they would be acquitted or condemned? If they be dangerously sick, they will inquire of the physician, What think you, sir, shall I recover or not? But as to the business of their salvation, they are content to be uncertain. If you ask most men why they hope to be saved, they will answer, Because God is merciful, and Christ died for sinners, and the like general reasons, which any man in the world may give as well as they. But put them to prove their special interest in the saving mercy of God, and in the death of Christ, and they can say nothing from their hearts and experience. Men are desirous to know all things, save God and themselves. They will travel over sea and land, to know the situation of countries, and the customs of the world: they will go to schools and universities, and turn over multitudes of books, and read and study from year to year, to know the creatures, and to excel in the sciences: and yet they never read the book of conscience, nor study the state of their own souls, that they may make sure of living for ever. What horrible abuse of God is this, for men to pretend that they trust God with their souls, merely to cloak their own wilful negligence! I know not what thou thinkest of thy own state; but, for my part, did I not know what a carnal heart is, I would wonder how thou didst contrive to forget thy misery, and to keep off continual terrors from thy heart, such especially in cases as the following:

1. I wonder how thou canst either think or speak of the dreadful God without exceeding terror and astonishment, as long as thou art uncertain whether he be thy father or thy enemy, and knowest not but all his attributes may be armed against thee. If his "saints must rejoice before him with trembling;" if they that are sure to receive the everlasting kingdom, must yet serve Him "with reverence and godly fear," because he is "a consuming fire"-how should the remembrance of him be terrible to them that know not but this fire may for ever consume them?

2. How canst thou open a Bible, and read a chapter, without being terrified by it? Methinks every

leaf should be to thee as Belshazzar's writing upon the wall, except only that which draws thee to try and reform. If thou read the promises, thou knowest not whether they shall ever be fulfilled to thee. If thou read the threatenings, for any thing thou knowest, thou dost read thy own sentence.

3. I wonder how thou canst without terror approach God in prayer, or in any duty. When thou callest him thy Father, thou knowest not whether thou speakest truth or falsehood. When thou needest him. in thy sickness, or other extremity, thou knowest not whether thou hast a friend to go to, or an enemy When thou receivest the Sacrament, thou knowest not whether thou takest thy blessing or thy bane. And who would wilfully live such a life as this?

4. What comfort canst thou find in any thing which thou possessest? Methinks friends, and honours, and houses, and lands, should do thee little good, till thou know that thou hast the love of God shed abroad in thy heart, and shalt have rest with him when thou shalt have to leave these behind thee. Offer a prisoner, before he know his sentence, music, or wealth, or preferment, and what cares he for any of these, till he know whether he shall escape with his life? for he knows, if he must die the next day, it will be small comfort to him to die rich or honourable. Methinks it should be so with thee, till thou know what shall be thine eternal state.

5. How dost thou contrive to think of thy dying hour? Thou knowest it may be near at hand, and that there is no avoiding it, nor any medicine that can prevent it. Thou knowest that death is the king of terrors, and the introduction to thine unchangeable state. The godly who have some assurance of their everlasting happiness, have yet much ado to submit to it willingly, and find, that to die comfortably is a very difficult work. How then canst thou think of it without astonishment, who hast no assurance of thy eternal felicity?

6. How dost thou contrive to preserve thy heart from horror, when thou thinkest of the judgment-day

and the everlasting flames? Dost thou not tremble as Felix, when thou hearest of them? Methinks thy heart, whenever thou meditatest of that day, should meditate terror; and thou shouldst even be "a terror to thyself, and to all thy friends."

I have shown thee the danger of this state of ignorance; let me next proceed to show thee the remedy. First, That it is possible by self-examination, to come to some degree of certainty about our state.

Secondly, I will state to you the hindrances that keep men from self-examination and from assurance. Thirdly, I will lay down some motives to persuade you to self-examination.

Fourthly, I will give you some directions for performing self-examination.

Lastly, I will lay down some marks out of Scripture, by which you may examine yourselves, and so come to some degree of certainty, whether or not you are among the people of God for whom this rest remains.

SECTION I.

The Possibility of knowing our State by Self-examination.

First, I shall show you that it is possible by selfexamination, to come to some degree of certainty about

our state.

I. Scripture tells us, we may know, and that many saints before us have known, their justification and future salvation, John xxi. 15-17; Rom. viii. 16, 17, 35-39; 2 Cor. v. 1; Eph. iii. 12; 1 John ii. 3, 5: iii. 14, 24; iv. 13; v. 19. I refer you to the places for the sake of brevity.

II. The Scripture would never make such a wide difference between the righteous and the wicked, the children of God, and the children of the devil, and set Jorth so largely the happiness of the one and the misery

of the other, if a man could not know which of these two estates he is in.

III To what purpose should we be so earnestly urged to examine, and prove, and try ourselves, whether we be in the faith, and whether Christ be in us, or we are reprobates, if we cannot attain to some degree of certainty in the matter? 1 Cor. xi. 28, and 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Why should we search for that which cannot be found?

IV. How can we obey those precepts which require us to rejoice always, 1 Thess. v. 16; to call God our Father, Luke xi. 2, to long for Christ's second coming, Rev. xxii. 17-20, and to comfort ourselves with the prospect of it, 1 Thess. iv. 18, which are all the consequences of assurance? Who can do any of these heartily, that is not in some measure sure that he is a child of God?

SECTION II

Of the Hindrances of Self-Examination. Secondly, I shall proceed to show you the hindrances of self-examination.

Here we shall consider,

I. The Impediments to Self-examination.

II. The Causes of Self-deception.

III. The Causes of doubting among Christians.

PART I.

Impediments to Self-examination.

I. We cannot doubt but Satan will do his part, to hinder us from examining ourselves. If all the power he has can do it, or all the means and instruments which he can raise up, he will be sure, above all things, to keep you from this duty. He is loath the godly should have that joyful assurance and that advantage

against corruption, which the faithful performance of self-examination would procure them. And as to the ungodly, he knows, that if they should honestly engage in this exercise, they would be likely to find out his deceits, and their own danger, and so escape him. How could he get so many millions to hell willingly, if they knew they were going thither? They would think every day a year till they were out of danger; and whether they were eating, drinking, working, or whatever they were doing, the thoughts of their danger would be ever in their mind, and this voice would be ever sounding in their ears, "Except ye repent and be converted, ye shall surely perish." The devil knows well, that if he cannot keep men from trying their state, and knowing their misery, he will hardly be able to keep them from repentance and salvation.

He therefore labours to keep them from a searching ministry; or to keep the minister from helping them to search; or to take off the edge of the word, that it may not pierce their hearts; or to turn away their thoughts from it; or in some way to prevent its operation, and the sinner's obedience.

II. Wicked men are great hindrances to others examining themselves. Their example hinders much. When a poor sinner sees all his friends and neighbours do as he does, and live quietly in the same state with himself, yea, the rich and learned as well as others, this is a great temptation to him to sleep on in his security. The worldly discourse of these men, also takes away the thoughts of his spiritual state, and makes the understanding drunk with their earthly delights, so that if the Spirit had previously excited in his heart any jealousy of his state, or any purpose to try it, this soon quenches all. Besides, God scarcely ever opens the eyes of a poor sinner, to see the danger of his state, but presently his friends and acquaintance are ready to flatter him, and settle him again in the quiet possession of his former peace. "What!" say they, "do you make a doubt of your salvation, who have 'ived so well, and have done no body any harm, and have been beloved by all? What do you think has