so è contra, when grace is most weak and corruption most strong, yet he cannot commit sin with all his strength as formerly he hath done, but he goes about sin unwillingly, not with the full sway that he was wont to do, he goes listlessly about it.

so è contra, when grace is most weak and corruption most strong, yet he cannot commit sin with all his strength as formerly he hath done, but he goes about sin unwillingly, not with the full sway that he was wont to doe, he goes listlesly about it.

Try your selves therefore by these signs, if thou hast Christ, thou hast life? if life, thou hast warmth and heat; look to thy knowledge, doth it puff thee up, and not edify? Dost thou magnify thy self by it? If it be lively knowledge, it is joined with zeal, as Christ revealed himself to the Church of Thyatira, Rev. 2.18. Thus saith the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, writing to the Church of Thyatira that was warm in love, and growing up therein, he revealed himself according to the state of the Church, as having eyes like flames of fire, as that Church had zeal with her light; so that if thou hast a true knowledge, thy eyes are like flames of fire, what thou knowest thou dost with zeal and fervency of spirit, as Peter and John said, We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard; that is, which we have certain knowledge of, Acts 4.20. See Jer. 20.9.

Try your selves therefore by these signes, if thou hast Christ, thou hast life? if life, thou hast warmth and heat; look to thy knowledge, doth it puffe thee up, and not edifie? Dost thou magnifie thy selfe by it? If it be lively knowledge, it is joyned with zeal, as Christ revealed himselfe to the Church of Thyatira, Rev. 2.18. Thus saith the Son of God, whose eyes are like flames of fire, writing to the Church of Thyatira that was warm in love, and growing up therein, he revealed himselfe according to the state of the Church, as having eyes like flames of fire, as that Church had zeal with her light; so that if thou hast a true knowledge, thy eyes are like flames of fire, what thou knowest thou dost with zeal and fervency of spirit, as Peter and John said, We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard; that is, which we have certain knowledge of, Acts 4.20. See Jer. 20.9.

1. Consider therefore whether thy knowledge be joined with zeal: How dost thou breath? dost thou smell a sweet savour in the Word? Then there is breath in thy nostrils.

1. Consider therefore whether thy knowledge be joyned with zeal: How dost thou breath? dost thou smell a sweet savour in the Word? Then there is breath in thy nostrills.

3. How dost thou find thy stomach to the Word? dost thou relish it, or else art thou ashamed of thy unprofitableness? Then there is life.

3. How dost thou finde thy stomach to the Word? dost thou relish it, or else art thou ashamed of thy unprofitablenesse? Then there is life.

4. Dost thou love to be disjointed from thy Brethren, like brands cast one from another? Then there is no life. Life loves to preserve it self; if you sit loose one from another all heat and life goes out, religion ceaseth, there is a bidding farewell to all Christian duties; but if you see bone join to bone, one gather to another, then you shall see flesh and sinews will cover them, and life will come in, Ezek. 37.7. Put brands together, and there will be some fire and heat propagated.

4. Dost thou love to be disjoynted from thy Brethren, like brands cast one from another? Then there is no life. Life loves to preserve it selfe; if you sit loose one from another all heat and life goes out, religion ceaseth, there is a bidding farewell to all Christian duties; but if you see bone joyn to bone, one gather to another, then you shall see flesh and sinews will cover them, and life will come in, Ezek. 37.7. Put brands together, and there will be some fire and heat propagated.

2. A second property of life. Where life is, there is some pliableness and flexibleness, a dead carcass is always stiff: So consider whether you be stiff or no; why, if there be life of grace in you, That wisdom that is from above, is gentle, and easy to be entreated, James 3.17.

2. A second property of life. Where life is, there is some plyablenesse and flexiblenesse, a dead carkase is always stiffe: So consider whether you be stiffe or no; why, if there be life of grace in you, That wisdome that is from above, is gentle, and easie to be entreated, James 3.17.

There are four things in this pliableness.

There are four things in this plyablenesse.

First, He is easily pleased with any indifferent endeavours, 1 Pet. 3.8. A gracious man is easily pleased; if a man be froward and hard to please, its a sign such a soul is stiff and dead.

First, He is easily pleased with any indifferent indevours, 1 Pet. 3.8. A gracious man is easily pleased; if a man be froward and hard to please, its a signe such a soul is stiffe and dead.

Secondly, If he be offended, he is easy to be entreated, James 3.17. Its a sign• of a reprobate sense to be implacable, Rom. 3.1.

Secondly, If he be offended, he is easie to be entreated, James 3.17. Its a sign• of a reprobate sence to be implacable, Rom. 3.1.

Thirdly, If he have offended another, he is willing to yield to that man whom he hath offended; so much stiffness, so much deadness.

Thirdly, If he have offended another, he is willing to yeeld to that man whom he hath offended; so much stiffnesse, so much deadnesse.

Fourthly, There is this gentleness in every living Christian, he is willing to deny himself upon unequal terms, when he might stand upon his right, yet he yields his right, rather then any offence should grow; so Abraham did to Lot, Gen. 13.8, 9. If we find it thus, we are loving Christians; but if men be hardly pleased, like Nabal, churlish, hardly recalled, will not yield, but stand upon their right to the utmost, then they are in a deep swoon, or dead.

Fourthly, There is this gentlenesse in every living Christian, he is willing to deny himselfe upon unequall terms, when he might stand upon his right, yet he yeelds his right, rather then any offence should grow; so Abraham did to Lot, Gen. 13.8, 9. If we finde it thus, we are loving Christians; but if men be hardly pleased, like Nabal, churlish, hardly recall'd, will not yeeld, but stand upon their right to the utmost, then they are in a deep swound, or dead.

3. Whilst the body is alive, its savoury, a dead carcass is very unsavoury; mark your spirits, every living Christian is a sweet savour to God, his words are savoury, Col. 4.5, 6. Ephes. 4.29. His works savour well in the nostrils of God and man, Ephes. 5.10. But if your speeches and carriages be unsavoury, uncomely, and profane, are ye not then carnal? 1 Cor. 3.3. But a good Christian so carries himself, that the bowels of the Saints are refreshed by him. Unsavoury speeches and carriages argue the deadness of such a soul.

3. Whilest the body is alive, its savoury, a dead carkase is very unsavoury; mark your spirits, every living Christian is a sweet savour to God, his words are savoury, Col. 4.5, 6. Ephes. 4.29. His works savour well in the nostrills of God and man, Ephes. 5.10. But if your speeches and carriages be unsavoury, uncomely, and profane, are ye not then carnall? 1 Cor. 3.3. But a good Christian so carryes himselfe, that the bowells of the Saints are refreshed by him. Unsavoury speeches and carriages argue the deadnesse of such a soul.

Use 2. May show us the dangerous and uncomfortable condition of every such soul that hath not Christ; He that hath not the Son, hath not life. If we be without Christ, we are dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. 2.1, 5. We may say of men by nature, as was said of Sennacherib's host, Behold ye are all dead carcasses, 2 Kings 19.35. We by nature have not this act of life.

Ʋse 2. May shew us the dangerous and uncomfortable condition of every such soul that hath not Christ; He that hath not the Son, hath not life. If we be without Christ, we are dead in trespasses and sins, Eph. 2.1, 5. We may say of men by nature, as was said of Senacheribs host, Behold ye are all dead carkases, 2 Kings 19.35. We by nature have not this act of life.

Five acts of life we heard of before, by Nature we are wanting in them all.

1. By Nature we have no spiritual motion, all our works are but dead works, Hebrews 9.14. And so dead are we by Nature that we do no good; nay, we can do no good; and, which is worst of all, we will do no good. Rom. 3.12. There is none that doth good, no not one. All the imaginations of our hearts by nature, are wholly evil, and that continually, Gen. 6.5. And as all his thoughts are evil, so are all his words, Mat. 12.33. And so are all his works, Mat. 7.18. We are as rotten trees, we cannot bring forth one good fruit. There is not so much in a natural man, as one good thought, or word, or action, that proceeds from faith, or is regulated by Gods Word, or aims at Gods glory; nay, if God should raise us up, and enable us to do good, yet we would not. Jer. 13. ult. Oh Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? When shall it once be? The man that had a bodily disease on him, when Christ asked him, Wilt thou be made whole? He said, Yea Lord. But if God ask us the question, Wilt thou be made clean? we refuse it. We find shifts to put off Christ, never could we find that day, wherein we could say, This day I would be a Christian, but we are either almost persuaded to be Christians, or else it must not be this day; as bad debtors, they would not have the creditors set them a day, lest they ⟨p. 408⟩should break it; so we would be spared from setting God a day, for surely we would break it; indeed, when we are pressed with some fore sickness, endangering death, what say we? O! If God would but once restore me to health again, all the world should see I would become a new man, and yet when he was in health, he said, I will seek God, and turn to him in sickness; and thus we put God off from Winter to Summer, from Spring to Harvest; when we are sick, we promise amendment, if God will send us health; but why not now? Do you know whether ever you shall have health or no? And will you hazard your souls? And therefore God expects that in afflictions we should seek him.