to serve me too much mine to do me any real harm Christ by dying has taken out the sting of Death so that I need not any longer be under bondage through the Fear of Death O Death Thou hast left thy sting in the side of Christ and there hast lost it O Grave My Lord has broke thy gates open and because he is risen I may joyfully conclude my own Resurrection My body must lye in darkness for a while but it shall not always be Death's Prisoner This corruptible shall put on incorruption this mortal shall put on immortality and as the Corn cast into the ground does rise with advantage every single grain yeilding sometimes an hundred fold so my flesh shall come up out of the Earth with an hundred fold better qualities then now it has 'T is sown in weakness 't is raised in power 't is sown in dishonour 't is raised in glory But O my Soul Death will not be able at all to seize on thee Thou wilt be delivered out of a dungeon when thou leavest thine Earthly Tabernacle and go unto a glorious Palace assoon as ever thou art absent from the Body thou wilt be present with the Lord assoon as thou art departed thou will be with Christ and how much better that is thou wilt find to thy full and Everlasting joy MEDITATION XLVIII If my Beloved is mine and all things mine is there not reason I should be His His I am and His I will be to eternity Lord I am Thine for thou hast made me and not I my self I am thine by the right of purchase as well as Creation for thou hast bought me with a price Nay thou hast new made me on purpose for thine own use and that I should shew forth thy praises And I do willingly resign and yeild my self to thee if I am thy Servant make use of me if I am thy Treasure keep me if I am a child let me be imployed in my Fathers business if I am Betrothed to thee let thy love and jealousie secure me from other Lovers Oh let me be wholly only always Thine Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity Let my tongue be like an Angels continually sounding forth thy Name Let my hands be holy the path of my feet pondered let all my members be yeilded as instruments of Righteousness and let my soul with all its powers love and serve thee Lord sanctifie and satisfie and save me and honour me by employing me for I lift up my soul and give my very heart to thee MEDITATION XLIX Ten thousand times ten thousand praises to the God of love and peace Who would not worship thee and give thee glory O thou King of Saints Let thy Church on Earth as well as Heaven ring aloud with Hallelujah's Who is God save the Lord who is a Rock save our God! Who in Heaven above or in Earth beneath is to be compared to Thee a God glorious in holiness terrible in Majesty rich in mercy abounding in Grace wonderful in working and keeping truth for ever Who can by searching find out God! who can find out the Almighty to perfection It is high as Heaven what can we do Deeper then Hell what can we know Who is a God like unto thee abundant in loving kindness goodness and truth Delighting in mercy Forgiving iniquity Transgression and sin and reconciling the world to himself in Christ Glory be to God in the highest for such good will towards men Let the Heavens rejoyce and let the Earth be glad let the Sea roar and the fulness thereof Let the floods clap their hands and the hills be joyful together Let all the creatures joyn in magnifying that God which made them And let all Saints shout aloud for joy unto Him who has visited and redeemed them MEDITATION L. Lord How much art thou above thy Creatures reach Who besides thy self can conceive thy excellency Who can shew forth all thy praise Thou art exalted above the blessing and the thoughts of Angels above the songs of Seraphims Everlasting thanksgivings are thy due Oh let me live with thee to Eternity that I may ever be paying this debt of praises Bless the Lord ye innumerable company of Angels which excell in strength who see the Glory of your Maker and Lord Praise him O ye Thrones Dominions Principallities and Powers Exalt that mighty and gracious God who elected and confirmed you when so many other Angels sinn'd and are eternally left and miserable in their Apostacy O all ye Triumphant Saints that are with the Lamb upon the heavenly Mount Sion Strike up with your Harps and if it be possible let your strains be still higher and higher Ascribe blessing and honour and glory and power unto Him that sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb for ever O thou Militant Church Begin this heavenly work of praising here on Earth Thy Redemption and deliverance is begun and will most certainly be compleated The Captain of thy Salvation will stand by thee in thy spiritual warfare and having made thee more then victorious over all thy Enemies will bestow upon thee the promised Crown of life and glory MEDITATION LI. Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy Name What hast thou breath for but that it should be spent in his praises Wherefore hast thou a tongue at command but that it should be employed in glorifying thy Lord and hereby become thy glory Should not a slave that has been in very hard and cruel bondage be thankful to him that redeemed him Should not a Malefactor condemned to dye be thankful unto Him that pardoned him Should not the patient that has laboured under a Death threatning distemper be thankful to the Physician that has cured him And how much greater reason is there O my Soul that thou shouldst abound in thanksgivings unto thy God and Saviour Thou wast in the worst sense enslaved and he has made thee free indeed Thou wast condemned to the second Death to be separated for ever from the Lord and to be thrown into the lake which burns with fire and brimstone and he by dying himself has purchased a pardon for thee Thou wast sick of spiritual which are the worst kind of plagues and He is the Lord that heals thee Awake Awake Oh my soul Awake Awake And utter a song of praise Rejoyce in Christ Jesus Glory in the Father of mercies Who forgiveth all thy iniquities who healeth all thy Diseases who redeemeth thy life from destruction who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies MEDITATION LII Shall I not magnifie and advance my Lord who am so highly advanced my self I was once in darkness and securely went on towards the blackness of darkness forever but I am called out of darkness into marvellous light â— I was once a stranger and a forreiner but now I am a fellow Citizen with the Saints and of the houshold of God I am become a child of God who
70 Several Cases propounded Some Cases relating to sin and a state of Nature 1 Case Is it not better for sinners to continue ignorant of themselves then by searching to fill themselves with horrour Answered p. 78 2 Case Is it not time enough hereafter to look into themselves Answered p. 81 3 Case How shall utter strangers to themselves begin this work of self-proving Answered p. 83 4 Case When sinners have found out the badness of their state is there any reason to despair Answered p. 85 5 Case What course must they take to have their state bettered p. 87 6 Case How far may sinners go and yet fall short of grace and Heaven answered p. 92 Several Cases relating to a state of Grace 1 Case How shall we know whether we are savingly enlightned Answered p. 103 2 Case When may Humiliation be said to be True Answered p. 108 3 Case How may we be sure our desires after God and grace are sincere answered p. 113 4 Case How may we be able to discern whether in Religion we are acted meerly by slavish fear Answered p. 117 5 Case How may we know that we have indeed accepted Christ Answered p. 125 6 Case When may conversion be said to be sincere and true Answered p. 130 7 Case What are the lower degrees of true grace Answered several particulars premised p. 133 Which are the lower degrees of grace that is true p. 138 8 Case How may Grace be discovered under spiritual desertion Answered p. 144 9 Case How grace may be discerned under the prevalency of MELANCHOLY Answered p. 148 10 Case How may repentance be known to be true when 't is a death-bed repentance or just before a Malefactors execution Answered p. 154 11 Case How may grace be discovered in Saints that are fallen Answered p. 158 12 Case How may we know whether we grow in grace Answered p. 164 13 Case How may we know when our joys are true and well grounded Answered p. 171 Application Several inferences drawn from the Doctrine p. 174 The errour of the Romish Church in reference to assurance p. 179 A lamentation that this duty of self-examination is so much neglected p. 181 The fatal consequence of this neglect p. 182 Directions how to prove our selves so as to attain assurance of the love of God p. 186 Nine arguments to perswade Saints to labour after assurance p. 187 Nine directions to attain it p. 194 The right course to keep assurance p. 202 Directions how to prove your selves before you engage in that Ordinance of the LORDS SUPPER p. 205 Ten Principles of Religion that the Communicant must be acquainted with p. 208 What besides he must examine himself about p. 214 Directions how to prove your selves every day so as to walk with greater circumspection p. 234 Let Wicked men prove themselves p. 253 Directed what to do p. 254 Let meerly moral men prove themselves p. 257 Meerly moral men discovered p. 258 Counsel given unto such p. 261 Let unsound professors prove themselves p. 263 Such discovered ibid. And being convicted advised p. 265 Sincere Saints counselled in four particulars p. 267 The Conclusion of the discourse p. 269 MEDITATIONS on the LORDS SVPPER p. 273 A DISCOURSE Concerning Self-Examination by which both Saints and Sinners may come to know themselves 2 Cor. 13. 5. Prove your own selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THe sum of true Wisdom as One observes does consist in two things Dei cognitione nostri in the knowledge of God and of our selves now to make us wise in both these respects is one great design of the holy Scriptures He that is a stranger unto God must needs be a stranger unto Rest and Satisfaction and is ignorant of Him who is the Highest and Chiefest good of all He that is a stranger to Himself must needs remain both sinful and miserable and yet both sin and misery are unperceived and ignorance how Bad he is fixes him in a state that is not good and makes it the more unlikely that ever it should be better'd No wonder therefore that the Apostle does put all upon the Examination and proving of themselves Which Counsel is very proper both to Sinners and to Saints First 't is proper to Sinners for if they come to understand aright their own deplorable and wretched case this would be one large step from sin to Grace Secondly 't is proper also to Saints for proving of themselves will be the way to evidence the saving change that hath been wrought in them and will be a large step from Grace to Comfort In the words we have 1. A duty and that is to prove the Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is used by Authors for the proving of Gold in the fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isocrat Now Gold is proved in the fire in order to its discovery that 't is true Gold and that the dross may be separated from it So the proving in the Text must be in order unto a discovery and in order unto greater sanctification and purity 2. Whom is it our duty to prove Our own selves In reference to others we are to hope and believe all things as far as is consistent with the apparent fruits they bring forth and the faithfulness which we owe them But in reference to our selves the greater severity commonly the greater sincerity We must watch and be jealous over our selves lest we be mistaken and deceived in and by our selves And if you ask me What we are to prove our selves about The context informs us Whether we are in the Faith Whether Christ be in us yea or no Doct. The Doctrine I raise from the words is this It highly concerns all to examine and prove themselves this duty is very much urged in the verse where the Text lies Examine your selves says the Apostle Prove your own selves the Counsel is doubled which shews the great concernment of it together with the difficulty and backwardness in us all to follow it therefore he adds as if he did half chide What! Know you not your own selves q. d. To be ignorant of your selves your actions and your state for want of self-trial is your Sin and shame and argues prodigious carlesness to be in you and you to be in unexpressible danger In the handling of this Doctrine I shall First tell you what is implied in this proving of our selves Secondly what of our selves is to be proved Thirdly concerning what we are to prove our selves Fourthly the Manner how we are to do it Fifthly by what Rule and Touchstone this proof of our selves is to be made Sixthly the special times and seasons when this duty is to be done Seventhly lay down the reasons persuading to the practice of it Eighthly resolve several Cases of Conscience relating to this subject Lastly close with the Application In the first place I am to tell you What is implied in this proving of our selves and here several propositions are to be
would bring their base mettal to the Touchstone that they may perceive how vastly it differs from pure and tried Gold And that they would weigh themselves in the balance of the Sanctuary that their Consciences may perceive what reason there is that Tekel should be written upon them they are weighed in the balance and are found utterly wanting Now unsound Professors may come this way to a Conviction of their own unsoundness 1. They cannot endure plain dealing Our Lord tells us that this is the Worlds fault and Condemnation that they love darkness rather then light because their Deeds are Evil. Joh. 3. 19. And unsound Professors being not really come out of the World no wonder if the Word be disgusted that discovers and reproves them Sharp reproof makes us sound in the Faith Tit. 1. 13. But such rebukes the unsound cannot bear Deal gently said David with the Young Man Absalont And this is the Hypocrites Language Deal gently with my Pride and selfishness and darling lusts and sinful compliance for safety and profit and preferment sake It shews they are bruitish and void of true understanding because reproof is hated Prov. 12. 1. He that hateth reproof is bruitish 2. Unsound Professours regard iniquity in their Hearts Shame and Fear and hope of repute among men may curb and restrain them from running into the act of sin but the inward Love to it is not indeed mortified It may truly be said concerning the Hypocrite he abhorreth not evil Psal 36. 4. He may upon some accounts be afraid and ashamed to commit sin but he does not hate and abhor to Commit sin He secretly loves some sin or other though he hides both his sin and his love to it he does not long for the Death of all 3. Unsound Professours carry on Carnal designs in their profession of Religion Religion by such is made sometime a cloak to Covetousness or to Concupiscence or to Maliciousness they do not design the pleasing and glorifying of God this end sways not with the Heart till Grace is wrought there But they profess Godliness that they may sin the more plausibly and unsuspectedly and that they may bring about their selfish projects the more cleverly 4. Unsound Professours do relish only the things of the Flesh which shews that they are after the Flesh Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the Flesh do mind the things of the Flesh and they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit They savour not Spiritual things neither are they troubled at the Carnality of their minds and affections nor do they desire to be made spiritually minded Now you who are thus convicted to be Hypocritical and unsound Professours I beseech you remember 1. God looks into you He that hates sin most perfectly and will punish it most severely knows how sinful you are If all things are open and naked to his view surely he looks into the painted and whited sepulchre and beholds all the filthiness and rottenness that is within it 2. Hypocrisie is very hateful to God His Eye and Knowledge is disregarded by the Hypocrite his hand is not feared his Grace and Goodness horribly contemned and abused And all this the Hypocrite does to Gods very face in his very House while he is bowing the knee before him and giving a great many good words to him and seems very devout in his service 3. Hypocrisie will be at last detected When thou art distracted by a Disease or wounded in thy Conscience thou mayst be forced to confess thy Injustice Impurity and other Abominations But if this be not at the last day all will come out to thy Everlasting Contempt and Confusion For God will bring every work into Judgement with every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil Eccles 12. 14. Be wise therefore O unsound Professors Dissemble not with God deceive not your selves consent at last to be searched and sanctified and being humbled and ashamed because of your deceitful dealing with the Lord and Religion pray to be made Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile Fourthly Let sincere Saints prove themselves I have at large given you before the Characters of them who are Saints in sincerity They may know themselves by their coming out from the World by their preferring the living true and Everlasting God in their choice before all Lying and Dying Vanities by their thankful acceptance of the Lord Jesus as a Saviour and Redeemer from all iniquity as well as from the wrath that is to come Finally they may be known by their desires after the Grace of God in Truth and to be cleansed from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit and to perfect Holiness in the Fear of God Now you who are thus really sanctified I would counsel in three particulars 1. Acknowledge that the Grace of God has made you what you are that you are Called Justified Adopted changed into the Image of your heavenly Father is owing to the rich and glorious Grace of God This makes the difference between the Children of God and the Children of Disobedience What have you that you have not received 1 Cor. 4. 7. And what have you received but what you were in your selves utterly unworthy to receive 2. Be sensible that that Grace which has begun must perfect that which does concern you That picture which was begun by Apelles could not be perfected by the hand of any other Look therefore unto the Author to be the finisher of your Faith Heb. 12. 2. And truly you are encouraged to a more firm relyance by what the Apostle speaks Phil. 1. 6. Being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ 3. Do nothing unbecoming your present State and Relation and future hopes You are highly favoured the Lord is with you You are advanced to be the Children of the Lord Almighty to be the Heirs of Life and Glory and Joint-heirs with Christ himself to be Kings and Priests unto God Let there be an Holy Majesty in your Conversations rejoice and work Righteousness Count it below you to be proud and high-minded below you to mind Earthly things or to do any thing that looks like serving Sin and Satan 4. Having attained unto peace take heed of breaking it Assurance may much more easily be lost then gained There must be all diligence to get it but negligence may lose it After the Prince of Peace has spoken to thy Heart and said Peace be still Oh! do nothing to raise a new storm and tempest in thy Conscience But walk very humbly and closely with God That you may live in the truest sense pleasant lives And may come at last to Heaven which is indeed the fair Haven in a blessed Calm and that of the Psalmist may be verified in you Psal 37. 37. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace
and Gold that ever was created is but dross in comparison of these riches To go to Ordinances and from them as the Door turns upon the Hinges and to remain just as we were will turn to no account nay to an ill account We are not to rest therefore in opere operato the work done but examine what light what heat what strength what grace what peace we gain by attending upon God or else we may live and dye like lukewarm and mistaken Laodicea who said she was rich and increased with Goods and had need of nothing and knew not that she was wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked Rev. 3. 17. 7. 'T is not amiss if there be some Self-proving every day that keeping of the heart with all diligence Prov. 4. 23. implies a daily watching and calling it to an account and that pondering the path of our feet required vers 26. implies both wariness before and a tracing our Steps afterwards to see whether they have been right or wrong step towards God or from him Pythagoras an Heathen advises every night to ask our selves such Questions as these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where have I sinn'd What have I done What duty have I let alone Thus bad and good deeds every night Will be thy chiding or delight In the seventh place I come to the Arguments persuading all to this examination and proving of themselves 1. Satan is very subtle he does endeavour to conceal and hide both Sin and Grace Sin in the wicked that they may not perceive the evil nature and tendency of it till it has actually and utterly ruin'd them and Grace in them that do believe that their hearts may be tormented with doubts and fears and straitned in thanksgiving unto God Satan is a lying Spirit and upholds his Kingdom by deceit and falshood His work is to fill Gods Children with false fears and his own with false hopes and he has many wiles and stratagems to do both 'T is good therefore to be aware of him and to be the stricter in searching of our selves that he may not impose upon us nor make us call evil good and good evil Let us take great heed for Satan is the Accuser of the Brethren Rev. 12. 10. and will accuse them to themselves as well as accuse them before God he will transform a true Saint and make him look in his own apprehension like a meer reprobate And as he is the Accuser of the Brethren so he is the Excuser of the wicked and makes them say they shall have peace till the anger of the Lord and his jealousie smokes against them and eternal Vengeance overtakes them 2. The heart is deceitful above all things Jer. 17. 9. as it is unknown to others so it hides it self from the view of the man himself Need there is then of Self-examination The heart of man will represent Sin as profitable as pleasant as creditable and in fashion and that there is no such danger in the commission of it but that 't is time enough hereafter and easie enough to repent and obtain a pardon The heart will extenuate sin after 't is done and take notice of the mercy of the Lord but shut its eyes against his justice and holiness 't will call any thing almost by the name of saving-grace and from very weak and insufficient premisses conclude the State is safe Such cheats therefore must be more narrowly eyed and we must bring them to the Heart-searcher that they may be discovered 3. There is no Grace but has its counterfeit When abundance of Brass and bad Money is abroad there is the greater care to try before we take There is a world of counterfeit Grace at this day Many take themselves to be something when they are nothing and so deceive themselves every one therefore should prove his own work that he may have rejoycing in himself alone and not in another Gal. 6. 3. 4. that is that he may have not only the good word of others but the joyful approbation of his own Conscience that his work is good and wrought in God There is a precious faith that ends in the salvation of the Soul and there is a counterfeit faith that dures only for a while and in time of temptation fails There is a saving knowledge which is life eternal and there is a notional knowledge which only puffs up him that has it and makes sorrow and stripes at last to be the more There is a sincere love to Christ that has a vehement flame which many Waters cannot quench which no Floods can drown and there is a love which is only a painted Fire a love in word and shew and not in heart and deed and truth There is a Zeal which God is mightily pleased with as that Zeal in Phineas and there is a Zeal not according to knowledge There is a true Humility which makes us like to Christ and gives the Soul rest and there is a shew of Wisdom and Humility to be found even in the Synagogues of Satan and Antichrist All grace therefore whether in pretence or true must be tried by the Word which if rightly applied is infallible in its decision 4. Many do actually go out of the World mistaken in themselves surely then we should be serious in Self-trial The foolish Virgins because their Lamps were burning and neatly trimm'd that is they profess'd and talkt high and made a glistering shew came with full expectation of admission into the Kingdom Therefore with confidence they knock and with confidence they speak Lord Lord open unto us Mat. 25. 11. But the answer is I know you not The Door contrary to their expectation is shut for ever against them and they are sentenc'd to burn too in Hell though their Lamps on Earth did burn and blaze in a glorious profession of Religion Some are brought in pleading with the Lord Jesus when He says He knew them not We have eat and drank in thy presence and thou hast taught in our Streets Luk. 13. 26. As if they should say Lord 't is very strange thou shouldst not know us None more flocked after thee than we did none were more forward to hear thy Word we were Guests at thy Table many a time and yet dost thou not know us Hear their pleas see their confidence of being let in and yet behold them thrust out unto Eternity 5. Hypocrites may go very far and yet remain but Hypocrites and miscarry Therefore we should examine and see that we go farther An Hypocrite may have a name that he is alive he may bend his Knee and lift up his Eye and speak as it were with the tongue of an Angel he may pray and prophesie so as to gain mans approbation but yet that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God Luk. 16. 15. How far did the Apostle Paul go before his Conversion