to have to do with the holy God, who is a confuming fire. Hence fome conclude, that there are very few be lievers who have any affurance, because they have not this confidence, or are more free to mention the oppofition they meet with, than the fupportment they enjoy. And thus it is rendered a matter not greatly to be defired, because it is so rarely to be obtained; most of the faints ferving God, and going to heaven well enough without it: But the matter is otherwife. The importance of it, not only as it is our life of comfort and joy, but alfo as it is the principle means of the flourishing of our life of holinefs, hath been declared before; and might be further manifefted, were that our prefent bufinefs; yea, and in times of trial, which are the proper feasons for the effectual working and manifestation of afsurance, it will and doth appear that many, yea, that moft of the faints of God, are made partakers of this grace and priviledge.

I fhall then in the pursuit of the rule laid down, do these two things, Firft, Shew what things they are, which are not only confiftent with affurance, but are even neceffary concomitants of it, which yet, if not duly weighed and confidered, may feem fo far to impeach a man's comfortable perfuafion of his condition before God, as to leave him beneath the affurance fought after. And, Secondly, I fhall speak fomewhat of its nature; ́efpecially as manifefting itself by its effects.

1. A deep fenfe of the evil of fin, of the guilt of man's own fin, is no way inconfiftent with gospel affurance of acceptance with God through Chrift, and of forgiveness in him. By a fenfe of the guilt of fin, I understand two things. (1.) A clear conviction of fin by the Holy Ghoft, faying unto the foul, thou art the man; and, (2.) A fenfe of the difpleasure of God, or the wrath due to fin, according to the fentence of the law. Both thefe David expreffeth in that complaint, Pfal. xxxi. 10. My life is spent with grief, and my years with fighing, my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are confumed. His iniquity was before

him, and a fenfe of it preffed him fore. But yet, notwithstanding all this, he had a comfortable perfwafion, that God was his God in covenant, ver. 14. I trusted in thee, O Lord, I faid thou art my God. And the te nor of the covenant, wherein alone God is the God of any perfon, is, that he will be merciful unto their fin and iniquity. To whom he is a God, he is fo according to the tenor of that covenant; fo that here these two are conjoined. Saith he, Lord, I am preffed with the fenfe of the guilt of mine iniquities, and thou art my God who forgiveft them; and the ground hereof is, that God by the gofpel hath divided the work of the law, and taken part of it out of its hand. Its whole work and duty is to condemn the fin and the finner. The finner is freed by the gofpel, but its right lies against the fin till that it condemns, and that justly. Now, though the finner himself be freed, yet finding his fin laid hold of and condemned, it fills him with a deep fense of its guilt, and of the difpleafure of God against it; which yet hinders not, but that, at the fame time, he may have fuch an infight as faith gives unto his perfonal intereft in a gofpel acquitment. A man then may have a deep fenfe of fin all his days, walk under the fenfe of it continually, abhor himself for his ingratitude, unbelief, and rebellion against God, without any impeachment of his affurance.

2. Deep forrow for fin is confiftent with affurance of forgivenefs; yea, it is a great means of prefervation of it. Godly forrow, mourning, humiliation, contritenefs of fpirit, are no lefs gofpel graces, and fruits of the Holy Ghost, than faith itself; and fo are confiftent with the highest flourishings of faith whatever. It is the work of heaven itself, and not of the affurance of it, to wipe all tears from our eyes. Yea, these graces have the most eminent promifes annexed to them, as, Ifa. Ivii. 15. chap. lxvi. 2. with bleffedness itself, Mat. ver. 4. yea, they are themselves the matter of many gracious gofpel promifes, Zech. xii. 10. fo that they are affuredly confiftent with any other grace or priviledge

that

that we may be made partakers of, or are promised unto us. Some finding the weight and burden of their fins, and being called to mourning and humiliation on that account, are fo taken up with it, as to lose the fense of forgiveness, which, rightly improved, would promote their forrow, as their forrow feems directly to fweeten their fenfe of forgiveness. Sorrow abfolutely exclufive of the faith of forgiveness, is legal, and tendeth unto death; affurance, abfolutely exclufive of godly forrow, is prefumption, and not a perfwafion from him that calleth us. But gofpel forrow, and gospel affurance may well dwell in the fame breaft at the fame time. Indeed, as in all worldly joys, there is a fecret Wound; fo in all godly forrow and mourning, confidered in itself, there is a fecret joy and refreshment; hence it doth not wither and dry up, but rather enlarge, open, and sweeten the heart. I am perfwaded that generally they mourn moft, who have most affurance. And all true gospel mourners will be found to have the root of affurance fo grafted in them, that in its proper feafon (a time of trouble) it will undoubtedly flourish.

3. A deep fenfe of the indwelling power of fin, is confiftent with gofpel affurance. Senfe of indwelling fin will cause manifold perplexities in the foul. Trouble, difquietments, forrow, and anguifh of heart, expreffingthemselves in fighs, mourning, groaning for deliverance, always attend it. To what purpose do you speak to a foul, highly fenfible of the restlefs power of indwelling fin, concerning affurance? alas, faith he, I am ready to perish every moment, my lufts are ftrong, active, restless, yea outragious; they give me no rest, no liberty, and but little fuccefs do I obtain. Affurance is for conquerors; for them that live at rest and peace. I ly groveling on the ground all my days, and muft needs be uncertain what will be the iffue. when fuch an one hath done all he can, he will not be able to make more woful complaints of this matter than Paul hath done before him, Rom vii. and yet he clofeth the difcourfe of it with as high an expreffion of affurance

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furance as any perfon needs to feek after, ver. laft, and chap. viii. 1. It is not affurance, but enjoyment that excludes this fenfe and trouble. But if men will think they can have no affurance, because they have that, without which it is impoffible they fhould have any, it is hard to give them relief. A little crufe of falt of the gofpel caft into thefe bitter waters, will make them Iweet and wholefome. Senfe of the guilt of fin may confift with faith of its pardon, and forgivenefs in the blood of Christ. Godly forrow may dwell in the fame heart, at the fame time, with joy in the Holy Ghoft; and groaning after deliverance from the power of fin, with a gracious perfwafion that fia fhall not have dominion over us, becaufe we are not under the law, but grace.

4. Doubtings, fears, temptations, if not ordinarily prevailing, are confiftent with gofpel affurance. Tho' the devils power be limited in reference unto the faints, yet his hands are not tied; though he cannot prevail against them, yet he can affault them: And although there be not an evil heart of unbelief in believers, yet. there will still be unbelief in their hearts. Such an evidence, conviction, and perfwafion of acceptance with God as are exclufive of all contrary reafons, that fuffer the foul to bear nothing of cbjections, that free and quiet it from all affaults, are neither mentioned in the fcripture, nor confiftent with that state wherein we walk before God, nor poffible on the account of Satan's will and ability to tempt, or of our own remaining unbelief. Affurance encourageth us in our combat, it delivereth us not from it. We may have peace with God, when we have none from the affaults of Satan.

Now, unless a man do duly confider the tenor of the covenant wherein we walk with God, and the nature of that gospel obedience which he requires at our hands, with the ftate and condition which is our lot and portion while we live in this world; the daily fense of these things, with the trouble that must be undergone on their account, may keep him in the dark unto himself, and

hinder him from that establishment in believing which otherwife he might atrain unto. On this account, fome

as holy perfons as any in this world, being wholly taken up with the confideration of thefe home-bred perplexities, and not clearly acquainted with the way and tenor of affuring their fouls before God, according to the rule of the covenant of grace, have paffed away their days in a bondage frame of fpirit, and unacquaintance with that ftrong confolation which God is abundantly willing that all the heirs of promife fhould receive.

5. Evangelical affarance is not a thing that confifteth in any point, and fo incapable of variation. It may be higher or lower, greater or lefs, obfcure, or attended with more evidence. It is not quite loft, when it is not quite at its higheft. God fometimes marveloufly raiseth the fouls of his faints with fome clofe and near approaches unto them; gives him a fenfe of his eternal love; a tafte of the embraces of his Son, and the inhabitation of the Spirit, without the least interveening disturbance; then this is their affurance. But this life is not a feafon to be always taking wages in; our work is not yet done, we are not always to abide in this mount; we must down again into the battle, fight again, cry again, complain again; Shall the foul be thought now to have loft its affurance? Not at all; it had before affurance with joy, triumph, and exaltation; it hath it now, or may have, with wrestling, cries, tears, and fupplications and a man's affurance may be as good as true, when he lies on the earth with a fenfe of fin, as when he is carried up to the third heaven with a fenfe of love, and foretafte of glory. In brief, this affurance of falvation is fuch a gracious evangelical perfwafion of acceptance with God in Chrift, and of an intereft in the promises of prefervation unto the end, wrought in believers by the Holy Ghoft, in and through the exercise of faith, as for the most part produceth thefe effects following.

ift, It gives delight in obedience, and draws out love in the duties that we do perform unto God.

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