fearching marks, were as if we did büfy ourselves in feparating huge ftones from corn by a fine five, when it were much more easily done with the hand. These we fet afide in the entry, because their fins go before them into judgment. But befides these notorious finners, there are others who are no less strangers to folid conviction than they, upon whom nevertheless it is fomething more hard to prove it. And therefore for the discovery of fuch, we fhall now proceed to deal a little. more closely with your confciences; and fince your concernment in this matter is fo great, as we juft now did fhew it to be, we obteft you to be ferious in this matter, which is, past all peradventure, to turn either to your eternal advantage, or to your eternal difadvantage.

Ye all do profefs yourselves convinced of fin. But now if it be fo, I demand of you in God's name, Have ye ever to this day been concerned about falvation, or laid it to heart above all things? If ye have not, then to this day ye have never been foundly convinced of fin, whatever your pretences are: and fo ye are found liars in this matter, and deceivers of your own fouls. If ye fay ye have been, or are feriously concerned about falvation, then,

1. I pofe your confciences, and I demand ye may pose them with this question, Can ye be fatisfied with other things while ye are at an utter uncertainty about falvation? If fo, if ye can be well. pleased, and have reft in your mind, and live contentedly at an uncertainty about falvation, provided ye be in health of body, and your worldly concerns thrive, then we fay, ye have never yet been concerned about falvation, and therefore are

yet

yet ftrangers to that found conviction, without which none will be content to accept of Christ.

2. I pofe you in God's name upon it, What thoughts do ye spend upon this fubject? Perfons who can spend whole days and nights, and weeks, and never have a.ferious thought about falvation, they certainly are not laying it to heart: but that I may bring this fecond question yet a little closer to the confcience, I shall break it into one or two others; and, (1.) I pofe you on it, What thoughts de ye choofe? Perfons may fometimes be oppreft with thoughts that they entertain the uttermoft averfion to; or they may be forced from the thoughts they would for ever defire to dwell upon. A man that is, throughly awakened may by the impetuous violence of temptation, or the inevitable occafions of life, be obliged, as it were, fometimes to intermit thoughts of falvation, and entertain thoughts about other things: but when he has leave to make choice, then he will choose to think of falvation. Now, if you choose ordinarily to think of other things than of falvation, then there is no fuch force upon you, it discovers you unconcerned about falvation, and confequently ftrangers to that folid conviction, that iffues always in fuch a serious concern as we have been fpeaking of. (2.) I further pose you, whether or not do the thoughts about falvation frequently prefs in upon you, when ye are bufied about the ordinary occafions of life, when employed in your ordinary occupations, when ye are working, or converfing? If such thoughts are never wont to vifit you even then, it is a fad fign that ye do not lay falvation seriously to heart; for certainly that which the mind is much concerned about, will frequently drive the thoughts that way. (3.) I

put

put this one question more to you, What thoughts are these on which your own time is fpent? All your time, ye may think, is your own time: but there is a certain portion of time which may be called fo upon a peculiar account; fuch are these feafons, wherein we are neither engaged in bufinefs nor in diverfion, as when we walk alone in the fields, when we feparate ourselves in order to reft at night, when we are undreffing ourselves, or when we are waking upon our beds in the night time, or before we engage in company in the morning. Now, it is in reference to fuch feasons as these, that we enquire into your thoughts. If thefe feafons be not employed in thoughts a bout falvation, it is a fad fign that ye are not in earneft about it indeed.

3. I put this question to you, What are your defires? Man is a defiring creature: he is fenfible of felf-infufficiency, and therefore is ever defiring and longing after fome one thing or other that is fuited to his need, or at least which he thinks to be fo. Now, what is it that ye defire? Is it falvation? Is it Chrift? It may be, ye never have a defire after falvation, but when ye are laid upon a fick bed, and fall under fears of death; and even then, where there is one defire for eternal falvatition, there are many for freedom from death, for fome longer life. Dying David fpeaking of that Covenant whereby falvation was enfured to him, could call it all his defire; although my houfe be not fo with God; yet he hath made with me an everlafting covenant ordered in all things and fure; for this is all my falvation and all my defire, al though he make it not to grow, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. If your fouls do not frequently go out in defires after God, after falvation; it is a fhrewd evidence

that

Part II. that ye are not concerned about falvation, and confequently that ye are not yet convinced of fin.

4. Are your hearts ever affected about falvation? When there is a concern about any thing in the foul of man, it never fails to fet the heart a work, and to fill the affections. Now, furely if ye be in any good degree concerned about falvation ye will be affected. (1.) Have ye never any fears of falling fhort of falvation? Let us fear, left a promise being left us of entering into his reft, any of us fhould feem to come short, says the apostle, Heb. iv. 1. A heart weighted, and really concern. ed about falvation, will fee many grounds to fear that poffibly it may lofe falvation at laft. The falls of others, the difficulties and oppofition in the way to falvation, and its own felt weakness, will ever occafion fear in the heart about this. What one is very concerned to have, he is always feared to lofe. (2.) Do ye never taste any thing of the anger of God in the threatenings? Thefe that are concerned about falvation, get fuch a tafte of God's difpleasure, as is wont to fill their hearts with grief and forrow. If ye know nothing of this, it looks very ill, and fpeaks you not du ly concerned about falvation. (3.) Do ye never find any thing of fhame for fin rifing in your heart? If none of these affections be moved, it is a fad but fure evidence that ye are not concerned about falvation, and confequently that ye are not yet folidly convinced of fin.

5. Whither runs your difcourfe.commonly? Do ye never fpeak of falvation? We told you formerly, that when the heart is much concerned about falvation, the mouth will fometimes be em ployed in fpeaking about it. Now, where runs your talk commonly? Is there never a word of

fal

falvation in your difcourfe? It is a fad fign that ye never yet were convinced of fin, that ye never yet laid falvation to heart, Do not think that it, will clear you, to tell that ye must conform your difcourfe to the temper of those with whom ye converfe: for I fay, (1.) Do ye never converse with any body that would be willing to entertain difcourfe about falvation? If it be fo, then I am fure it is choice and not neceffity makes it fo this therefore is a further proof of your uncon cernednefs about falvation, ye flight the converfe. of fuch as may help you. (2.) Are ye never in a company where ye may lead the difcourfe? If ye be a mafter of a family, a parent, or any fuperior, I am fure amongst your inferiors ye may have the leading of the difcourfe; nay, though ye be fervants, ye may fome time or other have as fair a pretence, to prefcribe to others the subject of difcourfe, as they have to prefcribe to you. (3.) If ye fhift the evidence of all this, I fhall put here, a question or two to you, which will, if faithfully applied, make a difcovery of you in this mat ter: and, 1. Do ye not weary of the company and of the difcourfe that has no respect to falvation? 2. Is it not a restraint upon you, when ye are kept from difcourfing of falvation? If ye be really concerned about it, I am fure it will be fo fometimes with you. But I proceed, and in the

6th Place, I put the question to you, What diligence is there in ufing the means of falvation? No man that understands either scripture or reafon, can think the man concerned about falvati on, that ufeth not the means of falvation. Now, because I judge that here we may meet with not a few of you, I fhall defcend to particulars, and deal plainly with you about this matter. The