Such are the essentials of the people of God.

Not a complete portrayal of them in all their excellencies, nor all the marks whereby they may be discerned.

I beg you the reader, as you have the hope of a Christian, or any common logic, judge yourself as one that must shortly be judged by a righteous God, and faithfully answer these questions. I will not inquire whether you remember the time or the order of the workings of the Spirit, there may be much uncertainty and mistake in that. If you are sure the Spirit has works in you, it is not so great a matter that you should know when or how so. But carefully examine and inquire,

* Have you been thoroughly convinced of a prevailing depravation through your whole soul? And a prevailing wickedness through your whole life? And convinced of how vile sin is? And that by the covenant of God that you transgressed, the least sin deserves eternal death?

* Do you consent to the law, that it is true and righteous, and perceive yourself sentenced to eternal death by it?

* Have you seen the utter insufficiency of every creature, either to be by itself your happiness, or the means of removing this your misery?

* Have you been convinced that your happiness is only in God, as the purpose and your reason for being, and in Christ, as the path to Him and that you must be brought to God through Christ, or perish eternally?

* Have you seen an absolute necessity of your enjoying Christ, and the full sufficiency in Him to do for you whatever your case requires?

* Have you discovered the excellency of this pearl (being Christ) to be worth your “selling all to buy it?”

* Have your convictions of these things, been like those of a man who thirsts, rather than merely a change in opinion, produced by reading or education?

* Have both your sin and misery been the revulsion and burden of your soul? Perhaps you wept over this or at least heartily groan under the insupportable weight of both?

* Have you renounced all of your own righteousness?

* Have you turned your idols out of thy heart, so that you, being the creature have no more the sovereignty, but are now a servant to God and Christ?

* Do you accept Christ as your only Saviour, and expect your justification, recovery and glory from Him alone? Are His laws the most powerful commanders of your life and soul? Do they, more often than not, prevail against the commands of your flesh, and against the greatest interest of your credit, profit, pleasure or life?

* Has Christ the highest room in your heart and affections, so that, though you cannot love Him as you desire to, yet nothing else is loved as much as He?

* Have you, to this end, made a hearty covenant with Him, and delivered up yourself to Him?

* Is it your uttermost care and watchful endeavour to be found faithful in this covenant and though you fall into sin, yet would not renounce your bargain, nor change your Lord, nor give up yourself to any other government, for all the world?