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may fafely and boldly fay that they are his. So muft the foul bearken to the tenor of the Gofpel, understand both the precious offer, and the peculiar conditions of Chrift; then he must confent unto them,and accept of Chrift to be Lord and Saviour, and refolve to forfake every fin, and to yield up his heart and life to the obedience of Chrift, and earnestly feek the Lord by his Spirit, to per/wade him of his particular intereft in (hrift, and look up ftedfastly, and waite upon the Lord in the use of the ordinances, and other confecrated meanes; Thus is the affurance of faith wrought in the foul, and upon thefe grounds doth it fettle the mind.

5. Lastly, Affurance of faith ( concerning which we speake) directs man, even to a personal evidence of his particular intereft's in Chrift and his benefits.

There is you know a double evidence.

One is real, and refpe&s the thing, or object to be believed;

Another is perfonal, and refpects the state of him who doth believe;

Now affurance of faith, confifts in the determining of the minde, about the particular goodneffe of that thing, which it affents unto in the general as most true, viz. That Jefus Chrift is my Lord, and my God, that he is falvation for me; it opens the eyes as it were to fee, what Chrift is to me, and what he hath done for me, and what he will do to me.

And thus briefly have you had a fhort expl cation of che nas ture of this affurance: a moft heavenly thing it is, and only be lievers have it, though all reach not yet unto it; I now proceed to another enquiry.

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Queft. 2. V V had?

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Sol. The Papifts will not hear of it by any meanés, (fome of them) unleffe in an extraordinary way: They conceive that faith is notable to raise the minde beyond a moral hope, and conjecture,

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conje&ure, and many lewd and lazy Proteftants fhake hands. with them in that opinion. But I will cleare it unto you,that e very believer may come to this affurance: It is a poffible thing, I dare not fay that every believer de facto is affured, yet he may be affured of his particular intereft, and this I will evidence eafly.

1. The believing foul is not uncapable of perfuafion: They say that faith doth not destroy, but elevate the understanding; and that fame is a truth, for it doth new temper the understanding, and the will, but not overthrow their fubftantial natures and abilities. Now this is undeniable, that the power of reflexion is natural to the understanding: It is fuch a faculty which is able to look upon its own actings, and its own state; yea, and perfwafion by way of certainty, the understanding is capable of it; forafmuch as it is by knowledge, and fenfe, and experience made most affuredly certain, about many objects and conclufi

ons;

Now because faith doth not deftroy, but elevate the minde, it may by faith come to a perfwafion and reflexi

on.

2. Againe, to urge things ( as yet) in a rational way; Faith san fee as ftrong reason, and argument to perswade and settle the minde, and affure it as the Phylofopher can to raise the minde to a certainty of his conclufions; The mindes perfwafion depending naturally upon ftrong evidence and the power of arga

ment;

Now faith can bring as ftrong arguments to convince and perfwade the minde: for its arguments depend upon two strong teftimonies, One of the infallible Word of God, the other on the voice of a renewed conscience; Ergo,

3. God would not promise that to a believer in this life, which is impoffible for the believer to rife unto: Forafmuch as promifes are of things as future,they are the undertaking of good things, which fhall come to paffe, and be performed, now every future thing is a poffible thing, that which shall be,we may confidently affirme of it that it may be; But this perfonal evidence or affurance, it is a thing which God hath promifed, Ezek. 34. 30. They shall know that I the Lord their Godam wish them, and that they, even the house of Ifrael are my people, Hof. 1.19. I will be

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troth thee unto me for ever, jea, I will, &c. Verse 23. 1 will say unto them, thou art my people, and they shall fay,thou art our God.

4. I fpare to adde the ftrength of the divine Spirit in its reflections on the foule as alfo that perfwafive vertue in a renued confcience; and the many experiences in many Chri ftians who have attained unto this affurance; all which doth clearly evidence that it is a thing poffible: That which the Spirit is able to force in a beleeving foul; that which many a beleeving foul hath attained unto; that fame is a poffible thing, but, &c. Ergo.

VV

SECT. III.

Quest. 3. 7 Hither every Beleever should strive to the assurance of faith?

Sol. I will premise onely a thing or two.

One is, that fome duties concerne allmen at all times, and immediately, as to repent and to beleeve.

Other duties concern fome men, and those in an order and mediately: As to be affured of a mans particular intereft in Chrift, it is not an immediate duty, it doth not concern a man meerly, as an abfolute finner: for a man who is unconverted and yet unbeleeving is not bound to be perfwaded that he is Chrifts, and Chrift is his, unleffe we will fay, that he is bound to be perfwaded of a lie; no, but he must first be a beleever, he muft accept of Jefus Chrift upon his own termes, and being a beleever, I fay, he is bound to labour for particular affurance: Not to let the real intereft of Chrift in him and of his foul in Chrift, to hang hovering and in dispute, but to determine them by particular and personal evidence.

Againe, premise this, it is one thing to speed de fatto whatevery beleever hath, and it is another thing to speak de jure. what every beleever should have: It is true, that every one Mmz

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who hath Chrift, cannot be yet affured, and fay, that Chrift is mine, but then, as Chrift is really his (as certainly he is thine, as thy husband i thy husband) fo the Chriftian is obliged to affure his heart thereof.

Which I fhall eafily clear by Argument.

1. We are bound to draw neer unto God in the full affurance of faith, Heb.10.22. Which is, as I conceive, in a cleare perfwafion that we shall not faile, but enjoy the good which he promileth; now this cannot be, unleffe a man be affured and perfwaded that God is his God, and Chrift is his Christ : for as much as perfwafion of audience doth always arife from a prefuppofed perfuafion of personal and mutual intereft;I cannot by faith be perfwade that God wil give fuch a good thing,or fuch,unless I am first perfwaded, that he is my God, that God is my God, or Chrift is my Chrift; It is a fundamental perfwafion, upon which all others are built; for this gives life and fettlement to my doubting foul; I many times doubt, but fhall I have this thing which I ask?yes, fayes the beleeving heart? but how are you affured of it? I reply, becaufe God is my God, he hath given himself unto me, Engo he will give this, but how know you that God is your God? Upon good ground; why; faith the beleeving foul, of that I am abundantly perfwaded,I doubt it not, hereupon the foul raifeth it felf to that other affurance, of acceptance and audience, why; then I will not doubt of this, I will be confident that then the Lord will heare, for he is my God; and David goes this way very of

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2. We are bound (all our dayes) to give God thanks for his greatest mercies, now I think that the bestowing of Chrift upon the foule is as great a mercy as ever poore, finners, bad.

Obj. It is fo, but what of this?

Sol. But we cannot give God hearty thanks whiles we are doubtful of our particular intereft in Chrift: Can't thou go unto the Lord, and fay?O Lord, I bleffe thee from my foul for. all the mercies which thou haft conferred on me; health I bave, and I know it, for which I do thank thee; riches L have, and friends, and this I know too, and for them 1 thank,

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thee too; I thank thee alfo exceedingly from the bottome of my foul, for that thou haft given thy own Sonne to me, Jefus Chrift, but truly, I know not whether thou haft given him to me, or no : I thank thee exceedingly for the pardon of my vile finnes in this blood, but verily I am not fure of this, I rather think they are not pardoned. Nay, this will not runne fmooth, and the reafon is, because so much particular evidence as God gives a man of his perfonal intereft in himself, or Chrift, or his merits, fo much (and no greater) thankfulneffe will the foul be brought unto.

SECT. IV.

Queft. 4. Hat Arguments to move beleevers to labour for the affurance of faith?

Sol. There are many.

1. As he faid to fob, Do the confolations of God seem small unto thee? That I fay here, doth affurance feeme a small thing unto thee?

Confider (seriously) the matters and things about which this affurance is converfant, and thou shalt finde them of the greatest confequence in the world.

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What doeft thou think of Jefus Chrift for a finner ? Can there be a more excellent good then Chrift? I count all things but droffe and dung for the excellency of Chrift, laid Paul, Phil 3. or can there be a more neceffary good for thee then Chrift? Tell me in fad thoughts, that if thou hadst all the pleasures of the world, and all the honours ours of the world, and all the riches of the world, and yet waft Chriftieffe, that is, thou hadst no portion in Chrift; why; what avails all this, as long as thou art Chriftless? as Abraham laid, feeing I am child!effe? In whom is God reconciled unto thee but in Chrift? and how wilt thou ftand before God,if thou have not Chrift?by whom canft thou get falvation,but by Chrift? and why then wilt not thou force thy foul to give all diligence to make thy part in Chrift fure to thy foul, that Mm 3.

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