public testimony to the gospel, by enduring persecutions of various kinds; and some of them were to resist unto blood. Therefore, that God might prepare them for these sufferings, and that he might encourage others to embrace the faith of the gospel, which was then in its infant state, he was pleased to fa vour them with this great privilege. And it may be hereafter, if God should call the church to endure like trials, he may in mercy grant them a greater degree of assurance than is ordinarily experienced.

Nevertheless, it may be questioned; whether those scriptures which speak of assurance, as though it were a privilege common to the whole church, are not to be understood as applicable to the greater part of them, rather than to every indi vidual believer among them. For though the apostle, in one of the scriptures before-mentioned, considers the church at Corinth, as enjoying this privilege, and concluding that it should go well with them in another world, when this earthly tabernacle was dissolved; yet he speaks of some of them, in the same epistle, as not knowing their ownselves, how that Jesus Christ was in them. And the apostle John, notwithstanding what he says to the church, We know that we are of God, in 1 John v. 19. which argues that many of them had assurance, plainly intimates that all had it not, from what he says, ver. 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 though in another scripture, but now mentioned, the apostle Peter speaks to the church to which he writes, as having joy unspeakable and full of glory consequent upon their faith, which argues that they had assurance; yet he exhorts others of them to give diligence to make their calling and election sure, 2 Pet. i. 10. these therefore are supposed, at that time, not to have it from all which it may be concluded, that assurance of grace and salvation, is not of the essence of saving faith; which is the thing supposed in this answer. (a)

II. We proceed to consider those things that are inferred from this supposition, viz.

1. That a believer may wait long before he attains it: this appears from what is matter of daily experience and observation. The sovereignty of God discovers itself herein, as much as it does when he makes the ordinances effectual to salvation, in giving converting grace unto those who attend upon them. Some are called early to be made partakers of that salvation that is in Christ, others late. The same may be said with respect to God's giving assurance. Some are favoured with this privilege soon after, or when first they believe; others are like those whom the apostle speaks of, who, through fear of death, are all their life-time subject to bondage, Heb. ii. 15. Many have () Vide Bellamy's Works, 3 Vol. p. 81-83.

often enquired into the state of their souls, that cannot discern any marks or evidences of grace in themselves; whose conversation is such, that others cannot but conclude them to be true believers; their spirits are deprest, doubts and fears prevail, and tend to make their lives very uncomfortable; they wait and pray for the evidence and sense of God's love to them, but cannot immediately find it: this the Psalmist speaks of,, either in his own person, or thereby represents the case of many who had the truth of grace, but not the assurance thereof, when he says, O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before thee; I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up; while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted, Psal. lxxxviii. compared with the xv. God suffers it to be thus with them for wise ends. Hereby he lets them know, that assurance of his love is a special gift and work of the Spirit; without which they remain destitute of it, and cannot take comfort, either from their former or present experiences.

2. They who once enjoyed assurance, may have it weakened and intermitted; whether it may be entirely lost will be considered under a following head, when we speak concerning the supports that believers have, and how far they are kept hereby from sinking into utter despair: it is one thing to fall from the truth of grace, another thing to lose the comfortable sense thereof. The joy of faith may be suspended, when the acts and habits of faith remain firm and unshaken. The brightest morning may afterwards be followed with clouds and tempests; even so our clearest discoveries of our interest in the love of God may be followed with the withdrawment of the light of his countenance, and we be left under many discouraging circumstances concerning our state, having lost the assurance we once had.

If it be inquired, what reason may be assigned for this? I answer, that it must, in a great measure, be resolved into the sovereignty of God, who will bring his people which way he pleases, to heaven; and may take those comforts which had their first rise from himself; and, at the same time, none must say, why dost thou thus? However, we may observe some particular reasons, which the providence of God points out to us, to which we may in other respects, ascribe our want of assurance; and these may be reduced to four heads, particularly mentioned in this answer.

(1.) It is sometimes occasioned by manifold distempers, or bodily diseases: the soul and body are so closely joined to, and dependant on each other, that the one can hardly suffer without the other. Hence it is that bodily distempers affect the mind, excite and give disturbance to the passions; which is a great addition to the uneasiness that ensues hereupon. VOL. III.

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When the spirits are deprest, and we are under the prevalency of a melancholy disposition, we are oftentimes inclined to think that we are not in a state of grace; and though we were before this disposed to comfort others in like cases, we are at this time unable to take the least encouragement ourselves. All things look black and dismal; our former hope is reckoned no other than delusive, and we brought to the very brink of despair. And it may be observed, that these sad and melancholy apprehensions concerning our state, increase or abate, as the distemper that gives occasion thereunto more or less prevails.

Now that we may be able to determine whether our want of assurance proceeds from some natural cause or bodily distemper, we must enquire; whether, before this, we have endeavoured to walk in all good conscience in the sight of God? to hate every false way, and make religion the great business of life, so that we cannot assign any reigning sin as the cause of our present desponding frame? And also, whether we have been diligent in performing the duty of self-examination, and have been sensible that we stood in need of the Spirit's witness with ours, in order to our arriving to a comfortable persuasion that we are in a state of grace? And if, as the result of these enquiries, we cannot see any cause leading to this dejection of spirit, but the unavoidable infirmities, which we are daily liable to, then we may probably conclude, that it arises from a distemper of body. And, in order to our determining this matter, we must farther inquire; whether some afflictive providence has not had an influence upon us, to bring us into a melancholy temper? and whether this does not appear in what relates to our secular, as well as our spiritual concerns? and if this be the case, though it be very afflictive, it is not attended with that guilt as it would be, had it been occasioned by some presumptuous sin; and there are other medicines to be used when it arises from this cause, besides those which are of a spiritual nature, that are contained in the gospel; but what they are, it is not our business, in this place, to determine.

(2.) There are many sins which are the occasion of a person's being destitute of assurance. As all the troubles of life are brought upon us by sin; so are all our doubts and fears, arising from the want of a comfortable sense of, or interest in, the love of God. It pleases God, in the method of his providence, thus to deal with his people, that he may humble them for presumptuous sins; more especially those that are commit ted against light and conviction of conscience, that he may bring to remembrance their sins of omission, or neglect to exercise those graces in which the life of faith consists, that hereby they may feel the effect of their stupidity, indifferency, and carnal security, or their engaging in religious duties, in their own

strength, without dependence on the Spirit and grace of God, or a due sense of their inability to perform any duty in a right way. Or, sometimes, as has been before observed, they want assurance, because they do not examine themselves, which is God's ordinance for the attaining this privilege; or, if they do, they neglect to give that glory to the Holy Spirit which is due to him, by depending on his enlightening influence, whereby they may arrive to a comfortable persuasion of their interest in Christ.

(3.) Assurance is oftentimes weakened and intermitted through manifold temptations. Satan is very active in this matter, and shews his enmity against the interest of Christ in the souls of his people, as much as lies in his power, with this intent, that though it is impossible for him to ruin the soul, by rooting out that grace that is implanted in it; yet he may disturb its peace, and weaken its assurance, and, if not prevented, hurry it into despair. In this case the general design of his temptations is to represent God as a sin-revenging Judge, a consuming fire, and to present to our view, the threatenings whereby his wrath is revealed against sinners; and to endeavour to set aside the promises of the gospel, from which alone relief may be had.

Moreover, he puts us upon considering sin, not only as heinously aggravated, (which may, for the most part be done with justice) but also as altogether unpardonable; and, at the same time pretends to insinuate to us that we are not elected, or that Christ did not die for us; and therefore, what he has done and suffered will not redound to our advantage. Now there is apparently the hand of Satan in this matter; inasmuch as he attempts, by false methods of reasoning, to persuade us that we are not in a state of grace, or that God is an enemy to us; and therefore our condition is desperate; in which he uses the arts of the old serpent, that he may deceive us by drawing conclusions against ourselves from false premises, e. g. because we daily experience the internal workings of corrupt nature, which inclines us to many sins, both of omission and commission; therefore there is no room for us to expect mercy and forgiveness from God. And from our barrenness and unprofitableness under the means of grace, our improvements not being proportioned to the obligations we have been laid under. Or because we have had great reason to charge ourselves with many declensions and backslidings, which afford matter for deep humiliation, and should put us upon sincere repentance, he endeavours to persuade us that we are altogether destitute of special grace. And whenever we are unprepared or indis posed for the right performance of holy duties, and our affections are not suitably raised, but grow stupid, remiss, and care

less therein; he puts us upon concluding that it is a vain thing for us to draw nigh to God, and that he has utterly rejected, both our persons and services. Or, if we are not favoured with immediate returns of prayer, and sensible communion with God therein; he tempts us to infer, that we shall never obtain the blessing we are pressing after; and therefore we may as well lay aside this duty, and say, why should I wait on the Lord any longer? And if by this method he cannot discourage us from engaging in holy duties, he sometimes injects blasphemous thoughts or unbecoming conceptions of the divine Majesty, which fills the soul with the greatest grief and uneasiness, that hereby he might give us occasion to conclude that we sin in persisting therein; and by all these temptations he endeavours to plunge us into the depths of despair.

As to what concerns the purpose of God relating to the event of things when we are led to determine that we are not elected, this is alleged without sufficient ground, and therein he deceives us, by pursuing the same false methods of reasoning, and puts us upon presuming to enter into those secret things which do not belong to us, because we deserve to be cast off by him for our sins, instead of giving diligence to make our calling and election sure. It is one thing not to be able to conclude that we are elected; and another thing to say that we are not so: the former of these is the consequence of our present doubts and desponding apprehensions concerning our state; the latter is plainly a temptation of Satan: this we are often subject to, when we have lost that assurance of our interest in Christ that we once enjoyed,

(4.) A believer's want of assurance is, for the most part, attended with, and arises from divine desertion; not that we are to suppose that God will cast off his people, whom he has foreknown, effectually called and preserved hitherto, so as to forsake them utterly; for that is inconsistent with his everlasting love, and the promises of the covenant of grace, which respect their salvation. But that which we understand by divine desertions, is God's withdrawing his comforting presence, and withholding the witness of his Spirit to the work of grace in the soul, from whence arises those doubts and fears which attend the want thereof; as God says to his people, For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee, Isa. liv. 7. In this respect they are destitute of God's comforting presence; though at the same time they may be favoured with his supporting presence, and those powerful influences which are necessary to maintain the work of grace; which, at present, appears to be very weak and languishing.

And this leads us to consider the last thing mentioned in this answer, viz. That though they are thus described, they are not