An Enquiry after a anan f el ate. the can never look well toyohe ftatie of thy f that and lool¿I ['toy. a7. in Proverbs, be diligent to well to thy herds. Where the wife man firft requireth that we zs, fhould look well to our Rocks, and then diredeth us in the man- ner how,viz. by being diligent to know their eftate how it ffandeth with them. Secondly, we are Gods labourers;and we muli know in what eftate our work ftandeth : elle we may labour and labour and all in vain ; we may preach and exhort and call upon our peo I ple tohear and believe,and obey;and all this may lfill.be in vain, I I if we do not enquire in what eftate they are. This is the -rea- fon why Paul could not forbear fending and enquiring how it 1 Thec 3, flood with the TetTalonians, in what e&ate they were in, how s. it went with their faith, whether they kept it or no , left the tempter had tempted them, and his labour ítrould have been in vain; for fo it had been for all his preaching and teaching them if they had not been in a good eftate : therefore he lent to know. Thirdly, we are to take the care and the charge of your fouls: 3 Now then how can we be quiet if we do not know in what e- Rate your fouls be ? A good father cannot be at quiet if he do notknow how it is with his children : How if they thould be lick ? how if undone ? Oh it would comfort a good father to know his bhildren to be in good cafe : But if it were otherwife with them, though it would grieve him much,yet he had rather know it then not ; for if he know it he can better tell what to do. So it was with the Apoflle; his very bowels yerned upon the Philippians, Oh my pore people, thought he, I wonder what eft ate they be in. How if they totter ? how if theymifcarry ? how if the Devil have tempted them to fin and apoftatize? how if they be in trouble of confcience ? He could never be at quiet till he, knew their eflare : I craft in the Lord 'epee, faith he, to fendTi- mothetet Jhortly unto you, that I alto may be of good comfort when it your ould comfort his heart to care of their know what eRate they there- fore tn. B 2 Fourthly 3 Phil.z,r9
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