6 ) An Enquiry after a mans eftate. dy ? how much more in curing the ficknelTe of the foul? Now from the text it felt withan: any cutting up of the words,we may gather four propofitions r. That there is an eftate that every man is in,either an eflate of grace.Ór an eftate of fin. a. That this frate may be known, 3. That every man fhould be willing to have his eftate exa- mined, that it may be known whether it be good or no. 4. That a man can never have true comfort till it be known that he is in a good eftate. r. Ob. r. For the firft, That there is an eftate that every one is in, ferva. either of grace or fin; Se this in Simon illag,r, : I perceive,faith Ads 8. a; S. Peter, thou art in the gall of bitterneffe and in the bond of ini- quity. See; he telleth him what eftate he was in, viz, a very bad elfate, in a defperate and damnable condition. In this frate of fin and mifèry are all they that are not renewed by Chrift Jefus, Ikom.:6.7 And for the other fee an example, Rom. 16. q. Salate Rufus vbofen in the Lord: the text there telleth us what eftate he was in, a very good eftate; He was a man in Chrift , a choife man, that is, a man in the frate of grace and falvation. In this eftate mall they that are called and fanéh led and made new crea- tures unto God. Every man is in one ofthe two effaces: there is no middle efface which is neither the one nor the other , but in one of there two are all the whole world. The reafon is, I s. From,everlafting the world was divided onely into two ranks,either Ele6k or Reprobates, a. Here in this life the world is divided onely into two com- panies, either godly or ungodly, Match. zq. 3. At the day of judgment the Lord will divide the whole ;z. world onely into two forts, either Sheep or Goats. a. Pro. II, For the fecond propofit ion, This eftate may be known : Eleftionp Efpeciallyevery man may come to the knowledge of his own may be eftate before God, I do not fay that every man may know known. whether he be eleft or reprobate : yet this I fay too That a godly foul may know that it is ele&ed to life. The Apoffle ex. horteth all that are godly to give diligence to make their eleilinn ____fore,
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