300 DIRECTIONS FOR GETTING AND KEEPING and a shame to his religion and sacred name. As for those that say, Assurance never encourageth men 'in sin, but tends to destroy it; I answer, it is true of God's assurance,seasonably given to those that are fit for it, and used by them accordingly. But if God should have told all the world, just how far they may sin, and yet be certain of salvation, this would have bred assurance in those that were unfit for it; and it would have been but the putting of new wine into .old cracked bottles, or a new piece into an old gar- ment, that would break them, or .make Worse the rent. I must therefore tell these objectors (I am sorry that so many of my old acquaintance now harp so much on this Antinomian string) that ignorance or error bath so blinded them, that they have forgotten, or know not, 1. What an imperfect piecethe best is in this life, much more theworst true Christian. 2. Nor what a.subtle devil we have to tempt us. 3. Nor what an active thing corruption is, and what advantage it will take on unreasonable assurance. 4. Nor what the nature of grace and sanctification is, and how much of it lies in a godly jealousy of ourselves, and apprehension of our danger, and that " the fear of God is the beginningof wisdom : "'see Heb. iv. 1. Nay, 5. They have forgotten what a man is, and how in- separable from his nature is 'the principle of self-preservation, and how necessary the apprehension Of danger, and the fear of evil to himself, is to the avoiding of that evil, and so to his preservation. 6. Yea, if they knew but what a commonwealth or a family is, they would know that fear of 'evil, and desire of self -preservation, is the very motive to associations, and the ground -work of all laws and government, and a great part of the' life of all obedience. And thus I have fully proved to you, that the smallest measure of grace cannot help men to assurance.in God's ordinary way. Perhaps you will say, ' What comfort is there in this to a pool', weak Christian?' This is rather the way toput him quite out of. heart, and hope. I answer, no such matter. I shallshow the uses of this observation in the following Directions. In the mean time I will say but this, The expectation of unseasonable assurance, and out of God's way, is a very great cause of keeping many in languishing and distress, and of causing others to turn Antinomi- ans, and snatch at comforts which God never gave them, and to feign and frame an assurance of their own making, or build upon the delusions of the great deceiver, transforming himself into an angel of light. Direct. XIII. From the last-mentioned observation,there isone plain consectaty arising, which I think you maydo well to note by the way, viz. ' That, according to God's ordinary way of giving grace, it cannotbe expected that Christians should be able to know the very time of their first receiving or acting true' savinggrace,
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