[13.] Thirteenthly, So far as I know my oiun heart, I am sincerely willing to receive the Lord Jesus Christ in a matrimonial covenant ; according to these scriptures, Hos. ii. 19, 20 ; 2 Cor. xi. 2; Isa. liv. 5; Isa. Ixi. 10 ; Isa. Ixii. 5 ; Cant. iii. 11, &c. Through grace I am,
First, Sincerely willing to take the Lord Jesus Christ for my Saviour and sovereign Lord. So far as I know my own heart, I do through mercy give my hearty consent, that Christ, and Christ alone, shall be my saviour and Kedeemer. It is true, I do duties, but the desire of my soul is to do them out of love to Christ, and in obedience to his royal law and pleasure. I know my best righteousnesses are but ' as filthy rags,' Isa. Ixiv. 6. And woe would be to me, had I no other shelter, or saviour, or resting-place for my poor soul, than rags, than filthy rags. And so far as I know my own heart, I am sincerely willing to give up myself to the guidance and government of Jesus Christ, as my sovereign Lord and king, desiring nothing more in this world, than to live and die under the guidance and government of his Spirit, word, and grace. But,
Secondly, I am willing, through grace, to give a bill of divorce to all other lovers, without exception or reservation. So far as I know my own heart, I desire nothing more in this world, than that God would pull out right-eye sins, and cut off right-hand sins. I am very desirous, through grace, to have all sins brought under by the power, Spirit, and grace of Christ ; but especially my special sins, my head corruptions. I would have Christ alone to rule and reign in the haven i of my heart, without any competitor. But,
Thirdly, I am sincerely ivilling, through grace, to take the Lord Jesus Christ for better, for ivorse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, and in his strength I tvould go tvith him through fix and water, resolving, through his grace, that nothing shall divide betwixt Christ and my soul. So far as I know my own heart, I would have Christ, though I beg with him, though I go to prison with him, though in agonies in the garden with him, though to the cross with him. But,
Fourthly, So far as I knoio my own heart, I am sincerely willing, 1 Qu. ' heaven ' ?— G.
52 SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
First, to receive the Lord Jesus Christ presently , John i. 12. Secondly, to receive him in all his offices, as king, prophet, and priest. Col. ii. 6 ; Acts V. 31. Thirdly, To receive him into every room of my soul; to receive him into my understanding, mind, will, affections, &c. Fom-thly, To receive him upon his oion terms, of denying myself, taking up his cross and following of him wherever he goes, Mat. xvi. 21 ; Kev. xiv. 4, &c.
Fifthly and lastly. So far as I know my own heart, I do freely consent, 1. To he really Christ's; 2. To be presently Christ's; 3. To be wholly Christ's; 4. To be only Christ's ; 5. To be eminently Christ's; 6. To be for ever Christ's, &c.
Certainly that Christian that has and does experience the particulars last mentioned under the second question, that Christian may safely, groundedly, boldly, and comfortably conclude that his faith is a true, justifying, saving faith, the faith of God's elect, and such a faith as clearly evidences a gracious estate, and will never leave his soul short of heaven.
Now how many thousand Christians are there, that have this faith that is here described, which is doubtless a true, justifying, saving faith, that gives a man an interest in the person of Christ, and in all the blessings and benefits that comes by Christ, who yet question whe- ther they have true faith or no, partly from weakness, partly from temptations, and partly from the various definitions that are given of faith by Protestants, both in their preachings and writings ; and it is and must be for a lamentation, that in a point of so great moment the trumpet should give such an uncertain sound.
The third question, or case is this, viz.. Whether in the great day of the Lord, the day of general judgment, or in the particidar judgment that will pass upon every soul immediately after death, ivhich is the stating of th& soul in an eternal estate or condition, either of happiness or misery ; luhether the sins of the saints, the follies and vanities of believers, the infirmities and enormities of sincere Christians shall be brought into the judgment of discussion and discovery, or no ? Whe- ther the Lord loill either in the great day of account, or in a man's particular day of account or judgment, publicly manifest, proclaim, and mnke mention of the sins of his people, or no ? This question is bottomed upon the ten scriptures in the margin,i which I desire the Christian reader to consult ; and upon the sad and daily complaints of many dear sincere Christians, who frequently cry out, ' Oh, we can never answer for one evil thought of ten thousand, nor we can never answer for one idle word of twenty thousand ; nor we can never answer for one evil action of a hundred thousand ; and how then shall we stand in judgment ? how shall we look the judge in the face ? how shall we be ever able to answer for all our omissions, and for all our commissions ; for all our sins of ignorance, and sins against light and knowledge ; for all our sins against the law, and for all our sins against
^ Eccles. xi. 9, and xii. 14 ; Mat. xii. 36, and xviii. 23 ; Luke xvi. 2; Rom. xiv. 10, 12 ; 2 Cor. v. 10 ; Heb. ix. 27, and xiii. 17 ; 1 Peter iv. 5.
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 53
the gospel, and for all our sins against sovereign grace, and for all our sins against the remedy, against the Lord Jesus, and for all the sins of our infancy, of our youth, and of old age ? Job. ix. 3 ; Ps. xix. 12, and clxiii. 2 ; Ezra xix. 6, &c. What account shall we be able to give up, when we come to our particular day of judgment, immediately after our death, or in the great and general day of account, when angels, devils, and men shall stand before the Lord Jesus, Heb. ix. 27, whom God the Father hath ordained to be the judge of quick and dead. Acts xvii. 31 ?
Now to this great question I answer, that the sins of ilie saints, the infirmities and enormities of believers, shall never he brought into the judgment of discussion and discovery ; they shall never he objected against them, either in their particular day of judgment, or in the great day of their account. Now this truth I shall make good by an induction of particulars ; thus, —