Self-examination takes courage and honesty. And since it concerns our eternal destination, we need to be all the more diligent to estimate how our soul is doing.

Jeremy Taylor, (15 August 1613 – 13 August 1667) was a cleric in the Church of England who achieved fame as an author Oliver Cromwell rose to power, and he spent a considerable amount of time thinking on this matter of holiness and integrity of heart.

The person certainly belongs to God,

1) who believes and is baptized into all the articles of the Christian faith,

2) and studies to improve their knowledge in the matters of God, so as may best make them live a holy life.

3) Out of obedience to Christ they worship God diligently, frequently, and constantly, with natural religion, that is of prayer, praises and thanksgiving.

4) They take all opportunities to remember Christ's death by a frequent sacrament, as it can be had, or else by inward acts of understanding, will, and memory (which is the spiritual communion) when the external rite is not possible.

5) They live chastely,

6) and are merciful.

7) They despise the world, using it, but never engrossed in it.

8) They are just in their dealings and diligent in their calling.

9) They are humble in spirit,

10) obedient to government,

11) content in their fortune and employment.

12) They do their duty out of love God; and if after all this they are afflicted, they are patient, ready to suffer affliction for the cause of God.

The person who has these twelve signs of grace and predestination does as certainly belong to God, and is His child as surely, as he is His creature.

Well? How'd you do?

Spiritual pride in its own nature is so secret, that it is not so well discerned by immediate intuition on the thing itself, as by the effects and fruits of it; some of which I would mention, together with the contrary fruits of pure Christian humility.

Spiritual pride disposes to speak of other persons’ sins, their enmity against God and his people, the miserable delusion of hypocrites, and their enmity against vital piety, and the deadness of some saints, with bitterness, or with laughter and levity, and an air of contempt; whereas pure Christian humility rather disposes, either to be silent about them, or to speak of them with grief and pity.

Spiritual pride is very apt to suspect others; whereas an humble saint is most jealous of himself; he is so suspicious of nothing in the world as he is of his own heart.

The spiritually proud person is apt to find fault with other saints, that they are low in grace; and to be much in observing how cold and dead they are; and being quick to discern and take notice of their deficiencies.

But the eminently humble Christian has so much to do at home, and sees so much evil in his own heart, and is so concerned about it, that he is not apt to be very busy with other hearts; he complains most of himself, and complains of his own coldness and lowness in grace.

He is apt to esteem others better than himself, and is ready to hope that there is nobody but what has more love and thankfulness to God than he, and cannot bear to think that others should bring forth no more fruit to God’s honour than he.

Some who have spiritual pride mixed with high discoveries and great transports of joy, disposing them in an earnest manner to talk to others, are apt, in such frames, to be calling upon other Christians about them, and sharply reproving them for their being so cold and lifeless.

There are others, who in their raptures are overwhelmed with a sense of their own vileness; and, when they have extraordinary discoveries of God’s glory, are all taken up about their own sinfulness; and though they also are disposed to speak much and very earnestly, yet it is very much in blaming themselves, and exhorting fellow-Christians, but in a charitable and humble manner.

Pure Christian humility disposes a person to take notice of every thing that is good in others, and to make the best of it, and to diminish their failings; but to gave his eye chiefly on those things that are bad in himself, and to take much notice of every thing that aggravates them.

Jonathan Edwards on SPIRITUAL PRIDE