ed, well informed confcience, that we may neither, on the one hand, become the dupes of fuperftitious fears, groundless panics, and imaginary terrors, for actions in which there is really no guilt; nor, on the other, like Saint Paul, bring guilt upon ourselves, by erring ignorantly through unbelief.* 11. Let us pray and labor for a tender, sensible, faithful confcience; left we be given over to the dreadful foul-deftroying judgment of blindness of mind and hardness of heart. Of Joy in the HOLY GHOST. 1. JOY in the Holy Ghoft, is a joy preceeding not merely from the teftimony of a good confcience; but alfo from the cheering influences of the holy Spirit, the comforter, bearing witness with the comfortable teftimony of our own fpirits, fhining upon the work of grace in our fouls, and making it vifible to ourselves; the confequence of which is, that we are filled with joy unfpeakable and full of glory. 2. It is a direct fruit of the Spirit, not only as sanctifying, but as comforting † It is the love of God fhed abroad in our * 1 Tim. I. 13. † Gal. v. 22. hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.* 3. This alfo is a privilege only of the sanctified: For, although the Holy Ghoft operates on the hearts of the wicked, as a renewer and sanctifier; yet he visits none as a comforter, fhedding abroad the love of GOD in their hearts, except fuch as are in a ftate of pardon and reconciliation with GOD, and as are actually holy. 4. If we would experience and enjoy within us, that spiritual kingdom of GOD, which confifts in righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost ;t we muft, by a virtuous, watchful and circumspect life, have our fouls always prepared and adorned, as fit temples for the refidence of the Holy Ghost For, this joy does not seem to be effential to a fanctified ftate,; but feems rather to depend much on the manner in which we improve our talents, and entertain and cherish the motions and operations of the holy Spirit on our minds. may be alfo, in many cafes, a peculiar and fovereign favor conferred by GoD on fome believers, who may beft improve it to his glory, and the comfort and edification of others, on certain important occafions and emergencies. It 5. As, therefore, we would expect this divine privilege, and tafte this pure and heavenly joy, let us be folicitoufly watchful over every movement of our hearts and affections, and labor after the utmost purity of foul. 6. Many poor chriftians are so far from enjoying thefe luxuries of religion, that through fome peculiar infelicity of conftitution or external circumstances, or from fome other caufe known only to God, they walk continually in darkness and fee no light: Let not fuch, however, be over much diftreffed, provided they are but enabled to trust in the LORD, and stay themselves upon their GOD.* ESSAY XVII. Whether CHRISTIANS may be fully assured of God's eternal LovE, in this LIFE? 1. BY a full assurance of God's love, we mean, 'Such a firm and well-grounded perfuafion of his love to us, of the truth of grace in us, and of the certainty of future glory and happiness, as excludes all doubts and fears, and as affords juft ground of joy and triumph.' The Apostle terms it, The full assurance of hope.† 2. We do not suppose that every believ er attains to this privilege; for, we do not * Ifa. 1. 10 Heb. vi. 11. fuppofe that affurance is of the essence of faith. To believe and trust in Chrift, is one thing, and to be persuaded and assured that we do believe and truft in him, agreeable to the gofpel command is another and a very different thing: The first is a direct, the second a reflex act of faith: By the first we are actually in the way of falvation; by the second we know and are comfortably affured that we are fo; and the first may' be and often is, without the fecond.* 3. This comfortable affurance of God's eternal love is not, in its own nature permanent; but may be, and often is lost for a time, either through falls and mifcarriages, or an unwatchful and uncircumfpect life, or for other reafons and purposes known only to GoD. Nay, it may be doubted, whether any chriftian ever enjoyed this privilege uninterruptedly for many years, or even months together. Nor indeed is it' neceffary, as it is not effential to falvation. It is neceffary to our falvation, that we' fhould always truft in GoD; but it is not equally neceffary, that we fhould always know that we do fo.. 4. GOD may have wife and gracious reafons for withholding this comfortable affurance wholly from fome christians, and for interrupting it often in others; namely, to humble and preferve them from fpiritual Ifa. 1. 10. pride; to chastise them for careleffnefs and unwatchfulness, and to exercise them in the graces of godly forrow, repentance, pa tience, dependance, and a painful diligence in the work of religion. 5. Chriftians may alfo forfeit this comfortable affurance, by their mifcarriages and indifcretions; by grieving the holy Spirit, and refifting his motions and impulfes, and by neglecting the duties of meditation, felf-examination, prayer, and the, other inftrumental ordinances of Gon's. appointment. 6. But this affurance is a privilege certainly attainable by chriftians, because it has been actually attained by numbers of God's people. It appears that Job,* David,t St. Paul and all the other Apoftles had this comfortable affurance.‡ 7. It was one principal defign of writing the fcriptures, that we might come to this comfortable affurance, and we are repeatedly exhorted and commanded to feek for it and obtain it, which proves that it is attainable.Il 8. There are numberlefs conditional promises of falvation laid down in fcripture, *Job xix. 23.-27. -v. 1, 6; 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. and his pfalms paffim. |