a Life of Faith and Love And as your Faith in Christ and Love to God and Care to please Him doth increase Comfort and Peace and Joy will ordinarily follow The Just Live by Faith not by Assurance Without Faith 't is impossible to please God not without Assurance You ought to observe God's Influence by His Holy Spirit upon your Souls and be much in Prayer and in acts of Dependance and Resignation and labour to know yourselves 〈◊〉 To Record what God doth for you and how you carry in towards Him and what Progress you make in Practical Godliness and Inward Religion by comparing yourselves with your Selves at different times Be thankful that you have good Hope through Grace and resolve to follow on to know the Lord and to know your Selves better Tho' it be our Duty to give all Diligence to make our Calling and Election sure and to use Means in Expectation of Success it is not at all strange that but few do attain to Certainty and full Assurance There must be more than a little Grade to make it clear and discernible and 't is Grace in Exercise is best discern'd There must be a good understanding of Spiritual Things and of the Tenor of the Covenant of Grace some good Acquaintance with our own Hearts and with the Wiles of the Devil and some Cure of that confusion and disorder of Thought which most complain of There must be Diligence Resolution and Patience in the Trial of our Selves with earnest Prayer to Heaven There must be upright Walking a Pure Conscience and great fear of sin c. Such things as these being necessary in an ordinary way is it any wonder that few very feâ— attain it When Grace is so weak where it is true and the Knowledge of our Selves so little and most are so backward to Self-Examination or so little skill'd in it and so little acquainted with Satan's Temptations and their Minde so confus'd and their Thoughts so ungovern'd and their Consciences have so little Tenderness and are so often wounded by wilful Sin no wonder if the generality of Christians have not Assurance even of such as are Sincere and accepted of God There are many things to be known and understood concerning the Nature and Application of the Promises of the Gospel which every real Christian hath not attain'd And besides the discerning of their own State and Condition to be such as that they may apply the Promises to themselves there must be the Influence of the Holy Spirit or there will be no Comfort You must therefore continually beg the Light and Influence of the Holy Spirit which is promised to Believers that they may know the things freely given 'em of God The Holy Spirit himself Witnesseth with our Spirits that we are the Children of God Lord I have endeavour'd to search my Heart and examine my Ways according to thy Command I have some good Hope but am not Certain Oh enlighten me to discern and understand the Truth of my Case Let me know by Experience the meaning of that Scripture Eph. 1.13 14. After you believed you were sealed by the Spirit of Promise which is the Earnest of our Inheritance until the Redemption of the purchased Possession This 〈◊〉 this Seal for Distinction and for Certainty God gives to Believers 'T is by the Holy Spirit we know the things freely given us of God by His witness with our Spirits we have Confidence towards God we discern His Work upon our own Souls and are inabled to judge concerning the great Change he â—â—th made and with Comfort to 〈◊〉 we are passed from Death to Life The Testimony of the Divine Spirit added to that of the Conscience enables us to cry Alba Father and fills us with Peace and Joy in Believing He that believes hath the witness within himself â— John v. 10. He hath that in him to which the Promises are made 〈◊〉 hath the Seal of Sanctification by which he is distinguish'd from Unbelievers but the Holy Spirit must discover and witness this or we shall not feel any thing of Joy 'T is in part because we do not understand or value or pray for this Influence of the Holy Spirit as we ought that so few have Assurance And now for the Close of this Discourse let me ask you a few serious Questions which in many Books you may find more largely insisted on First How stand you Affected to Sin deliberate Sin against God Don't you dread and fear it more than formerly Are you not more asham'd of it of the Baseness Iniquity and Disingenuity of it as against the Holiness and against the Grace and Love of God Would it not be a harder matter to draw you to a deliberate Sin against God than heretofore or to perswade you to omit a known Duty such as Closet Prayer Secondly What is your Judgment and Opinion concerning God and Christ and Holiness concerning the Holy Scriptures and the Gospel way of Salvation by Faith in Christ Is it not more your Desire and Choice to have your Portion in both Worlds with those that believe on Christ and follow Him as their only Saviour Resolving to adhere to reveal'd Christian Religion let Atheists and Infidels talk as they please and venture as they will Are you not endeavouring with success to be more establish'd in the great Foundation Truths of Christianity Thirdly Don't you find some Growth Progress and Improvement in Holiness by being more confirm'd and establish'd in the Truth of the Principles of Christian Religion And don't you desire and endeavour more to know and do the Will of God To please and serve and obey Him better Is it not your Comfort and Pleasure to honour God and be kept from Sin to Worship and Adore Him and have Communion with Him To be found in the way of your Duty and to keep an undefiled Conscience And is it not your Grief on the contrary when by Temptation you neglect your Duty to God and fall into Sin Fourthly As to the Church of Christ and the Interest and Honour of God in the World are you not Rejoyc'd when you hear that real Godliness is any where promoted That the Oppressed or Defiled Churches of Christ are deliver'd and reform'd That Truth and Holiness Pure Worship and Holy Conversation does prevail and spread and get ground in any part of the World or of the Nation That open Wickedness is suppress'd and the Mouth of Iniquity stopp'd c. And on the contrary don't you mourn for other Men's Sins as well as your own and for God's Dishonour by National Provocations and Publick Crimes And are ready to give what Assistance you can to promote Reformation Fifthly How are you Affected toward such as are truly Serious and Religious tho' of different Sentiments in several things from you Do you love the holy Image of God where-ever you can discern it Can you heartily embrace All that love the Lord Jesus in Sincerity But for such as Defie God and Dishonour Christ and the Gospel and live in open Rebellion against Him don't you from your very Hearts dislike such you would not you do not chuse Familiarity with them you would not live or dye with them You have made another Choice as to your Portion Way and End Sixthly Can you bear to have your Consciences search'd Are you content to have your closest Lusts discover'd your most belov'd Sins struck at by the Ministry of the Word So that there is no Iniquity but you would know and hate and part with And are most of all desirous to mortifie and overcome the Sin which you did once most love and that did or doth most easily beset you But 't is your daily Burthen that your Victory is so imperfect and your daily Care is to watch against it Lastly Is it not the Desire Purpose and Resolution of your Souls tho' you have not Assurance and supposing you never had it and never should that yet by the Help of God you will be true to your Baptismal Covenant to be faithful Followers of Christ as long as you live to deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this World seeking Glory and Honour and Immortality by Jesus Christ in hopes of Eternal Life depending on no other Saviour looking for Acceptance with God no other Way but only by the Merit Blood Sacrifice and Righteousness of our Lord Jesus Christ This you unfeignedly Resolve and Purpose and accordingly notwithstanding your Doubts and Fears you have held on for some time in such a Course and by the Grace of God do intend still to hold on whether you have Assurance or No. To such of You my Brethren who can truly say this is your Case That all or any thing considerable of this is a true and real part of your Character I may say that Peace and Comfort belongs to you The breathings of Faith argue the Reality of it as much as the loudest Voice To be able to creep is as true an Evidence of Life as to be able to run You may lift up your Head with Hope and avouch the Lord to be your God you may come to the Lord's Table with Chearfulness and Thanksgiving I do in the Name of my Great Master invite you I doubt not but He will bid you Welcome O let us All joyn in begging His Gracious Presence That He would meet us Here and in every part of the City and Country where this Holy Feast on the Sacrifice of Christ shall be celebrated to Morrow O that He would display the Banner of His Love towards Us and Seal His Covenant-Promise with all the Sweetness and Joy of His Salvation unto our Souls O that He would speak by His Holy Spirit to our Spirits with such a Powerful Voice as shall make us hear and feel it that it is His own saying Son or Daughter be of good Cheer thy Sins are forgiven thee I AM THY GOD I have loved thee with an Everlasting Love I have accepted thee for mine I have blotted out all thy numerous hainous Transgressions and will remember 'em no more I enter'd into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine and I am not ashamed to be cal THY GOD I will never never never leave thee nor forsake thee but Guide thee by my Counsel and afterwards receive thee to Glory Amen FINIS
Saviour and bring you to Heaven in God's appointed way Do you not make Religion your great Business in this World Is not your being accepted of God in Christ your great Concern Is there any thing in all the World your Hearts are set more upon than that you may be Saved by Jesus Christ and not be found Hypocrites at last Would you not account the Certainty and Assurance of this a greater Privilege than to be Owner of all the Riches and Treasures of the Earth Is it not your heaviest Burden that you fear you shall fall short of Heaven And you dread nothing more than to be mistaken about your Interest in the special Love of God Whence have you these Apprehensions these Desires this Choice Can the Devil ever perswade you this is from corrupt Nature or that that you don't love God when you would give all the World to be assur'd of His Love You abhor every thing that you think will displease him There is nothing he requires but by His Grace you are willing to comply with You would fain love and serve and enjoy Him better There is nothing would better please or more rejoyce you than to please Him more and to be more conform'd to His Image be fill'd with His Spirit and live to Glorifie Him more in the World There is no Lust that you would indulge but desire to mortifie and are accordingly diligent in the use of Christ's appointed Means to subdue Corruption 'T is your Trouble and your Complaint that you are not more Dead to Sin and the World you feel the remainders of Ignorance Pride Selfishness Carnality Unbelief Deadness Dulness c. You groan under 'em as a continual Burden and would rather be rid of 'em than of any outward Affliction whatsoever Doth not all this argue true Love to God and Holiness true Love to Christ and Hatred of Sin And can you not infer from hence What he hath done for you and wrought in your Souls Oh bear not false Witness against your Selves But labour by such Reflections to know your State that you may come to the Table of the Lord with Joy and Praise Thirdly As it is ordinarily some Sin that keeps a Man unresolv'd and in the dark which doth not excuse him from the Duty so for a Man to mistake his true State and doubt and question his Integrity towards God if he be Sincere even that Doubt is his Sin He ought to endeavour to know himself and make a right judgment and then come to receive the Seal of the Covenant His mistake in judging of his own Case is faulty and will not excuse him from the obligation of judging more truly and justly of himself Upright Christians are oblig'd to judge of themselves according to Truth what really they are and so to receive what belongs to them as the Children of God and Members of Christ within the Bond of the Everlasting Covenant Fourthly 'T is a common and dangerous mistake by which many are deceived to place the nature of Saving Justifying Faith in the Assurance of God's Love and the Knowledge and Perswasion that we are Pardon'd and Justify'd and Accepted of God Whereas many truly Believe and have Faith unfeigned and shall inherit Eternal Life who yet doubt and fear and dare not say all this and others may be perswaded that is their Case who did never yet Believe in Christ with all their Hearts The one shall be ashamed of their Fears as the other of their Hopes To place Faith in a meer Assent to the Doctrin of the Gospel is one Extreme to place it in assurance of my good Estate towards God that 's another There is a Blessedness pronounc'd to such as Mourn and are Poor in Spirit and Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness They may do so without Assurance The Unbelief that Condems is not the not Believing we are already Justified therefore the Faith which Saves Men is not the believing that they are Justified He that believes he is Justify'd and Pardon'd must be so before he can believe it By him all that believe are Justified Acts xiii 39. We have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified Gal. ii 16. Assurance follows Faith In whom after ye believed you were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise 1 Eph. 15. All that hear the Gospel Preach'd are commanded to Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ but all are not commanded or obliged to believe their Sins are already pardon'd and that they are in a justify'd State then many would be commanded to believe what is not yet true And to believe my Sins are forgiven that they may be forgiven is very absurd And yet if Faith be necessary to Justification this will follow To believe I shall certainly be Sav'd is not justifying Faith I must be so justified before I can believe it or be assured of it The Scripture makes a plain difference between these two 1 Joh. v. 13. These things have I written to you who believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know ye have Eternal Life that is have it in the Seed and Root in the Earnest and Beginning of it They might have said we do this already if Faith consist in believing I am Pardon'd and shall be Saved And many that have had Assurance have lost it as well as many who have true Faith may not have reached Assurance I say many have lost Assurance who have not lost their Faith unless a Man may be a Believer and no Believer several times in a Year There are several States Ages and Ranks of Believers some whereof are yet short of Assurance And must not the Child be allow'd to be a Child before he can speak for himself and say he is one How many of the Children of God must we then turn out of Doors whom he receives and loves Some of the first Reformers who fell into this mistake were Eminent for Faith and Holiness and Joy and by what they found in themselves speaking what they felt they described Faith by such a full Perswasion of the Love of God as many real Christians have not attain'd by such Assurance and Joy of Faith as they themselves experienc'd But the Lord knoweth who are His when many of them do not know it themselves 'T is the Reality and the Sincerity of our Faith that is necessary to Salvation not the certain Know-of that Sincerity I dare not come says One and Another to the Table of the Lord because I can't Believe I have not true and saving Faith I can't Believe But I would ask such What is it you can't Believe Don't you Believe the Witness given by Christ in the Holy Scriptures to be true Don't you Believe Him to be the true Messiah the only Saviour of Sinners That he hath Ability and Willingness to save to the Uttermost All that come to God by Him That He is Constituted and Impower'd by Office to do this as the Christ of
God Don't you Believe from your Hearts that he is able to Reconcile you to God That His Blood can Cleanse from all Sin That you are lost and undone without Him That if ever you are Reconcil'd Pardon'd and Sav'd it must be by Him Don't you desire this above all things Are you not willing to take Him as your Saviour and Lord in all His Offices to be taught by His Word to be guided by His Spirit to be govern'd by His Law to depend on His Righteousness Sacrifice and Intercession for all your Hopes of Acceptance with God Don't you look for all your Supplies of Grace and Strength to conquer Temptation and perform every Duty from His Spirit as the Purchase of His Blood Don't you Believe all the Promises He hath made shall be fulfill'd and desire nothing more than that you may have a Share and Interest in the Blessings of the New Covenant purchased and promised by Christ And from your very Souls are willing to be His upon any terms so that there is no Sin but you would be free from rather than keep and accordingly are faithful and constant in following after Holiness You can't deny this and yet after all you 'll say you have no Faith because no Assurance Doth not all this argue true Faith You want the Knowledge of your true State but you don't want true Faith in Christ Therefore you ought to come to the Table Nay tho' you have not conquer'd all your Doubts about the great Truths of the Gospel and the Life to come and the Mediation of Christ if yet you have such a prevailing Perswasion of those Truths as brings you to consent to the Covenant of Grace to take God for for your God and Christ for your only Saviour and the Holy Ghost for your Sanctifier and Guide His Law for your Rule His Promise for your Security and the Heavenly Glory for your Rest and Happiness resolving by the Grace of God to forsake all that stands in Competition you are True Believers and ought to come to Eat of the Children's Bread Fifthly There is a vast difference as to the Lord's Supper between the Case of an Hypocrite who does not know himself to be one and the Case of a sincere real Christian who doth not know himself to be Sincere You must not imagine these two Cases to be alike The one has true Grace tho' he discern it not and consequently hath a right to the Blessings of the Covenant and is bound to know and discern his Title and so come and partake of the Privileges that belong to his State But suppose another Professor comes to the Lord's Table who hath no true Repentance or Faith and so his Heart not right with God but he is under the Reign Power and Dominion of Sin He hath as yet no right to the Blessings of the Covenant but is bound to know his true State that he may be brought to Repentance 't is a greater Sin for him do demand and take what doth not belong to him than to tarry away for a while in order to his Recovery and Preparation For if such a one comes he Hypocritically professes that Repentance Faith and Devoutness to God which he hath nothing of but is secretly an Enemy to God and Holiness He comes and claims the Childrens Bread with a Lye in his Mouth and Heart against the Holy Ghost and he takes the Name of God in vain There is a great difference in this Case from that of a doubting Christian who truly Believes and cannot say he is assured of it There is a further difference in point of Comfort for a real Christian tho' he come with many Doubts and Fears yet there are some secret Testimonies of the Love of God there is some Influence of the Holy Spirit to bear up his Hope which is much better than all the groundless Joys of Hypocrites in a false perswasion of the Goodness of their State The Penitent Upright Believer who wants Assurance hath a right to the Ordinance and is accepted with God tho' he can't affirm it or say that he unfeignedly Believes in Christ and Loves God with all his Heart yet he hopes 't is true He is willing to be the Lord 's on his own terms 'T is the favour of God in Christ that he values and seeks above all things This he aims at nothing else will content him he would rejoyce in it more than in any Earthly Prosperity if he could attain more certain knowledge of it Is not such a one accepted of God And supposing a competency of knowledge about the nature of the Sacrament to understand his Work and to discern the Lord's Body he hath a right to come tho' his timerous Scruples may keep him off a while yet they can't deprive him of his Right or disoblige him from his Duty to shew forth the Lord's Death this way He doth truly consent to the Covenant and should come to signifie that Consent and receive the Seal of the Covenant And remember this That the Covenant of Grace is mutual between God and You so that from your Consent to be the Lord's you may infer that He is Your God Your choice of Him is an Evidence of your Interest in Him by a Covenant-Relation The Relation is mutual equally and at once on both sides therefore as soon and as long as you can say Lord I am Thine and I desire to abide continue Thy Servant I would not depart from Thee As soon and as long as you find within you such a Disposition of Heart you may be assur'd that God is your God and will be your God for Ever and Guide unto Death Sixthly There is a true discerning of our Faith and Repentance which is short of Assurance upon which we may act tho' we are not fully certain There is true Love to Christ that is short of delighting and rejoyceing Love even desiring and mournin Love Tho' there be not the Witness and Seal of the Holy Spirit to give Joy there may be so much knowledge of our good Estate attain'd in a way of Duty as to prevent trouble and terror of Mind even a good Hope through Grace short of Certainty and full of Perswasion And if a Man may not act upon some good Hopes tho' he have not an assured certain Judgment concerning his State a great deal of God's Service in the Christian Church would be laid aside For Instance He only that 's Penitent should profess himself Penitent only he that truly desires Christ and His Grace should say he doth desire it only they that have received Saving Grace should give God thanks for having received it And yet if none should confess Sin and profess Repentance but such as knew certainly and with Assurance that they are truly Penitent and if none should beg Grace with a Profession that they desire it till they have Assurance of the truth of those Desires if none should give Thanks to God for Redemption