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
Effectual Calling Justification Adoption and Sanctification but such as have full Assurance that they have received all these there would be little Confession Prayer and Thanksgiving in the Christian World Is it unlawful to say I Believe while there is a mixture of Unbelief We must let alone a great part of our Religion if we may not act upon Hope short of Assurance And if all doubting trembling Christians should be debarr'd the Lord's Table till they have Certainty and Assurance there would not only be very few to partake of it but we should exclude some of the fittest the most acceptable and most welcom Guests at that Feast of Love Therefore we may have many Fears and Scruples yet if Conscience enlightned by the Word of God do not positively condemn us tho' upon Self-Examination it doth not clearly and fully absolve us we may come in Hope Seventhly Tho' you have not yet attain'd Assurance of the Love of God and of your reconciled justified State yet by waiting on God in the use of His Holy Ordinances you may expect and hope to attain it You may and ought to wait for the Communications of His Grace and Love in the use of all His Appointed Means and 't is one End and Use of The Lord's-Supper to strengthen weak Faith and to help doubting Christians You have there a Sign and Seal of the Righteousness of Faith The Blood of Christ is there represented as shed for the Remission of your Sins The Benefits of Redemption are offer'd to you in particular and you are called to apply them to yourself as if your Names were mention'd You are there call'd to profess your Acceptance of Christ and the offer'd Salvation of the Gospel and to surrender and give back your selves entirely to be the Lord's This Feast was not appointed only for those who are the most perfect Christians and highest in Grace but for the Relief and Supply of your Spiritual Wants You come there not only to be Thankful for what Grace you have received but to receive more What would you think if one should tell you You must not eat till your Hunger be first satisfy'd or not come to the Fire till you are first Warm or not take Physick till you have recover'd your Health The Seals of the Covenant are appointed for our greater Confirmation that the Heirs of the Promise might have more abundant Consolation and Joy And in this Ordinance our Saviour Speaks more solemnly more particularly and more pathetically to us for the help of our Faith than by the Ministry of the Word What is spoken in general by the Preaching of the Word is here particularly apply'd to individual Persons to support Weak and Doubting Christians as well as to confirm the Joy of their Stronger Brethren You may as well neglect hearing the Word and pray and hope for Faith as expect Assurance and neglect the Lord's Table The Primitive Christians who walked in the Fear of God and in the Comforts of the Holy Ghost continued in the practice of breaking the holy Bread partaking of this Ordinance and so could Eat their common Meat with gladness of Heart praising God It may be you 'll find as Jesus made Himself known to the two Disciples in breaking of Bread to allude to that Expression tho' I think it not meant of Sacramental Bread so you may find by waiting on God in this Ordinance your Doubts scatter'd your Jealousies remov'd your Difficulties clear'd your Objections answer'd and the goodness of your State which before was doubtful made manifest and evident to the Joy of your Souls Therefore refuse not o pay Homage to your Crucify'd Saviour by partaking of this Ordinance believing that you shall not do it in vain It may be e'er you are aware your Souls shall be as the Chariots of Aminadab you can't tell but your Attendance on this Institution shall be the happy means which God will make use of to scatter and cure your Doubts And by your neglect of this Ordinance you not only take the most likely course to increase and continue your Doubts and Fears but are in danger to lose that Seriousness of Spirit and sense of Religion which you now have by denying your self those Means and Helps by which it is preserv'd and maintain'd in other Christians Eighthly Consider that after Self-Examination you may sometimes find one Grace more evident than another A Christian can say sometimes more hopefully that he lives by Faith sometimes that he has true Repentance and Godly Sorrow for Sin sometimes he can say more concerning the truth of his Love to Christ sometimes concerning his Hunger and Thirst after Christ and the Spirituality and Earnestness of his Desires And if you can discover Truth and Integrity of Heart as to any of these you may so far take Comfort But especially as to Faith and Love the two Radical Graces which do influence and strengthen all others and by which you may make the best judgment of your self And a difference you must allow for different Times and Seasons Tho' it may be you cannot now say so much concerning this or the other particular Grace yet at such a time upon serious Reflection you could say a great deal to the Glory of God and to your own Consolation you think that it is much better now with others than with you but it may be the last Month at the last Sacrament you could say truly concerning your Communion with God and the Evidence of His Love and the Expression of your own and the Exercise of other Graces a great deal more than any of those Christians and Brethren whom you apprehend to be so much above and before you Remember how at such a time according to such a Scripture Character of an Upright Christian your Hearts could bear witness and God did bear witness by his Spirit that you were not Hypocrites Did you not record it Did you not promise to remember it and improve it Call to mind what hath pass'd between God and your Souls as to such things And if there be no notable declining to the World and the Flesh or commission of gross Sins or wilful Carelessness or Remissness which must be particularly repented of and reform'd in order to Pardon and Peace you may take comfort in former Evidences and Experience If a Father have forgiven a Child that had offended him and told him so must he be every day telling him again and again that he hath forgiven him or he won't believe it If God hath comfortably resolv'd your Doubts tho' some time since you may be encourag'd by it for you have not alway the same Opportunity or Help outward or inward to discern aright the State of your Soul not alway the same clearness of Apprehension or sedateness of Mind or Assistance of God's Spirit to determine and resolve the great Question 'T is unreasonable on every turn to expect a new Answer from God as if he had given you none before
and Thirst after Christ and His Righteousness tho' you dare not yet say My Beloved is mine and I am His. Come humbly and Apply yourselves to Him as you can if you can't Apply Him to your selves as you would Honour Him as your Lord when you can't appropriate Him to your self as your Saviour Own His Propriety in you tho' you are not assured of your Interest in Him Come and say Lord I Believe help my Vnbelief If you can't triumphantly say He Lov'd me and Dyed for me You can't with Certainty say He is Mine but you can say it with Sincerity that you desire to be His You resolve to be so and accordingly give up your selves to Him Lord help me Lord save me Lord strengthen me Lord deliver me for I am Thine as the Psalmist frequently speaks You may use such Language Lord I am Thine Devoted Dedicated Resigned Willing to be Thine tho' I can't say with present Joy and Comfort what that truly infers That He is Mine You can say Lord. If I am rejected refus'd cast off and left to Perish there shall One Perish who did heartily and unfeignedly Desire to be the Lord's But you may be certain that such shall never Perish if they follow on to know the Lord and seek him Let me therefore bring this home to Doubting Trembling Christians who are afraid to tarry away from the Lord's Table and yet for want of Assurance are doubtful whether they should come or no. You have Examin'd your selves and found out your Sins so as to be humbled for them You are among such as Hunger and Thirst you can't deny it And is not Blessedness promised to such Matth. v. 6. You are in the Number of such as are weary and heavy laden for Sin and is there not Rest promised to the Souls of such Matth. xi 29. The Blessings of the Covenant have been offer'd to you you consent to the Terms on which they are propos'd and desire to trust in Christ to do all this for you which he hath promised Why should not you come and Seal this at the Lord's Table and profess this to be the Sense of your Hearts Is all this no Evidence of Faith You may have true unfeigned Faith tho' you don't know certainly that it is true If Sin be a Burthen and you are weary of it and would fain have it more subdu'd and you ong for more Conformity to Christ that the same Spirit may be in you that was in Him If you long to have the Love of Christ rule and reign more in your Souls If it be thus you may come in Hope and plead his Word and pray for His Grace and devote and give up your selves to be the Lords You may do this Acceptably at His Table without a certain Perswasion and assured Knowledge that you are passed from Death to Life and made an Heir of Heaven Tho' you have some Fears of Hypocrisie you dare not say but you have some Hopes that you are Sincere and a mixture of some Fear with your Hope should not discourage you Doubts concerning the Truth of your Faith are very consistent with the Reality of it The shaking of a Tree will not argue it is not a Tree or not Alive Our Lord hath told you He is willing to be your Saviour I tell you again that He is Willing to be Yours in all His Offices as Prophet Priest and King He hath done and suffer'd enough one would think to testifie His Willingness to declare His Love and express His Kindness and Good-will Can you think of His Bloody Death and Sufferings and question His Willingness to Receive and Pardon and Save Sinners Now dare you deny that you are willing to be His To forsake all Compeditors and Rivals and accept Him for your only Saviour If you are heartily Willing you are accepted you are united to Christ and interested in Him And will you not lift up your Heads in Hope Will you still cherish unscriptural unreasonable Doubts that have no foundation in the Word of God Will you continue to doubt of His Love tho' you can't deny the Evidence of it Do you not love Him so that you can part with All in this World to be assur'd of His Love and the want of this Knowledge and Assurance is the daily Burthen of your Hearts and the Matter of your continual Complaint If He should ask you as He did Peter this Evening or to Morrow Morning Soul Lovest thou me What Answer could you make but this Lord I cannot say Thou lovest me O that I could but as far as I know my own Heart I do love Thee I desire to love Thee I would fain love Thee I approve esteem and judge those the happiest Souls that love Thee most and live in Thy Love Oh what would I not give or do or part with if I might be One of them The Reflections I would make on what has been said will concern two Sorts of Persons of a very different Character First I would Caution some not to abuse or mis-improve this Discourse by emboldening themselves to come to the Lord's Table in their Hypocrisie and under the reigning Power of Sin Let them not think that 't is enough if they can but make themselves uncertain whether they are Hypocrites or no. There are some who have no Assurance of their Salvation and it is impossible they should their State will not admit it They are under the Dominion of Sin and live in the Impurities of the Flesh and under the prevailing power of an Earthly Mind destitute of Love to God and Strangers to Faith in Christ and yet will adventure to come frequently to the Table of the Lord. 'T is a terrible Passage He that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh Damnation to himself Temporal Judgments and Calamity in many Cases Spiritual in others and without Repentance Eternal which frightens Some from Communicating at all which it should not but doth not deter Others from coming unworthily which it should There are divers such who thro' Sloth and Negligence and Inconsideration for want of Enquiring into their true State are ready to flatter themselves from some little things as transient Affections in the publick Duties of Religion c. that their State is good but they do not allow themselves leisure to think what they are and with many the hurry of their Earthly Business will hardly permit them to retire for Self-Examination And yet they will come they will do as others and without further search take it for granted that they may and ought to come to the Table of the Lord. Sometimes they have checks of Conscience and if they think of Dying are afraid and well they may there is reason for it Such Professors should take heed of abusing what hath been said to Others who need it They like to hear that many who have Doubts and Fears concerning their State may yet come to the Lord's Table 't is good News to