"How greatly are all men concerned to examine their condition with respect to spiritual life and death! It is very common for men to presume upon their union with and interest in Christ. This privilege is, by common mistake, extended generally to all that profess the Christian religion, and practice the external duties of it, when, in truth, no more are or can be united to Christ, than are quickened by the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1, 2). O try your interest in Christ by this rule. If I am quickened by Christ, I have union with Christ."First, if there be spiritual sense in your souls, there is spiritual life in them. there are senses belonging to the spiritual as well as to the animal life (Heb. 5:14). They can feel and sensibly groan under soul pressures and burdens of sin (Rom. 7:24). The dead feel not, moan not under the burdens of sin, but the living do: they may be sensible indeed of the evil of sin, with respect to themselves, but not as against God, damnation may scare them, but pollution does not; hell may fright them, but not the offending of God.
"Secondly, if there be spiritual hunger and thirst, it is a sweet sign of spiritual life; this sign agrees to Christians of a day old, 1 Pet. 2:2. Even 'new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word:' If spiritual life be in you, you know how to expound that scripture, Psal. 42:1. without any other interpreter than your own experience: you will feel somewhat like the gnawing of an empty stomach making you restless during the interruption of your daily communion with the Lord.
"Thirdly, if there be spiritual conflicts with sin, there is spiritual life in your souls, Gal. 5: l7. Not only a combat between light in the higher, and sense in the lower faculties; not only opposition to more gross external corruptions, that carry more infamy and horror with them than other sins do: but the heart will be the seat of war; and the more inward and secret any lust is, by so much the more will it be opposed and mourned over.
"In a word, the weakest Christian may, upon impartial observation, find such signs of spiritual life in himself (if he will allow himself time to reflect upon the bent and frame of his own heart) as desires after God, conscience of duties, fears, cares, and sorrows, about sin; delight in the society of heavenly and spiritual men; and a loathing and burden in the company of vain and carnal persons.
"Objection: O but I have a very dead heart to spiritual things!
"Answer: It is a sign of life that you feel, and are sensible of that deadness; and besides, there is a great deal of difference betwixt spiritual deadness and death; the one is the state of the unregenerate, the other is the disease of regenerate men.
"Objection: Some signs of spiritual life are clear to me, but I cannot close with others.
"Answer: If you can really close with any, it may satisfy you, though you be dark in others; for if a child cannot walk, yet if it can take its food - if it cannot take its food, yet if it can cry - yea, if it cannot cry, yet if it breathe, it is alive."
- John Flavel, The Method of Grace, pp. 114-115
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