A Christian legacy consisting of two parts: I. A preparation for death. II. A consolation against death. By Edward Hyde, Dr. of Divinity, and late rector resident of Brightwell in Berks.

SECT. I. Weighing of our selves.

WHiles man is in the st•…•… of Nature, as he•…•… under the Curse a•…•… Dominion, so is he also u•…•…∣der the Blindness a•…•… Darkness of sin: for he•…•…∣ing he doth hear and doth not understa•…•… and seeing he doth see and not percei•…•… Act. 28. 16. Therefore it is necessary t•…•… the soul first weigh her self, before the•…•… weigh her sins. Now the soul may 〈◊〉〈◊〉 weigh her self in her own Ballance, but•…•… the Ballance of the Sanctuary; by consid•…•…∣ing not what she is in her own, but w•…•…

she is in Gods account: Quanti pretii est Anima cujus Redemptio est Dei Filius? Of how great price is the soul of man, which could not be Redeemed but by the Son of God? Of how great mischief is sin unto the soul, which doth make it forfeit the benefit of that Redemption? I should not easily debase my soul by sin, if I did but consider seriously, what she is in Gods Account: what she is in the Account of God the Father who created her after his own likeness: what in the account of God the Son, who Redeemed her with his own blood: what she is in the account of God •…•…he Holy Ghost, who Sanctifieth her, that •…•…he may be sealed to the day of Redemption, Eph. 4. 30. O veneranda Trinitas, O ado∣•…•…anda Unitas; per te sumus creati vera Ae∣•…•…ernitas; per te sumus redempti; summa tu Charitas. This consideration will bring the soul to know the state of Grace, and then she will never be at Rest till she know her self to be in that state. For if the soul be •…•…ot in the state of Grace and Salvation, she must needs be in the state of fin and dam∣•…•…ation; A third state of souls is not Reveal∣ed, may not be Phansied. Holy Ignatius Determines excellently concerning this •…•…oint, in his Epistle to the Magnesians; I

say there are two several Stamps and Im∣pressions of men: some are of the True some are of the False Stamp; The Godl•…•… man is of Gods own stamp, true curran•…•… mony; The Ungodly man is of the Devil•…•… stamp, a piece of counterfeit and false coin•…•… (〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉) Not that God made two seve∣ral sorts of men in the Creation; But tha•…•… the Devil hath since got a power over a•…•… wicked men by their own Election; so tha•…•… the ungodly and unbelievers do now be•…•… the Image of the Prince of Darkness. Th•…•… Godly and the •…•…aithful do bear the Imag•…•… of God the father, and of our Lord Jesu•…•… Christ. Thus far (in effect,) S. Ignatius, S. P•…•…∣ters second Successor in the Bishoprick o•…•… Antioch, and had from him learned thi•…•… Divinity; who in his first Epistle, firs•…•… Chapter, and third ver. Blesseth God for ha∣ving begotten us again to a lively hope, there∣by teaching, that those can have no live∣ly hope whom God hath not begotten again•…•… The same is also Saint Pauls Divinity, (fo•…•… the spirit of Verity is alwaies the spirit o•…•… Unity, speaking indeed by several mouths but still one Truth) who plainly contra∣distinguisheth the state of Gentiles and th•…•… state of Christians, the state of Nature an•…•…

the state of Grace, Eph. 4. 13, 17, 18. So that we all either walk as Christians, till we come in the Unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ; or we walk as Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding Darkned, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart.

Nor is it enough for a man to know the state of Christians in General, but he must moreover labour to know his own state to be truly Christian in Particular: according to that of the same Apostle, 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith, Prove your own selves; know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates? The words import a standing Relation of the soul to God, as he is the giver of Life and Salvation, as if he had said, Examine your selves whether ye be in that Faith, without which it is im∣possible to please God: whether ye so come to God, as to believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, Heb. 11. 6. Examine your own selves whether ye be in that faith, by which Christ

Jesus dwelleth in you, and you in him. The•…•… is no man to be excused from this Exami∣nation, from this Self-tryal, much less to b•…•… Exempted from it: For the Apostle speak∣eth very Passionately concerning it, an•…•… we may take this for the meaning of h•…•… speech: Have you been so long called 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the faith of Christ, and do you not yet kn•…•… whether ye be truly in that Faith? If you 〈◊〉〈◊〉 not know it, then examine and prove yo•…•…∣selves; If you do know it, then examine a•…•… prove your Faith; For you must know th•…•… Jesus Christ is in you, or that you are in a m•…•… miserable condition, such as is the condition•…•… Reprobates, not of good Christians: whereby is evident that every man is bound to kno•…•… his own Spiritual state or condition; wh•…•…∣ther he be in the state of Sin, or in the sta•…•… of Grace; whether he be in the state of S•…•…∣vation, or in the state of Damnation; wh•…•…∣ther he be in the state of Faith, or in the sta•…•… of Infidelity: Nor is this knowledge gott•…•… by looking abroad, but by looking at hom•…•… not by searching into Gods secrets, but o•…•… own; So saith the Apostle, Rom. 10. 6, 7, 8, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 The Righteousness which is of Faith speak•…•… on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who sh•…•… ascend into Heaven? (to wit that he m•…•… reveal to me from thence Gods will co•…•…∣cerning

my salvation) for that is to bring Christ down from above (to deny that Christ is already come down from heaven, of purpose to shew us the way up thither) Or who shall descend into the deep? (to wit, to rescue me from the power of death and hell) that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead, (to deny that Christ is risen from the dead, and hath conquered the power of death) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. As if he had said, What needs any man trouble himself about cu∣•…•…ious Questions, to know whether he be in •…•…he state of Salvation? for thats a thing which he can best know from his own mouth, and from his own heart. If his •…•…eart be true to his Saviour by a lively Faith in his death and Resurrection; And if his tongue be true to his heart by a •…•…oyful Profession of that Faith; If his Faith •…•…e agreeable to the word of Christ, and his •…•…fe be agreeable to his Christian faith, ei∣•…•…er by his Innocency or by his Repentance; •…•…f his Inner man be true to Christ, and his •…•…uter man be true to his Inner man; He

needs neither Rove in uncertainties, no•…•… Dive into Curiosities, nor distract him∣self with Perplexities, for he is undoubt∣edly in the state of Salvation; The Spiri•…•… of God saith to a man in such a condition Thou shalt be saved; Upon these Premise•…•… of Faith and Obedience (here specified b•…•… Confession) it would be Unlogical, an•…•… much more Untheological, to deny th•…•… Conclusion, the state of Salvation, Tho•…•… shalt be saved. And if you shall yet de∣sire to know whether you have a tr•…•… Faith or no, I must tell you, that as th•…•… life of the Soul is the life of the Body, s•…•… Faith is the life of the Soul: For Chri•…•… dwelleth in the heart by Faith, Eph. 3. 17. And as life is known to be in the body b•…•… its sense and motion, so also is life known t•…•… be in the Soul: First, by its sence, for 〈◊〉〈◊〉 hath a feeling of its own sins and groan•…•… under the burden of them; It hath a feel∣ing of Christs merits and mercies, and r•…•…∣joyceth in the comfort thereof. Second∣ly, by its motion: The Affections are the fee•…•… by which the soul moveth: Hence tha•…•… saying, Anima est, non ubi Animat, sed u•…•… Amat, The soul is not where it lives, b•…•… where it loves; consequently the soul tha•…•… placeth its love in God, hath its life in God

Omnia sunt Vita in Deo, quae non vivunt in seipsis, saith the Angelical Dr. most Angeli∣cally, All things are life in God, even those things which have no life in themselves. Crea∣tures that are dead in themselves, are alive in God: Creatures without life are life in him: Creatures that have life in them∣selves, yet in God have a far better life. Thus men in themselves have but a Mo∣mentany, a Corruptible, an Indigent, an Inglorious life: But men in God have a life of Eternity, of Incorruption, of Al-suffi∣ciency, and full of Glory: wouldst thou then live Eternally, Incorruptibly, Content∣edly and gloriously? Go out of thy self, O Devout soul, and live in God: Go out of thy self by thy Affections, which will carry thee from earth to Heaven, from thy self to thy Saviour, and will make thee, whiles thy body is below, mount up on high, Pla∣cing thy heart where thy Treasure is, (for Christ alone is the Treasure of Souls, who alone is the Saviour and Lover of Souls) even in Heaven; nay in the highest part of Heaven, at the right Hand of God. This is the Apostles advice, Col. 3. 1, 2. If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God: set your Affections on

things above, not on things on earth. And we may very well turn this Advice into an Argument, to prove that we are indeed Risen with Christ, because we do seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God: because we do settle our affections on things above, not on things of the earth; but withall we must carefully observe the nature of this proof.

For 1. It is not a Violent, but a Volun∣tary motion of the Affection that is her•…•… required; the things above are such as w•…•… seek with Desire, and find with Delight 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Quae sursum sunt q•…•…aerite, seek those things which are above. No•…•… turn Seeker after mens new Phansies, b•…•… after Gods old Mercies, Psal. 25. 6. Th•…•… Tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses, f•…•… they have been ever of old; It is in the He∣brew, Quia à seculo ipsae, No Verb at a•…•… to signifie any Time, to shew they were b•…•…∣fore all time, from everlasting, and sha•…•… continue beyond all time, to everlasting. 〈◊〉〈◊〉 is the consideration of these everlasting me•…•…∣cies that maketh the soul to seek after G•…•… the father of mercies: Not the Fear of he•…•… but the Love of heaven: It is not a Viole•…•… but a Voluntary motion. That is the first.

2. Secondly, Again, It is not the moti∣on of one Affection, but of all; for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, set your affection, is spoken Indifinitely, and therefore, since in a matter necessary, Universally: It is not some affections for God, some for the World; for so had wicked Balaam Num. 23. 10. saying, Let me die the death of the Righteous, And yet he loved the wages of Unrighteousness, 2 Pet. 2. 15. But all the affectious must be for God. For as a man cannot live the life of nature and have his Heart divided, so much less can he live the Life of Grace. Therefore all the Affections; His Affecti∣ons are settled Universally. That is the second.

3. Thirdly, This motion of the soul is not without Deliberation and great Judge∣ment. For it is grounded upon the con∣sideration and belief of Christs Resurrecti∣on [If ye then be risen with Christ] The consideration That Christ hath opened the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers, makes him Believe. The consideration That Christ sitteth on the right Hand of God in the Glory of the Father, maketh him Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right Hand of God: His Judgement goes before his Affection; the

word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, requires no less; He hath seriously computed with himself, and sees there is but one Pearl of great Price unto his Soul, and for that he will sell all that he hath to buy it, Mat. 13. 4. 5. His Affections are settled judiciously on Christ, that's the Third.

4. Fourthly and lastly, This motion of the soul is not without right Order; for it be∣gins from a right Principle, and therefore must needs end with a blessed conclusion. He is not moved with the Fear of Gods Majesty, but of His mercy, Psal. 130. 4. But there is forgiveness with thee that thou maist be feared. The Unregenerate fears God for his Vengeance, but the Regenerate fears him for his Forgiveness: He looks not on God as he is in himself, A consuming Fire; but as He is in His Son, a still small voice. God is a still small voice, only in his Enternal Word. In him he wil speak Peace unto his Peo∣ple and to his Saints, Psal. 85. 8. But if he speak not in His Son, Then he is a God speak∣ing out of the midst of the Fire, Deut. 4. 33. And his Voice is accordingly with Thun∣derings and Lightnings, a voice great in Power, and full of Majesty, such as breaketh the Cedars of Lebanon, Psal. 29. and is able to rend our stony Hearts, but by no means to comfort and raise up our dejected Souls.

Wherefore the true Believer looks upon God in Christ, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. The right hand of God is terrible in it self, but not now Christ is sitting at it: The Psalmist cals upon God to pluck His right hand out of his Bosom, to consume his Adversaries and his bla∣spheming Enemies, Ps. 74. And which of us is not so much Gods enemy as to be spee∣dily consumed, Did not the son of God, our blessed Saviour, sit on his Fathers right hand, to keep him from plucking it out of his Bosome to consume us? Or when he plucks it out, to interpose betwixt us and it, That God cannot strike us but through the loins of his only begotten and only beloved son: So secure is that Soul which is in Christ, That it may draw neer with a true Heart in full assurance of Faith, Heb. 10. 22. Even to the right Hand of God: Tis an orderly motion of the Soul, Going to God in Christ, That is the fourth. If your Affections carry your soul to God thus Voluntarily, thus Universally, thus Judiciously, thus Orderly. Tis an invin∣cible argument, an undeniable Proof that your soul lives in God, and therefore may comfortably from him expect Everlasting Life; For you may then say with Saint

Paul, Gal. 2 20. I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; And the life which I now •…•…ive in th•…•… Flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Many men have measured their Faith by the strength of its perswasion, and have mi∣staken Themselves, for they have taken Phancy for Faith: but never was any man mistaken in his Faith, who measured it by the strength of its Affection. This is the surest way to know whether you have a true Faith in Christ, and whether your soul doth truly live in him by that Faith: And if you shall yet further ask, what de∣gree of Faith is required to make the soul ascend up unto its Saviour? I must an∣swer, it is not the measure or the Degree, but the Sincerity of Faith that maketh it a sa∣ving Faith, and placeth the man that hath it, in the state of Salvation: wherein we may see the infinite Goodness of God to∣wards the souls of men: For were such or such a degree of Faith required to justi∣fie a Sinner, no man could ever have any comfortable Assurance of his Justification; for no man can exactly know the Degree of his own Faith; And he that believes the most stedfastly, had need to say, Lord I be∣lieve,

Help thou my Unbelief, Mar. 9. 24. He may undertake for the Sincerity, He can∣not for the strength or measure of his Faith.

But now since it is the True and Lively Faith that justifies, it is enough that a man only know he doth truly believe, and so rest and rely upon the merits of his Savi∣our, for his justification. For this is the Apo∣stolical Benediction, Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Eph. 6. 24. Sincerity, not sufficiency of love is the Touchstone to try the Soul, whether it be in the state of Grace. The Apostle saith not in Abundance, for fear of disturb∣ing the Peace of souls, (for who can tell when he loveth the Lord Jesus Christ abun∣dantly, considering how often He sins against Him?) But He saith, In since∣rity, to establish and confirm the Peace of Souls; For every one that Loveth, know∣eth the sincerity of his own love, the Soul being an Infallible judge of its own Act in the Quality, when it may easily be mista∣ken in the Quantity. Saint Peters threefold denyal of his Master, had stopped his mouth from Professing the Abundance, but not from Professing the sincerity of his Love; Yea Lord (saith he) Thou know∣est that I love Thee: Iohn 21. 15. He

knew well the sincerity of his own Love, or He durst not have appealed to the Sear∣cher of Hearts to be Judge of that Sinceri∣ty, As if he had said, Though I do not know That I love thee sufficiently, yet I do know That I love thee truly and sincere∣ly: And thou knowest it too: nor could 〈◊〉〈◊〉 truly say, Thou knowest that I love thee, if I did not know it my self: O happy man, whose conscience bears him witness, That he Truly Repents, Truly Believes, and Truly Loves. For He can promise to himself not only Admittance to God, but also Acceptance with Him. For if he can say from the bottome of his Heart•…•… Lord I repent, He must be comforted i•…•… This, That He who came to call sinners to Repentance, Mat. 9. 13. will not re∣ject a Sinner that is Repenting: He tha•…•… promised to spare a whole Nation for one Converts sake, (Jer. 5. 1. if but one of them did Seek Truth who had formerly de∣spised it) will much more spare that soul in which himself hath wrought a true Conver∣sion; For he cannot despise the works of his own hands, though he cannot but despise and abandon the works of Ours. Those words then of the man that was born blind, God heareth not sinners, had little

reason to Trouble Saint Augustine for fear no mans Prayers should be heard, for that all are sinners, which made him find out this exception rather then exposition, Ver∣bum coeci adhuc inuncti, i. e. nondum illumi∣nati, & ideò non est Ratum: This was the saying of a blind man before his eyes were ful∣ly opened to see, or his heart was illuminated to know the truth, and therefore it holds not: But we need no such exception: for this is one of those common Notions which the Devil and Sin could not blot out of the hearts of men: and therefore we find it in ef∣fect avowed by a Heathen Poet, Hom. Il. a. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, God heareth those that obey him, and consequently heareth not the disobedient and unrighteous, which is all one with this, God heareth not sinners; and this may be verified (saith Aquinas) de Peccatore in quantum est peccator, (22^ae. qu. 83. art. 16.) Of sinners as far forth as they are sinners, for so God heareth them not, yet he may and doth hear them as penitents: God heareth not such sinners as are willingly and wilful∣ly under the Power and Dominion of sin, such as are habitually sinful, and still remain in the state of sin: For A man may be a sin∣ner, yet not be in the state of sin. That notes a

Momentany Action, but this a standing Relation, or a setled continuance; status notat Dispositionem cum quadam immobili∣tate, (saith Aquinas.) That makes a man unworthy of Gods Favor, but this makes him uncapable of it: So saith the Prophet, What hath my beloved to do in mine house, seeing she hath wrought lewdness with many, and the holy Flesh is passed from thee? when thou dost evil then thou rejoycest, Jer. 11. 15. These words shew the state of sin, and the miserable condition of that state; The state of sin is the working of lewdness with many, and rejoycing in that work; neither Reluctancie before it, nor Repen∣tance after it; And the miserable condition of that state, is, not to have to do in Gods house, i. e. Not to have any right to the Word & Sacraments; for the Holy Flesh here (saith R. David) is the Flesh of Gods Altar. An Impenitent sinner hath nothing to do with that Holy Flesh; and if he will needs intrude himself to have to do with it, yet it shall not be Holy Flesh to him, he shall have no benefit of its Holiness: Nay to him it shall be in its effect, what it is alrea∣dy in his account, an unholy thing, Heb. 10. 29. Impura es ipsa, ac proinde non potes non impurare omnes oblationes tuas, saith Trem.

Thou thy self being in the state of impuri∣ty, canst not but make all thy offerings im∣pure. Thy Prayers will be turned into sin, Psal. 109. 7. And how then can thy sin not be turned into Death? Therefore he that will offer to God an acceptable offer∣ing, must first offer himself: For if God accept not the person, he will not ac∣cept the offering. The Lord first had re∣spect to Abel, then to his offering, Gen. 4. 4. Wherefore it neerly concerns every Christian to forsake all his sins, and to assure himself that he is in the state of Grace and Acceptance with God, for that else he cannot be assured that either his Prayer or his Prayses will be accepted: And how shall we better know the state of Grace, then from his mouth, whose hands, nailed to the Cross, made it? And whose side, Pierced on the Cross, poured it forth to us? And he plainly tells us that our state is either of God, or of the Devil, John 8. 42. If God were your Father you would love me: From whence we may infer, they that do love Christ have God for their Father, and consequently are in a Good, in a Happy state: But v. 4. 4. Ye are of your Father the Devil, and the lusts of your Father ye will do: From whence we may infer, they that

will needs do the lusts of the Devil, have the Devil for their father: Not simply they that do the lusts, but they that wilfully do them. The Text it self gives us this Distinction, saying, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, ye will do them: For there is a great difference betwixt 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Facio, and Volo Facere; I do, and I will do. For Saint Paul saith of himself, the evil which I would not, that I do, Rom. 7. 19. and yet proves that he is in the state of Regeneration, notwith∣standing his doing it: Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me, v. 21. Sin may dwell in me, but I may not dwell in sin: If I do that evil I would not, it is because sin dwelleth in me: But if I will that evil I do, it is be∣cause I dwell in sin, and am one of those of whom it is said, ye are yet in your sins, 1 Cor. 15. 17. He saith not, your sins are in you, but you are in your sins; not, they pos∣sessed by you, but you possessed by them: not, they have a being in you, but you have a being in them. This Regiment of Satan doth not come to Quarter with you against your will, but you have made an Invitati∣on to them, and Provision for them: they find the house swept and garnished, and look upon it as their own; and so have

their Habitation with you, as that they also have Dominion over you. And in this respect doth our blessed Saviour say to the Jews, ye shall dye in your sins, That is, in the Guilt, and under the Bondage of your sins, unless by faith in Christ you get out of that Guilt, out of that Bondage; for so it is said, If ye believe not that 'I am he, ye shall dye in your sins, John 8. 24. To live out of Christ, is to live in sin: and to live in sin, is the way to die in sin: and to die in sin, is to die eternally: For he that dies in sin, is an eternal sinner, and is therefore justly punished with eternal death. Pecca∣vit in suo aeterno, saith Saint Greg. He sin∣ned in his eternity, and yet his whole life was but a span-long. The reason is, He that sins impenitently, would sin eternally, if he might live eternally. He sins eternally in his Resolution, though not in his Action, and shews whose child he is, by doing the works of his Father, and wilfully doing them, The works of your Father ye will do. A man may do the lusts of the Devil, and yet be the child of God: but he cannot wil∣fully do them, and continue in that wilful∣ness, but he must be the child of the De∣vil: He alone hath Right in him, and he will claim his Right: He will claim him as a

Father claims his child. For this is the specifical difference betwixt the Regenerate and the Unregenerate; Both are sinners, but the one sinneth eagerly with desire, and Habi∣tually with delight; the other desireth not to sin, and delighteth not in sinning. Though he may sometimes do the work of the Devil, yet it is against his will, for he Desires and delights to do the work of God. And thats the reason our Blessed Saviour hath taught such a man to call God his Father, and he would not have taught him to call God so, were he indeed not so: For truth teacheth no man to tell a lye, much less in his Prayers: wherefore in that we are taught to say Our Father, it is evident that we are bound to be in the state of Regeneration, or we have no right to say our Prayers. For we are not taught to say Our Father in respect of our corporal Creation, (for so God is the Father of the wicked as well as of the Righ∣teous) but of our spiritual Regeneration: That God is Our Father by spiritual Ge∣neration, for that according to his Abun∣dant mercy he hath begotten us again, to lively hope, 1 Pet. 1. 3. For of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, Jam. 1. 18. And if God be Our Father by Spi∣ritual

Generation, then are we also his sons by Adoption, and can rightly and truly say Our Father, and all the Petitions after it, without giving the Lie to our own Consciences. Whereas a man that is in the state of sin, cannot truly say any one Petition of the Lords most Holy Prayer. He cannot say, Our Father, for he will not be the son of God: He cannot say, Hallowed be thy name, for he delights to profane it: He cannot say, Thy Kingdom come, for he fears nothing more then its coming: He can∣not say, Thy Will be done, for he resolves against the doing it: Wherefore if you ask me how shall sinners not yet converted say to God, Our Father: I Answer, if they truly desire to be converted, and to be∣come his children, they may say so, as the Prodigal son resolving to arise and go to his Father, though he were not yet come unto him, had a right of calling him Father, Luke 15. 18. For an unfained desire of conversion shews a true convert, God accepting the will for the deed, As work∣ing in us to will, no less then to do, of his own good pleasure. And the best man that is, will meet with inextricable Difficulties, if he Ground the Truth of his conversion upon the Ability of his Performance, and

not upon the sinceritity of his desire. Saint Bernard tells of a very Religious Monk, who undertaking to say his Pater Noster without the least A vocation or A version of his thoughts from God, (which another professed that he could not obtain to do, by all the fasting and prayer that he had used for many years) convinced and condemned himself by his own mouth, be∣fore he had gone over half the petitions, interposing such an Impertinency in his prayer, as plainly shewed that his mind was on earth, whiles his tongue was in heaven. I conclude then, that only those sinners among the sons of men have no right to their Pater Noster, but do hypo∣critically and falsly say the Lords prayer, who neither are, nor desire to be the chil∣dren of God; who so are sinners, as that they also are in the state of sin, and desire to continue in that state: For how can that man have a right to pray, who before he praies, hath set his heart against his God, and whiles he is praying, doth set his own tongue against his heart?