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Show Hofll to 411aill alf'immce; fewcft words and moll rcferved 'onverfatipns-irom the world~ live in greaten inward peace; and the_A'ciifon is;becau~e the lives of thefe Chrillians are mol\ free fro~fpots. Our ordmary evidence be!ng to be fetched from ou~ clofe walking wl_t~ God, and keeping hisCommandments;in r~fon,he that moll ltnctly ~eep~th tile Commandments of God, and walketh moll clofely ":tth ht!"• mull ilave the clearell v-iew of his lnterefi in him,andUmon wtth him. . k I I 6. Live much in a ju[f exami1111ti1111 oftby folf; ~ou now t s a gr•ve prmpt of the Apofile, 2 Cor, 1 ~: 5· ExamiiSe ~~r ftlvu, prove your {elva, wbetbtr you be iH the F.,tb. Did ~hnfita~s but live up to this precept, we fhould have more of thts certamty amongfi Chriflians-than we have; the Merchant that weekly 'afis up his Books hath a reafonable certainty of his Ellate, and knows what he Is w~rth. Whereas be who either never doth it , or Yery rarely can be at no gteat 'ertainty: that Chrillian which often enters Into his Clofet and there makes up hb Books with God, will not alfo be at fuch in~ertainty as thofe who either negleCt this or do it very feldom. Now the ufefulnefs of this appears more ways than on~. By thi$ ma•z• Cbri}iilllll.iouhl$ are oftell ;ropo[etl, a•tl oft ell tntf,;ered. We ufe to fay that there is nothing we are more ~ertain of. than what we have often doubted, and after doubtmg have ~en fatisfied about it. • 2. By this ;,;neans a Chrifiians :t,ood hope or mta111ty is <>ften eonfirmetl 1111to bim ; and fo is lefs fhaken man hour of temptation. .t: tl. 3· By thi$ mtllll$ the fnarlu of 11 Cbri/fia111 S011~ tm ,,,, t'lltlle , ' and his way made plain; for It is not to be lm~gmed, that a Chrlan fhould live In the praCtice of this felf.examtnation ; but as he finds the guilt of any new fin upon his Soul, he fho111d bfe _wafhlng it out with his own te:m , and a new Application o htmfelf to· the blood ofChrill. - · r. • . • 4• He who Jives in the frequent prad-ice of,e/fe~•mJIUitttJJt, will live in further watchfulnefs than others, who fee not the temptations into which their Souls are every day ready to be l~d into. But 1 added a juft ex.:rmi11atiow, in oppofition to an exa~r nation ex p11rtt·on one part; examine on both 6des, a~ well [o• ~ filf~1 llf,llilljf thy filf. This Is the great error of S?uls m thm dar . b011rs, when they are enour,h vrdinarily In exammlng themfel~; -· ..... - ' ~ Hofll ''tJ ·ifllifitt ajf1tt'aHce. but they examine only on one fide, their whole bufinefs is to fee 'fl>bllt they CtJit f.:ry ag.:rin~ t'beir 1'11'11 Soul!; they will.hardly .believe that God hath done any thing; in them, and for them. Do not only examine what habits of corruption have difcovered themfelves in thee, but alfo whether or no habits of fpeeial difting .. ijhing grace have difcovered thcmftlves. There is no determin-ation of thetruth in a cafe withOJat hearing both fides. . Hear what thy heart can fay for thee, as well as what it can fay again!\: thee. Seventhly, Wouldll thou come to this certainty? to this ability to fay, my Beloved "it mint, 1111d I am hit, Be much tbtn in 11pplying thy beartto the promife ; and learn to livt much the lifo •f F11ith upon the promiflt. Certainty, or a1!"urance is nothing, but theftickjng of -tht promifl to the Soul. The Soul is wounded, God hath prepared a plai/fer for th•flw•undt. That's the Blood of Chrill, this is · the only fa! ve; but this is fpread upon the promifes of the Gofpel as the falvt in the plailler is fpread on the-linncn. Now 'When tliis _promife fiicks to the Soul, when God applies it fo as the Soul feeth ·its portion and lrtterell in it, there's 4Jfor4nct, there the Soul now is in a capacity to' fay,~ BeLnmlil mine,antl Irzm'hir. Now it Is God that mu!t make it to flick even to the hearnhat is clean, ana prepared for it; but yet as a means on our put as-the Mirlilli:r of the Gofpel offers the promifes in the ·Gofpel 'more generally to Souls,fo it is the. particular Soul's duty to be offering thofe•promi• fes to itfelf, and'inquiring of It felf, why it 'fhouHI not'lay·hoJa upon it. AChrillian troubled for his back-tlidings, anll havin,g Ills peace broken for them; .ancl having humbled-his Soufforthenl·in fecret, fhould not f.ttisfy himfdf, by only reaHiog that promife, Ho(<a 1 4· 'I 'IPIU he.:rl y~ur b•ck;;jlidillgt a11d l~ve Y"• freely; or !learlog the Minillers of the Gofpel in their SermQns, mmtion and l!ffer that, ana :fuch-like promifes;-but whell he is at home, when 'he isih'his'Ciofet, and findeth his Soul fad and <lifquiered in the fenfe ofhis back-1lidings, hdho~ld be olferlng that anti fuci!Jiike pro.mifes to his Soul ; an<! faying, why art thou caj! dowli, ·0 ·my S oul7 111lzy 11rt ·tho, fo dijqHitted 'IPithin mel Here's a ~romife, wh_y fhould not 1 trufi in God ? .a!Jfl hope !hat it fha'lt y,et 'praffe · hi?l -a~ the_ light of 'IJly courlt'enance? the Chirurgion dfd:~ appltes h1s platller to the wound,at length it fii~ks ; -Prtlrtlifes oftto offe~ed to the Soul, at length flick too. - I added the duty of a Chrillian, to live much the life ofF 11i1b upon the promifu, That is to , I |