CHAP. XVIII.

Of the Assurance of Grace and Saivation.

A'

LTHOUGH temporary believers, and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God, and state of salvation, a which hope of theirs shall perish; b yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, c and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. d

a Job, viii, 18, 14. Mic. iii, 11. Deut. xxix, 19. John, viii, 41. 6 Mat vii, 22, 23. cI John, ii. 3, and iii. 14, 18, 19, 21, 24, and v, 15. ₫ Rom. v, 2, 5.

II.

This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; e but an infallible assurance of faith, founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ revealed in the gospel, and also upon the inward evidences of those graces, unto which promises are made,g aud on the immediate»,

witness of the Spirit, testifying our adoption, and as the fruit thereof, leaving the heart more humble and holy. i

e Heb. vi, 1 2 19. fHeb, x, 19, 20. Rom. iii. 22. g II Pet. i, 4, 5, 10, 11. 1 John, ii, 3, and iii, 14. II Cor. i, 12. h Rom. viii, 15, 16. Psal. li, 12, 17. II Cor. vii, 1.

III.

This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficul ties before he be partaker of it; k yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of or dinary means, attain thereunto. And there

fore it is the duty of every one, to give all dili gence to make their calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; n so far is it from inclining men to looseness. o

k I John, v, 13. Isa. 1. 10. Mat. ix, 24. Psal lxxxviii, per tot. and lxxvii, 1, to 2. 71 Com ii, 1, 2. I John, iv, 13. Heb. vi, 11, 12. Eph. iii, 17, 18, 19. m II Pet. ii, 10. n Rom. v, 1, 2, 5, and xiv, 7, and xv, 3. Eph. i,

3, 4. Psa iv, 6, 7, and cxix, 32. o I John, iii. 2, 3. Psal.

3, 4. I John, ii, 1, 2. Rom. vi, 12. Tit. ii, 1

2, 14. II Cor. vii, 1. Rom. viii, 1, 12. I John, , 6, 7.

IV.

True believers may have the assurance of heir salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserv ng of it, by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirt by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness, and to have no light; yet are they neither utterly destitute of th t seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of the heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived, 9 and by the which, in the mean time, they are support d fom utter despair. r

p Cant. v. 2, 3, 6. Psa. li. 8, 12, 14. Eph. iv. 30, 31. Psa. lxxvii. 1 to 10. Mat. xxvi. 69, 70, 71, 72. Psa. xxxi, 22, and lxxxviii. per tot. Isa. li. 10. g 1 John, 3, 9. Luke, xxii. 32. Jeb, 13, 15. Psal. Ixxiii, 15, and li. 8, 12. Isa. 1. 10. r' Mic. vii. 8, 9. Jer. xxxii, 40. Isa. liv. 78, 9, 10. Psa. xxii. 1, and lxxxviii, per tot.

G

OD

CHAP. XIX.

Of the Law of God.

to Adam a law of universal obe gave dience written in his heart, and a partic ular precept of not eating the fruit of the tree o knowledge of good and evil, as a covenant o works, by which he bound him and all his pos terity to personal, entire, exact and perpetua obedience, promised life upon the fulfilling, and threatened death upon the breach of it, and en dued him with power and ability to keep it. a

a Gen. i, 26, 27, and ii. 17. Rom. ii, 14, 15 and x. 5, and v. 12, 19. Gal. iii. 10, 12. Eccl vii. 29. Job. xxviii. 28.

II.

This Law so written in the heart, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness after the fall of man, and was delivered by God on Mount Sinai in ten commandments, and writ ten in two tables, & the four first commandments containing our duty towards God, and the other six our duty to man. c

b James, i, 25, and ii. 8, 10, 11, 12. Rom. xiii, 8, 9. Deut. v. 3, and x. 4. Exod. xxxiv. c Mat. xxii, 37, 38, 39, 40.

1.

III.

Besides this law, commonly called moral, God was pleased to give the people of Israel, as a Church under age, ceremonial laws, conta ining several typical ordinances, partly of worshiping, prefiguring Christ, his graces, actions, sufferings aud benefits, d and partly holding forth divers instructions of moral duties. e All which ceremonial laws being appointed only to the time of reformation, are by Jesus Christ, the true Messiah and only Law-giver, who was furnished with power from the Father for that end, abrogated, and taken away.f

d Heb. ix, and x. 1. Gal. iv. 1, 2, 3. Col. ii, 17. e I Cor. v. 7. II Cor. vi. 17. Jude, 23. ƒ Heb. ix. 10, 11. Jam. iv. 12. Heb. vii. 12, Col. ii, 14, 16, 17. Dan. ix. 27. Eph. ii, 15,

16.

IV.

To them also he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the state of that people, not obliging any now by virtue of that institution, their general equity only being still of moral use.g

g Exod. xxi. and xxii. 1 to 29. Gen. xlix. 10, with I Pet. ii, 13, 14, Mat. v. 17, with 38, 39. I Cor. ix. 8, 9, 10.

V.

The moral law doth forever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience