156 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. testimony that is given in heaven by all the holy per- sons of the Trinity, and on earth by grace and ordinan- ces, to the forgiveness of sin and eternal life to be ob- tained by Jesus Christ. And this record is true, firm and stable, an abiding foundation for souls to rest upon, that will never deceive them. But yet all this mercy of God is a thing that exists without us; it is what We have no experience of in ourselves : we rest upon it only because of the authority and faithfulness of Him that reveals it. Still it is a fact that he who actually be- lieves has the testimony in himself; he has, by experi- ence, a real evidence and assurance of the things testi- fied to, namely, " that God bath given us eternal life, and that this life is in the Son," verse 1l. Let us then consider in what this evidence consists, and whence this assurance arises. 1. There is a great correspondence between the heart ofa believer and the truth he believes. As the word is in the Gospel, so is grace in the heart; yea, they are the same thing variously expressed, " Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine delivered unto you." Rom. 6 : 17. I know not how in few words to express what is emphatically here insinuated by the Holy Ghost. The meaning is, that the doctrine of the Gospel begets the form, figure, image, or likeness of itself, in the hearts of them that believe ; so that they are cast into the mould of it. As is the one, so is the other: as is rege- neration, so is a regenerate heart; as is the doctrine of faith, so is a believer: and this gives great assurance of the things that are believed. As we have heard, so we have seen and found it; such a soul can produce the duplicate of the word, and so adjust all things thereby. 2. The first original expression of divine truth is not in the word, no, not as given out from the infinite abyss of divine wisdom and veracity, but it is laid up and ex- pressed in theperson of Christ. He is " the first pattern
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