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A30141 The doctrine of the law and grace unfolded, or, A discourse touching the law and grace the nature of the one and the nature of the other, shewing what they are as they are the two covenants ... wherein for the better understanding of the reader there is several questions answered touching the law and grace ... : also several titles set over the several truths contained in this book, for thy sooner finding of them, which are those following the epistle / published by that poor and contemptible creature, John Bunyan of Bedford. Bunyan, John, 1628-1688. 1685 (1685) Wing B5515; ESTC R34390 174,865 361

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little Excellency in Christ and doth all this stir up in thy Heart some breathings after him If so then fear not the Day of Grace is not past with thy poor Soul for if the day of Grace should be past with such a Soul as this then that Scripture must be broken where Christ saith He that cometh unto me I will in no wise for no thing by no means upon no terms whatsoever cast out John 6. 37. Object But surely if the day of Grace was not past with me I should not be so long without an answer of Gods love to my Soul that therefore doth make me mistrust my state the more is that I wait and wait and yet am not delivered Answ. Hast thou waited on the Lord so long as the Lord hath waited on thee it may be the Lord hath waited on thee this twenty or thirty yea forty years or more and thou hast not waited on him seven years cast this into thy Mind therefore when Satan tells thee that God doth not love thee because thou hast waited so long without an assurance for it is his temptation for God did wait longer upon thee and was fain to send to thee by his Ambassadors time after time And therefore say thou I will wait to see what the Lord will say unto me and the rather because he will speak Peace for he is the Lord thereof But secondly Know that it is not thy being under trouble a long time that will be an Argument sufficient to prove that thou art past hopes Nay contrariwise for Jesus Christ did take our Nature upon him and also did undertake deliverance for those and bring it in for them who were all their Life Time subject to Bondage Heb. 2. 14 15. Object But alas I am not able to wait all my Strength is gone I have waited so long I can wait no longer Answ. It may be thou hast concluded on this long ago thinking thou shouldest not be able to hold out any longer no not a year a month or a week nay it may be not so long It may be in the morning thou hast thought thou shouldest not hold out till night and at night till morning again yet the Lord hath supported thee and kept thee in waiting upon him many Weeks and Years therefore that is but the Temptation of the Devil to make thee think so that he might drive thee to despair of Gods Mercy and so to leave off following the ways of God and to close in with thy Sins again O therefore do not give way unto it but believe that thou shalt see the Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living Wait on the Lord be of good Courage and he shall strengthen thine Heart wait I say on the Lord Psal. 27. 23 24. And that thou mayest so do consider these things First If thou after thou hast waited thus long shouldest now give over and wait no longer thou wouldest lose all thy time and pains that thou hast taken in the way of God hitherto and wilt be like to a man that because he sought long for Gold and did not find it therefore turned back from seeking after it though he was hard by it and had almost found it and all because he was loth to look and seek a little further Secondly Thou wilt not only lose thy time but also lose thy own Soul for Salvation is no where else but in Jesus Christ Acts 4. 12. Thirdly Thou wilt sin the highest sin that ever thou didst sin before in drawing finally back insomuch that God may say my Soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10. 38. But secondly consider thou sayest all my strength is gone and therefore how should I wait why at that time when thou feelest and findest thy strength quite gone even that is the time when the Lord will renew and give thee fresh strength The youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with Wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isa. 40. 30 31. Object But though I do wait yet if I be not elected to eternal Life what good will all my waiting do me For it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but of God that sheweth Mercy Therefore I say if I should not be elected all is in vain 1 Answ. Why in the first place to be sure thy backsliding from God will not prove thy election neither thy growing weary of waiting upon God 2 Answ. But secondly Thou art it may be troubled to know whether thou art elected And sayest thou if I did but know that that would encourage me in my waiting on God Answ. I believe thee but mark thou shalt not know thy election in the first place but in the second That is to say thou must first get acquaintance with God in Christ which doth come by thy giving credit to his Promises and Records which he hath given of Jesus Christ his Blood and Righttousness together with the rest of his Merits That is before thou canst know whether thou art elected thou must believe in Jesus Christ so really that thy faith laying hold of and drinking and eating the Flesh and Blood of Christ even so that there shall be life begotten in thy Soul by the same Life from the condemnings of the Law Life from the guilt of Sin Life over the filth of the same Life also to walk with God in his Son and wayes the Life of Love to God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son Saints and Wayes and that because they are Holy Harmless and such that are altogether contrary to Iniquity For these things must be in thy Soul as a forerunner of thy being made acquainted with the other God hath these two ways to shew to his Children their election First by Testimony of the Spirit That is the Soul being under trouble of Conscience and grieved for Sin the Spirit doth seal up the Soul by its comfortable Testimony perswading of the Soul that God for Christs sake hath forgiven all those Sins that lye so heavy on the Conscie●ce and that do so much perplex the Soul by shewing it that that Law which doth utter such horrible curses against it is by Christs Blood satisfied and fulfilled Eph. 1. 13 14. Secondly By consequence that is the Soul finding that God hath been good unto it in that he hath shewed it its lost state and miserable condition and also that he hath given it some comfortable hope that he will save it from the same I say the Soul from a right sight thereof doth or may draw this conclusion that if God had not been minded to have saved it he would not have done for it such things as these But for the more surer dealing with thy Soul it is not good to take any of these apart that is it is
upon the house of Jehu Hos. 1. 4. Seventhly Men may hear and fear the servants of the Lord and reverence them very highly yea and when they 〈◊〉 they may not only hear but hear and do and that gladly too not one or two things but many mark many things gladly and yet be lost and yet be damned see Mar 6. 20. For Herod feared John why not because he had any civil power over him but because he was a just man and holy and observed him and when he heard him he did many things and heard him gladly it may be that thou thinkest that because thou hearest such and such therefore thou art better than thy neighbours but know for certain that thou mayest not only hear but thou mayest hear and do and that not with a backward will but gladly mark gladly and yet be Herod still an enemy to the Lord Jesus still consider this I pray you 2. But Secondly To the second thing which is this How far may such a one go to what may such a one attain whither may he arrive and yet be an undone man under this Covenant Answ. First Such a one may be received into fellowship with the Saints as they are in a visible way of walking one with another they may walk hand in hand together see Mat. 25. 1. where he saith The Kingdom of Heaven that is a visible company of professors of Christ is likened to ten Virgins which took their lamps and went forth to meet the Bridegroom five of them were wise and five were foolish These in the first place are called Virgins that is such as are clear from the pollutions of the world Secondly They are said to go forth that is from the rudiments and traditions of men Thirdly They do agree to take their lamps with them that is to profess themselves the Servants of Jesus Christ that wait upon him and for him and yet when he came he found half of them even them Virgins that had Lamps that also went forth from the pollutions of the world and the customs of men to be such as lost their precious souls see verse 10. which they should not have done had they been under the Covenant of Grace and so not under the Law Secondly They may attain to a great deal of honour in the said company of professors that which may be accounted honour in so much that they may be put in trust with Church Affairs and bear the bag as Judas did I speak not this to shame the Saints but being beloved I warn them yet I speak this on purpose that it might if the Lord will knock at the door of the souls of professors consider Demas Thirdly They may attain to speak of the word as Ministers and become preachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in so much that the people where they dwell may even take up a Proverb concerning them saying Is he among the Prophets his gifts may be so rare his tongue may be so fluent and his matter may be so fit that he may speak with a tongue like an Angel and speak of the hidden mysteries yea of them all mark that 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 3 4. and yet be nothing and yet be none of the Lords anointed ones with the Spirit of grace savingly but may live and die under the Curse of the Law Fourthly They may go yet further they may have the gifts of the Spirit of God which may inable them to cast out Devils to remove the biggest Hills or Mountains in the World nay thou mayest be so gifted as to prephesie of things to come the most glorious things even the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to reign over all his enemies and yet be but a Balaam a wicked and a mad Prophet see 2 Pet. 2. 16. Numb 24. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. Fifthly they may not only stand thus for a while for a little season but they may stand thus till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with his holy Angels I and not be discovered of the Saints till that very day Then all those Virgins arose the wise and the foolish then when why when this voice was heard Behold the Bridegroom cometh go you out to meet him Mat. 25. 1 2 3 4 5 6. and yet was out of the Lord Jesus Christ and yet was under the Law Sixthly Nay further they may not only continue in a profession till then supposing themselves to be under the Grace of the Gospel when indeed they are under the Curse of the Law but even when the Bridegroom is come they may still be so confident of their state to be good that they will even reason out the case with Christ why they are not let into the Kingdom of glory saying Lord Lord have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence and hast not thou taught in our streets Nay further Have not we taught in thy Name and in thy Name cast out devils nay not only this but done many mark we have done many wonderful works nay further they were so confident that they commanded in a commanding way saying Lord open to us See here I beseech you how far these went they thought they had had intimate acquaintance with Jesus Christ they thought he could not chuse but save them they had eat and drunk with him sat at the table with him received power from him executed the same power In thy Name have we done thus and thus even wrought many wonderful works see Mat. 7. 22. Luke 13. 25 26. And yet these poor creatures was shut out of the Kingdom O consider this I beseech you before it be too late lest you say Lord let us come in when Christ saith thrust him out verse 28. Hears you cry Lord open to us when he saith Depart I know you not lest though you think of having joy you have weeping and gnashing of teeth 3. But Thirdly The third thing touched in the question was this What may such a one receive of God who is under the Curse of the Law First They may receive an answer to their Prayers from God at sometimes for some things as they do stand in need of I find in Scripture that God did hear these persons that the Apostle saith was cast out see Gen. 21. 17. And God heard the voice of the Lad even of cast out Ishmael And the Angel of the Lord called to Hagar out of Heaven which was the bond woman and under the Law Gal. 4. 30. and said unto her Fear not for God hath heard the voice of the Lad where he is Friends It may be you may think because you have your prayers answered in some particular things therefore you may suppose that as to your eternal state your condition is very good But you must know that God doth hear the cry of a company of Ishmaelites the sons of the Bond-Woman who are under the Law as a Covenant of Works I do not say he hears them as
for himself as soon as Christ had he been very God as Jesus Christ was For the reason why the posterity of Adam even so many of them as fall short of life must lye broyling in hell to all eternity is this They are not able to give the justice of Gods satisfaction they being not infinite as aforesaid But Christ that is God-man being come an high Priest that is to offer and give satisfaction of good things to comè by a greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands that is to say not of this building Neither by the blood of goats and calves but by his own mark you that but by his own blood he hath entered into the holy place having already obtained eternal redemption for us But how For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of an beifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purging of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit who through the power and vertue of his infinite Godhead offered himself without spot to God purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God And for this cause that is for that he is God as well as man and so able to give justice an infinite satisfaction therefore he is the Mediator of the New Covenant that by the means of his death for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance Heb. 9. 11 12 13 14 15. as I said before Object This is much but is God contented with this Is he satisfied now in the behalf of sinners by this mans thus suffering If he is then how doth it appear Answ. It is evident yea wonderful evident that this hath pleased him to the full as appeareth by these following Demonstrations First In that God did admit him into his presence yea receive him with joy and musick even with the sound of a Trumpet at his ascension into Heaven Psal. 47. 5. and Christ makes it an argument to his Children that his righteousness was sufficient in that he went to his Father and they saw him no more John 16. 10. Of righteousness saith he because I go to my Father 〈◊〉 ye see me no more As if he had said My Spirit shall shew to the world that I have brought in a sufficient righteousness to justifie sinners withal in that when I go to appear in the presence of my Father on their behalf he shall give me entertainment and not throw me down from heaven because I did not do it sufficiently Again If you consider the high esteem that God the father doth set on the death of his Son you will find that he hath received good content thereby When the Lord Jesus by way of complaint told his Father that he and his merits were not valued to the worth his Father answered It is a light thing that I should give thee O my servant to bring Jacob again I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth Isa. 49. 1 2 3 4 5 6. As if the Lord had said My Son I do value thy death at a higher rate then that thou shouldest save the Tribes of Israel only behold the Gentiles the barbarous Heathens they also shall be brought in as the price of thy blood It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant only to bring or redeem the Tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel I will give thee for a light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth Again You may see it also by the carriage of God the Father to all the great sinners to whom mercy was proffered We do not find that God maketh any objection against them that come to him for the pardon of their sins because he did want a satisfaction suitable to the greatness of their sins There was Manasseth who was one that burnt his children in the fire to the devil 2 Chron. 33. from 1. to 12. that used witchcraft that used to worship the host of heaven that turned his back on the word that God sent unto him nay that did worse than the very heathen that God cast out before the children of Israel Also those that are spoken of Acts 19. 19. that did spend so much time in conjuration and the like Acts 8. for such I judge they were that when they came to burn their books they counted the price thereof to be fifty thousand pieces of Silver Simon Magus also that was a Sorcerer and bewitched the whole City yet he had mercy proffered to him once and again I say it was not the greatness of the sins of these sinners no nor of an innumerable company of others that made God at all to object against the salvation of their souls which justice would have constrained him to had he not had satisfaction sufficient by the blood of the Lord Jesus Nay further I do find that because God the Father would not have the merits of his Son to be undervalued I say he doth therefore freely by his consent let mercy be proffered to the greatest sinners in the first place for the Jews that were the worst of men in that day for blasphemy against the Gospel yet the Apostle proffered mercy to them in the first place It is necessary saith he that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you Acts 13. 46. Acts 3. 26. And Christ gave them commission so to do for saith he Let repentance and remission of sins be preached in my name among all nations and begin mark that begin at Jerusalem Luke 24. 47. Let them that but the other day had their hands up to the elbows in my heart blood have the first proffer of my mercy And saith Paul For this cause I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all long-suffering for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting 1 Tim. 15 16. As the Apostle saith those sinners that were dead possessed with the devil and the children of wrath he hath quickned delivered and saved Ephes. 2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. that he might even in the very ages to come shew forth the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us and that through Jesus Christ. Secondly It is evident that that which this man did as a common person he did it compleatly and satisfactorily as appears by the openness as I may so call it which was in the heart of God to him at his resurrection and ascension Ask of me saith he and I will give thee the very heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession Psal. 2. 8. And this was at his resurrection Acts 13. 33. Whereas though he had asked yet if he had not given a full and compleat
Grace through the Redemption that is in Christ whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through Faith in his Blood c. Fourthly How men are to reckon it theirs and that is upon the same terms which God doth offer it which is freely as they are worthless and undeserving Creatures as they are without all good and also unable to do any good This I say is the right way of applying the merits of Christ to thy Soul for they are freely given to thee a poor Sinner nor for any thing that is in thee or done by thee but freely as thou art a Sinner and so standest in absolute need thereof And Christian thou art not in this thing to follow thy sense and feeling but the very Word of God The thing that doth do the People of God the greatest injury it is their too little hearkning to what the Gospel saith and their too much giving credit to what the Law Sin the Devil and Conscience saith and upon this very ground to conclude that because there is the certainty of guilt upon the Soul therefore there is also for certain by Sin Damnation to be brought upon the Soul This is now to set the Word of God aside and to give credit to what is sormed by the contrary but thou must give more credit to one syllable of the written Word of the Gospel than thou must give to all the Saints and Angels in Heaven and Earth much more than to the Devil and thy own guilty Conscience Let me give you a Parable There was a certain man that had committed Treason against his King but for as much as the King had Compassion upon him he sent him by the hand of a faithful Messenger a Pardon under his own Hand and Seal but in the Countrey where this poor man dwelt there was also many that sought to trouble him by often putting of him in mind of his Treason and the Law that was to be executed on the Offender Now which way should this man so honour his King but as believing his Hand-writing which was the Pardon certainly he would honour him more by so doing than to regard all the Clamours of his Enemies continually against him Just thus it is here thou having committed Treason against the King of Heaven he through Compassion for Christs sake hath sent thee a Pardon but the Devil the Law and thy Conscience do continually seek to disturb thee by bringing thy Sins afresh into thy remembrance But now wouldest thou honour thy King why then He that believeth the RECORD that God hath given of his Son hath set to his SEAL that God is true And this is the Record that God hath given to US eternal Life and this Life is in his Son 1 Joh. 5. 11 12. And therefore my Brethren seeing God our Father hath sent us damnable Traitors a Pardon from Heaven even all the Promises of the Gospel and also hath sealed to the certainty of it with the heart-blood of his dear Son let us not be daunted though our Enemies with terrible Voices do bring our former life never so often into our Remembrance Object But saith the Soul how if after I have received a Pardon I should commit Treason again What should I do then Answ. Set the case thou hast committed abundance of Treason he hath by him abundance of Pardons Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Sometimes I my self have been in such a straight that I have been almost driven to my Wits ends with a sight and sense of the greatness of my sins but calling to mind that God was God in his Mercy Pitty and Love as well as in his Holiness Justice c. And again considering the ability of the satisfaction that was given to Holiness and Justice to the end there might be way made for Sinners to lay hold of this Mercy I say I considering this when tempted to doubt and despair I have answered in this manner Lord here is one of the greatest Sinners that ever the the ground bare A Sinner against the Law and a Sinner against the Gospel I have sinned against Light and I have sinned against Mercy and now Lord the guilt of them breaks my heart the Devil also he would have me despair telling of me that thou art so far from hearing my Prayers in this my distress that I cannot anger thee worse then to call upon thee for saith he thou art resolved for ever to damn and not to grant me the least of thy favour yet Lord. I would fain have forgiveness And thy word though much may be inferred from it against me yet it saith If I come unto thee thou wilt in no wise cast me out Lord shall I honour thee most by believing thou canst pardon my Sins or by believing thou canst not Shall I honour thee most by believing thou wilt pardon my Sins or by believing thou wilt not Shall I honour the Blood of thy Son also by despairing that the vertue thereof is not sufficient or by believing that it is sufficient to purge me from all my blood-red and crimson Sins surely thou that couldest find so much Mercy as to pardon Manasseh Mary Magdalen the three thousand Murderers persecuting Paul Murderous and Adulterous David and blaspheming Peter thou that offeredst Mercy to Simon Magus a Witch and didst receive the Astrologers and Conjurers in the nineteenth of Acts thou hast Mercy enough for one poor sinner Lord set the case my Sins were bigger than all these and I less deserved Mercy than any of these yet thou hast said in thy word that he that cometh to thee thou wilt in no wise cast out And God hath given comfort to my Soul even to such a Sinner as I am and I tell you there is no way so to honour God and to beat out the Devil as to stick to the truth of Gods Word and the merits of Christs Blood by believing When Abraham believed even against hope and reason he gave Glory to God Rom. 4. And this is our Victory even our Faith Believe and all things are possible to you He that believeth shall be saved He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my Fathers Hands 1. Joh. 5. 4. And if thou dost indeed believe this thou wilt not only confess him as the Quakers do That is that he was born at Bethlehem of Mary suffered on Mount Calvary under Pontius Pilate was Dead and Buried Rose again and Ascended 〈◊〉 For all this they confess and in the midst of their confession they do verily deny that his Death on that Mount Calvary did give satisfaction to God for the Sins of the World and that his Resurrection out of Josephs Sepulchre is the cause of our Justification in the sight
Man for being their Lord and Saviour and in that it is called the Sin against the holy Ghost It is a Name most fit for this Sin to be called the Sin against the Holy Ghost for these Reasons but now laid down for this Sin is immediately committed against the Motions and Convictions and Light of that Holy Spirit of God that makes it its business to hand forth and manifest the Truth and Reality of the Merits and Vertues of the Lord Jesus the Son of Man And therefore beware Ranters and Quakers for I am sure you are the nearest that Sin by profession which is indeed the right committing of it of any Persons that I do know at this day under the whole Heavens for as much as you will not venture the Salvation of your Souls on the Blood shed on Mount Calvary Luke 23. 33. out of the side of that Man that was offered up in Sacrifice for all that did believe in that his offering up of his Body at that time either before he offered it or that have do or shall believe on it for the time since together with that time that he offered it though formerly you did profess that Salvation was wrought out that way by that Sacrifice then offered and also seemed to have some comfort thereby yea insomuch that some of you declared the same in the hearing of many professing your selves to be believers of the same O therefore it is sad for you that were once thus enlightned and have tasted these good things and yet notwithstanding all your Profession you are now turned from the simplicity that is in Christ to another Doctrine which will be to your destruction if you continue in it for without Blood there is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. Many other Reasons might be given but that I would not be too tedious yet I would put in this Caution that if there be any Souls that be but now willing to venture their Salvation upon the Merits of a Naked Jesus I do verily for the present believe they have not sinned that Sin because there is still a promise holds forth it self to such a Soul where Christ saith He that comes to me I will in no wise for nothing that he hath done cast him out John 6. 36. That promise is worthy to be written in Letters of Gold Object But alas though I should never sin that Sin yet I have other sins enough to Damn me Answ. What though thou had'st the sins of a thousand Sinners yet if thou come to Christ he will save thee Joh. 6. 36. see also Heb. 7. 25. Object Alas but how should I come I doubt I do not come as I should do my Heart is naught and dead and alas then how should I come Answ. Why bethink thy self of all the sins that ever thou did'st commit and lay the weight of them all upon thy Heart till thou art down loaden with the same and come to him in such a Case as this and he will give thee rest for thy Soul Mat. 11. the three last Verses And again if thou wouldest know how thou shouldest come come as much undervaluing thy self as ever thou canst saying Lord here is a Sinner the basest in all the Country if I had my deserts I had been damned in Hell Fire long ago Lord I am not worthy to have the least corner in the Kingdom of Heaven and yet O that thou wouldest have Mercy Come like Benhadad's Servants to the King of Israel 1 Kin. 20. 31 32. with a Rope about thy Neck and fling thy self down at Christ's feet and lye there a while striving with him by thy Prayers and I 'll warrant thee speed Mat. 11. 28 29 30. John 6. 37. Object O! but I am not sanctified Answ. He will sanctifie thee and be made thy Sanctification also 1 Cor. 6. 10 11. 1 Cor. 1. 30. Object O! but I cannot Pray Answ. To Pray is not for thee to down on thy Knees and say over a many Scripture words only for that thou may'st do and yet do nothing but babble But if thou from a sense of thy baseness canst groan out thy Hearts desire before the Lord he will hear thee and grant thy desire for he can tell what is the meaning of the groanings of the Spirit Rom. 8. 26 27. Object O but I am afraid to Pray for fear my Prayers should be counted as sin in the sight of the great God Answ. That is a good sign that thy Prayers are more than bare words and have some prevalence at the Throne of Grace through Christ Jesus or else the Devil would never seek to labour to beat thee off from Prayer by undervaluing thy Prayers telling thee they are Sin for the best Prayers he will call the worst and the worst he will call the best or else how should he be a Liar Object But I am afraid the day of Grace is past and if it should be so what should I do then Answ. Truly with some men indeed it doth fare thus that the day of Grace is at an end before their Lives are at an end Or thus the day of Grace is past before the day of Death is come as Christ saith If thou had'st known even thou at least in this thy day the things that belong unto thy Peace that is the word of Grace or Reconciliation but now it is hid from thine Eyes Luke 19. 41 42. But for the better satisfying of thee as touching this thing Consider these following things First doth the Lord knock still at the door of thy Heart by his Word and Spirit If so then the day of Grace is not past with thy Soul for where he doth so knock there he doth also proffer and promise to come in and Sup that is to Communicate of his things unto them which he would not do was the day of Grace past with the Soul Rev. 3. 20. But how should I know whether Christ do so knock at my heart as to be desirous to come in That I may know also whether the day of Grace be past with me or no Consider these things First doth the Lord make thee sensible of thy miserable state without an interest in Jesus Christ and that naturally thou hast no share in him no faith in him no communion with him no delight in him or love in the least to him If he hath and is doing of this he hath and is knocking at thy Heart Secondly doth he together with this put into thy Heart an earnest desire after communion with him together with holy Resolutions not to be satisfied without real communion with him Thirdly doth he sometimes give thee some secret persuasions though not scarcely discernable that thou mayest attain and get an interest in him Fourthly doth he now and then glance in some of the promises into thy Heart causing them to leave some heavenly savour though but for a very short time on thy Spirit Fifthly dost thou at some time see some