Have you any thing Substantial indeed to plead for your selves? Have you any thing to plead that is indeed Evidential, that puts the goodness of your hopes beyond controversy? I take it for granted that you have several things to plead for your selves, you have arguments enough, if they be but good; the Question is, Whether any of them be of weight? A man that goes to Law, had need see to his tackling▪ A man that is to have a trial before the Tribunal of Christ, had need to see that he has that which will bear Examination. Are your pleas such as are common to Hypocrites? There are some pleas, which if they be true, are very strong. That is a good plea, that God has made Spiritual discoveries of his Glory, and the Glory of Christ to their Souls: That is a good plea, that they have had the visible actings of Grace, Faith & Love & Repentance; if men have been able to say with Peter, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. That is a good plea, that God has by his Spirit manifested his love unto them. But men are ready to lay weight upon insufficient pleas, they take notice of several probabilities, but many false hearted men ⟨p. 19⟩[…] make the same pleas; they say they are […] for their Sins, they desire to walk in ways […] Obedience, they are not tainted with Im•••••lities, they seek God daily, they read good •••ks, &c. But the inquiry is, Whether you […] any thing that is peculiar to Saints? Twenty probabilities, will not prove you to be •n heir of Salvation: Twenty probabilities may make the thing more probable, but they will not make a Certainty: You cannot draw a certain conclusion, unless you have something substantial to prove it.
Have you any thing Substantial indeed to plead for your selves? Have you any thing to plead that is indeed Evidential, that puts the goodness of your hopes beyond controversy? I take it for granted that you have several things to plead for your selves, you have arguments enough, if they be but good; the Question is, Whether any of them be of weight? A man that goes to Law, had need see to his tackling▪ A man that is to have a tryal before the Tribunal of Christ, had need to see that he has that which will bear Examination. Are your pleas such as are common to Hypocrites? There are some pleas, which if they be true, are very strong. That is a good plea, that God has made Spiritual discoveries of his Glory, and the Glory of Christ to their Souls: That is a good plea, that they have had the visible actings of Grace, Faith & Love & Repentance; if men have been able to say with Peter, Lord, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee. That is a good plea, that God has by his Spirit manifested his love unto them. But men are ready to lay weight upon insufficient pleas, they take notice of several probabilities, but many false hearted men ⟨p. 19⟩〈…〉 make the same pleas; they say they are 〈…〉 for their Sins, they desire to walk in ways 〈…〉 Obedience, they are not tainted with Im•••••lities, they seek God dayly, they read good •••ks, &c. But the inquiry is, Whether you 〈…〉 any thing that is peculiar to Saints? Twenty probabilities, will not prove you to be •n heir of Salvation: Twenty probabilities may make the thing more probable, but they will not make a Certainty: You cannot draw a certain conclusion, unless you have something •ubstantial to prove it.
