Dire&. XIII. Of .SanEli tcation. 251 more (tripes; becaufe they place their religion and falvation chiefly in the knowledge of their Lord's will, and in their ability to talk and difpute of it, without preparing themfelves to do according there- unto, Luke xii. 47. Much lefs are you to place your religion, and hope of falvation, in a daily talk of reading chapters, or repeating fermons, without un- derftanding more than the Papifts do their leffons in the Latin rnafs, and canonical hours; as fad experi- ence fheweth, that many feemingly devout and fre- quent hearers of the word, do notwithftanding re- main in lamentable and wonderful ignorance of the faring truth. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Efaias, " that in hearing, they (hall hear, and not underifand : and, in feeing, they fhall fee." &c. Matth. xiii. 14, t 5. 2. Another means to be ufed diligently for the promoting the life of faith, is, examination of our (tate and ways according to the word ; whether we be, at prefent, in a ftate of fin and wrath, or of grace and falvation; that, ifwe be in a ftate of fin, we may know our Geknefs, and come to the great Phylcian, while it is called today; and, if we be in a (tate of grace, we may know that we are of the truth, and affare our hearts before God, with the greater confidence, by the teftimony of a good con - fcience, t John iii. 19, 21. that fo our hearts may be more ftrongly comforted by faith, and eftablifhed in every good work : and that, if our ways be evil, we tnayturn from them to the Lord our God through Chrift ; without whom none cometh to the rather, Lam. iii. 43. John xiv. 6. But your great care, in this work of felf- examination, muff be, to perform it in fuch a manner, that it may not hinder and de- ftroy the life offaith, as it doth in many, inifead of promoting it. Therefore beware, left you truft up- on your felf-examination, rather than upon Chrift ; as forme do, that think they have made their peace with Gods merely becaufe they have examined them- Ii
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