The Dead Saint Speaking to Saints and Sinners Living, Treatise 5 · Rule 2 – Rule 4
2. Rule.
2. Labour to acquaint thy ſelf with the moſt ſure and clearing Evidences of ſincerity, and try thy heart by them. It may bee, thou heareſt the Word, and perhaps with joy, thou bewaileſt ſin, and perhaps with tears; thou avoideſt groſs ſins with care, thou oppoſeſt common corruptions with zeal. All theſe are comfortable ſignes, but they are not infallible evidences of Grace. For what is in all this which Ahab, which Saul, which Herod, which Judas had not? It is a great deal of wiſdome in the tryal of our ſelves, to bee acquainted with thoſe ſorts of evidences, which are of a clearing nature, of which I will give you two properties.
1. Thoſe Evidences which are clearing, are ſuch as the Word doth countenance; What ever evidences the Word doth not countenance, they are but the preſumptions of our own heart, and never give us comfort in life or death. It is the book muſt caſt us, or clear us, at the laſt day.
A ſecond property of clearing evidences. They muſt bee ſuch as are univerſally reciprocal, diſtinctive evidences. That is, ſuch evidences as are incompatible with any whoſe hearts are not ſincere, and concomitant with them whoſe hearts are ſincere. They muſt bee ſuch as are eſſential to a Chriſtian as a Chriſtian. If there bee any who hath them, and is not a Chriſtian, is not ſincere, or any, who is a Chriſtian ſincere, and hath them not, they are not right. They muſt bee ſuch as do manifeſt every perſon in whom they are to bee ſincere, and do diſcover, where ever they are not, what ever ſhews they have, they are not ſincere.
I have told you formerly on another ſubject, that what ever another man may do or have, and yet not bee in Chriſt, yet not bee ſincere, will never bee a ſufficient evidence to mee, that having or doing that, I am ſincere. And by theſe two properties there will bee a great deal caſt down from being clearing evidences, if I had time to inſiſt on them. Thou prayes, thou hears, thou doſt much in the ways of God, but this will not bee enough to clear thy ſincerity, for I have ſhewed you that a man may do all this, and more too, yet not ſincere, and therefore theſe will bee no clearing evidences. And therefore let us go by this rule, examine what are thoſe clearing evidences of your ſincerity, and examine your ſelves by them.
Obj. But how ſhall I know what are thoſe heart-clearing evidences, that ſo I may examine my ſelf by them?
Anſw. I have ſhewed you ſome properties, you ſee of evidences of this nature. I have alſo caſt down many from being ſufficient to clear your ſincerity. Wee will now give you ſome which are clearing evidences.
1 Some taken from the diſpoſition of mourning.Demonſtrations of ſincerity in 1. Mourning in part of Sin.
1 An Hypocrite cannot mourn for all ſin, it may be hee may mourn for general, for common, and ſenſuall ſinnes, but not for cloſe, ſpiritual and ſecret ſinnes, his unbeleef, his hypocriſy, pride.
2 An hypocrite cannot mourn for ſin as ſin; for ſin in its own nature, but as clad with wrath and puniſhment. Now then, if God have given thee a heart to mourn for all ſins, and for ſin as ſin; it is an evidence of thy ſincerity.
1 An hypocrite cannot mourn for the want of fulneſs of ordinances.2 Of Ordinances want. 2 Nor can hee mourn for want of any Ordinance, out of diſcovery of the beauty and excellency in them. Now then, if God give thee a heart to mourn for, &c.
3 An Hypocrite cannot mourn for ſins of others,3 In ſin of others. nor 2 for the want of growth in himſelf. If therefore God hath given thee ſuch a heart &c. thou muſt conclude thine own ſincerity.
Sincerity of Deſires.2 For matter of deſires.
1 He cannot deſire the death of all ſin, hee hath ſome darling, &c.
2 Hee cannot deſire the death of any ſin, as ſin, but for other reſpects. If therefore God hath given thee a heart deſirous to bee purged, as well as pardoned, that deſires the death of all, and of ſin, as ſin, &c.
Again in point of deſire of grace. 1 An Hypocrite doth not deſire all grace, there are ſome he would not own, hee loves not univerſal exactneſſe. 2 Hee deſires not any grace as grace, in its own native beauty and excellency, but at times, death, &c. and then as a ſtalking horſe. If therefore God hath given thee a heart to deſire and thriſt after all grace, exact conformity to God in all things, and to deſire grace, as grace, &c.
Of Affections. 1 To God.3 For matters of affections. 1 An Hypocrite cannot love God for himſelf. 2 Hee cannot love God as God, as in his own nature, ſo contrary. If therefore God hath given thee a heart to love him for himſelf, &c.
To Sain…s2 Again towards the Saints.
1 An Hypocrite hee loves not all the Saints, ſome hee may, not all. 2 Hee loves not the Saints as the Saints, but for other reſpects. If therefore God hath given thee a heart to love all Saints, poor godlineſs, as well as rich, grace in ruſſet and gray, as well as grace in Silks, &c. And to love them as Saints, as having the image of Chriſt on them. To have communion with them, to love brotherly communion, to love them moſt, where you ſee moſt grace, &c.
So for hatred.
1 He hates not all ſin. 2 He hates no ſin, as ſin, if any at all. Now if God hath given thee a heart, &c.
3 To Ordinances.So again. 1 He loves not all the Ordinances. 2 He loves not any Ordinance as an Ordinance. Hee hath no ſavour in an Ordinance, he hath no prizing of an Ordinance, hee hath no hunger after an Ordinance, no rejoycing in an Ordinance, no care to walk anſwerable to the Ordinances. If then God hath given thee a heart to do all this, theſe are ſpeciall evidences.
Thus you ſee in brief I have ſhewed you a taſte of clearing evidences, by which you may examine your own ſpirits, &c.
3 General Rule.
3 If you would clear your ſincerity, then remember this Rule. Take not up your evidences from the carriage of your ſpirits, either when they are at beſt, or when they are at worſt, but in a middle way; wherein thou art moſt thy ſelf, this will beſt clear your ſincerity. If thou ſeek for an evidence when thy ſpirit is at the worſt, thou may ſometime finde it too low to afford thee any thing; if at the beſt, thou may find it too high to be a continuing evidence, and ſo in the one thou maieſt bee diſcouraged, in the other deceived, many have flaſhes of affection in ſome preſent heat, who yet have not ſoundneſſe of ſpirit in them. Herod heard the Word with joy, here was a heat, but all his joy would not inable him to part with his Herodias, no ſoundneſſe. Let it be your wiſdome to take up your evidences in a middle way, neither when at beſt, nor when at worſt, that is your moſt conſtant frame, and that temper is moſt thy ſelf; in the other we are carried above our ſelves in comforts; or caſt below our ſelves in temptations, and there is no ſure judging, not the beſt judging of the frame.
4 Rule.
4 Judge not of the ſincerity of thy ſpirit by ſome particular acts. But let the conſtant frame of your ſpirits and general converſation diſcover it. If particular actions might determine the caſe, wee ſhould ſometime conclude thoſe unſound, who are ſincere, and them ſincere, who are yet unſound. You may look upon a child of God, and ſee him ſometimes to have his planetical and extravagant motions, though the conſtant courſe and bent of his ſpirit bee Godward. We read of David murthering, and committing adultery, fearful ſins! Wee read of Joſeph ſwearing, Job curſing the day of his Nativity, falling out with his ſtars, Jonah vexing, Peter denying, Thomas not beleeving. And if you judge by the particular Acts, though exceeding bad, you will condemn the generation of the juſt.
On the Contrary, you ſhall ſee Pharaoh deſiring the prayer of Moſes, Balaam in a good mood, deſiring to dye the death of the righteous, Saul condemning of himſelf, Ahab humbling of himſelf, Ninevey repenting, Foelix trembling, Herod hearing John Baptiſt joyfully. And if we now judge by theſe particular actions, though ſeemingly good, wee ſhall juſtify thoſe whom God condemns.
Wee have a maxime in Logick, that no general Rule can bee ſtabliſhed upon a particular inſtance; and another, that no particular inſtance can overthrow a general rule. So here, as no man can ſafely conclude from no better premiſes, than from ſome few actions, though in themſelves materially and ſubſtantially good, that the heart is therefore ſincere. So on the contrary, no man ought to conclude, becauſe of ſome planetical and extravagant motions, that a mans heart is unſound. We are not to judge of ſincerity, by ſome particular actions good or evil, but wee are to take up our judgement of our ſelves by the general frame, bent and diſpoſition of a mans heart, together with his general and conſtant converſation in the ways of God, and this will beſt diſcover our ſelves to our ſelves. So much for the fourth Rule.