The saints sacrifice

3 By practice it is, that sincerity of heart, integrity of conscience, soundness of faith, and truth of all graces are manifested, cherished, and increased. Yea and the presence of Gods Spirit in us, testified. Hereby inward assurance is gained, and outward evidence is given of our election before the world, and of our salvation after the world. Many judgements are by this walking or prevented, or removed, or mitigated, or sanctified: and everlasting perdition avoided. If motives may be of force to provoke us to perform a duty, motives are not wanting to provoke us to this duty of walking, as here it is professed.

3 By practice it is, that sincerity of heart, integrity of conscience, soundnesse of faith, and truth of all graces are manifested, cherished, and increased. Yea and the presence of Gods Spirit in us, testified. Hereby inward assurance is gained, and outward evidence is given of our election before the world, and of our salvation after the world. Many judgements are by this walking or prevented, or removed, or mitigated, or sanctified: and everlasting perdition avoided. If motives may be of force to provoke us to performe a duty, motives are not wanting to provoke us to this duty of walking, as here it is professed.

¹What may now be thought of such, as having attained to a sufficient measure of knowledge, and are with that which they know of God, and of his kind dealing with them inwardly affected, and are thereupon moved to profess as much love as the Prophet here doth, but yet fail in performance, in practice? They walk not. Their apprehension, affection, profession are all in vain; except to be as so many evidences against them, to make them the more inexcusable, and to aggravate their judgement the more. I deny not, but that knowledge of God and of his favour towards us, a good liking thereof, and a cheerful acknowledgement and profession of what we know, are very needful and useful. For walking without knowledge must needs be preposterous and erroneous: without a good affection, hypocritical and vain: and without a free profession, too too timorous. So as these three are necessary, though not sufficient. Question may be made of the truth of them all, where they are not sealed and ratified by an answerable walking and practice. And adversaries of the truth will take the more occasion to slander the truth. Our adversaries do much urge against us and our profession that we walk not: that we practise not: and allege this against our profession, to impeach the integrity of our religion: which should make us more conscionable in showing forth our good works for