.

We

enquire

obout

our

outward

man

,about

the

efiate

of

our

bodies and

worldly

affairs,

&c.

Oh,

let

us

not

neglel

this main

enquiry,

e.1m

l

in

Chrift,yea

or

no

?4m

I

a nett creature,yea

or no

?

Doth

my

fbul

live

to

God or

no':'

2.

Confider, this

is

a

queflion about our everlafling

eftate.

We

can

never

have

comfort

until)

we

have

put

this out

of

que-

flion

:

and

therefore

this

is a

que-lion

which

all

queflions

mua

give

way

unto.

If

ye be

not

in

Chrifl,

ye had need lay

afide