likewise with the same mind for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men but to the will of God 3. All those are unregenerate that depend not upon God as their chiefest Benefactor and do not most carefully apply themselves to him as knowing that in his favour is life Psal 30.5 and that his loving kindness is better then life Psal 63.3 and that to his judgement we must finally stand or fall but do ambitiously seek the favour of men and call them their Benefactors Luke 22.25 Matth. 23.9 whatever become of the favour of God He is no child of God that preferreth not the Love of God before the Love of all the world He is no heir of heaven that preferreth not the fruition of God in Heaven before all worldly glory and felicity Col. 4.1 2 3. If ye be risen with Christ seek the things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affection on things above not on things on the earth The Love of God is the summ of Holiness the Heart of the new creature the perfecting of it is the perfection and felicity of man 4. They are certainly unregenerate that Believe not the Gospel and take not Christ for their only Saviour and his promises of Grace and Glory as purchased by his Sacrifice and Merits for the Foundation of their hopes on which they resolve to trust their souls for pardon and for peace with God and endless Happiness Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved 1 John 5.11 12. This is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son hath not life When our Happiness was in Adams hands he lost it It is now put into safer hands and Jesus Christ the second Adam is become our Treasury He is the Head of the Body from whom each member hath quickning influence Eph. 1.22 The life of Saints is in him as the life of the tree is in the root unseen Col. 4.3 4. Holiness is a Living unto God in Christ Though we are dead with Christ to the Law and to the world and to the flesh we are alive to God So Paul describeth our case in his own Gal. 2.19 20. I through the Law am dead to the Law that I might live unto God I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Rom. 6.11 Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Christ is the Vine and we are the branches without him we can do nothing If you abide not in him and his words in you you are cast forth as a branch and withered which men gather and cast into the fire and they are burnt John 15.1 5 6 7. In Baptism you are married unto Christ as to the external solemnization and in spiritual Regeneration your Hearts do inwardly close with him entertain him and resign themselves unto him by Faith and Love and by a resolved Covenant become his own And therefore Baptism and the Lords Supper are called Sacraments because as Souldiers were wont by an Oath and listing their names and other engaging Ceremonies to oblige themselveâ— to their Commanders and their Vow waâ— called A Sacrament so do we engage ouâ— selves to Christ in the holy Vow or Covenanâ— entered in Baptism and renewed in the Lords Supper 5. That person is certainly unregenerate that never was convinced of a Necessity of Sanctification or never perceived an excellency and amiableness in Holiness of heart and life and loved it in others and desired it himself and never gave up himself to the Holy Ghost to be further sanctified in the use of his appointed means desiring to be perfect and willing to press forward towards the mark and to abound in grace Much less is that person renewed by the Holy Ghost that hateth Holiness and had rather be without it and would not walk in the fear and obedience of the Lord. The Spirit of Holiness is that Life by which Christ quickneth all that are his members He is no member of Christ that is without it Rom. 8.9 According to his Mercy he saveth us by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 6. That person is unregenerate that is under the Dominion of his fleshly desires and mindeth the things of the flesh above the things of the Spirit and hath not mortified it so far as not to live according to it A carnal mind and a carnal life are opposite to Holiness as Sickness is tâ— Health and Darkness unto Light Rom. 8.1 to 14. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that walk not after the flesh but after the spirit For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the spirit the things of the spirit For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if by the spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Now the works of the flesh are manifest which are Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Witchcraft Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Strife Seditions Heresies Envyings Murders Drunkenness revellings and such like of which I tell you before as I have also told you in time past that they which do such things shall not inherit the Kingdom of God But the fruit of the Spirit is Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance against such there is no Law And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Galat. 5.18 to 25. 7. Lastly that person is certainly unregenerate that so far valueth and loveth this world or any of the carnal accommodations therein as practically to prefer them before the Love of God and the Hopes of Everlasting Glory seeking it first with highest estimation and holding it fastest so as that he will rather venture his soul upon the threatned wrath of God then his body upon the wrath of man and will be religious no further then may consist with his prosperity or safety in the world and hath something that he cannot part with for Christ and heaven because it is dearer to him then they Let this man go never so far in Religion as long
terrible avenger and you may confess his judgements to be just but can you amicably embrace the consuming fire and love to dwell with the everlasting burnings O therefore as ever you would have the Love of God to animate and sanctifie and delight your souls study the greatness of his Love to you and labour with all possible speed and diligence to find that Christ by his spirit is within you It is the whole work of sanctification that Satan would destroy or weaken by your doubts And it is the whole work of sanctification that by Love would be promoted if you knew your interest in the Love of Christ 12. It is the knowledge of Christ dwelling in you and so of the special Love of God that must acquaint you with a life of holy Thankfulness and prase These highest and most acceptable duties will be out of your reach if Satan can hide from you that mercy which must be the chiefest matter of your Thanksgiving Will that soul be in tune for the high Praises of the Lord that thinks he meaneth to use him as an enemy Can you look for any cheerful thanksgiving from him that looks to lie in hell will he not rather cry with David Psal 6.5 In death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave who shall give thee thanks Psal 30.9 What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth shall the damned praise thee or shall they give thee thanks that must be scorched with the flames of thine indignation Can you expect that Joy should be in their hearts or cheerfulness in their countenances or praises in their mouths that think they are Reprobated to the fire of Hell Undoubtedly Satan is not ignorant that this is the way to deprive God of the Service which is most acceptable to him and you of the pleasures of so sweet a life And therefore he that envyeth both will do his worst to damp your spirits and breed uncomfortable doubts and fears and wrongful suspitions in your minds Whereas the Knowledge of your interest in Christ would be a continual storehouse of thanksgiving and praise and teach your hearts as well as your tongues to say with David Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity and in whose spirit there is no guile Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye Righteous and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Psal 32.1 2 11. Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thine iniquities Who healeth all thy diseases Who redeemeth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies Psal 103.1 2 3 4. O Lord my God I cried unto thee and thou hast healed me O Lord thou hast brought up my soul from the grave thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit sing unto the Lord O ye saints of his and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness for his anger endureth but for a moment in his favour is life Psal 30.2 3 4 5. Thanksgiving would be the very pulse and breath of your assurance of Christ dwelling in you You would say with Paul Eph. 1.3 4. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in celestials in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him in Love having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved In whom we have redemption through his blood the remission of sins according to the riches of his grace wherein he hath abounded toward us c. Thus faith and assurance as they have an unspeakable store to work upon so it is natural to them to expatiate in the praise of our Redeemer and to delight in amplifications and commemorations of the ways of grace Just so doth Peter begin his first Epistle Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you who are kept by the power of Goâ— through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time wherein ye greatly rejoyce c. No wonder if the Heirs of Heaven be inclined to the language and the work of Heaven I think there are few of you that would not rejoice and by your speech and countenance express your joy if you had assurance but of the dignities and dominions of this world And can he choose but express his Joy and Thankfulness that hath assurance of the crown of life What fragrant thoughts should possess that mind that knoweth it self to be possessed by the Spirit of the living God! How thankfull will he be that knows he hath Christ and Heaven to be thankfull for What sweet delights should fill up the hours of that mans life that knows the son of God liveth in him and that he shall live in Joy with Christ for ever How gladly will he be exercised in the praises of his Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier that knows it must be his work for ever No wonder if this Joy be a stranger to their hearts that are strangers to Christ or strangers to their interest in his love No wonder if they have no hearts for these celestial works that have no part in the celestial inheritance or that know not that they have any part therein How can they joyfully give thanks for that which they know not that they have or ever shall have or have any probability to attain But to that man that is assured of Christ within him Heaven and Earth and all their store do offer themselves as the matter of his Thanks and do furnish him with provisions to feed his Praises What a shame is it that an assured heir of Heaven should be scant and barren in comfort to himself or in Thanks and Praise to Jesus Christ when he hath so full a heap of Love and mercy to fetch his motives from and hath two worlds to furnish him with the preciousest materials and hath no less then Infinite goodness even God himself to be the subject of his Praise O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever what ever others do Let Israel say let the house of Aaron say let them that fear the Lord say that his mercy endureth for ever Psal 118.1 2 3 4. The
be void of an effectual knowledge of your sin and misery and need of the Remedy 3. To think you have saving grace when you have none that you are regenerate by the Spirit when you are only sacramentally regenerate by Baptism that you are the members of Christ when it is no such matter that you are Justified Adopted and the Heirs of Heaven when it is not so all this is dolefull and damnable unacquaintedness with yourselues To be unacquainted with a state of Life when you are in such a state is sad and troublesome and casts you upon many and great inconveniences But to be unacquainted with a state of Death when you are in it doth fasten your chains and hinder your recovery To be willing and diligent to know your state and yet be unable to attain to assurance and satisfaction is ordinary with many true Believers But to be ignorant of it because you have no grace to find and because you mind not the matters of your souls or think it not worth your diligent consideration or enquiry this is the case of the miserable despisers of salvation III. THE Commodities and Incommodities to be mentioned are so many and great that many hours would not serve to open them as they deserve 1. Atheism is cherished by self-ignorance The knowledge of our selves as men doth notably conduce to our knowledge of God Here God is known but darkly and as in a glass 1 Cor. 13.12 and by his Image and not as face to face And except his Incarnate and his written word what Glass revealeth him so clearly as the soul of man We bear a double Image of our Maker His Natural Image in the nature of our facuities and his Moral Image in their Holy qualifications in the nature of grace and frame of the new man By knowing our selves it is easie to know that there is a God and it much assisteth us to know what he is not only in his Attributes and Relations but even in the Trinity it self He may easily know that there is a Primitive Being and Life that knoweth he hath himself a Derived Being and Life He must know that there is a Creator that knoweth he is a creature He that findeth a capacious Intellect a Will and Power in the creature and that is conscious of any Wisdom and Goodness in himself may well know that formaliter or eminenter all these are infinite in the first cause that must thus have in it self whatsoever it doth communicate He that knoweth that he made not and preserveth not himself may well know that he is not his Own but his that made him and preserveth him who must needs be his Absolute Proprietary and Lord. He that knoweth that he is an Intellectual free agent and therefore to act Morally and therefore to be moved by Moral means and that he is a sociable creature a member of the Vniverse living among men may well be sure that he is made to be a subject and Governed by Laws and by morall means to be directed and moved to his End and therefore that none but his Absolute Lord the Infinite Wisdom Goodness and Power can be his Absolute and Highest Soveraign He that is convinced that he is he lives he hopeth and enjoyeth all that 's good from a Superior Bounty may be sure that God is his Principal Benefactor And to be The First and Infinite Being Intellect Will and Power Wisdom Goodness and Cause of all things the Absolute Owner the most Righteous Governor and the most Bounteous Benefactor this is to be GOD. This being the Description of him that is so called such a Description as is fetcht from his Created Image Man and expressed in the terms that himself hath chosen and used in his word as knowing that if he will be understood by man he must use the Notions and Expressions of man And though these are spoken but Analogically of God yet are there no fitter conceptions of him that the soul of man in flesh is capable of So that the Atheist carrieth about him that Impress and Evidence of the Deity which may convince him or condemn him for his Foolishness and Impiety He is a Fool indeed that saith in his Heart There is no God Psal 14.1 when that Heart it self in its Being and Life and Motion is his Witness and Soul and Body with all their faculties are nothing but the Effects of this Almighty Cause And when they prove that there is a God even by questioning or denying it being unable without him so much as to deny him that is to think or speak or be As if a fool should write a Volume to prove that there is no Ink or Paper in the world when it is Ink and Paper by which he writes And whether there be no representation of the Trinity in Vnity in the Nature of man let them judge that have well considered how in One Body there are the Natural Vital and Animal parts and spirits And in One Life or Soul there are the Vegetative Sensitive and Rational faculties And in One Rational Soul as such there are an Intellect Will and Executive power Morally perfected by Wisdom Goodness and Promptitude to well doing As in one Sun there is Light and Heat and Moving force So that man is both the Beholder and the Glass the Reader and the Book He is the Index of the Godhead to himself Yea partly of the Trinity in Vnity Of which saith August de Trinit lib. 1. Nec periculosius alicubi erratur nec laboriosius aliquid quaritur nec fructuosius invenitur quam Trinitas We need not say Who shall go up into Heaven saith Seneca himself by the light of nature Prope Deus est tecum est Intus est sacer intra nos Spiritus sed bonorum malorumque nostrorum observator custos Hic prout à nobis tractatur ita nos tractat ipse Bonus vir sine Deo nemo est God is nigh us with us within us A holy spirit resideth within us â—he observer of our evil and good and our â—â—eserver He useth us as he is used by us â—o good man is without God saith August 〈◊〉 Deus est in seipso sicut α ω in mundo â—â—cut rector author in Angelis sicut sapor â— decor in Ecclesia sicut paterfamilias in â—omo in animo sicut sponsus in thalamo 〈◊〉 justis sicut adjutor protector in reprobis â—â—cut pavor horror God is in himself as â—he Alpha and Omega in the world as its â—overnor and Author in Angels as their â—weetness and comeliness in the Church as â—he master of the family in his house in the â—â—ul as the Bridegroom in his bed-chamber 〈◊〉 the righteous as their helper and proteâ—â—or c. And as all declareth him so all â—hould praise him Hunc itaque mens diligat â—â—ngua canat manus scribat atque in his sanâ—tis studiis fidelis animus se exerceat Aug. Let the
filled is an insufficient evidence of the life of grace and will do as little for the soul of the giver as for the Body of the receiver And how little hazardous or costly Love is found among us either to enemies neighbours or to Saints Did we better know our hearts there would be more care and diligence used to bring them to effectual fervent Love then to those duties that are of less importance and we should learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice Mat. 9.13 12.7 which Christ sets the Pharisees twice to learn More instances of greatest duties extenuated I might add but I proceed 8. Another instance of unobserved corruption of the heart is The frequent and secret insinuations of selfishness in all that we do toward God or man When we think we are serving God alone and have cleansed our hearts from mixtures and deceit before we are aware self-interest or self-esteem or self conceit or self-love or self-will or self-seeking do secretly creep in and marr the work We think we are studying and preaching and writing purely for God and the common good or the benefit of souls and perhaps little observe how subtilly selfishness insinuates and makes a party and byasseth us from the holy ends and the simplicity and sincerity which we thought we had carefully maintained so that we are studying and preaching and writing for our selves when we take no notice of it When we enter upon any office or desire preferment or riches or honour in the world we think we do it purely for God to furnish us for his service and little think how much of selfishness is in our desires When we are doing Justice or shewing mercy in giving alms or exhorting the ungodly to repent or doing any other work of Piety or Charity we little think how much of selfishness is secretly latent in the bent and intention of the heart When we think we are defending the truth and cause of God by disputing writing or by the sword or when we think we are faithfully maintaining on one side order and obedience against confusion and turbulent disquiet spirits or the Vnity of the Church against division or on the other hand that we are sincerely opposing Pharisaicall corruptions and hypocrisie and tyrannie and persecution and are defending the purity of Divine worship and the power and spirituality of religion in all these cases we little know how much of carnal self may be secretly unobserved in the work But above all others Christ himself and the Holy Ghost that searcheth the hidden things of the heart hath warned one sort to be suspicious of their hearts and that is those that cannot bear the dissent and infirmities of their brethren in tolerable things and those that are calling for fire from heaven and are all for force and cruelty in religion for vexing imprisoning banishing burning hanging or otherwise doing as they would not be done by proportionably in their own case He tells his two Disciples in such a case Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of Luke 9.55 As if he should say You think you purely seek my honour in the revenge of this contempt and opposition of unbelievers and you think it would much redound to the propagation of the faith and therefore you think that all this zeal is purely from my spirit But you little know how much of â— proud a carnal selfish spirit is in these desires You would fain have me and your selves with me to be openly vindicated by fire from heaven and be so owned by Goâ— that all men may admire you and you may exercise a dominion in the world and you stick not at the sufferings and ruine of these sinners so you may attain your end but 〈◊〉 tell you this selfish cruel spirit is unlike my spirit which inclineth to patience forâ—bearance and compassion So Rom. 14.1 2 c. 15.1 2. Him that is weak in the faith receive ye who art thou that judgest another mans servant Why dost thou judge thy brother and why dost thou set at nought thy brother We shall all stand before the judgement seat of Christ Every one of us shall give account of himself to God We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak and not to please our selves Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification So Gal. 6.1 2. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted Bear ye one anothers burden and so fulfill the Law of Christ So also men are fouly and frequently mistaken when they are zealously contending against their faithfull Pastors and their brethren and vilifying others and quenching love and troubling the Church upon pretence of greater knowledge or integrity in themselves which is notably discovered and vehemently prest by the Apostle James 3.1 c. where you may see how greatly the judgement of the spirit of God concerning our hearts doth differ from mens judgement of themselves They that had a masterly contentious envious zeal did think they were of the wiser sort of Christians and of the highest form in the School of Christ when yet the Holy Ghost telleth them that their wisdom descended not from above but was earthly sensual and divelish and that their envy and strife doth bring confusion and every evil work and that the wisdom from above is neither unholy nor contentious but first pure and then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated Jam. 3.17 You see then how oft and dangerously we are deceived by unacquaintedness with our selves and how selfish carnal principles ends and motives are oft mixed in the actions which we think are the most excellent for wisdom zeal and piety that ever we did perform O therefore what cause have we to study and search and watch such hearts and not too boldly or carelesly to trust them And it is not only Hypocrites that are subject to these deceitfull sins who have them in dominion but true Believers that have a remnant of this carnal selfish principle continually offering to insinuate and corrupt their most excellent works and even all that they do 9. The strong eruption of those passions that seemed to be quite mortified doth shew that there is more evil lurking in the heart then ordinarily doth appear How calmly do we converse together how mildly do we speak till some provoking word or wrong do blow the coals and then the dove appeareth to partake of a fiercer nature and we can perceive that in the flame which we perceived not in the spark When a provocation can bring forth censorious reviling scornfull words it shews what before was latent in the heart 10. We are very apt to think those affections to be purely spiritual which in the issue appear to be mixed with carnality Our very love to the Assemblies and ordinances of
hath been the study of their lives The matters in question are such as they have had experience of in themselves and others They have judged as hardly of themselves and of their own case as now they do of yours when theirs was the same as yours is now Do they pronounce you miserable as being strangers to the spirit of Christ So they did by themselves when they saw their sin and therefore they are impartial They have had before them multitudes alas too many in your case And you will regard the judgement of a Physicion that hath had many hundreds in hand that had the same disease as you They are men that are not willing to deceive you They deny themselves in telling you of your danger They know that smoother words would please you better And they have natures that desire mens love and favour rather then displeasure and ill will They are more impartial then you are and have not your self-interest and passion to blind them They are not abused in their judgement by the temptations of evil company or of worldly fleshly things as you are For these temptations more hinder us from judging our selves then other men They are the messengers of Christ appointed to give to each their portion and should not their judgement be regarded in the business committed to their trust And it is not one man or two or a hundred only that are of this mind Open thy case to all the judicious faithful Ministers in the land or in the world and open it truly and they will all tell thee that if thou die without converting sanctifying grace thou art lost for ever and that all the world cannot save thee from the everlasting wrath of God Try as many of them as you will and see if all of them tell you not the same thing And is all this nothing to thee presumptuous sinner that in the judgement of all the most able faithful Minsters of Christ thy soul should be in a state of death Art thou wiser then all the best and wisest in the matters of their own profession If all the Physicions in the countrey should tell thee that thou hast a disease that will certainly be thy death unless thou take some ene effectual medicine in time I think thou wouldest not slâ—ght their judgement and say They are too censorious that thou knowest thy condition better then they I think it would affright thee to seek after the remedy And why should not the judgement of the faithful Ministers about the state of thy soul be so far regarded as to awaken thee to a more careful enquiry and stir up a preventing and remedying fear If the judgement of Christs officers be not regardable then there is no matter of terror in excommunication nor no matter of comfort in Ministâ—rial Absolution O the madness of a hardened sinner that when he sheweth by the fruits of an ungodly life that he is a stranger to sanctification and liveth in the sins which the Scripture threatneth damnation to and hath no evidence of true conversion to shew will yet be confident of pardon and salvation let God and all his Ministers say what they will against itâ—â— and will rather be offended with hâ—s spiritual Physicions for telling him of the danger of his state and rail at them as if they did him wrong then he will see his danger and prevent his misery Let such a one hear the word of God if he have eares to hear Deut. 29.19 20 21 Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall wormwood and it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he bless himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkenness to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven the Lord shall separate him to evil c. And on the other side Is there any soul among you that in doubts and trouble hath opened his case to the faithful Ministers of Christ and their judgement is that your state is safe Is this the judgement not only of the weakest but the wisest not only of strangers but of those that know you best not only of one or two but of all or most of the judicious Ministers that ever you opened you case to even of the most honest and impartial that would not flatter you nor deceive you Yea and perhaps when desertions or Melancholy or passion or ignorance do make you unmeet to judge of your selves And doth all this seem nothing to you or a small matter It is not nothing It is not small I confess it is no ground of certainty They are but men It is a humane testimony But yet it is a testimony that may weigh down many of your own surmises and take off much of your distressing fears and may give much ease to troubled souls while they are seeking after surer knowledge It is a ground of comfort not to be despised or made light of Till you can come to see your evidences your selves and to be acquainted with the indwelling spirit as your witness you may much quiet your minds and take much comfort in this judgement and witness of the servants of the Lord that have a spirit of discerning and have that grace which acquainteth them with the nature of grace in others and that have been long exercised in the discerning of mens states It is possible an Hypocrite especially one that wilfully giveth them a false relation of himself may deceive them but it is Probable that it is not one of many they are deceived in when they know or have a good description of the Person If in a Law suit all the ablest Lawyers tell you that your cause is good it is possible they may be deceived but it is not likely If in a Feaver all the ablest Physicions tell you the danger is past it is possible yet that they may be all deceived But yet I think you would take some comfort in such a testimony so should you here Though the Judgement of Ministers be not infallible it may be much better then your own though about your selves and it may be set against the jealousies and fears of a disquiet soul and against abundance of the molesting suggestions of the accuser I do not by all this draw you to lay too much on man I advance them not too high and make them not Lords of your faith but helpers of your Joy I draw you not to any deceitful course nor into any way of danger to your souls I bid you not fully and finally rest in the judgement of man I bid you not neglect any means to come to fuller knowledge and certainty of your own sincerity I bid you