S s'.c.r XH. ofBialai:adling. 673 holineffe, fo they than maketheir calling and ele&ion fare. In thenext place lotusconfider what are thofe effeftsof grace, which ifa maxi walk in, hemay bepartaker of this priviledgc : not but that God by his abfolutè foveraignty, and forholy ends, may leavethe mofl exalt and circumfpef4 Chr, liens indarkneffe, withoutany light ; as it was in lob: And the Prophet inti- mated], Wbo is amongyou that fearethClod, andbath no light, walking in darkn:fs ? ifa.5o.xo. One that feared) God, and is precious to God, may walk in dark- nefle, having no light,and all that he can do is to fray his foul on God by a meet a$ of recumbency, not ofany affurance at all. This God maydo, but yet them are particularwaits, which ifwaled in, God may givetheethis wh'te (tone; as it iscalled, Revel. 2.17. Thou !halt walk as one acquitted from thyfin, and no mancan tell what it is thou feeleft, but thy felfonly. And firft, wemail give ail diligence andheed to theobtaining of this priviledge, Effefks of Wemuff make it our bufrnefte, itmuff be importunat ly begged for in praier, grace, by há- Thus the text,The rather give all diligence; negls. not this, whatfoever thou "1pß which aflefl by. Now it is nowonder that naturali men they lookon it as á matter Saintmay ob- P y' y rainÁffuranté: not toberegarded, becaufe they have never been woundedwith fn, theyhave x 'alwai.s had a f lf-fnlnefs, a kW-righteoufnefs, andby this means havenot breath- ed and thirfled after thisaffurance; ,"inil dabitat,nildifcit ; he that never doubts will never learn : And fohe that bath not been in the depthsof Gods difpleafure for fin, hethathath not felthis frowns and his anger, he never comes tothink; oh what a bleffedand happy thing itis tobe trulyaffuredofthe grace of God I :hat Iam fetchan one to whom the Covenant of grace belongs 1 achilde to whom the breadofthepromife appertained), andnotadog I Hencetherefore it is that menlit down without this privilcdge, they do not lookatit as a great mercy ; theydonot prizeit above all other things ; and therefore they do not,, becaufe they were never fenfible of the want of it. They never laywounded with fin, they never were amazed at the hypocrifieand unfoundnefs of theirhearts; They never felt themfelves dropping asit were into hell; and hereupon they giveno diligence forthisaffurance. Toole in earthly things, bow careful' men are to makeall their bargainslure; in all parchaba to make their evidencesfure : Poor men think they areundone, if they lofe their evidences about anearthly inheri- tance, andnever think themfelves miferable, though they have no true ground or evidence for their fpirituall condition. Secondly, Theway to obtain this aff nranceisafraitfnl, Proem.and allivewalk- ing in aid tbearaiea ofholioefe. Ifthcfc thingsbe inyou and abound, faith the A- poftle. Thefparks that are ready to go our, do hardly evidence there is any fire. We doubtof life when wefeel !careany breath ; and thus it is here ; The more remifs, andnegligent, and lazy thouart inthe wales ofgodlineffa, the lef'e cer- tainty mullneeds be in thee : And thereafon is plain ; for if graces exercifed be the lignurteal, then themordthòfe appear, the more thriving and flourifhiüg they are, the foyer teftimonics there will beofthy callingand ele&ion. When the Church was lazy and negligent, fhe loft the comfortable pretence and in- poyment ofChrift. The !landing pools, and fluggifh waters, theybeget the croaking frogs : And thushe whoprayeth, asif hepraicd not ; btlieveth, asifhe believednot ; this man takes theway tohave wounds and,blows, and allman- ner oftormenting fears in hisheart. Though grace exercifed be notthecaufeor merit of thy falvation, yet it is an infallible frgnof thy falvation ; As the Rain- bow is not a caufebut align thatGodwill never drownthe world. HenceTax/ argueth fromhis fervency in grace toaffurance, Ihave fomgbt agòodfight hence- forth is tlaidxpforme aeratonofglory, aTim. 49,to. Ihavefoaghtagood fight : Chriftianity was a real combate with lin, with the world, and all oppofition and he had not been idle or cowardly, but álwaios upon his watch, and there- fore hehad this comfortable perfwafion. So that nothing will darken thy fouls more then dull,lazyand negligent walking. When thou abatelt or dccatefl it Rut
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=