SPIRITUAL PEACF,'AND COMFORT. 447 dant causeof comfort in God's general grace. Do you think you must needs despair, or give up all hope and comfort, or conclude yourself irrecoverably lost, because you are graceless ? Why, be it kñown to you, there is that ground of consolation in general grace, that, may make the hearts of the very wicked to leap for joy. Do I need to prove that to you? You know that the gospel is called " Glad tidings ofsalvation," and the preachers ofit are to tell those to whom they preach it, " Behold, we bring you tidings of great joy, and glad tidings to all people." And you know before the gospel comesto men, they are miserable. If, then, itbe glad tidings, and tidings of greatjoy to all the unconverted"where itcomes, why should it notbe so to yon? And where is your greatjoy ? Ifyou be graceless, is it nothing to know that God is exceeding merciful, "slow to anger, ready to forgive, pardoning iniquities, transgression, and sin," loving mankind? Is it nothing to know that the Lord bathbrought infinite mercy and goodness down into human flesh? and bath taken on him the most blessed office of reconciling, and is become the Lamb of God? Is it nothing to you, that all your sins have a sufficientsacrifice paid for them, so that you are certain not to perish for want of a ransom ? Is it nothing to you, that God hath made such an universal grant of pardon and salva- tion to all that will believe? and that you are not on the terms of the mere law of works, to be judged fornot obeying in perfection ? Suppose you are never so certainly graceless, is it not a ground of unspeakable comfort, that you may be certain that nothing can con- demn you, but a flat refusal or unwillingness to have Christ and his salvation? This is a certain truth, which may comfort a man as yet unsanctified, that sin merely as sin shall not condemn him, nor any thing in the world, but the final, obstinate refusal of the remedy, which thereby leaveth all other sin unpardoned. N,w, I would ask you this question in your greatest fears that you are out of Christ : Are you willing to have Christ to pardon, sanctify, guide, and save you, ornot ? If you are, then you are á true believer, and did not know it. Ifyou are not, if you will but wait on God's word in hearing, and reading, and consider frequent- ly and seriously of the necessityand excellency of Christ and glory, and the evil of sin and the vanity of the world, and will but beg earnestly of God to make you willing, you shall find that God bath not appointed you this means in vain, and that this way will be more profitable to you than all your complainings. See, therefore, when you are at the very lowest, that you forsake not the comforts of general grace. And, indeed, those that deny any general grace or redemption, do leave poor Christians in a very lamentable condition. For, alas ! assurance of special grace (yea, or a high probability) is not so
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