Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

For the 3. viz. the necessity of it; this appears much from what is already said; and is so very great, that its impossible to attain to holiness, to mortification, to peace, to be distinct in our way, to be spiritual in any duty, or to be tender in our walk without it: We may say that this duty in respect of a Christian life, is like weeding to a Gardens It's not sufficient, that a Garden have fresh Seeds sown, and fine Plants and Flowers set in it, if Weeds as they appear be not pulled up; without frequent and careful weeding, the weeds will quickly overgrow and choke the Flowers and Plants; It's just so here, there being so many lusts and corruptions in the heart of man, and it's so broody and see tile of these filthy weeds; that unless this self-examination […] conscionably and seasonably exercised, it will be overgrown by and by, and filled full, with the stinking weeds of those corruptions; and our coming over our heart and way by taking a review of it, is like a careful Gardeners daily coming over his Garden with his Weeding-iron; the one is no more necessary to the Garden then the other is necessary to our heart and way: And the reason why so many heart ⟨p. 206⟩are like the sluggards Garden, all overgrown with nettles and briars, is the neglect of this self-examination: Many alas! take on a profession of Religion, but take no pains to be answerable to it, neither do they look to the weeds and hemlocks of sins, that in stead of good fruits to God, spring up in their heart, and over-spread their life: Therefore from all this I beseech you take this word of advertisement, as you would have the profession of your Religion well stuffed and filled up with the power of it, and would not have it as a Ghostly House, having a fair show outwardly, and empty within, or as a painted Sepulchre, beautiful without, and full of rottenness and dead mens bones within, and as ye would not have much false bulk without substance; be much in the exercise of this excellent duty of self-examination, and serious in it.

For the 3. viz. the necessity of it; this appears much from what is already said; and is so very great, that its impossible to attain to holiness, to mortification, to peace, to be distinct in our way, to be spiritual in any duty, or to be tender in our walk without it: We may say that this duty in respect of a Christian life, is like weeding to a Gardens It's not sufficient, that a Garden have fresh Seeds sown, and fine Plants and Flowers set in it, if Weeds as they appear be not pulled up; without frequent and careful weeding, the weeds will quickly overgrow and choak the Flowers and Plants; It's just so here, there being so many lusts and corruptions in the heart of man, and it's so broody and se tile of these filthy weeds; that unless this self-examination conscionably and seasonably exercised, it will be overgrown by and by, and filled full, with the stinking weeds of those corruptions; and our coming over our heart and way by taking a review of it, is like a careful Gardeners daily coming over his Garden with his Weeding-iron; the one is no more necessary to the Garden then the other is necessary to our heart and way: And the reason why so many heart