bear up its
weight. They must all be built upon the rock and chief corner-stone, the
sure foundation that God hath laid. The Lord Jesus tells us, Matt. xvi.
18, that upon this rock (i.e. himself and the truths that Peter had
confessed) will I build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not
prevail against it. But it is certain that hypocrites are not built upon
Christ by faith, but fix their vain hopes on a sandy foundation.
Therefore, if their persons are not built upon Christ, their church
state cannot; but upon the sand. Hence then it follows that only true
believers are built on Christ, and so they are the only persons that
Christ wishes to have built up into holy temples; because the churches
that Christ builds shall be built upon himself, that they may stand
impregnable against all opposition: and therefore they should only be
composed of such as are united to him by faith, and have chosen him for
their only rock and foundation, and not of such as do secretly reject
him.

_Quest_. What qualifications should believers find in themselves for
their own satisfaction, before they enter into full communion with the
visible Church of Christ?

_Ans_. They should be able to answer the following questions in the
affirmative.

I. Can you say indeed that you do seriously and heartily desire to see,
and to be more deeply and powerfully convinced of your own vileness and
sinfulness, of your own weakness and wretchedness, and of your wants and
unworthiness? and that, in order to your deep and spiritual humiliation
and self-debasing, that you may be more vile in your own eyes, and Jesus
Christ and free grace more precious and excellent, more high and
honorable, and more sweet and desirable, that your hearts may be melted
into godly sorrow, and that you may be moved thereby to abhor
yourselves, and to repent in dust and ashes? Job xlii. 5, 6.

II. Can you say that you do seriously and heartily desire and endeavor
to believe in Christ, and to receive and accept of him in the gospel
way, such as you find in Mark viii. 34; Luke xiv. 26-28, and elsewhere?
Do you thus desire and choose to have him with his yoke and cross? Matt.
xi. 28, 29. And do you so deny yourselves, and your sinful self,
righteous self, worldly self, supposed able, powerful self, and every
other carnal and spiritual self, that Christ only may be exalted, that
you may be nothing in your justification and salvation, but that Jesus
Christ and free grace may be