g52 StRÉNGTI4 OF ISRAEL: from being the Slaves of Sin and Satan ; if he refcue them from the painful Drudgery of ferving a thoufand unruly Lufts and Paflions ; if he releafe them from be- ing miferably fooled by a deceitful and perifhing World ; and if he bring them into the glorious Liberty of the Children of GOD, by removing their Doubts and Fears concerning Death and Eternity : This is the very Deliverer, and the very Salvation, fuch a fainting, op- prefl'ed and perifhing Mortal, as Man is, could defire. And all this is as fenfibly experienced, andas demon- ftrably known, by the Children of GOD ; as the Sun is known to Thine at Noon-day. The " wretched Joys of worldly Men, on the other hand, flourifh like dif- mal weeping Willows watered by a Ditch ; poor the Figure they make ; flux and obfcene the Ground on which they Band : But the Joys ofBelievers flourifh like Cedars of Libanus, from the Fountain of Heaven, and are rooted in a Rock the Rock of their Salvation." Thefe are as Tokens within them. And if any fcoff at this internal Evidence, which the Lordgives his People concerning the Truth of his Salvation ; it may be taken, ex confeffo and for granted, that they know not the Evi- dence : And, if they do not know it ; how can they rationally judge of it ? To fay, that fome People may be deceived, refpeEting the Poffefl'ion of this Evidence, is faying nothing ; unlefs it could be proved, that the Evidence itfelf is a Deception, and that GOD's Prom ife of giving it is untrue. But, as this cannot be done ; the Hypocrify of fome Profeffors can no more invali- date the Truth of GOD, than the Oppugnation and Malevolence of its Enemies. The Chriftian, through infinite Grace, knows in whom he bath believed, and is divinely perfuaded, that his Re- deemer is able to keep the deareft Concerns of his Body and Soul, which he bath committed* to hisCare, through Time for Eternity. The World may rage, Satan may roar, the Flefh may entice; but the Believer's Refuge z Tim. i. i z. is
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