prefers him to all other things, is a godly man, for he chooses and worships God as God. To respect God as God, is to respect him above all other things; and if any man respect God as his God, his God he is; there is an union and covenant re lation between that man and the true God.

Every man is as his God is. If you would know what a man is, whether he be a godly man or not, you must inquire what his God is. If the true God be he whom he respects as his God, i. e. to whom he hath a supreme respect, and whom he regards above all; he is doubtless a godly man, a servant of the true God. But if the man have some other god, some thing else to which he pays a greater sespect than to Jeho vah, he is not a godly man; God is not his God; he doth not worship him for his Cod, nor doth he belong to God, as one of his people.

Inquire, therefore, how it is with you, whether you prefer God before all other things. It may sometimes be some dif ficulty for persons to determine this to their satisfaction; the ungodly may be deluded with faise affections; the godly in duli frames may be at a loss about it. Therefore you may try yourselves as to this matter these several ways; if you cannot speak fully to one thing, yet you may perhaps to others. (1.) What is which chiefly makes you desire to go to heaven when you die? Indeed some have no great desire to go to heaven. They do not care to go to hell; but if they could but be safe from that, they would not much concern themselves about heaven. If it be not so with you, but you find that you have a desire to go to heaven, then inquire what it is for. Is the main reason, that you may be with God, have communion with him, and be conformed to him? That you may see God, and enjoy him there? Is the consideration that these things are to be had in heaven, that which keeps your heart, and your desires, and your expectations towards heaven?

(2.) If you could avoid death, and might have your free choice, would you choose to live always in this world without God, rather than in God's time to leave the world, in order to be with God in the full enjoyment of him? If you might live

here in earthly prosperity to all eternity, but destitute of the presence of God and communion with him, having no spiritu al divine intercourse between God and your souls, God and you being strangers to each other for ever; would you choose this rather than to leave the world, in order to go and dwell in God's house in heaven, as the children of God, there to enjoy the glorious privileges of children, in an acquaintance with God, in an holy and perfect love to God, and enjoyment of him to all eternity?

(3.) Do you prefer Christ to all others as the way to heav en? He who chooses God, and prefers him, as hath been spoken of, he prefers him in each person of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; the Father, as his Father; the Son, as his Saviour; the Holy Ghost, as his Sanctifier. Inquire, therefore, not only whether you choose the enjoyment of God in heaven as your highest portion and happiness, but also whether you choose Jesus Christ before all others, as your way to heaven; and that in a sense of the excellency of Christ, and of the way of salvation by him, as being that which is to the glory of Christ, and to the glory of sovereign grace. Is the way of free grace, by the blood and righteousness of the blessed and glorious Redeemer, the most excellent way to life in your esteem? Doth it add a value to the heavenly inheritance, that it is conferred in this way? Is this far better to your than to be saved by your own righteousness, by any of your own performances, or by any other mediator?

(4.) If you might go to heaven in what course you please, would you prefer to all others the way of a strict walk with God? They that prefer God as hath been represented, choose God, as you have heard, not only hereafter, but here; they choose and prefer him, not only in the end, but in the way. They had rather be with God than with any other, when they come to the end of their journey; and not only so, but they had rather have God with them than any other, while they are in the way thither. Their chosen way of going to heaven is a way of strict walking with God. They would neither fail of coming to God in the end, nor would they depart from God by

the way. They choose the way of walking with God, though it be a way of labor, and care, and selfdenial, rather than a way of sin, though it be a way of sloth, and of gratifying their Justs.

(5.) If it were so, that you were to spend your éternity here in this world, would you choose rather to live in mean and low circumstances with the gracious presence of God, than to live for ever in earthly prosperity without God in the world? If you were to spend your eternity in this world, would you rather spend it in a way of holy living, in serving and walking with God, and in the enjoyment of the privileges of the children of God, having God often manifesting himself to you as your Father, discovering to you his glory, and manifesting his love, lifting the light of his countenance upon you, as God often doth to his saints in this world; would you rather choose these things, though you should live in poverty, and with but little of the good things of this world, than to abound in a fulness of worldly things, and to live in ease and prosperity, at the same time being an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, standing in no childlike relation to God, enjoying no gracious intercourse with him, having no right in God, either to have him for your God, or to be acknowledged by him as his children? Or would such a life as this, though in ever so great earthly prosperity, be esteemed by you a miserable life?

If, after all this, there remain with you doubts, and a difficulty to determine concerning yourselves whether you do truly and sincerely prefer God to all other things, I would mention two things which are the surest ways to be determined in this matter, and which seem to be the best grounds of satisfaction in it.

1. The feeling of some particular, strong, and lively exercises of such a spirit. A person may have such a spirit as is spoken of in the doctrine, and may have the exercise of it in a low degree, and yet remain in doubt whether he have it or not, and be unable, by all his selfexamination, to come to a satisfying determination. But God is pleased at some times to give VOL. VIII.

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to some of his people, such lively and strong exercises of such a spirit, and they see it so clearly, and feel it so plainly, that it puts it, at least for the present, out of doubt. They obtain such discoveries of the glory of God, and of the excellency of Christ, as do so draw forth the heart, that they know beyond all doubt or question, that they feel such a spirit as Paul spake of, when he said, "He counted all things but loss, for the excellency of Christ Jesus his Lord ;" and they can boldly say, as in the text, " Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee." At such times. the people of God do not need any help of ministers to satisfy them whether they have the true love of God; they plainly see and feel it ; and the Spirit of God then witnesseth with their spirits, that they are the children of God.

Therefore, if you would be satisfied upon this point, earnestly seek such attainments; seek that you may have such clear and lively exercises of this spirit. To this end, you must press forward, and labor to grow in grace. If you have had such experiences in times past, and they satisfied you then, yet you may again doubt. You should therefore seek that you may have them more frequently; and the way to that is, earnestly to press forward, that you may have more acquaintance with God, and have the principles of grace strengthened. This is the way to have the exercises of grace stronger, more lively, and more frequent, and so to be satisfi ed that you have a spirit of supreme love to God.

2. The other way is, To inquire whether you prefer God to all other things in practice, i. e. whether, when you have occasion in the course of your life to manifest by your practice which you prefer, when you must either cleave to one or the other, and must either forsake other things, or forsake God; whether then it be your manner practically to prefer God to all other things whatever, even to your dearest earthly enjoyments, to those earthly things to which your hearts are most wedded. Do you lead such lives as this? Are your lives, lives of adherence to God, and of serving God in this manner?

He that doth sincerely prefer God to all other things in his heart, he will do it in his practice For when God and all other things come to stand in competition, that is the proper trial what a man chooses; and the manner of acting in such cases must certainly determine what the choice is in all free agents or those who act on choice. Therefore there is no sign of sincerity so much insisted on in the Bible as this, that we deny ourselves, sell all, forsake the world, take up the cross, and follow Christ whithersoever he goeth.

Therefore, so run, not as uncertainly; so fight, not as those that beat the air; but keep under your bodies, and bring them into subjection. Act not as though you counted yourselves to have apprehended; but this one thing do, "forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." 2 Pet. i. 5. &c. "And besides this, giving diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowlodge of our Lord Jesus Christ."