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2S4k,
ORDINARY WITNESS
OF
THE
SPIRIT.
[DISC.
xt.,
and activity
as
in
time
bast.
Perhaps
by
this
means
you
may discern
a
sensible growth
in
grace and
you may
find.
abundant
advantage, worth
all
the care and
labour of
self-examination
;
or
if
you
find
decays and backslidings,
it
will
awaken
repentance
and
zeal
toward
a recovery.
2.
In
this searching work keep
aloof
from carnal self
love.
When
you
call
yourselves
to
an account, set your
-.
Selves
before the
bar
of
your
own
consciences, as before
the
bar of God.;
for conscience
is
a,
}udge
for
God
with
-.
in
us.
Pass an impartial sentence concerning your
-.
selves,
even
such
as
you
suppose God himself
would
pass,
if
you were now
summoned befóre
his
tribunal.
Suffer
not yourselves now
to
be
biassed by
the esteem
or
the fondness
that
we all
have
naturally for
ourselves..
The matter
is
too important, the enquiry too
solemn
and,
awful,
for you to indulge
self- flattery.
It
will
be
no
pro-
fit
to
deceive
your
souls in this work, for you
cannot
deceive
God.
Come therefore and apply yourselves to
'this.
holy exercise,.
with
an unbiassed design to
pronounce
concerning
yourselves
vhatever
you
find
the
wórd
of
God
pronounces concerning
you.
3.
Trust
not
merely
to
your
own
spirits,
without
earn-
est
prayer for
the assistance
of
the Spirit
of God
;
Jer.
xvii.
g.
The
heart
is
deceitful
above
-all
things
:Who
can
know
it
?
Therefore David
prays
importunately, as
we have
before
observed,
that God
would
search
him_nnd
try
him;
Ps. cxxxix.
i'3,
.
Beg
of
the
Lord that
he
would
nbt
suffer
you
to
be
deceived,
when you
set about
this searching work
;-
for it
is
a
matter of
most
high
con-
cern. A mistake here
is
dangerous,
and
it
may
be
for
ever
fatal.
4.
When
you
find
any
character
of
adoption
made to
appear
with
strong evidence
non
your
souls,
be
not ut-
terly discouraged
though you do
not
find
all the
charac-
ters of grace there.
It
is
true indeed, where
there
is
a new
nature and a
divine
principle
Wrought
in
the
heart, there are the
seeds
of
every
holy
disposition; but
they
do
not
all
arise to an
equal strength,
nor
stand forth
and
shine with
equal
evi-
dence.
The Spirit
of God
may
sometimes witness with
your
spirits, though
but
one mark
of adoption appear
plainly,
while
others are not
so
easily discovered.
A
single bough
of
the tree
of
life
has
upheld
souls from