i cciottl fait!). ítinguifh between f minal affurance and aiáual; an infant faith hath feminal affurance, light is fawn for the righteous , Pfal. 97. i i. but the crop of comfort doth not immediately fpring up, the weakeft believer is heir to all the joys of heaven, only he doth not prefently know his title, he hath not ordinarily actual affu- rance at the very fait ; I fay, not ordinarily, for we muff not limit the holy one, who by his royal prerogative may let in the fweet fenfe of his love in the firft inilant of believing. Thefe dìftin Lions premifed, the meaning of the pro- polition is, That faith in its lo2veft meafure, which is the condition of the Goffel doth not efJ`entially include affurance. And this I {hall manifeft by the enfuing confiderati- ons. Firft, All true believers have not affurance. Scripture and experience manifeft it ; there are Lambs which are gathered into the arms and laid in the bofome of free- grace, yet know not where they are. There ar&iittle ones, babes in Chrift, which can only hang upon the breaft, and are not grown up into the reflections and joys of faith; the poor in fpirit,, the mourners, the hungry and thirfly after righteoufizeg, men- tioned in the fifth chapter of Matthew, are all of them true believers, bleffed ones, and heirs of the promifes, and yet all of them are with- out any glimpfe of affurance ; the poor in fpirit, all in' rags of unworthinefs and felf- nothingnefs, as if he had no title to the king- dom ; the mourners weeping and defölate, like 137
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