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Hearts hardned m, and their Consciences wounded"; hurt and fcandalize others, and bring temporal Judgments upon themselves P.

CHAP. XVIII.

Of Afurance of Grace and Salvation.

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LTHOUGH Hypocrites and other unregenerate Men may vainly deceive themfelves, with falfe Hopes and carnal Prefumptions, of being in the Favour of God and Estate of Salvation"; which

the joy of thy falvation; and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Rev. 2. 4. Nevertheless, I have fomewhat against thee, because thou haft left thy first love. Cant. 5.2. I fleep, but my heart waketh: it is the voice of my beloved that knocketh, faying, Open to me, my fifter, my love, my dove, my undefiled: for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night. v.3.I have put off my coat, how fhall I put it on? I have washed my feet,how fhall I defile them? v. 4. My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. 7. 6. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone my foul failed when he fpake: I fought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me μο anfwer.

Ifa. 63. 17. O Lord, why haft thou made us to err from thy ways: and hardned our heart from thy fear? Return for thy fervants fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. Mark 6. 52. For they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardned. Mark 16. 14. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven,

as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardnefs of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was rifen.

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Pfalm 32. 3. When I kept filence,my bones waxed old; through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moifture is turned into the drought of fummer. Pfal. 51. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness: that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice.

2 Sam. 12. 14. Howbeit, becaufe by this deed thou haft given great occafion to the enemies of the Lord to blafpheme, the child alfo that is born unto thee,fhall furely die.

P Pfalm 89.31. If they break my ftatutes, and keep not my com mandments; v. 32. Then will I vifit their tranfgreffion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes, 1 Cor. 11. 32. But when we are judged we are chaftned of the Lord, that we fhould not be condemned with the world.

I. a Fab 8. 13, So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrites hope fhall perish: uni4. Whofe hope fhall be cut off, and

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which Hope of theirs fhall perish : Yet fuch as truly believe in the Lord Jefus, and love him in Sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good Confcience before him, may in this Life be certainly affured that they are in the State of Grace, and may rejoice in the Hope of the Glory of God, which Hope fhall never make them afhamed a.

II. This Certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable Perfwafion, grounded upon a fallible Hope; but an infallible Affurance of Faith, foun

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whose truft shall be a fpiders web. his brother, abideth in death. v. 18. Mic. 3.11. The heads thereof judge My little children, let us not love for reward, and the priests thereof in word, neither in tongue, but in teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and fay, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us. Deut. 29.19. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curfe, that he bless himself in his heart, faying, I fhall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkenness to thirst. John 8. 41. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then faid they to him, We be not born of fornication, we have one father, even God.

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deed and in truth. v. 19. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and fhall affure our hearts before him. v. 21. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God. v. 24. And he that keepeth his commandments, dwelleth in him, and he in him and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit that he hath given us. 1 John 5.13. 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.

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Rom. 5. 2. By whom also we have accefs by faith into this grace wherein we ftand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. v.5. And hope maketh not afhamed, because the love of God is fhed abroad in our hearts, by the holy Ghoft which is given unto us.

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II. Heb. 6. 11. And we defire that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end. v. 19. Which G 4

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ded upon the Divine Truth of the Promises of Salvation, the inward Evidence of thofe Graces unto which thefe Promises are made, the Testimony of the Spirit of Adoption witneffing with our Spirits that we are the Children of God: Which Spirit is the Earneft of our Inheritance, whereby we are fealed to the Day of Redemption i.

III. This Infallible Affurance doth not so belong to the Effence of Faith, but that a true Believer may wait long, and conflict with many Difficulties

hope we have as an anchor of the foul, both fure and ftedfaft, and which entreth into that within the vail.

f Heb. 6. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath. 18. That by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have a ftrong confolation, who have fled for refugeto lay hold upon the hope fet before us.

& 2 Pet. 1. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through luft. v. 5. And befides this, giving diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge. v. 10. Wherefore the rather,brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: v. 11. For fo an entrance fhall be miniftred unto you abundantly, into the everlafting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. 1 John 2.3. And hereby we do know that we know

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him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John 3. 14. We know that we have paffed from death unto life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoicing is this, The teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity, and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards.

h Rom. 8.15. 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. v. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our fpirit, that we are the children of God.

i Eph. 3. 13. Wherefore I defire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory. v. 14. For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift. Eph. 4. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. 2 Cor. 1. 21. Now he which stablisheth us with you, in Christ,and hath anoint- · edus, is God: v. 22. Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

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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 Ufe of ordinary Means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is the Duty of every one, to give all Diligence to make his Calling and Election fure "; 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 Chearfulness in the Duties of Obedience; the proper Fruits of this Affurance":

III. * 1 John 5.13. 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. Ifa. 50. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord, and ftay upon his God. Mark 9. 24. And ftraight way the father of the child cried out, and faid with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. [See Pfalm 88. throughout. Pfalm 77. to the 12. verse.]

1 Cor. 2. 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 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Heb. 6. 11. And we defire, that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end: v. 12. That you be not flothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit

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the promises. Eph. 3. 17. That Chrift may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye being rooted and grounded in love, v. 18. May be able to comprehend with all faints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. v.19. And to know the love of Chrift, which paffeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

m 2 Pet. I. Io. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do these things, ye fhall never fall.

"Romans 5. 1. Therefore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift. v. 2. By whom alfo we have access by faith into this grace wherein we ftand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. v. s. And hope maketh not ashamed, because the love of God is fhed abroad in our hearts, by the holy Ghoft, which is given unto us. Rom. 14. 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost. Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in be

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So far is it from inclining Men to Loosenefs.

IV. True Believers may have the Affurance of their Salvation divers ways fhaken, diminished and intermitted; as, by Negligence in preferving of it, by falling into fome fpecial Sin which woundeth the Confcience, and grieveth the Spirit, by fome fudden or vehement Temptation, by God's withdrawing the Light of his Countenance, and fuffering even fuch as fear him to walk in Darkness

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lieving,that ye may abound in hope, the grace of God that bringeth falthrough the power ofthe holy Ghoft. vation, hath appeared to all men, Eph. 1. 3. Bleffed be the God and v. 12. Teaching us, that denying Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who ungodliness and worldly lufts, we hath bleffed us with all spiritual fhould live foberly, righteously, and bleffings in heavenly places in godly in this prefent world. Chrift. v. 4. According as he hath Who gave himself for us, that he chofen us in him, before the foun- might redeem us from all iniquitiy, dation of the world, that we should and purify unto himself a peculiar be holy, and without blame be- people,zealous of good works. 2 Cor. fore him in love. Pfalm 4. 6. There 7.1. Having therefore thefe promibe many that fay, Who will fhew fes (dearly beloved) let us cleanse us any good? Lord, lift thou up our felves from all filthiness of the the light of thy countenance upon flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness us. v. 7. Thou haft put gladness in the fear of God. Rom. 8.1. There in my heart, more than in the time is therefore now no condemnatithat their corn and their wine in- on to them which are in Chrift Jecreafed. Pfalm 119. 32. Iwill run fus, who walk not after the flesh, the way of thy commandments, but after the Spirit. v.12. Therefore when thou shalt enlarge my heart. brethren, we are debters, not to the 1 John 2. 1. My little children, flesh,to live after the flesh. 1 John 3. these things write I unto you,that ye 2. Beloved, now are we the fons of fin not. And if any man fin, we God, and it doth not yet appear have an Advocate with the Father, what we shall be: but we know, that Jefus Chrift the righteous. v. 2. when he fhall appear, we shall be like And he is the propitiation for our him: for we fhall fee him as he is. fins and not for ours only, but v.3. And every man that hath this alfo for the fins of the whole world. hope in him, purifieth himself, even Rom. 6. 1. What shall we fay then? as he is pure. Pfalm 130. 4. But fhall we continue in fin, that grace there is forgiveness with thee: that may abound! v. 2. God forbid: thou mayeft be feared. 1 John 1.6. how fhall we that are dead to fin,live If we fay that we have fellowship any longer therein. Tit. 2. 11. For

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