has derived from nature and habit, as to be often distinguished with difficulty, and not unfrequently to be entirely undistinguishable. Those of the latter, on the contrary, will be wholly opposite, in most instances, to all that he has heretofore thought, felt, and designed.

As the internal and external conduct of these individuals is the sole ground, on which each must judge of himself, as well as be judged of, by others; it is perfectly obvious, that the objects, concerning which they are respectively to judge, are widely different from each other. But this is not all. The optics, with which these persons judge concerning their religious state, will plainly be widely different. Our dispositions naturally influence our judgment; and usually enter much more largely into the opinions which we form, than we are aware. Thus a person, strongly inclined to hope, will, almost of course, judge favourably; when a person, equally inclined to fear, would, in the very same case, judge unfavourably; concerning himself. Cheerful persons naturally entertain comfortable views concerning themselves; those, who are melancholy, such, and often such only, as are uncomfortble, discouraging, and distressing. The rash, form bold and presumptuous opinions without hesitation: the cautious, admit opinions, favourable to themselves, slowly; even when they are admitted upon acknowledged evidence. The ignorant must be very imperfectly fitted to consider the various means of evidence, all of which ought to be consulted, in forming our opinions concerning this important subject: while the enlightened Christian must be much more competent to draw up a well-founded determination. 3dly. The similar nature of those, which we call Natural views and affections, to those which are Evangelical, furnishes another source of these difficulties.

Love and hatred, hope and fear, joy and sorrow, confidence and shame, together with various other affections, and views of the mind, really exist, and operate in the Christian, as Natural views and affections; and not merely Evangelical. The objects, which excite these affections in both senses, are often the same. The emotions themselves are, also, so much alike, as perceived by the mind, that mankind universally, and the Scriptural writers as well as others, call them by the same names. When both are described by those, who are the subjects of them, the description, to a great extent, is commonly the same. It will, therefore, be easily believed, that they are so similar in their nature, as, when they arise from the same objects, to render it difficult for the Christian in whom they exist, and at times impossible, to distinguish them from each other. It will be also easily seen, that when he, who is not a Christian, has these affections and views excited in his mind by the objects, which excite the corresponding Evangelical affections in the mind of a Christian, he may, in many instances, find it very dif ficult to discern, that they are not Evangelical.

To illustrate this subject, clearly, to the view of my audience, I will consider it more particularly.

be

A Christian loves God, his Son, his Spirit, his Law, his Gospel, his Sabbath, his Worship, and his Children. Why does he love them? For two reasons. One is; their nature is agreeable to the relish of his mind. The other is; they are useful, and therefore pleasing to himself. For both these reasons he is bound to love them. But, when he regards all the objects with this affection, it will be often difficult, and sometimes impossible, for him to determine whether his emotions are merely natural, wholly Evangelical, or mixed. He knows, that he exercises a love to God, but may unable to determine whether he loves the character of God, considered by itself; whether he loves the divine perfections for what they are; or whether he loves God, because he regards him as a friend to himself; and delights in his perfections, because he considers them as engaged, and operating, to promote his present and eternal good. It would be difficult for most persons to determine, precisely, what views they would form of this glorious Being, if it were revealed to them, that He was their Enemy.

As it is often difficult for the Christian to distinguish his natural affections, which, so long as he is a man, he will always continue to exercise, from the corresponding Evangelical ones, which he exercises as a Christian: so it must, evidently, be more difficult for an unrenewed man, who has never had any other beside natural affections, to discern, that these are not Evangelical. When he loves God, and other divine objects, in what manner shall he determine, that he loves him, only because he believes him reconciled to himself? When he delights in the divine perfections; it will not be easy for him to see, that it is only because he supposes them to be engaged to promote his welfare. When he loves the Scriptures; it will be difficult for him to perceive, that it is only because of their sublimity and beauty; the good sense, which they contain; the happy influence, which they have on mankind; and the comforting promises, which he considers them as speaking to himself. When he loves Christians; it will often be beyond his power to determine, that it is not because of their natural amiableness of character; the agreeableness of their manners; their friendship, or kind offices, to himself; and their general usefulness to others, with whom he is connected.

A person is quiet under provocations. This may arise from meekness. It may also arise from a sense of the wisdom, the dignity, and the usefulness, of this spirit. He is kind to enemies. This may arise from the desire of obtaining the peculiar evidence, that he is a good man, furnished by this exercise of Christian benevolence; from a sense of the nobleness of forgiveness; or from the danger of not finding himself forgiven.

I might extend this course of thought through all the objects of self-examination; and show, that similar difficulties attend them

all. Every Christian must, I think, have experienced them in his own case; and every person, accustomed to converse much with others on the grounds of their hope concerning themselves, must have perceived them continually occurring in the progress of every such conversation.

4thly. Another source of this difficulty is found in the transient nature of all our Emotions.

By this I intend, that every exercise of our affections has only a momentary existence in the mind. It rises; is indulged; and is gone. All our knowledge of its nature, in the mean time, exists in the Consciousness of it, while it is passing; in our Remembrance of that consciousness, known to be imperfect; and in our Acquaintance with its effects, often of a character more or less doubtful.Few words can be necessary to show, that our knowledge of these exercises, gained in this manner, must be attended by many imperfections. Our opportunity for viewing it, while it is passing, is so short, and often so carelessly employed; our remembrance of it, when it is past, is so far removed from certain accuracy; and its effects may be so easily, and, for aught that appears, so justly, attributed to various causes; that the whole view, taken of them by the mind, will frequently be obscure, and its decision unsatisfactory.

Hence appears the wisdom of fastening upon a course of such exercises; as furnishing far better means of determining our religious character, rather than resting it upon a few. A character may be successfully discerned in many exercises of a similar kind, which, usually, we shall attempt in vain to discover, to our satisfaction, in a small number. A thousand blades of grass will, in the Spring, give a green and living aspect to that field, which, with a hundred, would still retain the russet appearance of absolute death.

5thly. Another fruitful source of the same difficulties is furnished by the Imperfect state of Religion in the mind.

This, indeed, may, in an extensive sense, be considered as the general source of them all. I have heretofore observed, that Angels cannot but know, that they are holy; and fiends, that they are sinful. Were we perfectly holy, then, we should certainly know this to be our character.

But there are particular difficulties, attending this subject, which deserve to be marked.

The mind of every Christian experiences many alternations of holiness and sin. Temptations often, and unexpectedly, intrude. The objects, which engross the whole heart of the sinner, unhappily engage at times, in greater or less degrees, that of the Christian. Nor is their influence always transient. David, Solomon, and other Saints mentioned in the Scriptures, sinned for a length of Not a small number of sins are committed in thought, word, and action, in the brighter and better seasons; nay, in the bright

time.

est and best. "I sin," says Bishop Beveridge; "I repent of my sins, and sin in my repentance. I pray for forgiveness, and sin in my prayers. I resolve against my future sin, and sin in forming my resolutions. So that I may say, My whole life is almost a continued course of sin." This is the language of one of the best men that ever lived. A still better man has said, The good, that I would, that I do not; but the evil, that I would not, that I do. I find, then, a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. After the inward man, I delight in the law of God. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. O wretched man, that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?

Now, the whole life, not of such men as these, but of men, who though generally of a similar character, are greatly inferior to these in religious excellence, is almost always the real object of a Christian's examination. This, also, is to be continually examined: the worst, and the best, parts alike. But it is plain, that the comfortable evidence of our piety, furnished by the prevalence of holiness in the best seasons, will be always impaired by contrary evidence, in periods of declension; will sometimes be rendered obscure, and at others overbalanced. It is further evident, that, as our whole judgment will, and ought to be, usually made up, partly of the evidence furnished by our present state, and partly of our past judgments, and the evidence on which they were founded; evidence, contradicting, impairing, and obscuring each other: a degree of confusion, and uncertainty, in the views of the mind concerning its religious character, will almost necessarily result, in many instances, from this complicated and perplexed state of things.

6thly. No small difficulties are often thrown in our way by the Backslidings of Others.

Many persons, who are really Christians, decline, at times, from holiness of life so greatly, and so long, as to excite not only the sneers and contempt, but the just censures also, of those who are not Christians; and the extreme regret, and the Christian discipline, of those who are. Other men, in cases of this nature, frequently question, or deny, the very existence of Religion. Christians do not, indeed, go this unwarrantable length; but they cannot avoid recollecting, that, frequently, the persons, who have thus declined, were, in their view, better than themselves; and feeling the hopes, which they have entertained of their own piety, greatly lessened. They are compelled to doubt of the religion of these men; and almost irresistibly question the reality of

their own.

There are other persons, who strongly believe themselves to be religious; and who, at the same time, live in such a manner, as to persuade others, that they are eminent Christians; who afterwards VOL. III.

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prove by their conduct, that they are not Christians. Judas, Hymenaus, Philetus, and others, were of this character; and multitudes more, in every succeeding age. When these persons fall; all the evidence, which convinced either themselves, or others, of their piety, is plainly proved to be unsolid; and we are naturally led to ask whether the evidence, on which we have relied, as the foundation of our own hope, be not the very same; or, if it is known to be different, whether we have reason to think it at all better. In this way, we naturally come to suspect the grounds, on which the belief of our piety has rested; and to doubt whether we are not equally deceived with them.

7thly. I am of opinion, that God, for wise and good reasons, administers his Spiritual Providence in such a manner, as to leave his children destitute of the Faith of Assurance, for their own Good.

This opinion, I am well aware, will most probably be doubted; although I entertain not a doubt of it, myself. It is proper therefore, that I should mention some reasons, which induce me to adopt it.

First. It is perfectly plain, that the evidence, enjoyed by Christians concerning their piety, is in no regular manner, or degree, proportioned to their real excellence of character. The proof of this position is complete, both from our own observation, and from the history of experimental and practical religion, given us in the lives of great multitudes of eminently good men. Such men, after having enjoyed, for a long time, the most consoling evidence of their good estate, have, through periods also long, been distressed with doubts and darkness, and sometimes with deep despondence; and have nevertheless afterwards obtained the same consolations throughout their remaining lives. To such seasons the Psalmist plainly alludes in many declarations, descriptions, and prayers. These are the seasons, in which he speaks of God as hiding his face from him; and of himself, as disquieted, troubled, sorrowful, mourning; as almost gone; as having his feet in the miry pit; and as overwhelmed by the billows of affliction.Such seasons are, also, familiarly spoken of by Christians, as times of darkness and sorrow, in which the light of God's countenance is hidden from them.

Secondly. There is not, I believe, a single promise in the Gospel, to Christians, as such, of the Faith of Assurance; nor any direct intimation, that they shall possess evidence of their piety, proportioned to the degree, in which it exists. All the promises of this nature seem to be indefinite; and to indicate, that Christians shall enjoy some evidence of this nature, rather than to point out the degree, in which it shall be enjoyed. The Spirit testifies with their spirits, in a degree and manner accordant with his pleasure, that they are children of God. It is indeed said, that if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God. But the word know, in this case, plainly means no other, than that he shall