a measure of grace, but a temptation may be imagined so strong as to overcome them. And if God should let Satan do his worst, there must be extraordinary assistances to preserve us, or we should fall. Bless God if he "lead you not into temptation, but deliver you from the evil," by keeping you far enough from the snare. This is the way of preservation that we are taught to pray and hope for.

4. And therefore it is our own duty to keep as far from temptations as we can; and if we have grace to avoid the sin by avoiding the temptation, we have such grace as God useth for the saving of his own: not that he hath saving grace that would live wickedly, if he were but tempted to it by those ordinary trials that human nature may expect: but the soul that preferreth God and glory before the pleasures of sin for a season, if it so continue, shall be saved, though possibly there might have been a temptation so strong as would have conquered the measure of grace that he had, if it had not been fortified with new supplies. It is therefore mere dotage in those that could find in their hearts to put themselves upon some temptation, to try whether they are sincere by the success. Avoid temptation, that you may avoid the sin and punishment. Make not yourselves worse on pretence of discovering how bad you are. Put not gunpowder or fuel to the sparks of corruption that still remain in you, on pretence of trying whether they will burn. All men are defectible, and capable of every sin, and must be saved from it by that grace which worketh on nature according to that nature, and prevaileth with reason by means agreeable to reason, If we think we are wicked, because we find that we have hearts that could be wicked, were they let alone, and because we are not removed so far from sin as to be incapable of it, we may as well say Adam was wicked in his innocency, much more David, Solomon, and Peter, before their falls. It is not he that can sin that shall be punished: but he that doth sin, or would sin if he could, and had rather have the sin for its pleasure or commodity to the flesh, than be free from it, and be holy, in order to salvation, and the favour and pleasing, and enjoying of God in endless glory.

5. Lastly, Let such persons try themselves by their conquest over the temptations which they have, and not by imaginary conflicts with all that they think may possibly

at any time assault them. You have still the same flesh to deal with, and the same world and devil, that will not let you go to heaven without temptation: If the temptations which you have already, keep you not from preferring the love and fruition of God before the pleasure of the flesh; and a life of faith and holiness, before a life of infidelity and impiety, and sensuality, so that you had rather live the former than the latter, I am sure then your temptations have not kept you from a state of grace. And you may be assured, that for the time to come, if you watch and pray, you may escape the danger of temptation; and that God will increase your strength if he increase your trials: Be not secure, be you never so holy. Think not that you have a nature that cannot sin, or cannot be tempted to a love of sin: but "let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is moderate, or common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Cor. x. 12, 13.)

And thus I have shewed you how self-ignorance hindereth the conquest and mortifying of sin, even in the godly, and now shall add some further motives.

2. Not knowing ourselves, and the secret corruptions of our hearts, doth make sin surprise us the more dangerously, and break forth the more shamefully, and wound our consciences the more terribly. The unsuspected sin hath least opposition, and when it breaks out doth like an unobserved fire, go far before we are awakened to quench it. And it confoundeth us with shame, to find ourselves so much worse than we imagined. It overwhelmeth the soul with despairing thoughts to find itself so bad, when it thought it had been better. It breedeth endless suspicions and fears, when we find our former opinions of ourselves confuted, and that contrary to our expectations we are surprised where we thought we had been safe: We are still ready to think what ever we discern that is good within us, that we may as well be mistaken now as we were before. And thus our present self-ignorance, when discovered, may hinder all the comforts of our lives.

3. Lastly, Not knowing ourselves, and our particular sins, and wants, and weaknesses, doth keep us from a parti

cular application of the promises, and from seeking those particular remedies from Christ, which our case requireth : And so our mercies lie by neglected, while we need them, and do not understand our need.

And thus I have shewed you why you should labour to know your sinfulness.

II. I am next to persuade believers to know their graces and their happiness. Good is the object of voluntary knowledge, but evil of forced involuntary knowledge, unless as the knowledge of evil tendeth to some good. Therefore methinks you should be readiest to this part of the study of yourselves: and yet, alas, the presumptuous are not more unwilling to know their sin and misery, than some perplexed Christians are backward to acknowledge their grace and happiness. How hard is it to convince them of the tender love of God towards them, and of the sincerity of their love to him; and to make them believe that they are dear to God when they loathe themselves! How hard is it to persuade them that the riches of Christ, the promises of the Gospel, and the inheritance of the saints, belong to them! And the reasons, among others, are principally these:

1. The remnant of sins are so great, and so active and troublesome, as that the feeling of these contrary dispósitions doth hinder them from observing the operations of grace. It is not easy to discern the sincerity of faith among so much unbelief, or the sincerity of love where there is so much averseness: or of humility where there is so much pride or of repentance and mortification, where there is so much concupiscence and inclination to sin: especially when grace by its enmity to sin doth make the soul so suspicious and sensible of it, as that the observation of it turns their mind from the observation of the contrary good that is in them. Health is not observed in other parts, when the feeling of the stone, or but the tooth-ach, takes us up. The thoughts are called all to the part affected; and sickness and wounds are felt more sensibly than health. The fears of misery and sin, are more easily excited, and more passionate than love and hope, and all the affections that are employed in the prosecution of good. And in the midst of fears it is hard to feel the matter of our joys: fear is a tyrant if it exceed, and will not permit us to believe or ob

serve the cause of hope. Quod nimis metuunt miseri, hos facile credunt, et nunquam amoveri putant,' saith Seneca. What we too much fear, we too easily believe, and hardly believe that it is gone, and the danger past. These fears are useful to our preservation, but they too often pervert our judgments, and hinder our due consolation. Qui insidias timet, in nullas incidet: nec citò perit ruina, qui ruinam timet. Semper metuendo sapiens vitat malum,' saith Seneca. He that feareth snares, doth not fall into them: nor doth he quickly perish by ruin, that feareth ruin: A wise man escapeth evil by always fearing it. And the Holy Ghost saith, "Happy is the man that feareth alway; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." (Prov.xxviii. 14.)

Moderate fears then are given to believers for their necessary preservation, that walking among enemies and snares, they may take heed and escape them. But when this passion doth exceed, it abuseth us, and drowns the voice of reason: it maketh us believe that every temptation is a sin, and every sin is such as cannot stand with grace, and will hardly ever be pardoned by Christ. Every sin against knowledge and conscience doth seem almost unpardonable: and if it were deliberate after profession of religion, it seems to be the sin against the Holy Ghost. As children and other fearful persons that fear the devil by way of apparitions, do think in the dark he is ready to lay hold on them, and they look when they see him: so the fearful Christian is still thinking that thing he feareth is upon him, or coming upon him. The fear of an unregenerate, unpardoned state, doth make him think he is in it; and the fear of the wrath of God doth make him think that he is under it; and the fear of damnation makes him imagine he shall be damned. It is wonderful hard in a fearful state, or indeed in any passion that is strong, to have the free use of judgment for the knowing of ourselves, and to discern any grace, or evidence or mercy, which is contrary to our fears, especially when the feeling of much corruption doth turn our eyes from the observation of good, and we are still taken up with the matter of our disease.

2. Another cause that we hardly know our graces, is because they are weak and small; and therefore in the midst of so much corruption are oftentimes hardly discerned from A little faith, even as a grain of mustard-seed, may

none.

save us: a little love to God that is sincere will be accepted; and weak desires may be fulfilled: but they are frequently undiscerned, or their sincerity questioned by those that have them, and therefore bring but little comfort. Peter's little faith did keep him from drowning, but not from doubting and fearing he should be drowned, nor from beginning to sink. "He walked on the water to go to Jesus; but when he saw the wind boisterous he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand and caught him, and said unto him, O'thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt!" (Matt. xiv. 29, 30, 31.) So the little faith of the disciples kept them from perishing, but not from their fear of perishing. "When a great tempest arose, so that the ship was covered with waves, they cry, Lord, save us, we perish: and he saith to them, Why are ye afraid, O ye of little faith?" The little faith of the same disciples entitled them to the fatherly protection and provision of God: but it kept them not from sinful cares and fears, about what they should eat or drink, or wherewith they should be clothed, as is intimated in Matt. vi. 25. 28, 30. "Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or drink, or for your body what you shall put on Why take you thought for raiment?If God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" So in Matt. xvi. 7, 8. The seed that Christ likeneth his kingdom to, (Matt. xiii. 31,) hath life while it is buried in the earth, and is visible while a little seed; but is not so observed as when it cometh to be as a tree. Though God, "despise not the day of little things," (Zech. iv. 10,) and though he "will not break the bruised reed, or quench the smoking flax," (Isaiah xlii. 3,) yet ourselves or others cannot discern and value these obscure beginnings, as God doth. But because we cannot easily find a little faith, and a little love, when we are looking for it, we take the non-appearance for a non-existence, and call it none.

3. Sanctification is oft unknown to those that have it, because they do not try and judge themselves by sure infallible marks, the essentials of the new man; but by uncertain qualifications, that are mutable and belong but to the beauty and activity of the soul.