154 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. obtained with him by Christ ; that there is great joy in believing. These things are plainly, openly, and fre- quently insisted on in the Gospel. But if men have lived long in the profession of these things, saying that they are so, but indeed find nothing of truth, reality, or pow- er in them, have no experience of the effects of them in their own souls, what stable ground have they of confi- dence in their belief of any thing else in the Gospel, of which they cannot have experience l A man professes that the death of Christ will mortify sin and subdue cor- ruption ; why does he believe it l because it is so affirm- ed in the Gospel. But does he in his own experience find it to be 401 Has it this effect on his soul, in his own heart l Not at all ; he finds no such thing in him. How then does this man savingly believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because it is affirmed in the Gospel, see- ing he finds no real truth in what it affirms to be in him- self l So our Savior argues, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe if I tell you heavenly things'i" John, 3: 12. If you believe not the doctrine of regeneration, which you ought to expe- rience as wrought in the hearts of men on earth; how do you believe those heavenly mysteries of the Gospel, which at first are to be received by a pure act of faith, without any present sense or experience. Of all dangers, therefore, in profession, let professors take heed of this; namely, of a customary, traditional or doctrinal owning such truths as ought to have their effects and accomplishment in themselves, whilst they have no experience of their reality and efficacy. This is plainly to have a form of godliness, and to deny the power thereof: and of this sort of men do we see many turning atheists, scoffers, and often apostates; they find in themselves that their profession was a lie, and that, in truth, they had none of those things which they talked of. Finding these things, which they have pro-
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