through fear of death, so that there should be no mistake about these things: we may seek after them, but God is free to give or withhold them. 4. Many do seek after such manifestations before they give credit by faith to God's word. He hath borne record that there is life enough for men in Christ Jesus; and if men would by believing set to their seal that God is true, they should partake of more of these excellent things. 5. I may say, many have not honourable apprehensions and thoughts of the Spirit of God, whose proper work it is to put forth the foresaid noble operations. They do not adore him as God, but vex, grieve, quench, and resist him : and many people, complaining of the want of these things, are not at the pains to seek the Spirit in his outgoings, and few do set themselves apart for such precious receptions: therefore, be at more pains in religion, give more credit to his word, and esteem more highly of the Spirit of God, and so you may find more of these excellent things. THE CHRISTIAN'S GREAT INTEREST. PART II. HOW TO ATTAIN A SAVING INTEREST IN CHRIST. HAVING, in the former part of this Treatise, put every man's state to the trial, it now remains that, in this following part, we give advice to those, who neither can nor dare lay claim to the marks formerly mentioned. Quest. II. WHAT SHALL THEY DO WHO WANT THE MARKS OF A TRUE AND SAVING INTEREST IN CHRIST, ALREADY SPOKEN OF, AND NEITHER CAN NOR DARE PRETEND TO THEM? Answ. If men do not find in themselves the marks of a saving interest in Christ, spoken of before, then it is their duty, and of all that hear the gospel, personally and heartily to close with God's device of saving sinners by Christ Jesus, and this will secure their state. CHAP. I. Some things premised for the Information of those who are more Ignorant. FOR the better understanding of this, we shall premise some things for the information of those who are more ignorant, and then speak more directly to the thing. As for the things to be premised: 1. The Lord, at the beginning, out of his bounty, made a covenant with man in Adam: " And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die"-and enabled man to abide in that covenant: "God hath made man upright;" but man, by eating of that forbidden fruit, did break that covenant: "They, like Adam, have transgressed the covenant," and made it void for ever: "By the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in his sight;"—and involved himself in all misery thereby: "As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." 2. The Lord did most freely from everlasting, purpose and intend to save men another way, that is, by Christ Jesus, and the covenant of grace, in which he intended reconciliation with the elect through Christ Jesus, God and man, born of a |