PART II. to diinguifh Apaions. 73 preflions about their own eternalSalvation, to reveal to then that their Sins are forgiven them, that their Names are written in the Book of Life, that they are in highFavour withGod, &c. and efpecially when: they earneftly Peek, expea and wait for Evidence of their Ele6tion and. Salvation this Way, as the foreft and moft glorious Evidence of it. Neither is it any Wonder, that when they have fuch a fuppofedReve -'. lation of their good Eftate, it raifes in them the highefl: Degree of Confidence of it. 'Tis found by abundantExperience that thofe who are led away by Impulfes and imagined Revelations, are extremely. confident : They fuppofe that the greatJehovah has declared thefeand thofe Things to them ; and having his immediateTeftimony, a ftrong Confidence is the higheftVertue. Hence they are bold to fay, Iknow this or that ; - - - -I know certainly ; - --I am as Pure as that I have a Being, and the like : And they defpife all Argument andEnquiry in theCafe. And above all Things clfe, 'Lis eafy to be accounted for, that Impref- lions and Impulfes about that which is fo pleafing, fo fuiting their Self-Love and Pride, as their being the dear Children of God, diftin guilhed frommoft in the World in his Favour, fhould make then ftrongly confident : Efpecially when with their Impulfes and Reve- lations they have high Afedtions, which they take to be the moft e- minent Exercifes of Grace. I have known of feveral Perfons, that have had a fond Defrre of fomething of a temporal Nature, thro' a violent Paffion that has poffeffed them, and they have been earneftly purfuing the Thing they have defiled fhould come to pals, and have met with great Difficulty and many Difcouragements in it, but at Iaft have had an Impreffion or fuppofed Revelation that they fhould ob- tain what they fought ; and they have look'd upon it as a lure Pro - rnife.from the moft High, which has made them molt ridiculoufly con- fident, againft all Manner of.Reafon to convince them to the contrary, and all Events working againft them. And there is nothing hinders, but that Perfons who are feeking their Salvation, may he deceived by the like delufive Impreffions, and be made confident of that, the fame Way. The Confidence of many of this Sort of Hypocrites, that Mr. She- pard calls evangelical Hypocrites, is like the Confidence of fomomad Men, who think they are Kings : They will maintain it againft all Manner of Reafon and, Evidence. And in one Senfe, it is much more immoveable than a trulygracious Affurance ; a true Affurance is not upheld, but by the Soul's being kept in a holy. Frame, and Grace maintain'd in lively Exercife. If the Mtings of Grace do much de- cay in the Chriftian, and he falls into a lifelefs Frame, he boles his Affurance : But this Kind of Confidence of Hypocrites will not be fhaken by ,Sin : They, (at leaft fome of them) will maintain their Boldnefs in their Hope, in the molt corrupt Frames and wicked Ways
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