A Spiritual Propine of a Pastor to his People, Section 16
Follow the forme of tryall in particular, of miserie and merciemercy, be thir seuerall pointes and columnes.
Vnles that thou try out, and finde thy miserie,
Thou can neuer seeke for nor esteeme of Gods merciemercy.
1 COnsider the happie and halie estate, wherein Adam was first made and his filthie defection and fall, and vnderstand, that God may justly lay to thy charge his sin, & all the sins of thy forefathers, betwixt thee & him: because thou art a pairt of their substance, and be them all begotten in sinne, sa that their sinne is thy naturall heritage.
2 Examine thy originall corruption in thy minde, conscience, memorie, will, and in all thy affectiones, as in gladnes, sadnes, pitty, confidence, hope, despair, fear, cair, shame, desire, leathing, louelove, hatred, disestiming, esteeming, anger, contentment, miscontentment, zeal, cauldnesse. &c.
3 Try out thy actuall sinnes, in thought, word, and deede, and to that effect, goe through the commaunds with right vnderstanding, and diligent examination of thy life thereby, in the particular circumstances of time place, persons, and maner of doing in all thy actions & proceedings: namely, gif flowing from faith, they hauehave bene directed be lawfull meanes vntounto the right ende.
4 Examin all thy senses, whereby sinne is sa drunken in, as the beast drinks water be the mouth; thy sight, hearing, smelling, taisting, tuitching, how thou hes vsed them, and in like manner, all the members of thy bodie inward & outward, whilk are the weapons and instruments of committing of sinne.
5 Examine thy life throughout al the ages thou hes past, bairn-head, youth-head, man-head, and aulde age, how thy God hes delt with thee therin, and how thou hes recompensed him againe.
6 Try thy estate, occupation, calling, and trade of life, if thou hes walked in the feare of God, faithfully and rightlie therein. And here is the tryall of Magistrates, Pastours, Elders, Fathers, Mothers, Maisters, husbands, wiues, people, flock, children, servantes, occupations, trades and craftes: be land, be Sea, in Cittie & countrie.
7 And last, wey the foulnes of the guiltinesse of sin, how odious and detestable it is before God, and what punishments in his justice he hes laid thereon, from the beginning of the world, and weight of wrath he hes to lay thereon, eternally in the hell; and questionles, thou will see sik an ouglie and terrible sight of thy miserie, that will sa affray and moue thee, that thou will neuer be blythe, til thou hauehave gotten a grippe of the remedie thereof in the merciemercy of God.
Miserable man that I am, wha sall deliuer me from the bodie of this death.
1 COnsider the infinite gudnesse, louelove, grace, and merciemercy of God, wha pittying our miserie, provyded a remeid theirfoir in the pretious blood of his awin sonne, the Lord Iesus Christ, in whome he elected his awin, before the foundation of the warld.
2 Try and considder, if thou hauehave the right knawledge and possession of Christ in thy hart, be faith in his natures, & their personal vnion, in his offices, prophecy, Priest-head, and Kingdome.
3 Try if thou hes founde those benefites of Christ, whilk be the perfite fulfilling of the office of mediator, he hes purchased to his awin, to witte, redemption, reconciliation, justification, adoption, sanctificatiō, mortification, newnesse of life, intercession; and in sum, deliuerance from al euill, and perfyte felicitie.
4 Considder and examine thy selfe if thou hes the knawledge, faith, feeling, and injoying of the haly ghaist, wha calles the chosen effectually, applyes Christ vntounto them, and makes them to apprehend and receiue him, and all his blessings be a true faith.
5 Then try thy faith, if thou be assured that God sent his Christ in the warld to saue thee, and vnlade thee of the haill burden of thy miserie, and ladin thee with the rich store of his blessings and perfite happinesse.
6 Try thy repentance the chiefe effect of faith, if thou hauehave a true sorrow for thy sinnes committed, that hes made the halie Lambe of God to suffer sa shamefullie and cruellie for them, & ane earnest purpose of amendment and newnes of life in time to come.
7 And finally, because there is great hypocrisie in flesh, and counterfetting of calling, faith, and repentance, be the craft of Satan, as also terrible assailzeing of the conscience, by his fyrie tentationes. Therefore, there is great neede here, of a diligent and accurat tryall, to finde out the true markes of thy election: & sa of salvation. First, be the testimony of the spirit: Secondly, by the motiones & working therof. Then try weill, if at any time thou hes found the halie spirit, to speake, as it were within thee, & testifie to thy spirit, that thou art the childe of God. If thou hes found in thy hart the louelove of God and Christ, and of the things that he loues, and the hatred of the Deuill and his warkes. If thou hes founde a hart to pray and thanke God, to meditate and delyte in him and his worde, to louelove his servands and children, and delyte in their companie. And finally, if thou findes hope with patience, and a continuall battel against sinne, and the intysements of the warld: then may thou be certaine, that God hes giuen thee to Christ, na power salbe able to take thee from him, or separate thee from his louelove, or stay him from giuing thee life everlasting. And here is the joy and peace of conscience, that continuall feast.
I thank God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 7.