but it is affurance which makes the foul to rejoyce and to triumph.

What the Apoftle spake of death, that is true of all afflictions, the fting of them is finne where the confcience is wounded, and the fight of heaven is darkned there the croffe is heavy and bitter; A man hath a burden on his fhoulders, and a burden on his confcience, and yet a burden that he cannot fee any to fmile on him, and comfort him;

But now when the fpirit of a man is found, and the evidence of faith is cleare, when a man feeles all to be right within, all to be peace abroad, that all stands faire twixt him and his God; Nay, and he can fee God as his God, the ftrength of this affurance, doth not onely allay a burden, but raifeth the heart exceedingly above it yet God is good to Ifrael, and though I fee the Olive to faile, and the Fields not to yield, and the flocks to be cut off, jet I will rejoyce in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my Salvation. The Lord God is my strength, Hab. 2. 17, 18.

Sixthly,it makes all kinds of duty to flow and to rife, wil inftance briefly in fome.

1. In the Active.

2. In the Passive. 1. Active.

1. Praife and thankfulneffe, Pfal. 103. 1. Bleffe the Lord, O my foul, and all that is within me blesse bis holy Name. Ver. 2. Bleffe the Lord, O my foul, and forget not all bis benefits. Verle 3. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities: Nay, he is at it againe, Pfal. 116. 12. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me; I will take up the cup of salvation, c? O the evidence and apprehenfion of fo great a mercy and falvation! it fills every vain of the heart, &c. Mufick is highest and sweetest in the fairest weather. He who difputes his mercy can hardly bless for it.

Now I fee much forgiven, and therefore I bleffe much: What! and all this forgiven to me, and fo freely, and fo

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fully alfo, fo many tranfgreffions, yet to cover all, yet to be reconciled; yet to put down the gracious pardon before

mine eyes.

2. Prayers: There are two properties in these, which will furely arife out of affurance.

One is confidence and boldneffe: A man will come boldly to the throne of grace who is once affured by faith: Now that of John comes in indeed, 1 John 5. 14. This is the con fidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his Will, he beareth is: Chrift (I remember) teacheth his Difciples, (and in them all Beleevers) to pray for many excel• lent things, both for foul and for body, but then he preferred, he fet this in the front, Our Father, as if he had clearly fuggeted this unto us, that the affurance of God as our Father, is that which gives unto the heart a strong confidence in all petitions; why; who will not come freely and confidently to a Father, to his Father, to his reconciled Father?

Another is quickneffe and life in the affections, Pfal. 63. 1. O God, thou art my God, early Will I feek thee. Obferve it, I will feek thee, there is now diligence; early will I seek thee, there is quickneffe of affection: and why I will feek thee early? becaufe O God, thou art my God.

3. Ordinances: Now a man will flie to them, as the Dores to the windows (it is the Prophet Ifaiah's expreffion;) A man hath an heart to bow the knee when he knows that my God will help him: A man hath an heart to beare the Word; when he knows my God will teach him to profit, and will speak peace unto him: A man will with cheerfulneffe addreffe himfelf to the Sacrament, when he knowes this is the blood which Was Shed for the remiffion of his finnes, and his falvation is there fealed. The Apoftle hath an apt paffage in 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes defire the fincere milk of the Word, and furely that is with much delight, and with much earnestneffe, (for fo do babes defire the milk of the breafts) But what might firre up this. Ver. 3. If fo be that you have tafted that the Lord is graciou a tafle of God, of God as gracious, yea, his is it which whets the appetite, this fets on the heart to the ordinances indeed...

4. All

4. All obedience, actuating the whole kinds of duty. Why, affurance in the foule makes all duty both cheerful, and fedfaft, Pfalme 26. 3. Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes (therefore) have I walked in thy truth.

Why is duty to good hearts fometimes fo weary-fome, fo flack, fo troublefome? verily, faith is weak, doubts are ftrong, feares are many; could they once fee God to be their God, Chrift to be their Lord and Saviour; finnes pardoned in his blood, and all this to them. Now even the lame would walk, and the weary would runne, the heart would fet upon obedience with all its ftrength, and all its care.

2. The like may be faid for paffive obedience: affurance enables it exceedingly: The love of Christ constraineth us, faid Paul, 2 Corinth. 5. I remember the Apoftle hath a notable paffage, Romans 5.7. For a good man fome will even dare to die That is for a bountiful man; a man of emi nent and fingular good to preferve, him, for his fake, a private man would lay down his life: If the goodneffe and kindneffe of a man hath fometimes fuch a force with us, what influence then hath the goodneffe of a God upon a beleeving heart the kindneffe, the blood of a Chrift upon a beleeving and an affured heart? Who would not suffer reproach for Chrift, who suffered death for bim? who would not kifs the ftake to bring him honour, who fhed his blood to get his pardon, and to crown him with eternal glory? Beleeve it, affurance willmake thy life more fruitful, and thy heart more fuffering. Faith will make holy duties to be no burden, and affurance will make it a delight: Faith will make a man to bear the Croffe; and aflurance will make a man to triumph under it: We are more then conquerours, laid per-fwaded Paul.

Seventhly, Aurance of faith, it is a bathing spring to all our graces: Shall I inftance in fome ?

1. The mourning heart dosh much depend upon the affured minde: No man ever did, or ever fhall take God by the hand, as reconciled to him, or look on Chrift as redeeming him, or read his pardon with affurance, but his heart shall be

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full of joy, and his eyes full of teares. They fball look on him whom they have pierced, and shall mourne as a man mournes for his only childe, Zach. 12. 10. There is nothing foftens the heart fo well as faith, and which melts it so much as affurance. The powers of the greatest kindneffe, and most gracious love, do open the fountain of godly forrow within the foul.

2. Love kindles in the heart upos affurance. To whom much is forgiven, the fame will love much, faid Chrift. Luke 7. 47. We love him because he loved us first, faid John. The love of God to us is the caufe of our love to him againe, and againe, and the more that love is cleared to us, the more is our love rekindled to him; goodneffe is a caule of love, here it is; bountifulneffe is a cause of love, here it is; know. ledge of both a fpecial provocation of love, in affurance here

it is.

What a thing is this! that God fhould give his Covenant to me, his Sonne to me, his Mercies to me, his loving kindneffe to me, his glory in heaven unto me! I love a man who defends my Name, I love a man who gives me a book, I love a man who gives me my ranfom, I love a man who gives me a meales meat; Ah! poore things in comparison: how do I then infinitely exceed in love to my God, who I know hath pardoned, hath juftified, hath accepted, will fave me for ever?

More might be faid of all particular graces whatfo

ever.

8. Assurance by faith doth but ease us of the world, and mounts the foul above it.

1. It cafeth us of the world: How can he walk with cares, who is indeed perfwaded that God is his Father,; be that gave him Chrift will give him all other things freely: God will not stand for a little earth, who hath bountifully given a whole heaven; and he will furely finde me food and rayment for my body, who found mercy and the blood of his own Sonne for my foul.

2. Nay it mounts us above the world;they do obferve that thefe lower things grow little and leffe, by how much the high

er

er a man is feated: If a man could be elevated to one of the celeftial orbes,the whole world would feeme but a narrow fpot of ground unto him. In one point this is moft true, the neerer God draws unto the foule, the more nothing doth this world appeare.

O the bleffed favour of God! the evidences of our union with Chrift! This is like the light of the Sunne, which puts out the light of ten thousand candles: Thou wouldeft never complaine of too little in the world, if thou haddeft fo much as made up a true affurance of hea

ven.

9. Laftly, Aurance will breed comfort in life and confidence in death.

Object. Why! are Gods people afraid many times to die? they cannot fay with Chrift, I will go to my Fa

ther.

They have the bond, but fee not the feale: They are not affured of Reconciliation, of pardon, of falvation.

But if they could with Simeon, Take Chrift into their armes; if once they could be affured, Now letteft thou thy fervant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy falva.

tion.

How

He who by affurance looks Chrift in the face, may with cheerful confidence look death in the face: I have a defire to depart and to be with Christ, said Paul, Phil. 1. 23. lo verfe 21? For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gaine: But how knows he that? 2 Tim. 1. 12. For I know whom I have beleeved, and I am perfwaded, that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. So, 2 Cor. 5.1. For we know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were diffolved, we have a building of God, an benfe not made with hands, eternal in the beavens.

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