A heavenly conference between Christ and Mary after His resurrection. Wherein the intimate familiarity,…

1. There be many duties and dispositions that God requires, which we cannot be in, without assurance of salvation on good grounds; what is that? God bids us be thankful in all things, how can I know that? unless I know God is mine, and Christ is mine, can I be thankful for that which I doubt of, and think I ought to doubt of? therefore it is such a ⟨p. 216⟩state, without which I cannot perform other duties, and particularly the grand duty of thankfulness. And what a pitiful state is this, that a man should not be thankful for Christ, nor Heaven, nor for the state of another world, that there should be such great matters, and yet they cannot thank God for them.

1. There be many duties and dispositions that God requires, which we cannot be in, without assurance of salvation on good grounds; what is that? God bids us be thankful in all things, how can I know that? unless I know God is mine, and Christ is mine, can I be thankful for that which I doubt of, and think I ought to doubt of? therefore it is such a ⟨p. 216⟩state, without which I cannot perform other duties, and particularly the grand duty of thankfulness. And what a pittiful state is this, that a man should not be thankful for Christ, nor Heaven, nor for the state of another world, that there should be such great matters, and yet they cannot thank God for them.

¹2. Again, God enjoineth us to rejoice. Rejoice, and again I say, rejoice. Can a man rejoice, that his name is written in Heaven, and not know his name is written there? The Disciples were very weak now, and yet notwithstanding all their infirmities, they loved Christ, they cast themselves upon him, and had not chosen another Saviour. Therefore ²rejoice that your names are written in Heaven, and how can a man rejoice, that knoweth it not to be so? By Gods writing of the Law in a mans heart, he may know his name is written in Heaven. Can a man always rejoice, if he hath not grounds why?