affections before all the Kingdoms of the world and the glory of them Christ is compared to a Fountain which is beyond compare with any Zech. 13. 1. other for it is a Fountain opened to the House of David and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness Christ is likewise compared to a Stone and to such a one as excelleth others in admirable Properties Isai 28. 16. Therefore thus saith the Lord God Behold I lay in Zion for a Foundation a Stone a tryed Stone a pretious corner Stone a sure Foundation He that believeth shall not make hast Farther Christ is compared to the Pearle of great Price Matth. 13. 45. 46. Again the Kingdome of heaven is like unto a Merchant man seeking goodly Matt. 13. 45 46. Pearls who when he had found one Pearâ— of great price he went and sold all that hâ— had and bought it Whatever we esteeâ— highly of must go for Christ the Pearl oâ— Price If we possess Christ in our hearts bâ— faith we are enriched with that possession which is infinitely more worth theâ— all the possessions of the Vniverse Mucâ— value is set upon the Eastern and Western treasures of the Indies and greaâ— pains is taken to get them Impiger extremos currit Mercator ad Indos Yeâ— they are not worth the nameing in comparison of the Riches of Christ Thâ— knowledg of Christ is the most inriching knowledge for Col 2. 3. In him are hiâ— O Thesauris omnibus opulentior notitia Christi all the treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge Whosoever hath a saving Interest iâ— Christ is richer then the greatest Emperour who is ignorant of him Sect. 2 And hereunto Where there iâ— such a high valuation of Christ in thâ— Judgment there will of necessity follow ardency strength of affection toward 2 Cor. 5. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 constringit cohibet i. e. totos possidet ac regit ut ejus afflatu quasi correpti agamus omnia Beza Jesus Christ The apprehension of thâ— exceeding great love of Christ to uâ— should constrain us to love him with a reciprocal love Love is the Loadstone oâ— love and love will never be paid nor bâ— contented and satisfied but with its own coyn I mean love answering love And the greatest love which we can express to Jesus Christ is only the reflection of those Beams which he first darted upon us Whatever love we manifest towards God is only the Return of that love which he first shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Rom. 5. 5. 1 Joh. 4. 19. We saith the Apostle love him because he first loved us Where Christ is highly prised that soul is inflam'd with ardent love to him Neither is this an ordinary and common but an extraordinary and special love This love is in the highest degree above the apprehension of Philosophers They tell us That there is Calor ad octo and this is in gradu intenso non in gradu remisso Somthing that expression represents but we 'l set forth the vehemency of Love in the Scripture Phrase Love Psal 120. 4. is hotter then the coals of Juniper and to such an extensive heat so that Cant. 8. 7. many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it But as for all those who love not the Lord Jesus they are cursed in this world and in the world to come For saith the Apostle 1 Cor. Read Pynk in Loc. 16. 22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathama Maranatha An Anathama alone is a dreadful Curse but that 's not all there is a Maranathâ— Maran-Domiaus Athan-venit Maranatha extrema ultima species excommunicationis quae Ebraeis Samatha dicitur Drus added to the Anathema and this Maranatha is reserved until the second coming of Christ to judgment and oh how dreadful must their condition be at that great and terrible day who love not the Lord Jesus Christ Against them Christ will pronounce that dreadful sentence of condemnation Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels CHAP III. A heart in love with holiness evidenced in a holy life and conversation is a Character of a sincere Heart A Third Character of Sincerity is a Character Third A heart in love with holiness Heart in love with holiness Sect. 1 For when the Heart is emptied of all self-love and self-confidence and made throughly sensible of its own vileness and wretchedness then Christ is highly valued and entirely loved and cordially embraced and delighted in Every true Believer loves holiness for it self because it is the image of God And as Bucer us'd to say where there is Aliquid Christi i. e. any impression of the image of Christ there we ought to place our love Wherefore the Apostle gives a strict Eph. 4. 23. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Command Be renewed in the spirit of your mind And that ye put on the new man which after the image of God is created in righteousness and true holiness Where this image of God is which consists in righteousness and true holiness Sanctitas veritatis est vera sincera minime fucata Drus. Tali innocentia sanctitate quâ— sint in esse non in videri Grot. it is stampt upon the heart and is visible in the life and there is such a transcendent beauty purity and excellency and amiableness in all the waies of holiness as the least glimpse of them are abundantly sufficient to delight rejoyce and ravish the soul of every true believer What plato said of Moral vertue much more may be said of Theological vertue i. e. Si Virtus humanis ocutis possit cerâ—i admirabile sui desiderium excitaret-Plato Soul-saving grace and holiness that if it could be discerned by Corporal eyes it would raise the heart to a wonderfull desire thereof Oh! how did David love the Law of God! He profest that Gods Law was his Delight and that Psal 119. 77. he loved the commandments above Gold yea above fine gold Psal 119. 127. Thy Testimonies saith he I have taken Psal 119. 111. 〈…〉 n Heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart O! What sweet ness did David suck out of the Judgments of the Lord for saith he Thâ— Psal 19. 9. 10. Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether More to be desired arâ— they then Gold yea then much fine Gold sweeter also then honey and the honeâ— comb There is a great reward in thâ— very work of holiness For it follows iâ— the next words Moreover by them iâ— thy Servant warned and in keeping oâ— them there is * Utilitas non mediocris sedingens sequitur etiamsi illi respectum retributionis alicujus non habeant sed simplici ac sincerâ— corde in viâ mandatorum Dei currant unum hoc spectantes ut Domino Deo suo
CHARACTERS OF A SINCERE HEART And the COMFORTS thereof Collected out of the. WORD OF GOD By HEN-WILKINSON D. D. Late Principal of Magdalen Hall in the University of OXFORD 1 Sam. 16. 7. Man looketh on the outward appearance but Lord looketh on the heart Psal 51. 6. Behold thou desirest truth in the inward partsâ— and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdome OXFORD Printed by L. LICHFIELD Printer 〈…〉 e University for RIC. DAVIS Anno Domini 1674. To the much Honoured and virtuous Lady HESTER HONYWOOD of Marks-Hall in the County of of Essex Grace Mercy and Peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Honoured Madame DEDICATIONS of Books to Persons of great rank and Quality are of great antiquity for St. Luke Dedicates Luke 1. 3. Act. 1. 1. two Treatises To the most excellent Theophilus And now a daies it 's usual to dedicate Books to such Personages who are probably ready to approve them by their Patronage and practice As to my own concernment I the rather prefix your name to this little Treatise not only to acknowledge with all thankfulness the many great Favours which I have received from you but especiallâ— I am encouraged to present those things to your view whereof you have had so large experience as you can give Testimony to the truth of them both as to your judgement and affections I therefore am your remembrancer of those things whereof as I doubt not you have experimental knowledge and my design is to comfort you with those comforts wherewith I my self have been comforted It 's the charge which the Angel gives unto the Church of Thyatira But that which you have already hold Rev. 2. 25. fast And the Apostle's charge is sutable unto that Let us hold fast Heb. 10. 23. the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Likewise for self examination and tryal of our evidences for heaven we are frequently commanded More particularly St. Paul chargeth the Corinthians and us as well as them Examine your 2 Cor. 13. 5. selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates So likewise the Church after she had undergone great afflictions and sufferings makes this serious deliberate resolution Let us search and try Lam. 3. 40. our waies and turn again to the Lord. You being Madam an old Disciple and an experienced Christian cannot but know that it 's a duty of great concernment and in an especial manner incumbent upon all faithful Ministers to endeavour in their Preaching to distinguish the pretious from the vile for so saith the Lord to the Prophet Jeremiah If thou Ier. 15. 19. take forth the pretiouâ— from the vile thou shalt be as my mouth let them return unto thee but return thou not to them Our blessed Lord and Saviour the best Example and the exactest Pattern for our imitation in that incomparable Sermon which he Preached in the Mount makes mention of seven Beatitudes each of them being a rare discriminatiâ—g character whereby good and bad blessed and cursed are distinguished one from another For if the poor in spirit be blessed then the rich proud in spirit are cursed if the pure in heart be blessed then the impuâ—e in heart must be cursed c. Because of Contrarieties there are contrary consequences And Christ himself is the best Interpreter of himself for when he pronounced blessings upon such as Luke 6. 20. 21. 22. were poor and hungred and wept v. 24 25 26. he pronounced woes against such as were rich and full and of whom all men speak well Likewise our Saviour shewes the absolute and indispensible necessity of Regeneration and being born from above as may appear by Christs answer to Nichodemus Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily Ioh. 3. 3. I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdome of God And Regeneration is a Characteristick note of distinction between the old and new birth Farther Christ puts a vast difference between a good and a bad tree For saith he A good tree cannot Matt. 7. 18 19 20. bring forth evil fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit Every tree that bringeth not good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fier wherefore by their fruits you shall know them And Christ makes Love one to another a mark Ioh. 13. 35. af his Disciples And after Christs Example his Apostles lay down marks and signes to distinguish the good from the bad For instance How frequently doth St. John press the grace of love and lays it down as an infallible sign of one that is translated from death to life We know that we have passed 1 Ioh. 3. 14. from death to life because we love the Brethren He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Saint Peter expresly manifests what we should avoid Wherefore laying 1 Pâ—t 2. 1 2 3. aside all malice and guile and hypocusies and envies and all evil speakings c and he injoynes what we should reduce unto practice As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby And it follows by way of Character representing such who are new born babes in these words If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord 2 Cor. 5. 17. is gracious Saint Paul gives an evident sign of such who are in Christ by the new Creature wrought in them Thefore if any man be in Christ he is a new Creature old things are past away behold all things are become new And to mention only one more scripture to this purpose The Apostle discovers a great difference between the old man and the new and Eph. 4. 21. 22 23 24. thus Presseth our duty upon us If so be that ye have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus That ye put of concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts And be renewed in the spirit of your minde and that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Now having such abundant warrant from the example of Christ and his Apostles I question not in the least but that in the exercise of our Ministry we obliged according to the Rule of the word of Gods to lay down Characters of a Regenerate estate and to distinguish sincere and real Professors from such who are only Nominal and Hypocritical Many there are who name the name of Christ but depart not from iniquity But it 's the express command of the word And let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity Many there are that content themselves with the Angel of the Church of Sardis to have only a bare name to live But he is reproved by Christ Rev. 3 1 2. And unto the Angel of the Church in
as many as be perfect be thus minded Phil. 3. 12 13 14 15. This progressive motion David laies dowor is a sign of such who are blessed Psal 84. 6 7. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well the rain also filleth the pool They go from strength to strength every one of them in Zion appeareth before God Their indeavors are indefatigable and their motions are continued and progressive in the service of God Hence judicious Calvin observes upon the place That the faithful recollect Ae si dicerunt fideles collectis subiade viribus ascendere ad moatem Zion nec lassitudiae ullâ tardari donec conspicia at Dei faciem Calv in Psal 84. vers 7. their strength and ascend unto the mount of Zion and are not hindred by any weariness till they behold the face of God Our grand indeavor should be to get grace and truth of grace and to be diligent in searching whether we have got special and more than common grace and whether we mistake not parts for graces We must still be sitting examining and trying whether our grace be true and genuine sincere and saving grace And our indeavor must be continued to get growth in grace and more accessions thereunto If we would be preserved from apostacy and back-sliding we must grow in grace for growth in grace is a special preservative to keep us from falling from our stedfastness For so saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 17 18. Ye therefore beloved seeing ye know these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness A sovereign remedy to prevent the danger of Apostacy is prescribed in the following words vers 18. But grow in grace and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ A growing Believer is a new born Christian As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2. 2. Likewise augmentation of every particular grace is required We must labour for true grace as to the quality of it and as to the quantity of it we must still be adding thereunto So saith the same Apostle 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 8. Add to your faith virtue and to virtue Est insignis hic locus si quis alius verae Christianae vitae summam descriptis illius veris tum crusis tum effectis spectandam praebens Beza knowledg and to knowledg temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godliness and to godliness brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness charity For if those things be in you and abound they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ We have need of every grace and the more we have of any grace in sincerity and in truth the more we shall value it and the more we shall beg supplies of God and increase from him The Apostles pray'd Lord increase our Faith If we have any grace already really wrought in us we shall be sensible what need we have of and shall pray for a continual augmentation Sect. 2 To instance in particulars Have we faith let 's fift narrowly and examine thorowly whether our faith be a saving faith whether it be a justifying faith Rom. 5. 1. such as works by love Gal. 5. 6. and purifies the heart Acts 15. 9. for this only is of the right stamp or whether our faith be only historical dogmatical and only temporary If we search exactly upon mature and deliberate reflections upon our selves we shall find some failings and deficiencies in our faith For though questionless the Thessalonians had true faith yet they had something lacking in their faith And yet they were such for whom the Apostle gave thanks to God in an especial 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. omnibus 〈◊〉 ris fidem vestram aa huc imperfectam absolvamus Beze in Loc. manner 1 Thes 3. 9 10. For saith he what thanks can we render again to God for you for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God night and and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face and perfect that which is lacking in your faith And as we should labour for more faith so should we labour for more love more meekness more humility and more self-denial If then through the pride of our own hearts we should flatter our selves as if we had grace enough already it 's evident that we never had any grace at all in sincerity and in truth for where-ever true grace is planted in the heart it fructifies in the life and conversation Grace is no withered dead plant but a living and growing plant where the seed of grace is sound in the heart it takes root downward and brings forth fruit upward throughout the practice of our whole lives He then who labours Qui desinit prosicere incipit deficere Bern. not to grow better begins to grow worse as a Father saith Though covetousness and a greedy carking care after the World are unlawful yet here is a lawful covetousness for to desire more grace is a holy covetousness To be rapax tenax i. e. to get get and grasp all that one get and not to be willing to part with any thing are characters of covetous Earth-worms but to be eager 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Stadium exigit majorem quandam in comparaâ—dis soiritualibus cupiditale Theoph. and greedy after increase of every grace and when we have got grace to be careful to the utmost to keep it this is the only lawful kind of covetousness recommended by the Apostle 2 Cor. 12. 13. Covet earnestly the best gifts And grace is the best gift Christ himself only excepted Gifts of Tongues and gifts of Wisdom and Understanding c. are highly to be valued but this gift of Grace is of far greater value Grace is Quid constitutivum i. e. that which constitutes a true Christian Though Tongues and Arts and Sciences are precious in their kind yet many bad men may have them and many good men may want them but Grace is of absolute necessity for without it we cannot come to Heaven and without holiness we shall never see the Lord. Wherefore let us cry out for Grace as Solomon makes mention of the Horsleeches two Daughters Give give Prov. 30. 15. Wherefore we should not rest satisfied contented with these measures of Grace whereunto we have at present attained but we should make it our great business study and indeavor to grow from one degree of grace unto another We must noâ— only follow holiness Heb. 12. 14. but perfect holiness in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. We must strive after perfection of grace though we are incompassed with many imperfections in this World yet we must not allow our selves in them but mourn for them and still go on in adding grace to grace here till at length grace be
the propriety of the word it signifies * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est parâ— saciet quae oculis est subjecta contuendo suboctum seu dejectuÌ„ premo Beza to beat under the eye and to leave a mark there of redness and blueness The other word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this properly signifies to bring into subjection it 's a Metaphor took from Oxen whom we bring under the yoke or from any such Creatures whom we enslave or captivate and bring them into subjection for our use and service We should then indeavor so to bring down our bodies and subdue them as to make them serviceable to our souls and subject and obedient to the yoke of Christ if so we have well learn'd the Doctrine of Mortification A learned moral Heathen will condemn many dissolute livers who call themselves Christians and yet live without God in the world I am saith Seneca greater and born to greater things than to be a slave to my body Every Drunkard is a slave to his Cups and every Whoremonger a slave to his Harlot and every covetous Worldling is a slave to his Mammon But our design must not be to enslave our Souls to our Bodies but the design which we drive must be to make our Bodies serviceable to our Souls It was an excellent saying of Ephrem Syrus who flourisht in the third Century after Christ He that feasts his Body and starves his Soul is like him that feasts his Slave and starves his Wife CHAP. XII Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit is a Character of a sincere Heart THe twelfth and last Character of sincerity Charact. 12. Vivification of the fruits of the Spirit Sect. 1. which I shall only mention is The Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit After mortification of the deeds of the Body there must necessarily follow the Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit for where Christ dwells in a Soul by faith and by the influence of his grace the Body is dead as the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 10. because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness A Learned and Judicious Writer thus interprets that Scripture Quam vis peccatum morfi nos adjudicet quatenus in nobis remanet primae naturae vitiosibus spiritum tamea Dei esse victore noc obstare quod tantum primitiis donati sumus quia vel una ejus sciatilla viâ—ae semen est Calv. in Loc. Although saith he sin condemns us to death so far as the remainders of corrupt nature and the vitiosity thereof remains in us yet the Spirit is Conquerour wherefore notwithstanding out primitive corruption one spark of the Spirit of God is a seed of life to us though in this world we receive only the first-fruits thereof All those who by nature are dead in trespasses and sins can never be brought from death to life and from the state of nature into the state of grace any other way but by the quickning virtue of Jesus Christ For saith the Apostle You hath he quickned who were dead in your trespasses and sins Such as are now through grace in a state of regeneracy were in their natural condition in a state of unregeneracy and such who are now quickned were formerly in a dead condition As it 's said of the converted Prodigal in the Parable Luke 15. 32. He was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found The Apostle discovers the great difference between the state of regeneracy and unregeneracy and the difference is great as great as the difference between life and death Let 's diligently review the words of the Apostle Wherein Ephes 2. 2 3. in time past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires or wills of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of wrath even as others And what is the sole moving cause of all it followeth vers 4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 2. Christ by grace ye are saved Quest But the Question may be askt How may such who are regenerated and quickned by Christ be distinguished from such who are unregenerate and yet dead in their trespasses and sins Answ I Answer as a tree may be known by its fruits which it bears i. e. a good tree by good fruits and a bad tree by bad fruits so may regenerate be distinguished from unregenerate unregenerate bring forth the fruits of the flesh as adultery fornication uncleanness c. Gal. 5. 19 20 21. before mentioned but regenerate persons bring forth the fruits of the Spirit St. Paul gives us a double Catalogue one is short but very comprehensive Ephes 5. 9. The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth The other is a large Catalogue Gal. 5. 22 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law If then the fruits of the Spirit exert and manifest themselves in the holiness of our lives and conversations it 's an infallible sign of our vivification by the Spirit of Jesus Christ By those twelve forementioned Characters of a sincere Heart we may and must put our selves upon a strict search and enquiry whether our hearts be sincere and upright towards God We must then with all diligence and impartiality make a strict search into our hearts we must ask What have I done Jer. 8. 6. we must commune with our own hearts Psal 4. 4. and as the Church resolves Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. And I am perswaded that if we have one of those Characters forementioned in sincerity and in truth we have the rest for they are all Links of one and the same golden Chain and there 's such a concatenation between them as one cannot be separated from another CHAP. XIII Containing the Comforts pertaining to sincere Christians in their Lives in this World HAving laid down those twelve forementioned Characters and Signs of Sincerity I thence infer this Conclusion That it 's the grand Duty incumbent upon us all and every one in particular to propound the Question as in the presence of God to his own Soul Am I a sincere-hearted Christian yea or no Let us with deliberate thoughts consider of those twelve above-named Signs and Marks of Sincerity and examine our selves by them accordingly herein consists the grand Labour and Work to busie our selves with all frequent and serious self-reflections and heart-examinations and let us as one man every one particularly propound the Question
of Judgment John Huss and Jerome Luth. Loc. Com. of Prague shall appear to be good men when the Pope and his Cardinalls shall appear to be vile and wicked wretches St Bernard us'd to say That the Day will Veniet Veniet Dies quando male judicata rejudicabit Deuâ— Bern. come it will certainly come when God will judg over again all false judgment But as for all those whose hearts were upright with God whilst they liv'd in this world these after death are translated into an estate of glory and happiness and in the highest heavens receive consolations beyond all expression and a weight of glory beyond the capacity of any mortal man which Christ gives to all his Children who in their Pilgrimage on earth endeavoured with their whole heart and strength to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth All those who were on earth Sincere-hearted and real Saints shall be acknowledged to be such by Christ himself at the Day of Judgment No sin no failing nor imperfection shall at all be layd to their Charge in that day for all failings and sins and all manner of imperfections shall be washt away in the bloud of Jesus Christ What ever good things the Saints have done on earth shall be all remembred and not any one thing forgotten at the day of judgment But whatever was bad and sinfull that they committed on earth shall not be layd to their Charge but shall be blotted out of the Book of Gods Remembrance and God will cast them into the depth of the sea O What a joyfull day and full of Comfort will the day of judgment be to all the Children of God! Then they shall lift up their heads with Comfort and behold him who is their Judg as their Redeemer Advocate Intercessor and Flder Brother and he will pronounce for them a sentence of Absolution At that day all glorified Saints shall have their bodily eyes irradiated with the splendor of glory and they shall be inabled to behold the Beatificall Vision and this is he Happiness of all Happiness and this only is their portion and appropriated to them alone who are pure in heart Thâ—y are blessed as our Saviour pronounceth them Who are pure in heart for they shall see God Then the Saints in glory shall sit in Judgment as Assessors with Christ and shall approve of the righteous sentence of Christ in Condemning their unrighteous Judges Then they shall see the Omniporent Eternal Jehovah the Beeing of all Beeings the first person in Trinity uncreated unbegotten and unproceeding Then they shall see Christ the Mediator of thâ— New Covenant their only Saviour and Redeemer uncreated but begotten and not proceeding who is the second Person in Trinity Then they shall see the holy Ghost the third Person in Trinity neither created nor begotten but proceeding from both The Glorifyd Saints what they believed when they were militant on earth shall in heaven understand the great Mystery of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity One glorified Saint shall know more then all the Learned men in the world I 'le conclude with this Doxology Now to the holy and blessed Trinity and one God in Vnity Father Son and Holy Ghost be ascribed all Honour and Glory Praise and Thanksgiving Dominion and Obedience henceforth and unto all Eternity Amen THE Contents of this Treatise CHAP. I. OF spiritual poverty p. 1. Sect. I. Spiritual poverty consists in emptying of the heart of what is self ibid. Sect II. Every humble spirited man is low vile and abject in his own eyes p. 3. Sect. III. One who is spiritually poor meditates frequently and seriously upon the promises and makes particular application of them p. 6. Sect. IV. One that is poor in spirit is weak fiâ—k and in a distressed condition as to his own apprehension and makes haste unto Christ for help p. 9. CHAP. II. Concerning the highest prizing and valuing of Jesus Christ p. 11. Sect. I. It 's an infallible sign of a true Believer to value and prefer Christ before all the riches of the world p. 11. Sect. II. Of ardâ—ney and strength of affection to Jesus Christ p. 14. CHAP. III. Of a heart in love with holiness evidenced in â— holy life and conversation p. 16. Sect. I. Every true Believer loves holiness for it self because it is the image of God ibid. Sect. II. Where holiness is in the heart it is fruitful in the life p. 19. CHAP. IV. Of ingenuous sorrow for sin p. 24. Sect. I. Ingenuous sorrow is more for the sin than the punishment ibid. Sect. II. There is a great difference between the mournings of Cain Ahab Judas c. and the mournings of David Paul Peter c. p. 25. Sect. III. There 's a great difference between the mourning of slaves and mourning of children p. 30. CHAP. V. Of sorrowing and mourning for others sins p. 33. Sect. I. A godly mourner mourns for others sins ibid. Sect. II. We must be affected with and afflicted for the sins of others remembring that we are men of like passions p. 37. CHAP. VI. Of approving our hearts unto God p. 42. Sect. I. A sincere-heâ—rted Christian labours to aprove his heart to God and put himself upon God's trial ibid. Sect. II. Though we are subject to many infirmities we must groan under the burthen of them p. 44. CHAP. VII Of pressing forward towards perfection p. 49. Sect. I. It 's an Apostolical character and Apostolical practice to press forward towards perfection ibid. Sect. II. Instances in particulars whether we press forward towards perfection p. 52. CHAP. VIII Of a strict watch set upon the heart against bosome sins p. 55. Sect. I. A sincere heart endeavors to keep it self from every beloved sin ibid. Sect. II. No sin so little but deserves damnation p. 59. Sect. III. An illustration by similitudes p. 61. CHAP. IX An endeavor against every sin and for the practice of every duty p. 65. Sect. I. The desire and endeavor must be against every sin ibid. Sect. II. The endeavor must be to obey all commands and practice all duties p. 69. CHAP. X. Of a heart without guile p. 73. Sect. I. The heart must be without guile ibid. Sect. II. Every person that is upright is compounded of three words viz. simplicity singleness and sincerity p. 74. CHAP. XI Of mortification of the deeds of the body p. 80. Sect. I. The deeds of the body i. e. all lusts ought to be mortified ibid. Sect. II. Questions propounded and answered p. 83. CHAP. XII Vivisication of the fruits of the Spirit p. 91. Sect. I. Beside mortification of the deeds of the body there must be a vivification of the fruits of the Spirit ibid. Sect. II. How this is to be discerned p. 93. CHAP. XIII Containing the comforts of sincere Christians p. 95. Sect I. Sincere Christians have comforts in their lives ibid. Sect. II. Sincere Christians are sensible of their sins and mourn for them p. 98. CHAP. XIV Sincere-hearted Christians have comforts in their deaths p. 102. Sect. I. The comfortable deaths of such as are sincere p. 102 Sect. II. We ought to prepare for deatâ— p. 10â— Sect. III. The â—ying speeches of Saints p. 109 CHAP. XII Containing the happiness of the Saints iâ— Heaven p. 115 Sect. I. The Saints in Heaven receive per fection of happiness ibid Sect. II. At the day of Judgment all falâ— judgments shall be reverst p. 118 FINIS