I i q. Duty ofBelievers to endeavour AD/trance. Pfa1.13 e. Duty of Believers to endea- vour Af- furance. Firfr, It is the duty of every Believer, to labour after an Af_ fiurance of a Perfonal intereff in forgiven(f ; and to be diligent in the cherifhing and prefervation of it when it is attained. The Apotile exhorts us all unto it, Heb. ro. 22. Let us dratvnear in full Afurance of faith ; that is, of our Acceptance with God through forgivenefs in the blood of Jefus. This he plainly difcourfeth of. And this Principle of our faith and confidence, he would have us to hold fßáft unto the end, Chap. 3. 14. It is no fmall evil in Believers not to be prefling after perfe6iion in believing and obedience. Oft-times fume finful indulgence to felt or the world or floth is the caufe of it. Hence few come up to GoJIiel flfurance. but yet mrff of our Pribilédges, and upon the matter all our comforts depend on this one thing. A little by the way, to encourage unto this duty, I [hall delire you to confider both whence this Affurance is produced, and what it doth produce; what it is the fruit of, and what frxit it bears. Caufes and Firff, It is in general the produa of a more plentiful commu- Eflifts of nication of the Spirit than ordinary, as to a fenfe and partici- Affurance pation of the choice fruits of the death of Chrifl, procured for thole who are juflified by their acceptance of the Attonement, It flourifheth not without hisJéaling, witnefftng, eftablifhing, and flue/ding abroad the Love of God in our hearts. See Rom. 5.2, 3, 4., 5. And what Believer ought not to long for, and preis after the enjoyment of thefe things. Nay to read of there things ín the Gofpel not experiencing them in our own hearts, and yet to fit down quietly on this fide of them, with- Out continual prefling after them, is to defpife the blood of Chrift, the Spirit of Grace, and the whole work ofGods Love. If there are no fxch things, the Gofpel is not true : if there are, and we preis not after them, we are deffiiJèrs of theGofpel. Surely he bath not the Spirit, who wouldnot have more of him, all of him that is promifed by Chrift. Thefe things are the hundred fold that Chrift hath left us in this world, to counter - poiCe our forrows, troubles and loffes : And (hall we be fo fool- fh as to neglea our only abiding riches and treafures ? In particular,
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