nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.

III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins; 9 and for a time continue therein: whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts

k

sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

Jer. xxxii. 40. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. See Heb. viii. 10-12.

12 Thess. iii. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. John x. 28. They shall never perish. See 1 Thess. v. 23, 24. III. Psa. li. 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousMatt. xxvi. 70, 72, 74. But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.-And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.-Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man.

ness.

2 Sam. xii. 9, 13. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.-And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

Isa. lxiv. 7, 9. For thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.-Be not wroth very sore, O LORD, neither remember iniquity for ever: behold, see, we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 2 Sam. xi. 27. And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.

k Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

'Psa. li. 8, 10, 12. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.-Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.-Restore unto me the joy

hardened, m and their consciences wounded; hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves. P

CHAPTER XVIII.

OF THE ASSURANCE OF GRACE AND SALVATION.

I. ALTHOUGH hypocrites, and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and estate of salvation; a which hope of theirs shall perish : 6 yet such

b

of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

m Isa. lxiii. 17. O LORD, why hast thou made us to err from thy ways, and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy servants' sake, the tribes of thine inheritance. Mark vi. 52. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened.

" Psa. xxxii. 3, 4. When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Psa. li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

2 Sam. xii. 14. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.

? Psa. lxxxix. 31, 32. If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. 1 Cor. xi. 32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be con demned with the world.

J. a Deut. xxix. 19. And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. Micah iii. 11. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us. John viii. 41. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Matt. vii. 22, 23. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,

as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in a state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; which hope shall never make them ashamed.d

e

II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, 9 the tes

have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

1 John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John v. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. See 1 John iii. 14, 18, 19, 21, 24.

d Rom. v. 2, 5. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

II. Heb. vi. 11, 19. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail.

Heb. vi. 17, 18. Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impos sible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.

92 Pet. i. 4, 5, 10, 11. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue knowledge.-Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our

timony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God: which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.¿

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 difficulties before he be partaker of it: 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 ordinary means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure; m that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 John iii. 14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. See 1 John i. 3; 2 Cor. i. 12.

Rom. viii. 15, 16. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

Eph. i. 13, 14. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

III. *1 John v. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. See Psa. lxxxviii; lxxvii. 1-12.

'1 Cor. ii. 12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 John iv. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Heb. vi. 11, 12. And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. See Eph. iii. 17-19.

m 2 Pet. i. 10.

Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.

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: " so far is it from inclining men to looseness.

IV. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted: as, by negligence in preserving of it; by falling into some special sin, which woundeth the conscience, and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation; by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to

"Rom. v. 1, 2, 5. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.-—And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. Rom. xiv. 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Rom. xv. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. Psa. cxix. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart. See Psa. iv. 6, 7; Eph. i. 3, 4.

Rom. vi. 1, 2. What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Tit. ii. 11, 12, 14. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.-Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 2 Cor. vii. 1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Rom. viii. 1, 12. There is therefore now no condemna tion to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.-Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 1 John iii. 2, 3. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. 1 John i. 6, 7. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Sor cleanseth us from all sin.