Use of Examination

Are there many in the world that are almost and yet hut almost christians? why then “it is time for us to call our condition into question, and to make a more narrow scrutiny into the truth of our spiritual festate,’’ what it is, whether it be right or no; whether we are sound and sincere in our profession of religion, or no. When our Lord Christ told his disciples,” One of you shall betray nie,” ev ery one began presently to reflect upon himself; Master, is it I? Master, is it I?” So should we do, when the Lord discovers to us from his word, how many there are under the professien of religion that are but almost christians, wre should straightway reflect upon our hearts, Lord is it I? Is my heart unsound? Airi I hut almost a christian? Am I one of them that shall miscarry at last? Am 1 an hypocrite under a profession of religion? Have I a form of godliness without the power?

There are two questions of very great importance, which we should every one of us often put to ourselves:

“What am I?”

Where am I?”

1. “What am I?” Am I a child of God, or not? Am I sincere in religion, or am I only an hypocrite under a profession?

2. “Where ami?” Am I yet in a natural state, or a state of grace? Am I yet in the old root, in old Adam, or am I in the root Christ Jesus? Am I in the covenant of works that ‘’ministers only wrath and death? Or am I in the covenant of grace, that ministers life and peace.

Indeed this is the first thing a man should look at; there must be a change of state, before there can be a change of heart; we must come under a change of covenant, before we can be under a change of condition, for the new heart and the new spirit* is promised in the new covenant: There is nothing of thai to be heard of in the old: now a man must be under the new covenant, before he can receive the blessing promised in the new covenant: he must be in a new covenant-state, before he can recieve a new covenant-heart; no mercy, no pardon, no change, no conversion, no grace dispensed out of covenant; therefore this should be our great enquiry, for if we know not where we are, we cannot know what we are; and if we know not what we are, we cannot be what we should be; namely, altogether christians. Let me then, I beseech you, press this duty upon you that are professors, try “your own hearts, examine yourselves whether you are in the faith, prove your ownselves.”f I urge this upon most cogent arguments.

1. Because many rest in auction of godliness and outward shews of religion, and yet remain in their natural condition */’ Many €i are hearers of the word, but u not doers of it,” and so deceive their own souls: % Some neither hear nor do; these are profane sinners: Some both hear and do: these are true believers: Some hear, but I o not

do: these are hypocritical professors.

He that slights the ordinances cannot be a true christian; but yet it is possible a man may own them, and profess them, and yet be no true christian; who would trust to a pro

*£zek, xxxvi. 36 fession, that shall see Judas a disciple, an apostle, a preacher of the gospel, one that cast out devils, to be cast out himself?” He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: but he is a Jew which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God.

&. “Because errors in the first foundation are very dangerous;’•’ If we be not right in the main, in the fundamental work; if the foundation be not laid in grace in the heart, all our following profession comes to nothing: the house is built upon a sandy foundation, and though it may stand for a while, yet “when the floods come, and the winds blow and beat upon it, great will be the fall of it,”f

3” Because many are the deceits that our souls are liable to in this case There are many things like grace, that are not grace 5 now it is the likeness and similitude of things that deceives, and makes one thing to be taken for another.

Many take gifts for grace, common knowledge for saving knowledge; when as a man may have great gifts, and yet no grace; great knowledge, and yet not know Jesus Christ.

Some take common faith for saving, when as a man may believe all the truths of the gospel, all the promises, all the threatnings,

PS all the articles of the creed to be true, and yet perish for want of saving faith.

Some take morality and restraining grace for piety and renewing grace, when as it is common to have sin much restrained, where the heart is not renewed.

Some are deceived with a half work, taking conviction for conversion, reformation for regeneration; we have many Mermaid Christians:

Or like Nebuchadnezzar’s image, head of gold, and feet of clay :* The Devil cheats most men by a synecdoche, putting a part for the whole; partial obedience to some commands, for universal obedience to all. Endless are the delusions that Satan fastens upon souls, for want of this self-search: It is necessary therefore that we try our state, lest we take the shadow for the substance, and embrace a cloud instead of Juno.

4. “Satan will try us at one time or other:” He will winnow us, and sift us to the bottom ;f and if we now rest in a groundless confidence, it will then end in a comfortless despair.

Nay, God himself will search and try us at the day of judgment especially, and who can abide that trial,that never tries his own heart?

5. u Whatsoever a man’s state be, whether he be altogether a christian or no, whether his principle be soluk! or no, yet it is good to examine his own heart :*+ If he find his heart

vDan, & £2 2S-. uke ii. 31* Gal. vi. 4

Tlte Almost Christian. i:; %

good, his principles right and sound, this will be matter of rejoicing: If he find his heart rotten, his principles false and unsound, the discovery is in order to a renewing; If a man hale a disease upon him and know it, he may send to the physician in time; hut what a sad vexation will it be, not to see a disease till it be past cure? So for a man to be graceless, and not see it till it be too late, to think himself a christian when he is not, and that he is in the right wav to heaven, when he is in the ready way to hell, and yet not know it till a death-bed or a judgment- day confute his confidence: This is the most irrecoverable misery.

These are the grounds upon which I press this clutyj of examining oar state: O that God would help us in the doing this necessary duty!

Question. You say, But how shall I come to know whether I am almost or altogether & christian ?*? If a man mav 2:0 so far, and yet miscarry, how shall I know when my foundation is right, when I am a christian indeed?

Answer 1. “The altogether christian closes with, and accepts of Christ upon gospel terms,” True union makes a true christian: Many close with Christ but it is upon their own terms; They take him and own him, but not as God offers him. The terms upon which God in the gospel offers Christ, are, that we shall accept of a broken Christ with a boRen heart, and yet a whole Christ with the whole heart.

A broken Christ with a broken heart, as a witness of our humility; a whole Christ with a whole heart, as a witness of our sincerity, A broken Christ respects his suffering for sin: a broken heart respects our sense of sin; a whole Christ includes all his offices; a whole heart includes all our faculties. Christ is a King, Priest and Prophet, and all as Mediator; without any one of these offices, the work of salvation could not have been completed: As a priest he redeems us ‘;■ as a prophet he instructs us; as a king he sanctifies and saves us: Therefore the Apostle says, “He is made to us of God, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption:” righteousness and redemption flow from him as a Priest, wisdom as a Prophet, sanctification as a King.

Now many embrace Christ as a Priest, but yet they own him not as a king and prophet; “they like to share in his righteousness,*” but not to partake of his holiness; they would be redeemed by him, but they would not submit to him; they would be saved by his blood, but not submit to his powr er. Many love the privileges of the gospel, but not the duties of the gospel. Now these are but almost christians, notwithstanding their close with Christ, for it is upon their own terms, but not upon God’s* The offices of Christ niay be distinguished; but they can never be divided.

But the true christian owns Christ in all his offices: he doth not only close with him as Jesus, but as Lord Jesus: he says with Thomas,” My Lord, and my God *.*f He doth not only believe in the merits of his death, but also conforms to the manner of his life: as he believes in him, so he lives to him: he takes him for his wisdom, as well as for his righteousness, for his sanctification. as well -as his redemption.

2. “The altogether christian hath a thorough work of grace and sanctification wrought in the heart, as a spring of duties. Regeneration is a whole change, all old things are done away, and all things become new:”f It is a perfect work as to parts, though not as to degrees. Carnal men do duties, but they are from anunsanctified heart, and that spoils all. A new piece of cloth” never doth well i(t in an old garment/” for Ulq “rent is but made worse J.” When a man’s heart is thoroughly renewed by grace, the mind savingly enlightened, the conscievce thoroughly convinced, the will truly humbled and subdued, the affections spiritually raised and sanctified, and when mind, and will, and conscience, and affections, all join issue to help on with the performance of the duties commanded; then is a. msai altogether a christian.

* Iblhn xxc C8, f 2 Cor. r. 1C. i Matt ix. 10.

178 The JUmost Christian.

3. “He that Is altogether a christian looks to the manner as well as to the matter of his duties;” Not only that they be done, but how they be done. He knows the christian s privileges lie in pronouns, but his duty in adverbs; it must not be only bpnum, good, but it must be bene, that good must be rightly done.

Here the almost christian fails, he doth the same duties that others do for the matter, but he doth them not in the same manner; while he minds the substance, he regards not the circumstance: if he pray, he regards not faith and fervency in prayer *: if he hear, he doth not mind -Christ’s rule,” Take heed how you hear f ;n if he obeys, he looks not to the frame of his heart in obeying J, and therefore miscarries in all he doth; and of these defects spoil the good of every duty.

4.” The altogether christian is known by his sincerity, in all his performances. J Whatever a man does in the duties of the gospel, he cannot be* a christian without sincerity. Now the almost Christian fails in this; for though he doth much, prays much, hears much, obeys much, yet he is an hypocrite under all.

5. He that is altogether a christian, hath an” answerableness within to the law without w There is a connaturalness between the word of God and the will of a christian? Ms heart is, as it were, the transcript of the

* James v. 16. i Luke viii. 18. 4 Rom. rk 17. law: the same holiness that is commanded in the word, is implanted in his heart; the same conformity to Christ, that is enjoined by the word of God, is wrought in the soul by the Spirit of God; the same obedience which the word requireth of him, the Lord enableth him to perform, by his grace bestowed on him. This is that which is promised in the new covenant; “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts.*” Now the writing his law in us, is nothing else but his working that grace and holiness in u& which the law commandeth and requireth of us* In the old-covenant administration, God wrote his laws only upon tables of stone, but not upon the heart; and therefore, though God wrote them, yet they broke them; but in the new-covenant administration, God provides new tables; not tables of stone, but “the fleshly tables of the heart, f and writes his laws there, that there might be a law with, in, answerable to the law without; and this every true christian hath; so that he may say in his measure, as our Lord Christ did;” I delight to do thy will O my God; thy law is within my heart. ‘’J Every believer hath a light within him, not guiding him ta despise and slight, but to prize and walk by the light without him: the word commands him to walk in the light, and the light directs him to walking according to the word.

* Heb. ix, 10. and 6. Jei xxxi. 33. 1 2 Cor. Hi. 3. 4 Psalm xl. «8’ im The Almost Christian,

Moreover, from this impression of the lav, upon the heart, obedience and conformity to God becomes the choice and delight of the soul; for holiness is the very nature of the new creature; so that if there were no scripture, no bible to guide him, yet he would be holy, for he hath received grace for grace-; * there is a grace within to answer to the word of grace without.

Now the almost christian is a stranger to this law of God within: he may have some conformity to the word in outward conversation, but he cannot have this answerableness to the word in inward constitution.

6. “The altogether christian is much in duty, and yet much above duty;” much in duty, in regard of performances; much above duty, in regard of dependance; much in duty by obeying; but much above duty by believing He lives in his obedience, but he doth not live upon his obedience, but upon Christ and his righteousness.

The almost christian fails in this: He is much in duty, but not above it, but rests in it; he works for pest, and he rests in his worlcs; he cannot come to believe and obey too; if he believes; then he thinks there is no need of obedience, and so casts oil’that: if he be much in obedience, then he casts off believing, and thinks there is no need of that: He cannot say with David, “I have hoped for thy salvation, and done thy commandments.f

*John i. If. ] Psalm cix. 166.

The more a man is in duty, and the more above it: the more in doing, and more in believing, the more a christian.

7. “He that is altogether a christian is u~ niversal in his obedience:” He doth not 0- by one command and neglect another, do Ehe duty aiifci cast oif another: but he hath respect to all the commands, he endeavours to leave every sin, and love every duty.*

The almost christian fails in this: his obedience is partial and piece-meal; if he obeys one command, he breaks another; the duties that least cross his lust, he is much in, but those that do, he lays aside.

The Pharisees “fasted, prayed, paid tithes,”! &c* hut they did not lay aside their ^ovetousiiess, their oppression; they “devoured widows’ houses,” they were “unnatural to parents.”;):

8. “The altogether christian makes God’s glory the chief end of all his performances:” If he prays, or hears or gives, or fasts, or repents, or obeys, Sfc. God’s glory is the main end of all; It is true, he may have somewhat else at the hither end of his work, but God is at the farther end: as Moses’s rod swallowed up the magicians’ rods, so God’s glory is the ultimate end that swallows up all his other ends. Now the almost christian fails in this: his ends are corrupt and selfish; God may possibly be at the hither end of his work, but

JPsaim cxiV. 6. f Matt, xxlii, 2a

$ Matt™ iii. 14, self is at the farther end; for he that was never truly cast out of himself, can have no higher end than himself.

Now then examine thyself by these characters: put the question to thy own soul; dost thou close with Christ upon gospel terms? Is grace in the heart the principle of thy performances? Dost thou look to the manner, as well as the matter of thy duties? Dost thou do all in sincerity? Is there an answerableness within to the law without? Art thou much above duty, w7hen much in duty? Is thy obedience universal? Lastly, is God’s glory, the end of all? If so, then art thou not only almost, but altogether a christian.