science cannot be the voice of the Holy Spirit. In the book of Ezekiel the prophet, you have these words from the mouth of God himself, "When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live,”—and what higher ground of assurance can we possibly have or desire than this?" When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it1." Yes, my brethren, the holiest of men must doubt of his salvation, if he cease to be holy. The same spirit that once testified of his union with Christ and of his portion in his inheritance, must now testify that he has departed from his God. The same spirit of love, who once helped his infirmities and encouraged his trembling hopes by the promises of the gospel and the persuasion of the patience and goodness of his heavenly Father, will now speak but to arouse him from his lethargy, and to warn

him of the awful and inevitable consequence of his conduct. The Holy Ghost never can contradict by his inward consolations the testimony of our conscience, or bear witness, contrary to our spirits, that we are the sons of God. The testimony of a conscience enlightened by the word of God and exercised in self-examination is that, which infallibly assures us, whether our hopes are to be ascribed to the suggestions of the Spirit of God. This is clearly laid down in Holy Scripture, "Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. For, if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God 1"

Do we then feel within us a hope of enjoying unmingled and eternal happiness when the struggle of this mortal contest is over? and how can we know that this is not delusion? how can we know, whether it be indeed a hope, of which He, who only

1 1 John iii. 19-21.

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can fulfil it, is the inspirer? The Scripture sends us to the examination of our conscience. "Every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as he is pure "Hope," saith the Apostle," maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us2."

2

And again, how shall we know that our love of God, and of our brethren, is any more than an enthusiastic sentiment? The Scripture sends us to our conscience. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments 3."

3

2 Rom. v. 5.

3 1 John ii. 15; iv. 20; v. 2, 3. The observations of Cudworth on the words of St. John," Hereby we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments," are well worthy of consideration. "First then, if this be the right way and method of discovering our knowledge of Christ, by our keeping of his commandments; then

There are times, perhaps, when we feel in our inmost souls that God is indeed our

we may safely draw conclusions concerning our state and condition from the conformity of our lives to the will of Christ. Would we know whether we know Christ aright, let us consider whether the life of Christ be in us. Qui non habet vitam Christi, Christum non habet; He that hath not the life of Christ in him, he hath nothing but the name, nothing but a phansie of Christ, he hath not the substance of him. He that builds his house on this foundation, not an airy notion of Christ swimming in his brain, but Christ really dwelling and living in his heart, as our Saviour himself witnesseth, he buildeth his house upon a rock; and when the flouds come, and the winds blow, and the rain descends, and beats upon it, it shall stand impregnably. But he that builds all his comfort upon an ungrounded persuasion that God from all eternity hath loved him, and absolutely decreed him to life and happinesse, and seeketh not for God really dwelling in his soul; he builds his house upon a quicksand, and it shall suddenly sink and be swallowed up his hope shall be cut off, and his trust shall be a spider's web; he shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand; he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure. We are no where commanded to pry into these secrets, but the wholesome counsel and advice given us is this, to make our calling and election sure. We have no warrant in Scripture to peep into these hidden rolls and volumes of eternity,

Father; a nearer and more constant friend than the dearest of our earthly relations.

and to make it our first thing that we do when we come to Christ, to spell out our names in the stars, and to persuade ourselves that we are certainly elected to everlasting happinesse, before we see the image of God, in righteousnesse and true holinesse, shaped in our hearts. God's everlasting decree is too dazzling and bright an object for us at first to set our eye upon. It is far easier and safer for us to look upon the raies of his goodnesse and holinesse as they are reflected in our own hearts, and there to reade the mild and gentle characters of God's love to us, in our love to him, and our hearty compliance with his heavenly will: as it is safer for us, if we would see the sun, to look upon it here below in a pail of water, than to cast up our daring eyes upon the body of the sun itself, which is too radiant and scorching for us. The best assurance that any one can have of his interest in God, is doubtlesse the conformity of his soul to him. Those divine purposes, whatsoever they be, are altogether unsearchable and unknowable by us, they lie wrapt up in everlasting darknesse, and covered in a deep abysse: who is able to fathom the bottome of them? Let us not therefore make this our first attempt towards God and religion, to persuade ourselves strongly of those everlasting decrees: for if at our first flight we aim so high, we shall haply but scorch our wings, and be struck back with lightning, as those giants of old were that would needs attempt