of our past lives: but only fo much of them, as may be fufficient to give us a clear and undoubted Satisfaction, whither we are at prefent, and, for fome confiderable time last past, have been, in a firm and entire difpofition of mind, to ferve and please God, in all things, or no. This is the main point, which it concerns us to be secure of: And therefore, tho' I would by no means defraud Holy Souls of that unspeakable joy and confirmation of hope, which, the bleffed review of an whole Life well-fpent, and of an univerfal Obedience, almoft in every thought, word and work, must needs fill them with yet, confidering that this is the cafe but of very few, and that, tho' it be a very defirable cafe, yet it is not abfolutely neceffary, in order to our Salvation; I cannot think fit to reprefent it as fuch; to the raising of fcruples in weak minds, and making the work of Self-examination, which is at beft hard enough, ftill more and more difficult and perplex'd.

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Secondly, We must be careful likewife duly to inform and instruct our felves,

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felves, in a right and perfect understanding of that Rule, by which our state and condition are to be try'd. In our fecular Affairs we take care, as near as we can, to choose a Man perfectly well vers'd in the knowledge of the Law, for the refolver of our Law-cafes. And this furely with great reafon; fince it is impoffible for a Man, who is ignorant, tho' but in part, what the Law is, to determine certainly whither our cafe is according to Law or no. And doth not the reafon hold just the fame; and ought we not to be, at leaft, as prudent in our Spiritual Affairs, as in our fecular? The grand Queftion, which our Confciences defire to be refolv'd in, is, whither our late Course of Life has been fuch, as we have reason to believe God has been pleas'd with: that is, in other words, whither it has been according to that rule of Life, which God has given us to walk by, viz. the dictates of our own nature and reafon, and his written word. And how can we poffibly refolve this, without a thorough knowledge and understanding of what this Rule is? Ifay, a thorough knowledge

and

and understanding: because, if we know but in part, we may perhaps be condemned by that part of our Rule which we do not know, even when we are acquitted by that part of it which we do know. It is plain then that an entire knowledge of the Rule or Law, by which we are to be judg'd, is abfolutely neceffary, in order to our making a just and adequate judgment of our felves; and confequently we cannot, fo much as, hope that we have made fuch a judgment, till we have us'd our utmost care to acquire fuch a knowledge.

Laftly, Be our knowledge, both of our felves and of our rule, as perfect and compleat as we need to defire they fhould be, yet ftill, if we do not honeftly and impartially apply this rule, thus thoroughly understood, to the state and condition of our lives thus faithfully reprefented, we may, after all, be very far from a true and just judgment of our felves. These two are indeed admirable qualifications for a fudge; but what will they fignify, if not fincerely and uprightly us'd: if, thro' favour or affection, Cc 2 thro'

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thro' fear or an unwillingness to beSerm.12.lieve the truth, we put a more loofe and easy conftruction, either upon the ftate of our lives, or the fenfe of our Rule, than they will really bear? To what purpofe is it that we know right from wrong, if, after all, we may fo far corrupted and prevail'd upon, as to judge wrong to be right? Who can have any truft or dependance, in the leaft, upon the fentence of fuch Judges? What fhadow of probability is there, that God fhould approve and confirm their Judgment?

be

Well then; be it agreed that the foremention'd qualifications are abfolutely neceffary, in order to our forming fuch a true and just Judgment of our felves, as may, if in our favour, give us confidence towards God; yet ftill the greatest difficulty is behind, and that is, to know

Secondly, How we may be beft able to make this Judgment. And here it cannot be deny'd but that, where Men have been fo careless as to let their Accounts run on a great while, without ever cafting them up,

there

there it muft needs be a matter of m great difficulty and perplexity at laft Serm.12. to fettle them. But yet, as great as this difficulty is, it might in time be Surely conquer'd, if we could but once perfwade Men, when they are about to begin this work, to be honeft and true to themfelves, willing and refolv'd to know the very worst of their condition, and rather to be Severe upon, than to flatter, themfelves; to be ferious and attentive, to allow time and thought enough, for this great and important work and, above all, earneftly to implore the divine direction and affiftance in it. And, that they may not fail of this, I shall make it my

First Inftruction to them, before they fet about this work, to confider feriously with them felves, how great and important a work it is, and of how fatal confequence any mistake in it may prove: how it is all to be review'd and Scann'd over again, at the strict and unerring Tribunal of God himfelf: how little it will avail us to acquit our felves here, unless we do it upon fuch fure grounds, as God

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