to him, at least which he is tender toward, that may be miftaken for this questioning of the promises by unbelief, and fo help to keep the foul in darkness and difconfola tion; this the spouse expreffeth in herself, Cant. viii. 6. Love is ftrong as death, jealoufy is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. Love is the roundation, the root; but yet it bears that fruit which is bitter, although it be wholfome; that which fills the foul with great perplexities, and makes it cry out for a nearer and more fecure admiffion into the prefence of Chrift. Set me, faith the fpoufe, as a feal upon thy heart, as a feal upon thy arms, for jealoufy is cruel as the grave. I cannot bear this diftance from thee, these fears of my being difregarded by thee. Set me as a feal on thy heart.

Now, this fpiritual jealoufy is the folicitoufnefs of the mind of a believer, who hath a fincere love for Christ, about the heart, affection, and good will of Chrift towards it, arifing from a confcioufnefs of its own unworthiness to be beloved by him, or accepted with him. All caufelefs jealousy arifeth from a fecret fenfe and conviction of unworthinefs in the person in whom it is, and an high esteem of him that is the object of it; or concerning whofe love and affection any one is jealous. So it is with this spiritual jealoufy; the root of it is love, fincere love, that cannot be quenched by waters, nor drowned by floods, ver. 27. which nothing can utterly prevail againft, or overcome. This gives the foul high thoughts of the glorious excellencies of Chrift, fills it with admiration of him; these are mixed with a due fenfe of its own bafenefs, vilenefs and unworthiness to be owned by him, or accepted with him. Now, if thefe thoughts on the one hand and on the other be not directed, guided, and managed aright by faith, which alone can fhew the foul, how the glory of Chrift confifteth principally in this, that he being fo excellent and glorious, is pleafed to love us with love unexpreffible, who are vile and finful; queftionings about the love of Chrift, and those attended with much

anxiety

399 anxiety and trouble of mind, will arife. Now, this frame may fometimes be taken for a queftioning of the promifes of God, and that to be a defect in faith which is an excefs of love; or at most fuch an irregular acting of it, as the Lord Chrift will be very tender towards, and which is confiftent with peace and a due fenfe of the forgiveness of fins. Miftake not then thefe, one for another, left much causeless unquietness ensue in the judgment which you are to make of yourselves.

But you will fay, How fhall we diftinguish between those two, fo as not caufelefly to be difquieted and perplexed? I anfwer briefly.

1. Unbelief, working in and by the questioning of the promises of God, is a weakning, difheartning, dif piriting thing. It takes off the edge of the foul from fpiritual duties, and weakens it both as unto delight and ftrength. The more any one queftions the promises of God, the lefs life, power, joy and delight in obedience he hath. For faith is the fpring and root of all other graces; and according as that thriveth or goeth backwards: fo do they all. Men think fometimes, that their uncertainty of the love of God, and of acceptance with him by the forgiveness of fin, doth put them upon the performance of many duties, and they can have no reft or peace in the omiffion of them. It may be it is fo; yea, this is the ftate and condition with many. But what are thefe duties? And how are they performed? And what is their acceptance with God? The duties themselves are legal, which denomination arifeth not from the nature, fubftance or matter of them, for they may be the fame that are required and enjoined in the gofpel, but from the principle from whence they proceed, and the end to which they are used. Now these in this cafe are both legal, their principle is legal fear, and their end is legal righteoufnefs, the whole attendance unto them, a fecking of righteoufness as it were by the works of the law; and how are they performed? Plainly, with a bondage frame of fpirit; without love, joy, liberty, or delight; to quiet confcience, to

pacify God, are the things in them aimed at; all in oppofition to the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift. And are they accepted with God? Let them be multiplied never fo much, he every where teftifieth, that they are abhorred by him. This then unbelief mixed with convictions will do. It is the proper way of venting and exercifing itself, where the foul is brought under the power of conviction. But as unto gospel obedience in all the duties of it, to be carried on in communion with God by Chrift, and delight in him, all queftioning of the promises weakens and difcourageth the foul, and, makes them all wearifome and burdenfome unto it.

But the jealoufy that is exercifed about the perfon and love of Chrift unto the foul, is quite of another nature, and produceth other effects. It chears, enlivens, and enlargeth the foul, ftirs up to activity, earnestnefs, and induftry in its enquiries and defires after Chrift. Jealousy, faith the fpoufe is cruel as the grave, therefore fet me as a feal upon thy heart, as a feal upon thy arm. It makes the foul reftlefly pant after nearer, more fenfible, and more affured communion with Chrift; it ftirs up vigorous and active fpirits in all duties. Every doubt and fear that it ingenerates concerning the love of Christ, stirs up the foul unto more earnestness after him, delight in him, and fedulous watching against every thing that may keep it at a distance from him, or occafion him to hide, withdraw, or absent himfelf from it.

2. Unbelief that works by questioning of the promifes, is univerfally felfifh; it begins and ends in felf. Self-love in defires after freedom from guilt, danger and punishment, are the life and foul of it. May this end be attained, it hath no delight in God; nor doth it care what way it be attained. May fuch perfons have any perfwafions that they fhall be freed from death and hell, be it by the works of the law, or by the observance of any inventions of their own, whether any glory arifeth unto God from his grace and faithfulness or no, they are not folicitous..

The

The jealoufy we speak of bath the perfon of Chrift and his excellency for its conftant object. Thefe it fills - the mind with in many and various thoughts, ftill repre fenting him more and more amiable, and more defirable unto the foul. So doth the, fpoufe upon the like occafion, as you may fee at large, Cant. v. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. Being at fome lofs for his prefence, for he had withdrawn himself, not finding her wonted communion and entercourfe with him, fearing that upon her provocation the might forfeit her intereft in his love, the falls upon the confideration of all his excellencies, and thereby the more enflames herself unto defires after his company and enjoyment. And these divers things may be thus diftinguished and difcerned.

RULE VI.

Learn to diftinguish between faith and fpiritual fenfe This rule the apostle gives us, 2 Cor. v. 7. We walk by faith and not by fight. It is the fight of glory that is especially here intended. But faith and fenfe in any kind are clearly diftinguifhed: That may be believed, which is not felt; yea, it is the will and command of God, that faith fhould ftand and do its work, where all fenfe fails, Efa. 1. 10. And it is with fpiritual fenfe in this matter, as it is with natural. Thomas would not believe, unless he faw the object of his faith with his eyes, or felt it with his hand; but faith our Saviour, Bleed are they who believe, and have not feen; who believe upon the teftimony of God, without the help of their own fenfe or reafon. And, if we will believe no more of God, of his love, of grace, of our acceptance with him, than we have a fpiritual affecting fenfe of, we fhall be many times at a lofs. Senfible impreffions from God's love, are great fprings of joy, but they are not ablolutely neceffary unto peace; nor unto an evidence that we do believe.

We will deal thus with the vileft perfon living; we will believe him whilft we have the certainty of our sense to fecure us. And if we deal fo'with God, what is there in our fo doing, praife-worthy? the prophet tells us, what it is to believe, in refpect of providence, Hab. iii. 17. When there is nothing left outward and visible to fupport us, then to reft quietly on God, that is to believe. So Pfal. lxxiii. 26. And the apoftle, in the example of Abraham, fhews us what it is to believe with refpect unto a fpecial promise, Rom. iv. 18. Against hope, he believed in hope. When he faw not any outward ordinary means for the accomplishment of the promise, when innumerable objections arofe against any fuch hope as might have respect unto fuch means, yet he refolved all his thoughts into faithfulnefs of God in the promise, and therein raised a new hope in its accomplishment; fo in hope believing against hope.

To clear this matter, you muft obferve what I intend by this spiritual fenfe, which you must learn to distinguifh faith from; and to know that true faith, interesting the foul in forgiveness, may be without it, that fo you may not conclude unto a real want of pardon, from the want of the refreshing tense of it.

Grace in general may be referred unto two heads : (1.) Our acceptation with God through Chrift; the fame upon the matter with the forgiveness of fin that we are treating of. And (2) Grace of fanctification from God in Chrift; Of each of these there is a fpiritual fenfe or experience to be obtained; in both diftinguished from faith that gives us a real intereft in forgive

nefs.

Of the first, or the fpiritual fenfe that we have of acceptance with God, there are fundry parts or degrees; As, 1. Hereunto belongs peace with God, Rom. v. 1. Being juftified by faith, we have peace with God. This peace is reft and compofure of the foul emerging out of troubles, upon the account of the reconciliation and friendship made for it by the blood of Chrift: And it hath, as all peace hath, two parts; (1.) A freedom

from