III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preferva tion, fall into grievous fins g; and for a time continue there in b: whereby they incur God's difpleafure i, and grieve his holy Spirit k; come to be deprived of fome measure of their graces and comforts 1; have their hearts hardened m, of my hand. 2 Theff. iii. 3. But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil, 1 John ii. 19. They went out from us, but they were not of us: for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out, that they might be made manifeft that they were not all of us. III. g Mat. xxvi. 70. But he denied before them all, faying, I know not what thou fayeft, v. 72. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. v. 74. Then began he to curfe and to fwear, faying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. b Pfal. li. (the title) To the chief musician, a pfalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. v. 14. Deliver me from blood guiltinefs, O God, thou God of my falvation: and my tongue shall fing aloud of thy righteousness. i Ifa. lxiv. 5. Thou meeteft him that rejoiceth, and worketh righteoufnefs, thofe that remember thee in thy ways behold, thou art wroth, for we have finned: in thofe is continuance, and we shall be faved. v. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that flirreth up himfelf to take hold of thee for thou haft hid thy face from us, and haft confumed us because of our iniquities. v. 9. Be not wroth very fore, O Lord, neither remember iniquity or ever: behold, fee, and we beseech thee, we are all thy people. 2 Sam. xi. 27. And when the mourning was paft, David fent, and fet her to his houfe, and fhe became, his wife, and bare him a fon: but the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. k Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are fealed unto the day of redemption. : / Pfal. li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice. v. 10. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right fpirit within me. v. 12. Reftore unto me the joy of thy falvation; and uphold me with thy free fpirit. Rev. ii. 4. Nevertheless, I have fomewhat against thee, because thon haft left thy firft love. Cant. v. 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 belov ed put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved for him. v. 6. I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had withdrawn himfelf, 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 no answer. Ifa. Ixiii. 17. O Lord, why haft thou and their confciences wounded n; hurt and fcandalize others 0, and bring temporal judgments upon themfelves p. CHAP. XVIII. Of the Affurance of Grace and Salvation. A1 LTHOUGH hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with falfe hopes and carnal prefumptions of being in favour of God and eftate of falvation a; which hope of theirs fhall perish b: yet fuch as truly believe in the Lord Jefus, and love him in fincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good confcience before him, may in this life be certainly affured thou made us to err from thy ways? and hardened our heart from thy fear? Return for thy fervants fake, the tribes of thine inheritance. Mark vi. 53. For they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened. Mark xvi. 14. Afterwards he appeared unto the eleven, as they fat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart becaufe they believed not them who had feen him after he was rifen. n Pfal. xxxii. 3. When I kept filence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long. v. 4. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me my moisture is turned into the drought of fummer. Pfal. li. 8. Make me to hear joy and gladnefs: that the bones which thou haft broken may rejoice. o 2 Sam. xii. 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 Pfal. lxxxix. 31. If they break my ftatutes and keep not my commandments. v. 32. Then will I vifit their tranfgreffion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes. 1 Cor. xi. 32. But when we are judged, we are chaf I. a Job viii. 13. So are the paths of all that forget God, and the hypocrites hope fhall perish. v. 14. Whofe hope fhall be cut off, and whofe truft fhall be a fpiders web. Mic. iii. II. The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof 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. xxix. 19. And it come to pafs when he heareth the words of this curfe, that he blefs himfelf in his heart, faying, I fhall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, to add drunkennefs to thirft. John viii. 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. b Mat. vii. 22. Many fhall fay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophefied in thy name? and in thy name have caft out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? v. 23. And then will I profefs unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 1 John Chap. XVIII. affured that they are in the ftate of grace c, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; which hope fhall never make them afhamed d. II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable perfuafion, grounded upon a fallible hope e; but an infallible affurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of falvation f, the inward evidence of thofe graces unto which these promifes are made g, the teftimony of the Spirit of adoption witneff c 1 John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 1 John iii. 14. We know that we have paffed from death unto life, becaufe we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death. v. 18. My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in 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 v. 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. : d Rom. v. 2. By whom alfo 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 Ghost which is given unto us. II. e Heb. vi. II. 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 hope we have as an anchor of the foul, both fure and ftedfaft, and which entereth into that within the vail. f Heb. vi. 17. Wherein God willing more abundantly to fhew unto the heirs of promife the immutability of his counfel, confirmed it by an oath : v. 18. That by two immutable things, in which it was impoffible for God to lie, we might have a ftrong confolati on, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope fet before us. g 2 Pet. i. 4. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promifes, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having efcaped 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 fhall 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 ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him,' if we keep his commandments. 1 John iii. 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. i. 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 converfation in the world, and more abundantly to you-wards.. b Rom. witneffing with our fpirits that we are the children of God h: which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are fealed to the day of redemption i. III. This infallible affurance doth not fo belong to the ef fence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it k: 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 use 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 m; that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the holy Ghoft, in love and thankfulness Rom. viii. 15. For ye have not received the fpirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the fpirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. v. 16. The fpirit itself beareth witness with our fpirit, that we are the children of God. i Eph. i. 13. In whom ye alfo trufted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gofpel of your falvation: In whom alfo, after that ye believed, ye were fealed with that holy fpirit of promife, v. 14. Which is the earneft of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchafed poffeffion, unto the praife of his glory. Eph. iv. 30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are fealed unto the day of redemption.. 2 Cor. i. 21. Now he who stablisheth us with you, in Chrift, and hath anointed us, is God: v. 22. Who hath alfo fealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. III. k 1 John v. 13. Thefe 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. 1. 1o. 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 truft in the name of the Lord, to and stay upon his God. Mark ix. 24. And ftraightway the father of the child cried out, and faid with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (See Pfal. lxxxviii. throughout. Pfal. lxxvii, to the 12. verfe. And / I Cor. ii. 12. Now we have received, not the fpirit of the world, but the fpirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. I John iv. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit. Heb. vi. I I. we defire, that every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end: v. 12. That ye be not flothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promifes. Eph. iii. 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 fulnefs of God. m 2 Pet. i. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do thefe things, ye fhall never fall. z Rom. to God, and in firength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience; the proper fruits of this affurance n: fo far is it from inclining men to loofenefs v. IV. True believers may have the affurance of their falvation divers ways fhaken, diminished and intermitted; as, by negligence in preferving of it, by falling into fome fpecial fin, which wound. eth the confcience, and grieveth the Spirit; by fome fudden or vehement temptation; by God's withdrawing the light of his V. n Rom. v. 1. Therefore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Chrift. V. 2. By whom alfo we have accefs by faith into this grace wherein we ftand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 7.5. And hope maketh not afhamed, because the love of God is fhed abroad in our hearts, by the holy Ghost which is given unto us. Rom. xiv. 17. For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteoufnefs and peace, and joy in the holy Ghoft. Rom. xv. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the holy Ghoft. Eph. i. 3. Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, who hath bleffed us with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places in Chrift: v. 4. According as he hath chofen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love. Pfalm iv. 6. There be many that fay, Who will fhew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. v. 7. Thou haft put gladnefs in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increafed. Pfal. cxix. 32. I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou fhalt enlarge my heart. 1 John ii. 1. My little children, thefe things write I unto you, that ye fin not. And if any man fin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jefus 'coun Chrift the righteous. v. 2. And he is the propitiation for our fins: and not for ours only, but alfo for the fins of the whole world. Rom. vi. 1. What fhall we fay then? fhall we continue in fin, that grace may abound? v. 2. God forbid: how fhall we that are dead to fin, live any longer therein? Tit.. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men v. 12. Teaching us, that denying ungod linefs and worldly lufts, we fhould live foberly, righteoufly, and godly in this prefent world. v. 14. Who gave himfelf for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good works. 2 Cor. vii. 1. Having therefore thefe promifes (dearly beloved) let us cleanfe our felves from all filthinefs of the flesh and fpirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Rom, viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. v. 12. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. 1 John iii. 2. Be.. loved, now are we the fons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we fhall be: but we know, that when he fhall appear, we fhall be like him: for we fhall fee him as he is. v. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him, purifieth himfelf, even as he is pure. Pfal. cxxx. 4. But there is for giveness with thee: that thou mayet be |