Precious Faith Considered, Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV.
Of the Ways in which the Aſſurance of Faith is attained. With the Concluſion of the whole.
THus much touching the firſt thing, That Aſſurance is attainable: I now proceed to the other, viz. The ways in which it is attained. All which are as ſo many further Arguments to prove it attainable. Were it not ſo, the All-wiſe God would not ſet down ways for the attaining thereof. Impoſſibles are not to be ſought after. Aſſurance, however difficult, is not impoſſible: The Scripture hath chalked out a Method how to arrive at it; which I ſhall endeavour to open in the enſuing Diſcourſe.
In the firſt place: He who would attain Aſſurance, muſt give Grace and Chriſt their due. All ſpiritual Bleſſings grow upon Grace as an eternal Root, and hang upon Chriſt as the Tree of Life. In particular, Aſſurance is a Bleſſing proper to the Covenant of Grace. In the Covenant of Works there was no Aſſurance or Perſeverance, becauſe the whole managery was left to Mans Will: But in the Covenant of Grace theſe are to be found in Believers, becauſe God undertakes the work. This is the rather to be marked, becauſe man under the Covenant of Works was in a ſtate of Innocency and perfect Holineſs, and under the Covenant of Grace is in a ſtate of Weakneſs and Imperfection; and yet there through Faith he arrives at Aſſurance and Perſeverance, which were never reached under the Firſt Covenant. Saint Paul, in the 10th Chapter to the Romans, notably diſtinguiſhes between the Righteouſneſs of the Law and the Righteouſneſs of Faith: The Righteouſneſs of the Law, is, That the man which doth thoſe things ſhall live in them; No Life or Peace, but upon perfect Obedience, which is impoſſible, and beyond the line of man lapſed, nay, of man regenerate in this life. Hence the Conſcience of thoſe, who would enter into Peace at this Door, muſt needs be dubious, and full of trembling anxieties. But the Righteouſneſs of Faith ſpeaketh on this wiſe, Say not in thine heart, Who ſhall aſcend into Heaven? Doubt not, whether thou ſhalt have a part there; this is to bring Chriſt down from above: He is gone to Heaven, and hath carried his Merits thither to prepare a place for thee there. Such a doubt denies his Aſcenſion, and ſo, as it were, brings him down again: Neither ſay in thine heart, Who ſhall deſcend into the deep? Doubt not, as if thou ſhouldſt be turned into Hell; this is to bring up Chriſt again from the dead: He is already riſen, and hath triumphed over Death and Hell. Such a doubt denies his Death and Reſurrection; and doth as it were bring him again from the dead. But what ſaith the Righteouſneſs of Faith? The Word, the Promiſe of Pardon and Salvation is nigh thee, O Believer, in thy mouth and in thy heart, confeſſing and believing on the Lord Jeſus thou ſhalt be ſaved: Thou in particular, thy Soul ſhall dwell at eaſe, thy Conſcience ſhall enter into reſt in the Covenant of Grace; To doubt of it, is to deny the Reſurrection and Aſcenſion of Chriſt: He therefore, who would have Aſſurance, muſt give Grace and Chriſt their due. One would think that the Papiſts, who hold, That they may by perfect Obedience reach the apex of the Law, and go beyond it in works of Supererogaton, and climb Heaven it ſelf by their own Merits, might arrive at Aſſurance much rather than Proteſtants, who inſtead of exceeding the Law confeſs themſelves much ſhort of it; and inſtead of meriting Heaven acknowledg all their Righteouſneſſes to be but a filthy rag: But it is far otherwiſe, the Papiſts generally do not ſo much as doctrinally hold it, ſave here and there a man among them; ſuch as Antonius Marinarius, who in the Council of Trent aſſerted it; concluding his Speech thus; Si Coelum ruat, ſi Terra evaneſcat, ſi orbis illabatur praeceps, ego in Deum erectus ero; Much-like the Prophet Habakkuk, who in an univerſal languiſhment of nature would yet rejoice in the Lord the God of his Salvation: much leſs do they practically arrive at it. Bellarmine himſelf after his fair life, died not like a Bolton or a Rivet, not knowing whether he had a true Virtue in him or no, but ſeeming afraid of the Judgment-Seat; unto ſome who begged his Prayers when in Heaven he made this Anſwer, The way thither is not ſo eaſie, I ſhould eſteem it a great Bleſſing from God, if I might obtain Purgatory for many years. Into ſuch labyrinths do their Principles lead them: The Reaſon whereof is; They eſpouſe Hagar the Covenant of Works, and that gendreth to bondage and ſervile fear: They corrupt the great Fountain of Peace and Joy; I mean free Juſtification by Chriſt and Grace; and their Comforts cannot run pure. They would compound thoſe two incompatibles of Grace and Merit, and patch together Chriſts Righteouſneſs and their own; which in the Apoſtle is to fall from Grace and make Chriſt of none effect, Gal. 5.4. And what Peace can follow? Whilſt they look at the Law, Conſcience will be ſtill murmuring, Non recte ſacrificaſti, non recte oraſti, as Luther hath it; This and that was omitted or not well done; The Levite and the Prieſt paſs by their Wounds, the good Samaritan will not come, but alone, and without a co-partner, to make a Cure. If therefore thou wouldſt have Aſſurance, thou muſt build on the right Foundation, and lie at the true Fountain of Comfort: Thy Love and thy Obedience are but Evidences, Chriſt and Grace are the only Foundation: Thy Faith is but a receiver, an empty veſſel; Chriſt and Grace are the Fountain of Comfort: Expect no reſt but in his bleeding Wounds; look for no comfortable words but from the Mercy-Seat: Think not that thy Conſcience ſhall be appeaſed, unleſs by that Blood of Atonement which appeaſed God himſelf; or that thy heart may be ſatisfied in a Righteouſneſs leſs than that perfect one which ſatisfied Gods: Conſcience is his Deputy, and cannot go off at lower terms than he himſelf doth: Fix thy heart on Chriſt and Grace, lay the whole ſtreſs of thy Soul and Salvation there; Lean on thy Beloved, appropriate his Merits and Righteouſneſs to thy ſelf. Thus Luther tells the menacing Law, O Lex! Immergo Conſcientiam meam in Vulnera, Sanguinem, Mortem, Reſurrectionem & Victoriam Chriſti, praeter hunc nibil plane videre & audire volo; O Law! I drown my Conſcience in the Wounds, Blood, Death, Reſurrection and Victory of Chriſt; beſides him will I ſee and hear nothing; This is the true way of Peace. Jahannes a Berg a zealous Papiſt in his life, found it ſo at laſt by his own experience. When a Proteſtant-Friend admoniſhed him then lying on his ſick-bed, That now he would by Faith apprehend the Merit of his Saviour, and acquieſce in the full Expiation by him made for ſin, he immediately ſwallowed it as the richeſt Comfort in the World, looking on thoſe in Popery but as ſo many vain Fig-leaves. When Aſſurance, which is the top-ſtone of Faith is laid in our hearts, we have reaſon to cry out, Grace, Grace, Chriſt, Chriſt; Theſe, whatever our Duties and Works have been, are the Fundamental Reaſon of all Peace and Comfort.
Again, He who would have Aſſurance, muſt not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, but cheriſh and follow it. It cannot but be a great and marvelous thing in his eyes, that the holy Spirit ſhould make his heart a Temple or Sanctuary for himſelf. To grieve it is unnatural, and to grieve it expecting comfort a contradiction. If thou wouldſt be aſſured, grieve it in nothing, indulg not any luſt: This is filthineſs and to be carried out of the Sanctuary; this is an Idol and muſt not ſtand in the Temple: Bury thy excrements, thy ſuperfluity of naughtineſs, that the holy one may walk in the midſt of thee; Take away the accurſed thing, leſt his Preſence depart: Away with thy vomits, thy ſenſual ſins, leſt he complain that there is no place for him left in thy heart. Pride not thy ſelf in gifts or graces, this is as a ſmoak in his noſe to force him away from thee; grieve not him, whereby thou mayſt be ſealed to the day of Redemption; He comes to ſeal Pardon, and Peace, and Heaven it ſelf to thy Soul, why ſhouldſt thou grieve him? If thou doſt ſo, How canſt thou expect to be ſealed by him? Inſtead of Sealing, he will turn to be thine Enemy, as he did to thoſe Rebels, Iſa. 63.10. He will meet thee in ſome ſtraits of Providence, and by one threatning or other, as by a drawn Sword, ſtop thee in thy perverſe way. Oh! do not grieve him, gather out of thy heart and life every thing that offends, and his Kingdom of Righteouſneſs, and Peace, and Joy ſhall be in thee. When an holy Truth appears to thee, ſmother it not for a World; it comes from the pure Spirit to light thee to Heaven: Walk in the Light of it; Who knows but that, whilſt thou art in the way, the Spirit may drop ſome heavenly Cordials upon thy Heart? Obedience is the true Road to Comfort. Excellent is that in the Prophet, Then ſhall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, his going is prepared as the morning, and he ſhall come to us as the rain, Hoſ. 6.3. Follow him in his Truths and thou ſhalt know him in his Comforts. Gods Face ſhall be as an aurora or morning lighter and lighter on thy Soul; and his Spirit as the dew or rain diſtilling Divine Conſolations on it. Believe it, every ray of Truth, if followed, leads to the Joy unſpeakable. When an holy Motion comes, remember who is the Speaker: That Spirit, who can ſeal the Promiſes and print Gods Love on the Heart, now calls thee to one Duty or other; Hear and thy Soul ſhall live; open thy Sails, and the Gales will blow thee to the fair Haven of reſt. I may ſay of the Spirits Motion, as he in the Prophet doth of the Wine in the Cluſter; Deſtroy it not, for a Bleſſing; nay, the greateſt of Bleſſings; a Paraclete, a Divine Comforter is in it; Follow on, and thou ſhalt come to the Vintage and Wine-cellar of pure Conſolations, ſuch as Earth aſſords not. The Holy Spirit can witneſs to thy Graces, and ſeal up Gods favour to thee, and be to thee an earneſt of Heaven and eternal Life. As thou wouldſt be aſſured, welcome every motion, cloſe with every dictate, cheriſh every illapſe of this bleſſed Monitor; let every inſpiration find thee as the Seal doth the Wax, and the ſpark the Tinder; let thy Soul follow hard after him, purſuing him E veſtigio, ſtep by ſtep, as near and cloſe as thou canſt poſſibly. This is the true way to reſt.
Again, if thou wouldeſt have Aſſurance, firſt make Conſcience pure, and then walk after it: That Pardon and Salvation, which is founded in Chriſts Blood, and ſealed by his Spirit, muſt be recorded and reported in Conſcience, or elſe there can be no Aſſurance; If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God, ſaith the Apoſtle, 1 Joh. 3.21. He allows what his Deputy doth in us; I ſay, make thy Conſcience pure. Two things chieſly impure it; Ignorance is as a cloud upon it, and Guilt as a wound in it. Make it as lightſome as thou canſt from Scripture, that as a pure glaſs it may be fit to reflect the Goſpel-Comforts on thy Soul. Get a through cure of thy old Wounds, or elſe ſooner or later it will cry out againſt thee: Joſeph ſtarted up in his Brethrens mind a good while after their unnatural ſale of him. John the Baptiſt roſe again in Herods Conſcience upon the fame of Chriſts Miracles. Theodorick having cruelly murdred Boethius and Symmachus, was affrighted at the great head of a Fiſh at his own Table, as if it had been one of theirs whom he unjuſtly put to death. Apply therefore Chriſts Blood by Faith, that thy Wounds may be healed. David after his great fall, prays firſt to be purged with hyſop, and then for the joy of Gods ſalvation, Pſal. 51. The Hyſop which was uſed to ſprinkle the Blood under the Law, figured out the office of Faith in ſprinkling Chriſts Blood on the Conſcience; that's a ſoveraign Balm to heal thy Wounds, and able to make Conſcience give thee an anſwer of Peace.
I have read a notable ſtory of a ſick Man, who when Satan appeared and ſhewed him a long ſcrole of his Sins in writing, ſaying, Behold thy Virtues; replied, True, Satan, but thou haſt not ſet down all, ſet down alſo, The Blood of Chriſt cleanſeth us from all Sin. Such a purifier is this, that a Man may be able, as is ſaid of St. Auſtin, to think of his former Evils without fear, as having no ſpot of unpardoned Sin in him; Thy Conſcience being made pure, walk after it. A reciá Conſcientia ne latum quidem unguem diſcedendum, ſaid the Orator. Leave it not, leſt thou fall and wound thy ſelf afreſh. When Conſcience ſummons thee to this or that Duty, up, be doing, God calls thee to it by thine own Heart: when it tells thee of ſuch a ſnare in thy way, avoid it, paſs by it as thou wouldſt by Hell. God warns thee againſt it by thy ſelf; Conſcience will meaſure out Comforts or Terrors to thee, according as thou behaveſt thy ſelf well or ill towards it. If like Saul thou force thy ſelf, and rebel againſt light, and give ſtabs to Conſcience, what haſt thou to do with Peace? Thy Heart will reproach thee, Conſcience will ſtrike again and give thee wound for wound, thou ſhalt doom thy ſelf, and like the Devils carry thy Chains, and Hell about with thee. Tiberius profeſſed to the Senate, That he ſuffered death daily: he meant in the torments of his accuſing Conſcience. On the other hand, if thou turn thine eyes inward, and obſerve Conſcience, and walk by the line and level of it, thy Heart ſhall be at reſt, Conſcience ſhall be a thouſand witneſſes for thee, thou ſhalt be thine own Comforter, and like the Angels carry an Heaven and Paradiſe aboat with thee; Pauls joy ſhall be thine, the teſtimony of Conſcience, that thy converſation hath been in godly ſincerity; and what is this but Aſſurance? That Conſcience which faith, That thou art ſincere; tells thee alſo, That thy Sins are pardoned: Theſe two are inſeparable companions, and never part the one from the other.
Again, If thou wouldſt have Aſſurance, thou muſt be much in ſelf-examination. Commune with thy own Heart, dive into the abyſs of it, reckon with thy ſelf, ſummon thy ſelf to the Tribunal in thy own boſom. The Philoſophers eſpied out this Rule. Pythagoras would not have us ſleep till we had reviewed the day, asking our ſelves, foreign, What have I tranſgreſſed, what done, and what omitted? This, though done by the candle-light of Nature, much promoted Virtue, and the comfort of it. Qual…s ille ſomnus poſt recognitionem ſui ſequitur, quam tranquillus, altus, & liber? ſaith Sencea. After a review of ones ſelf, Oh what manner of ſleep is there, how ſtill, deep, and free is it? Much more muſt ſuch a ſearch into ones own Heart conduce to the Chriſtians Graces and Comforts, if done by the pure Sun-light of Scripture. Self-examination is a root which bears Self-knowledg, and at the top of it grows Aſſurance, which is the knowledg of gracious ſelf. Awake therefore, O Believer, down into thy own Heart, rifle the labyrinths, and break open the falſe bottoms there; ſee what of Sin is in thee: Is there any darling Sin, ſuch as cogs with thy complexion, or falls in with thy calling, or any way ſteals away thy Heart and Affections from God? Be ſure that this is an accurſed thing, a Deliah; as the word imports, an exhauſter of thy peace and joy. However fair it may look to ſenſe, it is virtually ſorrow and wrath. See again, what of Grace is there in thee, do thou repent of Sin, and believe on the Lord Jeſus, and love God and his holy Ways? Are thy Graces genuine, ſuch as act thee in the power of the Spirit, and ſquare thee to the holy Canon of the Word, and level thy Thoughts and Intentions at the Glory of God? If thou thus ſearch into thy Heart. and do it in truth and faithfulneſs to the holy Light; I dare ſay, thou art ready for the ſealing of the Spirit, and the very frame of thy Heart is a real prayer for it. O how ſoon may the Spirit come, and by a Divine irradiation on thy Soul tell thee, That thy Repentance is a Repentance unto Life, and thy Faith precious Faith, and thy Love Love in Sincerity? How ſoon may it apply and ſeal the Promiſes to thy Heart, as if it ſhould ſay to thee, Thou repenteſt indeed, and the Mercy in the Promiſe is thine; Thou believeſt indeed, and the Salvation in the Promiſe is thine; Thou loveſt indeed, and thine are the ſuperſenſual ſuperintellectual good things prepared for the lovers of God. And now thou maiſt ſay much better than Seneca, Qualis ſomnus? O how ſweet is the reſt and repoſe which the ſelf-ſearching Soul finds in the boſom of Chriſt and Grace? He that comes to that ſealing Ordinance of the Lords Supper muſt prepare himſelf for the S…ul by Self-examination, foreign, Let a man examine himſelf, faith the Apoſtle, 1 Cor. 11.28. Examine as a man would do Gold or Silver by the fire, or by the Touchſtone; in like manner muſt he do ſo, that he may fit himſelf for the Seal of Aſſurance, of which the Sacramental Elements are Symbols.
Again, If thou wouldſt be aſſured, exerciſe thy Graces and grow therein. It much conduces to Aſſurance to render thy Graces as viſible as thou canſt. Grace, however it always carry a Divine luſtre in it, is not ſo viſible when dormant in an habit or principle, as when it is put forth into act and exerciſe; neither is it ſo viſible in its Initials in the ſmoking flax or bruiſed reed, as in its Progreſſes and ſtatures in Chriſt. In point of Comfort talents not uſed are as none, Comforts lie dead in Believers as their Graces do; the holy ſire raked up affords no light to them: Awake therefore, O Believer, to the uſe of thy Talents; exerciſe thy ſelf unto Godlineſs, that the Divine Life now latent in Principles may ſhew it ſelf in acts; blow up the holy fire in thy boſom, that what was buried under aſhes may revive into a flame; Be ſtill a putting forth one Grace or other, melting in repenting tears, or claſping thy Faith about Promiſes, or kneeling down in obedience to Commands; or inflaming thy Love at Gods, or perfecting Patience under his hand, or drawing out thy Soul in Charity: As the ſeaſon is, let one Grace or other be ſtill a-budding and bearing holy fruit. Thy Graces thus exerciſed will become radiant and viſible; thoſe which before lay hid like Saul among the ſtuff, as if they had been upon the common level of nature, will now come forth in their Supernatural ſtatures, and appear as the virtues of God: Thou maiſt now dſſcern in thy ſelf that which is more than Humane, a Divine Nature, which ſparkles out of thy fleſh in holy Operarations; Another, an higher Spirit than thy own which follows God fully in holy walking: Thou maiſt now ſit down under Chriſts ſhadow, and reckon thy ſelf in the very borders of Aſſurance, waiting the good hour, when the irradiating Spirit ſhall take thee by the hand, and lead thee into the full poſſeſſion thereof. Moreover, unto the exerciſe of Grace add growth as a fruit thereof; Grow in Grace, and in the knowledg of Chriſt, 2 Pet. 3.18. Abound more and more, 1 Theſ. 4.1. Let thy Motto be Plus ultra, and thy Chriſtian Arms like Joſephs, a fruitful bough by a well. Thou haſt Faith, but be ſtrong in it, that thou maiſt wreſtle with God, and not let him go till he bleſs thee with Aſſurance; be great in it, that he may condeſcend to thee, and ſay, Be it unto thee even as thou wilt. Thou haſt a being in Chriſt, but be rooted in him by a more cloſe adherence, and intimate Union within him, grow up into him in ſtatures of Grace till thou come to the oylof gladneſs upon his head. There is ſome holy Love in thee, but be rooted and grounded in it, that thou maiſt comprehend the breadth and length, and depth, and height, and know the love of Chriſt which paſſeth knowledg, and be filled with all the fulneſs of God, Epheſ. 3.17, 18, 19. Through radicated and well-grown Graces, (as the Apoſtles aſſures us in that place,) admirable and wonderful things may be attained: In a ſober ſenſe we may take Infinity, know Tranſcendencies, and be filled with a Deity. Labour to grow every way downward in Húmility and ſelf-denial, upward in holy deſires and raptures, inward in the vitals of Faith and Love, and outward in all holy fruits and good works: fill up the foreign, that which is lacking in Faith and other Graces; let Patience and all other Graces have foreign, their perfect work, that thy path may be as the ſhining light, ſhining more and more to the perfect day: As an Heavenly Pilgrim go from faith to faith, and from ſtrength to ſtrength, travelling to meet the day coming towards thee in the light of Gods Countenance. In ſuch a growth as this as in a clear glaſs thou maiſt diſcover that thy Graces are vital and true feeds of Immortality: Statues and Pictures, ſuch as Hypocrites are, grow not, Eſſentials and Vitals are Ʋltra penicillum: Sincerity and Divine Vitality cannot be painted. Confider therefore with thy ſelf how it hath been with thee, there was but a little dawn in thy Heart and now a pure morning. Thy Grace was but a little grain of Muſtardſeed, and now it is become a Tree. Thou waſt but a little Embrio, a babe in Chriſt, and now a man of ſtrength and ſpiritual ſtature; And what doth this argue but Life in thee? Confider again, thou haſt an ocean of Corruption in thy Heart, and yet thy little ſpark of Grace hath grown; thou haſt ſtood in the midſt of Satans winds and withering blaſts, and yet thou groweſt; thou haſt had many a ſharp froſt from the World to nip thy fruit in the bud, and yet thou groweſt: And what doth this ſpeak but a ſeed and life of God in thee, ſuch as will ſpring up into Life Eternal? Take this as an Earneſt from God. that maugre Satan and all the power of Darkneſs, thou ſhalt grow and grow on, till thou art tranſplanted into the Heavenly Paradiſe.
Again, If thou wouldſt have Aſſurance, be much in mortifying of Sin. This is the great troubler. If thou indulg it, a cloud will come over thy Conſcience & darken thy Evidences; thy Graces will all droop, and like a Candle in the ſocket, be ready to die, the Law will arm it ſelf againſt thee, and from one threatning or other will flaſh Hell in thy face: Satan will rake in thy old wounds of Guilt, and put thee into freſh torments; the holy Spirit will be gone, and carry away all his Cordials with him; the Promiſes will be as dry Breaſts, and let out never a drop of ſweetneſs to thee; thy Duties will hang the wing, and become dead and ſpiritleſs, and without comfort. In the end thou wilt experimentally find, That in crooked Paths Peace cannot be found. Awake therefore, O Believer, to the work of Mortification. Look upon ſin, as it is an evil, an only evil, an helliſh abomination, infinitely more loathſom than the Dogs Vomit, or the Sow's Mire, or the menſtruous Cloth, by which it is ſhadowed out in Scripture. Arraign it as the greateſt Malefactor that ever was. Call in Death, and Hell, and a blaſted World, and groaning Creatures, and the Ruins of Angels, and Souls of Men, and the bloody Paſſion of Chriſt, and the horrible Injuries done to God himſelf, To bear witneſs againſt it: Each of theſe can tell ſad ſtories about it; and all of them cry out, Crucifie it, Crucifie it, It is worthy to dye. Paſs therefore thy doom upon it, that it may do to. Strip it of all its veils, and falſe covers, and bewitching appearances; pluck off its Golden Profit, and Silken Pleaſures, and Purple of falſe Honour, that it may look as it is in its own ugly nakedneſs, ſinful, out of meaſure ſinful. Nail it to the Croſs by holy Reſtraints. if it ſtart in a Thought, or creep in at a Senſe, or hide it ſelf under thy Lawful things, have one holy Truth or other as a Nail ready to faſten it, that it move no further in thee. Pierce it, let out its vital blood, I mean the love and joy and delight of it. Surrender up thy Affections to God and Chriſt, and heavenly things, that it may give up the ghoſt; bury it out of thy ſight; never give it a look or glance more; converſe no more with it, than thou wouldſt do with the dead; raiſe it not up again into any freſh embraces; no, not ſo much as the picture of it in a ſinful thought or fancy. After this manner mortifie ſin, and above all thy darling only one, which thy Heart hath been tender of, and could wiſh that it were no ſin; ſpare it not, but cauſe it to dye, as a ſure Pledg that all other ſins ſhall do ſo. Believe it, This is foreign the path of life, or of thoſe two lines of Holineſs and Comfort. If ye mortifie the deeds of the body, ye ſhall live, ſaith the Apoſtle, Rom. 8.13; an eternal life in Heaven, and a comfortable one in the way thither. Who knows, but that whilſt thou art mortifying thy ſin, God may come and ſpeak to thee, much as he did to Abraham when he was offering up his Iſaac; Now I know that thou repenteſt indeed, and believeſt indeed, ſeeing thou haſt not withheld thy Sin, thy Darling Sin from the work of Mortification: Surely, bleſſing I will bleſs thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee; Thy Comforts ſhall be as the Stars, and as the Sand. When thou haſt been a-ſlaying thy Luſts, Jeſus Chriſt will meet thee (as Melchizedek did Abraham, when he came from the ſlaughter of the Kings), Bringing forth Bread and Wine, Supportations and Divine Conſolations to thy Soul. Melchizedek's Bread and Wine were to Abraham Pawns of Canaan, the Land of Promiſe; and Chriſts Supports and Comforts ſhall be to thee Earneſts of Heaven. See what pure ſtrains of Grace flow in the precious Promiſes made to the Overcomer; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna; and will give him a white ſtone, and in the ſtone a new name written, which no man knoweth, ſaving he which receiveth it, Rev. 2.17. O what things are here! Comforts fall about the Overcomer, and are preſerved in his heart; as the Manna fell about the Camp, and was preſerved in the Golden Pot. Pardon is the white ſtone, and Adoption the new name; and all theſe, though ſecret to others, are well known to himſelf. But you'l ſay, Theſe are promiſed to the Overcomer; and who can ſay, that he is ſuch? Is not the Canaanite ſtill in the land? Are there not reliques of Corruption in the beſt? Doth not the fleſh ſtill luſt againſt the ſpirit, and the body of Death ſend out its ſtench and rottenneſs? And who may call himſelf an Overcomer? I anſwer, The Canaanite is in the land; but ſubdued: Reliques of Sin are in thee; but they do gravitare, preſs and lye heavy, as a thing out of its proper place, and force thee to groan and cry out, O wretched man! The fleſh luſts againſt the ſpirit, but thou oppoſeſt might and main; and if it be ready to prevail, thou crieſt out, as the forced Damoſel under the Law, for help againſt it, as being too ſtrong for thee. If there be in thee a nolle peccatum, a bent of heart againſt Sin, and thou doeſt in purpoſe and endeavour fight againſt it, and thou wouldſt purſue it to death, and, if poſſible here, to utter extirpation; then aſſure thy ſelf, (not withſtanding the indwelling ſin), That thou art an Overcomer in Gods account, who accepts the Will for the Deed; and in the Goſpels, all whoſe Promiſes are made not to ſinleſs perfection, but ſincerity. To this purpoſe the Original in that famous place is remarkable, It is not to him that overcometh, but foreign, to him that is overcoming, to him that is praying, ſtriving, wreſtling, fighting againſt Sin; to him that is in an overcoming poſture, though the enemy be not quite out of the field, to him ſhall thoſe great Comforts in the Promiſe be given. This made St. Paul (maugre all the reliques of Corruption) ſound a Triumph to Free-Grace, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, Rom. 7.25; as being ſure of compleat Victory at laſt.
Again, If thou wouldſt have Aſſurance, Be much in the holy uſe of Ordinances. Theſe are vehicula Spiritus, the Chariots in which the Holy Spirit rides Circuit to do good to Souls. Theſe are canales Gratie, the Conduit-pipes whereby Graces and Comforts are derived to us. There God records his Name, and commands the Bleſſing, even Life for ever-more. There he meets thoſe that work righteouſneſs, and remember him in his ways. David was ſo ſenſible of this, that it was his one only deſire to dwell in Gods houſe, and behold foreign the beauties, or ſweet Amenities, of the Lord, Pſal. 27.4. If ever thou meeteſt with the Suavities and raviſhing Beauties of Free-Grace, it muſt be in the Sanctuary of Ordinances. Chriſt, when here on Earth, was very ready to give a comfortable Teſtimony to thoſe that came to him and brought their Graces with them; Seeing upright Nathanael, he ſaid, Behold, an Iſraelite indeed, Joh. 1.47. Seing their Faith, he ſaid to the poor Paralytick, Son, thy ſins be forgiven thee, Mat. 9.2. Neither now, though in Heaven, is he wanting therein; he hath a ſecret way of teſtifying by his Spirit unto thoſe who in an holy manner approach to him in Ordinances; Seeing thy holy fear at an Ordinance, he can tell thee, That thy Soul thall dwell at eaſe in the boſom of Mercy; Seeing thy Faith there, he can tell thee, That as a true Believer thou haſt everlaſting life. Whatever Grace thou bringeſt into his preſence, he can make one Promiſe or other drop ſweetneſs upon it. Wait on him in his own ways, that he may ſpeak Peace to thee; more particularly, Converſe much with the ſacred Word. In the Goſpel great things are ſet before us; there's a Glaſs of Gods Glory, The more thou lookeſt into it, the more thou wilt be transformed into the Divine Likeneſs; there's a Maſs, a Treaſury of rich Grace; the more thou ſearcheſt into it, the more thou wilt taſte how gracious the Lord is, till thou come to the higheſt guſt of it in Aſſurance; there are the Breaſts of Conſolation, ſuck on, and thou ſhalt be ſatisfied as with marrow and fatneſs; there thou haſt the demonſtration and miniſtration of the Spirit; get as much as thou canſt of it that thou mayſt be ſealed by it: There the Righteouſneſs of God is revealed from Faith to Faith, from a Faith of Adherence to a Faith of Aſſurance: There is the ſavour of Life unto Life, of a gracious Life unto a comfortable and glorious One. Be much in reading and hearing the Word, but do it in an holy manner, do it attentively; take heed to it, till the day dawn, and the dayſtar ariſe in thy heart; do it deſiring the Word as the Babe doth the Breaſt, that thou mayſt grow into all the meaſures and ſtatures of Chriſt; do it in faith, that the Word may profit and effectually work unto all Graces and Comforts; do it in love to Truth and Righteouſneſs, that the oyl of gladneſs, which is upon Chriſt thy Head, may run down upon thee; do it obedientially, hearken to the Commands, that thy Peace may be as a River flowing in the joys of Faith: If thus thou wilt hear and open to Chriſt, who ſtands and knocks at the door of thy heart, He will come in to thee, and ſup with thee, and thou with him, Revel. 3.20. He will come in to thee in intimate Communion, and ſup with thee in the acceptance of thy Graces, and thou ſhalt ſup with him at a Banquet of Love: Thou mayſt experimentally ſay, That the Goſpel is come to thee in power, and in the holy Ghoſt, and in much Aſſurance, as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, 1 Theſſ. 1.5. In Power in, the firſt work of Converſion; in the holy Ghoſt, in the gracious indwelling of it after Faith; and in much Aſſurance, in the Sealins of Truth and Love upon the heart. Next to that of the Word, I recommend Prayer to thee; This is an excellent Ordinance, it wreſtles with God, and like a Prince prevails with him; It unlocks the Treaſury of Grace, and fetches down all Bleſſings; it hath a king of Omnipotency in it; and, if with reverence I may ſo allude, As God brought forth all things by the breath of his mouth, ſo the Believer produces all Bleſſings by the breath of Prayer. Apollonius (as Sozomen relates) never asked any thing of God but he obtained it. And of Luther it was ſaid, Iſte vir potuit apud Deum quod voluit; This man could do what he would with God. Ask, and thou ſhalt have: Ask the ſealing Spirit, and thou ſhalt have it; ask in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt; His Merits are as pure Incenſe able to perfume thy Prayers; and as a powerful Orator to perſwade the Comforter to come down to thee: Ask in the holy Spirit, in the Grace and ſweet Gales of it, That the Spirit may be an anſwer to it ſelf; the Spirit as ſealing Gods Love an anſwer to it ſelf as inſpiring thy Prayers: Ask in Faith; Hath not God told thee of a witneſſing Spirit? Hath he not ſaid, That he will ſpeak peace to his Saints? Are not his Promiſes as ſo many Bonds upon his Truth to make the things promiſed good? Prove him by Prayer, if he will be as good as his Word; ſee, if he will not own his own hand in the Promiſe; wreſtle with him till the day break in the light of his Countenance lifted up upon thy heart; Ask in fervency, that whilſt thy heart is burning with Love towards God, his Love which is the Fountain of thine, may reveal it ſelf to thee. The old Token of acceptance was firing the Sacrifice, and it is ſtill a pledg of ſucceſs, when there is warmth in Prayer. Ask in ſincerity, in a pure intention, not for ſelf-eaſe, not that thou mayſt fare deliciouſly upon the Love of God; but that thy Spirit may be the freer to his ſervice, that thy Zeal may be more inflamed towards his Glory; The prayer of the upright is his delight; in ſo praying. thou ſhalt meet the favour of God. It is very remarkable what poſture Paul was in, when Ananias was ſent to comfort him, Behold, he prayeth, ſaith God; go, let him be filled with the Holy Ghoſt. In the beginning of Pſal. 13. Davids Faith run very low, How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? ver. 1. A while after it lifts up it ſelf a little, Conſider and hear me, O Lord my God, lighten mine eyes, leſt I ſleep the ſleep of death, ver. 3. but praying on, it is in the altitudes; I have truſted in thy mercy, my heart ſhall rejoice in thy Salvation, ver. 5. Prayer is one of Gods ſealing times; in it thou approacheſt and draweſt nigh to him who is the fountain of Life and Joy. Whileſt thou art opening and pouring out thy Heart to him, Who knows but he may open his Heart and incomparable Love to thee? the holy Spirit may come and tell thee, as the Angel Gabriel did Daniel in the ſame poſture, That thou art greatly beloved, a man of deſires with God.
In the laſt place make uſe of the Lords Supper. There God makes a Royal feaſt, a feaſt of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well reſined; he ſets forth Chriſt crucified, whoſe fleſh is meat indeed, whoſe blood is drink indeed. Come, eat his fleſh and drink his blood, that you may live for ever; Eat and let thy Soul delight it ſelf in fatneſs; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved Soul, or as the Original Text may be read, Be drunk or happily inebriated with the ſweet Love of Chriſt; the ſame crucified Chriſt, which in the Sacrifice on the Croſs ſatisfied Gods heart, at this Sacrament can ſatisfie thine. Never any Feaſt like this, which chears the Heart of God and Man; How will God manifeſt his Love here in Salutations, Kiſſes, and Unctions The Jews at their Feaſts uſed many demonſtrations of Love; ſuch as Salutations, faying to their Gueſts, Peace be unto thee; Kiſſes; from whence afterwards Chriſtians derived their Kiſs of Charity; or as Tertullian calls it, Oſcuculum Pacis, A Kifs of Peace; and Oyl poured out upon the Head, called therefore Oleum laetitiae, The Oyl of gladneſs: And cannot God do much more at his Table? Cannot he ſalute thee, and ſay, Peace, Peace, to thee, becauſe thou truſteſt in him? Cannot he kiſs thee with the kiſſes of his mouth, and cauſe one Promiſe or other to drop ſweetneſs into thy heart? Cannot he give thee the rich anointings of the holy Spirit, and ſill thee with all joy and peace in believing? Let thy Spikenard, thy Faith, and Love, and other Graces ſend forth their ſmell, that he may break a Box of Spikenard in thy heart, and fill, and perfume it with the ſweet odours of his Love: Wait upon him in this Ordinance, there he doth by outward and viſible Elements, ſeal Pardon and Salvation to thee; and believe it, he that puts one Seal to thy Senſe, can put another to thy Heart; unto the Seal of Elements, he can add the Seal of the Holy Spirit; with the outward Bread and Wine, thou mayſt have the hidden Manna, and heavenly refreſhments from Chriſt. Whilſt thou art renewing thy Covenant, and avouching the Lord to be thy God, he can own thee, and avouch thee to be one of his Children, and this will be more to thee than a World.
Again, If thou wouldſt be aſſured, walk in Ʋprightneſs, this is Goſpel-perfection; the Believers Beauty, the ſoundneſs of all his Graces, the deſire and delight of God himſelf, as being a Beam from his own Truth and Simplicity. In Scripture he ſeldom mentions an upright man without ſetting ſome mark of Honour upon him. Enoch walked with God, as one familiar with him, Gen. 5.22; and as the Septuagint, and after them the Apoſtle, Heb. 11, hath it, foreign, he pleaſed God; and how great a Character is this? Caleb followed God fully, and he is ſtiled a man of another Spirit, ſuch as is above the rate of common Souls. Job was a perfect and upright man, and God calls him a none ſuch in the Earth. The Jews ſay, That the Seventy Souls that went with Jacob into Egypt were worth as much as all the Seventy Nations in the World: I am ſure, the upright, the Iſraelites indeed, are the Pearls and Excellent ones in the Earth. Now here I recommend three things to thee, To walk as in Gods preſence, To have an univerſal reſpect to his Commands, and To carry a pure intention towards his Glory. All theſe have a great tendency to Aſſurance. Walk as in Gods Preſence. Remember, that he is everywhere. Thou needeſt not a Viſion, or Jacobs Ladder; where-ever thou art, thy Faith can tell thee, that God is in the place, and it is too dreadful to ſin in. His Preſence beſets thee behind and before, and thou canſt not break away from it; thy ways are all before him, nay thy very heart; He knows the make of it, and ſtands by the inward Frame and ſecret Springs thereof, ſeeing what is a forming there upon the Wheel, and what thoughts are taking their flight from thence. All is naked and open as in an Anatomy before his Face. He is intimior intimo tuo, nearer to thee than thou art to thy ſelf. Walk as in his Preſence. Live as under his all-ſeeing Eye. Seneca would have us ſet a Cato or a Laelius before our eyes, and to compoſe our Lives as in their Preſence; Magna pars peccatorum tollitur, ſi peccaturis teſtis aſſiſtat, ſaith he; A preſent witneſs would prevent a great deal of ſin. Think thus with thy ſelf, Cave, Spectat Deus; Take heed, God ſeeth. Keep freſh apprehenſions of him in thy thoughts. Think, purpoſe, ſpeak, act, do every thing foreign, worthy of, and in an holy congruity to his Preſence. Walk with him, that thou mayſt be tranſlated, though not as Enoch, corporally into Heaven, yet as a ſincere Believer, mentally into the Suburbs of it, in the Manifeſtations of Gods Favour. Look ſtedfaſtly, conſtantly unto him, that thou mayſt have ſweet Aſpects and Love-glances from him. Thou mayſt have his Favourable Preſence, whilſt thou liveſt under his Awful one. The upright ſhall dwell in thy preſence, Pſal. 140; that is, in thy gracious Preſence. They ſet him before them, and he cauſes his Grace and Love to paſs before them.
In the next place, Have an univerſal reſpect to his Commands. It is a vulgar Rule among the Jewiſh Doctors, That men ſhould ſingle out ſome one Command out of the Law, and exerciſe themſelves therein, that God may be their Frſend, and bear with them other things. But this is to Indent and Article with God upon our own Terms. The Hypocrite, (as one elegantly expreſſes it), like a globous body, touches the Law in ſome one point, in ſome particular Command; but the Upright, at leaſt in deſire and endeavour, lies cloſe and level to all the Will of God. The Phariſees ſeemed to be very much for the Firſt Table; but after all their Faſting and Prayer they could ſwallow down Widows Houſes, and ſo give the lye to all their Devotions. The Moraliſt ſeems to be as much for the Second Table; but, as fair as his Life is towards Man, he is very unjuſt to God, ſtealing away that heart which is infinitely more due to him, than the juſteſt of Debts can be to our Neighbour. If thou wouldſt be aſſured, thou muſt have an univerſal reſpect to his Command; do not pick and chuſe among them, but as David, be for foreign, all the Wills of God; as Zachary and Elizabeth, walk in all his Commandments. Wherever the Divine ſtamp is, there let thy Obedience be, that thou mayſt have a great Reward: Light is ſown for the Righteous, and gladneſs for the upright in heart, Pſal. 97.11. Upon ſincere Obedience a crop of Comfort comes up; and, becauſe by Promiſe, much ſurer than that of the Husbandman which is under Providence only: The righteous Lord loveth righteouſneſs; his countenance doth behold the upright, Pſal. 11.7. In the Original it is foreign; Their faces behold the upright; the foreign, the Three Perſons in the Sacred Trinity do all look with a loving Aſpect upon ſuch an one. Our Saviour hath told us as much, If a man ſincerely keep the holy Words, The Father and the Son will come to him, and make their abode with him, John 14.23. And a little after follows a Promiſe of the Holy Spirit as a Comforter, verſe 26. Walk uprightly, and thou art in a poſture to receive ſweet manifeſtations of Love from the whole Sacred Trinity.
In the laſt place carry a pure Intention towards Gods Glory. This is the ſingle eye in the Body of Duties, all our good Works lie in the dark without it: the want of this was as a black line drawn over Amaziah's vertue; He did that which was right in the ſight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart, 2 Chron. 25.2. Jehu was anointed and appointed by God to deſtroy Ahabs Houſe; and yet for want of a pure Intention, was reckoned as a Murderer for doing ſo, Hoſ. 1.4. That which is true Prayer when it comes from Zeal, may be but howling when it comes from Luſt, Hoſ. 7.14. Thoſe Moral Vertues, which are very gloſſie in the Matter, may in the End be no better than ſplendid ſins. The End is the pureſt off-ſpring of a rational Spirit, and a cardinal circumſtance in every Action. The Soul conceives all its Thoughts before the End, as Labans Ewes did their young before the Rods. As the End is earthly or heavenly, ſo is the Man and his Acting. Remember, O Believer, that thou waſt not made a Man or a Saint; Thy Lamp of Reaſon was not ſet up at firſt or new-lighted afterwards by Grace that thou ſhouldſt center on any thing leſs than God himſelf, or take thy aim lower than his Glory. Set thy heart on that great End; look right on it with a ſingle eye; whether thou eateſt or drinkeſt, or prayeſt, or heareſt, or whatever good work thou art about, carry on the great Deſign, That God in all may be glorified. How taking this is with Chriſt, He himſelf hath told us; Thou haſt raviſhed my heart, my Siſter, my Spouſe; thou haſt raviſhed my heart with one of thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck, faith he to his Church, Cant. 4.9. A pure Intention is that ſingle eye, and Obedience that chain of the neck; which in Believers doth excordiate and raviſh the heart of Chriſt himſelf; And what ſweet returns will he make upon ſuch taking Graces? Their Graces raviſh his Heart, and his Comforts will raviſh theirs: Their thoughts are upon Gods Glory, and Gods are upon their Peace. With the upright he will ſhew himſelf upright; with the pure he will ſhew himſelf pure. They are upright in Duties, and he will be upright in Promiſes; They give him pure Intention, and he will give them pure Mercy; ſuch as is the ſealing of his Love upon their Hearts. The pure in heart ſhall ſee him, not in the bliſsmaking Viſion only, but before in thoſe Loveglances, which are the Firſt-fruits of Heaven here below.
Again, If thou wouldſt be aſſured, be much in charity and doing good; As the Elect of God put on bowels of Mercy. Open thy heart to the poor in Pity, and thy hand in Charity; draw out thy Alms, and with them thy Soul; give outward Things, and which is more, thy Self in real compaſſion; Caſt thy Bread upon the Waters, upon the Tears of the Poor, that it may be carried into the Ocean of Eternity, and there found again in a glorious Reward. When an Object of Charity meets thee, Say not, Go and come again; paſs not by as the Prieſt and Levite did, but, as the good Samaritan, immediately pour in thy Wine and Oyl into the Wounds of thy Brother; omit no Seaſon of Charity: Now is thy Seed-time, ſcatter thy good Works, Sow upon Bleſſings, as the Phraſe is, 2 Cor. 9.6. Now Chriſts Bank is open, put in thy Money upon holy Uſury, and God himſelf will be thy Pay-Maſter; Be ſtill a-doing of good, that in thy little ſphere thou mayſt reſemble him who doth good in the great ſphere of Nature: His Sun ſhines and Rain falls every-where; Be as like him as thou canſt, ſhining in good Works, and dropping in Charities upon all occaſions. Give a Portion to ſeven and alſo to eight, ſaith the Preacher, Eccleſ. 11.2. From this Text the Jews ground a Cuſtom to give an Alms to ſeven or eight poor people every day. However that be, we ſhould be much in Charity: Look on the Poor as Gods Altars erected on purpoſe, That upon their Backs and Bellies thou mayſt offer up thy Charity as an Odour of a ſweet ſmell, a Sacrifice acceptable, well-pleaſing to God. Be rich in good Works, ready to diſtribute, willing to communicate, laying up a good Foundation againſt the time to come. This is the way to Aſſurance: Works of Mercy and Charity make Faith viſible, and withal put the Believer into a nearer capacity to have the Love of God manifeſted to him. They make Faith viſible; no Aſſurance can be had, unleſs that Query, Whether we be in the Faith? be reſolved in the Affirmative: That cannot be done, unleſs Faith become viſible; and more viſible it cannot be than in ſuch good Works; which as the holy Bloſſoms of it prove that there is Life at the root. The Mercy and Charity, which hang upon it, may tell thee, That thou haſt indeed cloſed by Faith with the infinite Love and Grace above, and from thence brought down all thoſe drops and models of Goodneſs which thou ſheddeſt forth in thy Converſation: The Fruit may prove thy ſtanding in Chriſt the true Root of fatneſs and ſweetneſs. The Image of Goodneſs limmed and drawn out upon thy Life, ſhews it ſelf to be from the pure Spirit. St. John exhorting the little children to a real practical Love, adds this as a ſingular Comfort, foreign, In this Love we know that we are of the Truth, and ſhall aſſure our hearts before him, 1 John 3.18, 19. It thou love thy Brother in Deed and in Truth, aſſure thy ſelf, that thou art of the Truth; That the holy truth of the Goſpel is mixed with faith in thy Heart, and there grows up into the Divine life and likeneſs: Say not, That thy Faith is dead or idle, as long as it can ſhew forth the Coats and Garments, the Alms and good Works which it hath done; theſe ſhew the life and labour of it: Nay further, theſe put thee into a nearer capacity to have the Love of God manifeſted to thee. God in the Prophet commands them to deal their bread to the hungry, to cover the naked not to hide themſelves from their own fleſh; and immediately after lets out himſelf in ſweet Promiſes to them, Thy righteouſneſs ſhall then go before thee, Iſa. 58.8. that is, thy Graces ſhall viſibly appear to thee. And again, Thou ſhalt call, and the Lord ſhall anſwer, thou ſhalt cry, and he ſhall ſay, here am I, ver. 9. that is, He will be very near and ready at hand to reveal himſelf to thee. And which is more, as St. John tells us, he will dwell in thee, He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him, 1 Joh. 4.16. He dwells in the Divine Life, and the Divine Preſence dwells in him: He hath a Shechinah, nay, and an Oracle in his own boſom. God will ſpeak peace to his Saints, Pſal. 85.8. foreign to his merciful ones, with them he will ſhew himſelf merciful; to them he will ſpeak from the Mercy-ſeat; they give but ordinary Bread, but receive from him hidden Manna; they draw out their Souls to their Brethren, and he draws out his Soul to them.
In the laſt place, if thou wouldſt be aſſured, ſet thy heart on God, and Chriſt, and Heaven; ſtay no longer in the ſtraits of this lower World, take thy flight by Faith and Love into the ſphere of Infinity, where thy Soul may open and dilate it ſelf for ever. Hang no longer about the drops and little particles of Being, put forth thy Soul might and main into the great ocean of Sweetneſs and Perfection, which is able to fill up thy two vaſt Capacities of Mind and Will with its unmeaſurable Truth and Goodneſs. Warm thy Heart no more among the little ſparks of Good here below; ſoar up upon the wings of Deſire and ardent Affection to that pure immutable Sun of Love and Goodneſs; one of whoſe golden rays of favour will be more to thee than a World. Thou haſt, O Believer, a Soul twice Heaven-born; once as it is in its own nature an immortal ſpark from above, and again as it bears the impreſs of Heaven in its Graces. And anſwerably thou haſt a double impetus after Happineſs; one in the inſtinct of nature thirſting after it, and another in the more Divine impulſes of Grace preſſing towards it as its Center. Think not that ſuch a Soul ſhall ever find reſt, till it come back to the firſt point from whence it iſſued, and reſign up it ſelf to its Original in the boſom of God. Inflame thy Heart with Love to Jeſus Chriſt who is altogether lovely, and wholly deſirable. In his Righteouſneſs thou maiſt ſtand and look up to the ſweet reconciled face of God; In his bleeding wounds thou haſt a paſſage into the infinite bowels of Mercy; through the veil of his fleſh the way is open to the Holy of Holies; The oyl upon his head can fill thee with joy unſpeakable and glorious. Lift up thine eyes, O Believer, to that wonder of wonders, God manifeſted in the fleſh; from whence come all the admirable indwellings of God in the ſpirits of Men. Set thy Heart upon that Infinite Maſs and Treaſure of Merit, which paid off all the ſcores to Divine Juſtice, and over and above bought all the Glory of Heaven for poor worms. Raviſh thy Soul in the rich redundancies and overmeaſures of the Spirit upon him, which overflow and fill ſo many thouſand precious Souls with Grace. Look ſtedfaſtly upon that pure mirrour of Love, Holineſs, Meekneſs, Goodneſs, Obedience, Patience, which is in his fleſh; look till thou ſhine with the ſame image or ſpiritual Idea of Grace; look till thou art captivated in raptures and flames of Love towards him; count the whole World droſs and dung for him; eſpouſe him in the deareſt and ſweeteſt affections.
Again, ſet thy heart upon Heaven; call back thy Affections from this vain World, where they have been ſcattered a-gathering up ſtubble, unto Heaven thy native Country, that thou maiſt have a pregnant proof in thy ſelf, that thou art born from thence, and a-going thither. Follow thoſe attractions, which Heaven the great Center of Grace and Holineſs put upon thy Faith and Love to draw thee up to it ſelf. Long to be up in that pure region of Bliſs where God is All in All: There are ſinleſs Perfections, and tearleſs Comforts, rivers of Pleaſures, and plenitudes of Joy for ever. Thou maiſt there read all Truths in the Original, and ſatiate thy ſelf at the fountain of Goodneſs. Have thy Converſation above, drive on a conſtant trade there by Prayers and good Works, that thou maiſt have rich returns of Grace and Love from thence. This is the true way to Aſſurance. A notable inſtance we have in the Pſalmiſt, O God, thou art my God, early will I ſeek thee; my ſoul thirſteth for thee, my fleſh longeth for thee, in a dry and thirſty land where no water is, Pſal. 63.1. and what is the iſſue of it? his Soul which had ſo emptied out it ſelf in holy Pantings and Anhelations after God, was ſoon ſatisfied with the marrow and fatneſs of his love, ver. 5. No ſooner was the Spouſe ſick of love to Chriſt, Cant. 2.5. but his left hand is under her head in Supports, and his right hand embraces her, in the ſweet manifeſtations of his Love to her, ver. 6. The more Heavenly the Believer is, the ſitter he is for Aſſurance; which ſerves as a leſſer Heaven for him till he come to the great one which is above.
Thus much touching the ſecond thing, the ways in which Aſſurance is attained.
To conclude all, the Believer having arrived at Aſſurance, which is the higheſt ſtep on this ſide Heaven, may ſit down with joy upon his head, and begin that Song of Free-grace and the Lamb; which is ſung above, though in an higher tune, in the Heavenly quire of Angels and glorified Saints for ever and ever. Well may he ſay, Oh! what hath God wrought? what was he, a lump of duſt and ſin, to be brought hither? How did he lie in blood and death, till Grace came by and put in the breath of Spiritual life into him? Was not his Reaſon the lighteſt part in him, veiled and covered over with groſs darkneſs, when the roſie morn and day-ſpring of Grace firſt broke out upon him in Spiritual illuminations? Was not his Will, though a free Principle, faſt ſhut up in Hardneſs and Unbelief, when Grace opened the Iron-gate, and made him free to his own Happineſs? What a poor broken Man, and under what innumerable debts was he, when Grace came and paid off all by the Blood of the Covenant? How much of Earth and Hell was upon him before Grace made him a Son, and limmed out the Divine Image upon his Heart? What ſwarms and legions of Luſts kept poſſeſſion in his Heart, when Grace ſet up its ſtandard and drove them out to make room for the holy ſeed there? And after he became a Saint, what an hand had Grace with him to cure his many weakneſſes, and nurſe up his infant-Graces? What a vaſt charge was it at in freſh anointings and ſupplies of the Spirit, to keep the holy lamp and fire from going out? And at laſt, how rich and glorious is Grace towards him, when it carries him up into the mount of Aſſurance, and there ſhews him the great things which it hath done, and will do for him; the true Graces and bloſſoms of Glory in his Heart, and a fair Heaven that lies beyond them, where Crowns and Robes of Happineſs wait for his coming? Oh! Grace! infinite Grace! thou art the Origine of all Graces, and Center of all Praiſes. All the Saints owe their birth and ſafe conduct to Heaven to thee; and to every ſtep of thine, from the firſt beams and drops of Mercy to the Bliſs-making Viſion and rivers of Pleaſures above, Hoſannabs and Halielujahs muſt be ſung for ever and ever.
FINIS.