Thirdly, consider the profitableness of a serious faithful examination of thy estate; if thou hast this spiritual life, thy comfort dependeth upon the knowledge of it. He that hath true grace, shall go to heaven certainly; but he only that knoweth it,1 shall go to heaven comfortably. What the Lawyers say of civil things, I may say of spiritual: Things that appear not, are all one ⟨p. 140⟩as if they were not at all in being. What comfort hath he that is heir to a vast estate, till he know of it, more than he that hath nothing to do with it? What comfort is it to thee that thou art a child of God, a member of Christ, an heir of heaven, unless thou knowest it upon Scripture-grounds. If twenty or thirty are condemned, and one be pardoned, this man torments himself with fears and terrors as much as the rest, till he knoweth of his pardon. Doth not many a Christian, like Jacob, go down to the grave with sorrow, and refuse to be comforted, only upon a false supposition, that the Joseph of their soul is dead, when indeed he is alive, and in favour in the heavenly Court, as they upon a true search and enquiry will find? vide Galat. 2.20. 2 Pet. 1.10. which will show this to be a duty and attained unto by others, 2 Cor. 5.1. and indeed how contented wilt thou be in all conditions, when thou hast once attained the knowledge of thy good estate God-ward! thou wilt bid every messenger welcome for his sake that sendeth him; thou needst not fear any servant can night or day knock at thy door with ill news; how willingly wilt thou go to duty? and with what alacrity ⟨p. 141⟩perform them? knowing the God whom thou drawest nigh to, is thy loving Father; the Christ in whose Name thou approachest, is thy lovely Saviour; nay, how joyfully mayest thou think of death, as the portal through which thou shalt go into thy Masters joy and endless life! Believe it, thy life will be an heaven upon earth. And shouldst thou find thy estate lost, will it not be an infinite mercy to thee, that thou didst know it before it was too late! how will it awaken thee out of thy security, and affrighten thee upon the apprehension of thy misery! how will it quicken thee to mind thy duty! in loathing thy self, in leaving thy sins, and in flying to thy Saviour. Sound conversion begins at self-examination; First we search and try our ways, and then turn to the Lord, Lament. 3.39.
Thirdly, consider the profitablenesse of a serious faithful examination of thy estate; if thou hast this spiritual life, thy comfort dependeth upon the knowledge of it. He that hath true grace, shall go to heaven certainly; but he only that knoweth it,1 shall go to heaven comfortably. What the Lawyers say of civil things, I may say of spiritual: Things that appear not, are all one ⟨p. 140⟩as if they were not at al in being. What comfort hath he that is heir to a vast estate, till he know of it, more than he that hath nothing to do with it? What comfort is it to thee that thou art a child of God, a member of Christ, an heir of heaven, unlesse thou knowest it upon Scripture-grounds. If twenty or thirty are condemned, and one be pardoned, this man torments himself with fears and terrours as much as the rest, till he knoweth of his pardon. Doth not many a Christian, like Jacob, go down to the grave with sorrow, and refuse to be comforted, onely upon a false supposition, that the Joseph of their soul is dead, when indeed he is alive, and in favour in the heavenly Court, as they upon a true search and enquiry will find? vide Galat. 2.20. 2 Pet. 1.10. which will shew this to be a duty and attained unto by others, 2 Cor. 5.1. and indeed how contented wilt thou be in all conditions, when thou hast once attained the knowledge of thy good estate God-ward! thou wilt bid every messenger welcome for his sake that sendeth him; thou needst not fear any servant can night or day knock at thy door with ill news; how willingly wilt thou go to duty? and with what alacrity ⟨p. 141⟩perform them? knowing the God whom thou drawest nigh to, is thy loving Father; the Christ in whose Name thou approachest, is thy lovely Saviour; nay, how joyfully maiest thou think of death, as the portal through which thou shalt go into thy Masters joy and endlesse life! Believe it, thy life will be an heaven upon earth. And shouldst thou find thy estate lost, will it not be an infinite mercy to thee, that thou didst know it before it was too late! how will it awaken thee out of thy security, and affrighten thee upon the apprehension of thy misery! how will it quicken thee to mind thy duty! in loathing thy self, in leaving thy sins, and in flying to thy Saviour. Sound conversion begins at self-examination; First we search and try our wayes, and then turn to the Lord,
- 1De non apparentibus & non existentibus, eadem est ratio.
