venant God, and to make suitable returns, by a holy conversation, for the grace bestowed upon thee. Be affured, that God will not leave himself without a witness of his love and faithfulness.

11. Laftly, IF THY HEAVENLY FATHER COM

MUNICATE TO THEE ANY LIGHT, CHERISH IT WITH THE GREATEST CARE; prize it most highly; be thankful for it; be always meek and humble; for frames like these are well pleafing to thy God.

See thus, what we had to obferve on the great doctrine of the ASSURANCE OF FAITH.-We must now endeavour in a more particular manner to improve the fubject, firft with a view to the conviction of those WHO AS YET ARE IN A STATE OF NATURE, and then TO THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF

THOSE WHO ARE THE CHOSEN AND REDEEMED OF THE LORD.

Is it asked, What advantage can natural men derive from what has been said, fince they know not the things of the Spirit of God? We reply, It may serve to make them form high and exalted sentiments of the principles of Christianity, and create in them at leaft fecret defires to be in a ftate in which they may live comfortably and die happily. It may be attended also with this advantage, to convince them that they have been at ease in their fins, and have fondly indulged themselves with a hope of heaven, while there was not the leaft foundation for it. For if to a child of God the affurance of faith be a matter of fuch importance, certainly THEY have abundant reason to search their hearts with the greatest care, especially before they appear at the table of the Lord, left they eat and drink judgment to themselves.

Come then, infatuated finner, who art paffing through life with fo much unconcern! we addrefs

ourselves not immediately to thee who art living perfectly at thy ease in the commiffion of open and public acts of fin; who art crying peace, peace, and doft not experience any alarm when the terrors of the Lord are founded in thine ears;-but we direct this addrefs particularly TO THEE who art moral in thy conversation, and deportest thyself externally as religious; TO THEE we speak, whom Satan is lulling to fleep, and whom he entices to found a hope on that which is not warranted by the word of God. On what bafis doft thou erect thy hope, that Jefus is thy Saviour, and God thy God and portion? To this thou must carefully attend. Who can tell, but it may please the Lord to give thee a feeling fense of thine awful fituation before it be ETERNALLY too late? Why thinkeft thou that all is well with thee?

1. Is it because THOU HAST A CLEAR AND EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF DIVINE TRUTHS? Be affured, that this is no folid foundation for thee to reft upon. Although a perfon. be a minifter of the gofpel, and be able to difplay the greatest ability in exhibiting its doctrines in their connection, with the greatest perfpicuity and precifion, yet he is not to be efteemed a Chriftian merely on this account. For hear the fentiments which Paul addressed on this head to the church of Chrift at Corinth: Though I had all knowledge, and had not charity, I am nothing, 1 Cor. xiii. 2. Who is able to afcertain the degree of knowledge at which Judas arrived? Was he not an apostle of the divine Jefus? Did he not enjoy the advantage of receiving inftruction at the mouth of Chrift himself? Yet fcripture declares, that he was a fon of perdition. Unless the truths which are inculcated in the word be applied to the heart, we

cannot reft our hopes of falvation upon the mere knowledge of them.

2. Or doft thou lay it as thy foundation, that THOU LEADEST A MORAL LIFE, that thou haft MADE A PROFESSION of the religion of Chrift, or that THE PIOUS are those whom thou haft felected as thy companions? All these things are very good, and they may be means of bringing thee ultimately to God; but they are far, very far from being fuffi. cient grounds for thee to rest upon. We have in the preceding lecture shown to what lengths a perfon may go, and ftill be loft for ever.

3. Or doft thou indulge the hope that thou haft received grace, BECAUSE GOD IN HIS PROVI

DENCE HATH BLESSED THEE IN TEMPORAL

THINGS? To bask beneath the meridian fun of profperity does not render thee more pleasing in the eyes of him who feeth not as man feeth. Neither maintain a belief that thy ftate is gracious, because the Eternal vifiteth thee with afflictions. Some have done this, putting an improper conftruction on that faying of Paul, Heb. xii. 6, Whom the Lord loveth he chafteneth. O miferable foundations for immortals to reft their eternal concerns upon! Does not fcripture exprefsly declare, that There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to him that feareth God, and to him that feareth him not. Doth God, O finner, blefs thee with riches, and elevate thee to the feat of honour? this is all thy portion, and a poor, very poor portion it is! Or doth the Almighty cause thee to fpend thy days in bitternefs? doth he vifit thee with poverty, and bereave thee of thy nearest friends and relatives? Thou canst not be affured that these trials, in thy present unconverted ftate, are any thing more than the beginning of everlafting forrows.

4. Or art thou faying to thyself, I HAVE BEEN BORN OF CHRISTIAN PARENTS, EDUCATED IN A CHRISTIAN LAND, AND FROM MY YOUTH UP HAVE HAD SERIOUS IMPRESSIONS OF RELIGION; MY PARENTS HAVE OFTEN PRAYED FOR

ME? Are not these advantages on which I may reft my hope? To have had such advantages was indeed most desirable. By being thus fituated in life, thou hast probably been preserved from many fins into which otherwise thou wouldst have fallen. But thy parents poffeffed not the power to change thy heart. Grace is not an entailed inheritance. ISHMAEL WAS the son of a pious parent, of Abraham the father of the faithful, and yet we no where read of his conver◄ fion. ESAU was the fon of godly Ifaac, and yet fcripture affures us, that he was hated. HAM who was accursed, was the fon of Noah, fo celebrated in the inspired writings for his piety and faithfulnefs in his generation.

5. Or doft thou flatter thy felf that thy hopes are built on a foundation much more certain? a foundation which the word of God itfelf proposes, THAT THOU LOVEST THOSE WHO LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS? The apoftle John indeed declares, that Whofoever is born of God loveth the brethren. But is it a fact that thou haft this love? Come, let us reafon together on this point: Why doft thou love the Lord's people? Perhaps thou art pleased with them on account of fome benefit which thou deriveft from their acquaintance, or because thou findeft in them a fimilarity of natural difpofition, or because they are friendly and difcreet. But is it true that thou loveft them because they are made conformable to the image of Chrift? Doft thou esteem them as highly, when in faithfulness they warn thee of thy fin and danger,

as when they do thee a kindness, and exprefs themfelves agreeably to thy wishes? We may SEEM to love the followers of Chrift, and PROFESS fentiments of esteem for faithful ministers, and yet be excluded the kingdom. Did not Herod liften with apparent delight to the preaching of John the Baptift? Did he not profess to esteem him highly ?-But who is ignorant of what fcripture fo exprefsly declares concerning him ;-that he lived without God in the world, and died in his fins?

6. Or doft thou say,-I cannot poffibly miss of heaven; FOR I HAVE RECEIVED ASSURANCES THAT MY STATE IS GOOD, even from Chrift's minifters themselves, when in former periods of sickness they have vifited me. THEY MUST KNOW what is neceffary for a person to have, and certainly they would not wittingly deceive.

We can easily conceive, that if Chrift's minifters are not faithful in their vifitations of the fick, that they may prove inftrumental of making perfons to reft on foundations of fand. It is not an eafy thing to attend those on their fick bed, who cherish the hope that all is well, and are fo anxious to have their hearts comforted. They catch at every word

of

encouragement that is spoken, and fay, Surely I can apply this to myself.

But, finner,-what will it avail thee that minifters have affured thee that thy peace is made with God. They only judge of thy cafe according to thine own representation of it; and address thee in terms which are encouraging, because of the favourable statement which thou thyfelf haft given them of the exercises of thy heart, and of the tenor of thy life. They are not fearchers of the heart, nor can they try the reins of the children of men; and be