State III. points foever men differ from us, in their judgment or way: yet if they appear to agree with us, in love to God, and our Saviour Jefus Chrift, and in bearing his image; we will love them as brethren, if we ourselves be of the heavenly family. And, (3.) If this love be in us, the more grace any perfon appears to be poffeffed of, he will be the more beloved by us. The more vehemently the holy fire of grace doth flame in any, the hearts of true Chriftians will be the more warmed in love to them. It is not with the faints as with many other men, who make themselves the standard for others and love them fo far as they think they are like themfelves. But, if they feem to out-fhine, and darken them, their love is turned to hatred and envy; and they endeavour to detract from the due praise of their exemplary piety; because nothing relifheth with them in the practice of religion, that goes beyond their own meafure what of the life and power of religion appears in others, ferves only to raise the ferpentine grudge in their Pharifaical hearts. But, as for them that are born again; their love and affection to the brethren, bears proportion to the degrees of the divine image they difcern in them.

Now, if ye would improve these things to the knowledge of your ftate, I would advife you, (1.) To fet apart fome time, when ye are at home, for a review of your cafe, and try your ftate, by what has been faid. Many have comfort and clearness as to their ftate, at a fermon; who in a little time lofe it again: becaufe, while they hear the word preached, they make application of it; but do not confider of these things more deliberately and leifurely when alone. The action is too fudden and fhort, to give lafting comfort. And it is often fo indeliberate, that it has bad confequences. Therefore, fet about this work at home, after earnct and fericus prayer to God for his help in it. Complain not of your want of time, while the night follows the bufy day; or of place, while the fields and out-houfes are to be got. (2.) Renew your repentance before the Lord. Guilt lying on the confcience, unrepented of, may darken all your evidences and marks of grace. It provokes the Spirit of grace to depart; and when he goes, our light ceafes. It is not fit time for a faint to read his evidences, when the candle is blown out by fome confcience-wounding guilt. Loftly, Exert the powers of the new nature; let the graces of the divine Spirit in you, difcover themselves by action. If ye would know whether there is a facred fire in your breaft, or not, ye mult blow the coal: for altho' it be, and be a live-coal; yet if it be under the aihes, it will give you no light. Settle in your hearts a firm purpofe, thro' the grace that is in Chrift Jefus, to comply with every known duty, and watch against every known fin, having a readiness of mind, to be inftructed in what ye know not. gracious fouls would thus manage their inquiries into their state; it is likely, they would have a comfortable iffue. And if others would take fuch a folemn review and make trial of their ftate im

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partially, fifting themselves before the tribunal of their own coniciences; they might have a timely difcovery of their own naughtinefs; but the neglect of self-examination leaves moft men under fad delufions, as to their flate; and deprives many faints of the comfortable fight of the grace of God in them.

But that I may afford fome further help to true Chriftians, in their inquiries into their state; I fhall propofe and briefly anfwer fome cafes or doubts, which may poffibly hinder fome perfons from the comfortable view of their happy ftate. The children's bread must not be with held; tho' while it is reached to them, the dogs

fhould fnatch at it.

CASE II doubt if I be regenerate, because I know not the precife time of my converfion; nor can I trace the particular "teps, in the way in which it was brought to pafs." Anf. Tho' it is very defireable, to be able to give an account of the beginning and, the gradual advances of the Lord's work upon our fouls, as fome fains can diftinctly do, (howbeit the manner of the Spirit's working is fill a mystery) yet this is not neceffary to evidence the truth of grace. Happy he that can fay, in this cafe, as the blind man in the gospel, One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now Ifee. Likeas when we fee flames, we know there is fire; tho' we know not how or when it began: fo the truth of grace in us may be difcerned: tho' we know not how, or when, it was dropt into our hearts. If thou canst perceive the happy change, which is wrought on thy foul: if thou findeft thy mind is enlightned, thy will inclined to comply with the will of God in all things; efpecially to fall in with the divine plan of falvation thro' a crucified Redeemer: in vain doft thou trouble thyfelf, and refufe comfort, because thou knoweft not how and what way it was brought about. CASE II. "If I were a new creature, fin could not prevail against me as it doth." Anf. Tho' we must not lay pillows for hypocrites to reft their heads upon, who indulge themselves in their fins, and make the doctrine of God's grace fubfervient to their lufts, lying down contentedly in the bond of iniquity, like men that are fond of golden chains: yet it must be owned, the just man falleth feven times a-day, and iniquity may prevail against the child. ren of God. But, if thou art groaning under the weight of the body of death, the corruption of thy nature; loathing thyfelf for the fins of thy heart and life; striving to mortify thy lufts; fleeing daily to the blood of Chrift for pardon; and looking to his Spirit for fanctification: tho' thou mayft be obliged to fay with the Pfalmift, Iniquities prevail against me? Yet thou mayeft add with him, As for our tranfgreffions, thou shalt purge them away, Pfal. Ixv. The new creature doth not yet poffefs the house alone: it dwells befide an ill neighbour; namely, remaining corruption, the reliques of depraved nature. Thefe ftruggle together for the maftery: The flash lufteth against the spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, Gal. v. 1. And fometimes corruption prevails, bringing the child

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of God into captivity to the law of fin, Rom vii. 23. Let not therefore the prevailing of corruption, make thee in this cafe conclude thou art none of God's children: but let it humble thee to be the more watchful, and to thirst the more intenfely after Jefus Chrift, his blood and Spirit; and that very difpofition will evidence a principle of grace in thee, which feeks the deftruction of fin, that prevails fo often against thee.

CASE III." I find the motions of fin in my heart more violent, "fince the Lord began his work on my foul, than they were be "fore that time. Can this confift with a change of my nature?" Anf Dreadful is the cafe of many, who, after God has had a remarkable dealing with their fouls, tending to their reformation, have thrown off all bonds; and have become grofly and openly immoral and profane; as if the devil had returned into their hearts, with seven spirits worse than himself. All I shall fay to fuch per fons is, that their ftate is exceeding dangerous: they are in danger of finning against the Holy Ghoft: therefore let them repent, before it be too late. But if it be not thus with you: tho' corruption is beftirring itself more violently than formerly, as if all the forces of hell were raised, to hold faft, to bring back a fugitive; I fay, thefe ftirrings may confift with a change of your nature. When the restraint of grace is newly laid upon corruption, it is no won der if this last acts more vigorously than before, warring against the law of the mind, Rom. vii. 23. The motions of fin may really be most violent; when a new principle is brought in to caft it out. And, as the fun, fending its beams through the window, difcovers the motes in the house, and their motions, which were not feen before: fo the light of grace may difcover the rifing and actings of corruption, in another manner than ever the man faw them before; tho' they really do not rife nor act more vigorously. Sin is not quite dead in the regenerate foul, it is but dying; and, dying a lingering death, being crucified, no wonder there be great fightings, when it is fick at the heart, and death is at the door. Befides temptations may be more in number, and ftronger, while Satan is ftriving to bring you back who are escaped, than while he endeavoured only to retain you: After ye were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of afflictions, fays the Apostle, to the Hebrews, chap. x. 32. But caft not away your confidence, ver. 34. Remember his grace is fufficient for you, and the God of peace will bruife Satan under your feet hortly. Pharaoh and his Egyptians never made fuch a formidable appearance against the Ifraelites, as at the Red-fea, after they were brought out of Egypt: but then were the purfuers nearest to a total overthrow, Exod. xiv. Let not this cafe therefore make you razt your foundations: but be ye emptied of yourfelves, and strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; and ye fhall come off victorious. CASE IV. "But when I compare my love to God, with my love "to fome created enjoyments, I find the pulfe of my affections "beat stronger to the creature than the Creator. How then can

"I call him father? Nay, alas! thefe turnings of heart within me, and glowings of affection to him, which fometimes I had, are gone; fo that I fear, all the love I ever had to the LORD, "has been but a fit and flash of affection, fuch as hypocrites often "have." Anf. It cannot be denied, that the predominant love of the world, is a certain mark of an unregenerate ftate, 1 John ii. 15. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Nevertheless, thefe are not always the strongest affections, which are most violent. A man's affection may be more moved on fome oc-cafions by an object that is little regarded, than by another, that is exceedingly beloved; even as a little brook fometimes makes a greater noife than a great river. The strength of our affections is to be measured by the firmnefs and fixeduefs of the root: not by the violence of their actings. Suppofe a perion meeting with a friend who has been long abroad, finds his affection more vehemently acting toward his friend on that occafion, than towards his own wife and children; will he therefore fay that he loves his friend more than them? Surely no. Even fo, although the Chrif tian may find himself more moved in his love to the creature, than in his love to God; yet he is not therefore to be faid to love the creature more than God; feeing love to God is always more firmly rooted in a gracious hear, than love to any created enjoyment whatfoever; as appears when competition arifes in fuch a manner, that the one or the other is to be forgone. Would you then know your cafe? Retire into your own hearts, and there lay the two in the balance, and try which of them weighs down the other. Afk chyfelf, as in the fight of God, whether thou wouldst part with Chrift for the creature, or part with the creature for Chrift, if thou were left to thy choice in the matter? If you find your heart difpofed to part with what is dearest to you in the world for Chrift, at his call; you have no reason to conclude you love the creature more than God; but on the contrary, that you love God more than the creature; albeit you do not feel fuch violent motions in the love of God, as in the love of fome created thing, Matth. x. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. Luke xiv. 26. If any man come to me, and hate not his father and mother, he cannot be my difciple. From which texts compared, we may infer, that he who hates, i. e. is ready to part with father and mother for Chrift, is, in our Lord's account, one that loves them lefs than him; and not one who loves father and mother more than him. Moreover, ye are to confider there is a twofold love to Chrift. (1.) There is a fenfible love to him, which is felt as a dart in the heart; and makes a holy love-fickness in theul, arifing either from want of enjoyment, as in the cafe of the fpoufe, Cant. v. 8. I charge you, O daughters of Jerufalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am fick of love: or elfe from the ful nefs of it, as in that cafe, Cant. ii. 5. Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am fick of love. Thefe glowings of affections

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State III. are ufually wrought in young converts, who are ordinarily made to fing in the day of their youth, Hof. ii. 14. While the fire-edge is upon the young convert, he looks upon others, reputed to be godly, and not finding them in fuch a temper and difpofition as himself, he is ready to cenfure them; and think there is far lefs religion in the world, than indeed there is. But when his own cup comes to fettle below the brim, and he finds that in himself, which made him question the state of others, he is more humbled, and feels more and more the neceffity of daily recourfe to the blood of Chrift for pardon, and to the Spirit of Chrift for fanctification; and thus grows downwards in humiliation; felf-loathing, and felf-denial. (2.) There is a rational love to Chrift, which, without thefe fenfible emotions felt in the former cafe, evidences itself by a dutiful regard to the divine authority and command. When one bears fuch a love to Chrift, tho' the vehement stirrings of affection be wanting, yet he is truly tender of offending a gracious God; endeavours to walk before him unto all pleafing; and grieved at the heart, for what is difpleasing unto him, 1 John v. 3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. Now, although that fenfible love doth not always continue with you: yet ye have no reason to account it a hypocritical fit, while the rational love remains with you, more than a faithful and loving wife needs queftion her love to her husband, when her fondness is abated.

CASE V. The attainments of hypocrites and apoftates are a terror to me, and come like a fhaking ftorm on me, when I am about to "conclude from the marks of grace which I feem to find in myself, "that I am in the ftate of grace. Anf. These things fhould indeed ftir us up to a moft ferious and impartial examination of ourselves; but ought not to keep us in a continued fufpenfe as to our state. Sirs, ye fee the outfide of hypocrites, their duties, their gifts, their tears, &c. but ye fee not their infide; ye do not difcern their hearts, the bias of their spirits. Upon what ye fee of them, ye found a judgment of charity, as to their ftate; and ye do well to judge charitably in fuch a cafe, because ye cannot know the fecret fprings of their actings: But ye are speaking, and ought to have a judgment of certainty, as to your own ftate; and therefore are to look in to that part of religion, which none in the world but yourselves can difcern in you; and which ye can as little fee in others. An hypocrite's religion may appear greater than that of a fincere foul: but, that which makes the greatest figure in the eyes of men, is often leaft worth before God. I would rather utter one of thefe groans the Apoftle fpeaks of, Rom. viii. 26. than thed Efau's tears, have Balaam's prophetic fpirit, or the joy of the ftony ground hearers. The fire that thall try every man's work, will try, not of what bulk it is, but of what fort it is, 1 Cor. iii. 13. Now, ye may know what bulk of religion another has: and what tho' it be more bulky than your own? God doth not regard that: Why then do you make fuch a matter of it? It is impoffible for you, without divine revelation, certainly to know of what fort another man's

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