ing being the want of affurance, and being the re verfe of faith, affurance is neceffarily of the effence of faith.

3. The teftimony of God's word to this property of faith is clear and decifive. It forms the chief part of the definition which the Holy Ghoft has given. Now faith is the fubftance of things hoped for; the EVIDENCE of things not feen.* We are exhorted to draw nigh to the holiest of all, with true hearts, and in the FULL ASSURANCE of faith. Where the truth contended for is doubly established, (1.) By direct affertion; " The ASSURANCE of faith," i. e. the affurance which belongs to faith; or else the expreffion is deftitute of meaning. (2.) By allowing degrees in this affurance" the FULL affurance of faith." Which implies the existence of the affurance itself: for a thing which has no being cannot have degrees of being. Thefe paffages alone, and especially in connection with others, which reprefent faith as building on Chrift the foundation-trufting in him§-refting and leaning on him, do fully prove that affurance is of the nature of faith.

4. The fruits of faith do alfo befpeak affurance, Believers have peace in their confciences-they are freed from the dominion of fin-they overcome the world-they receive from the fulness of Chrift Jefus-they mind the things of the fpirit, &c. All

Heb. xi. 1. The original word rendered “evidence,” signifies demon stration,-argument which forbids reply. § Eph. i. 12, 13. ¶ Song. viii. 5.

+ Heb. x. 22.

+ Eph. ii. 20.

Pf. xxxvii. 7.

thefe bleffings are the fubject of promife, and are enjoyed only in the way of believing the promise. But how can he believe the promise who has no confidence in it? and how can a finner have relief from the terrors of the law? how can his enlightened conscience be pacified? much more, how can he walk in newness of life, unless he be perfuaded that he, in particular, is reconciled to God; that he, in particular, thall be faved; and unless he repose his foul upon the faithfulness of God in Chrift, who hath promised to do to him and for him far more abundantly than he can ask or think?

Against this doctrine of faith, it cannot be juftly objected, "that it requires every one who hears the gospel to believe that Christ died for him in par❝ticular, and thus terminates in the error of univer"fal redemption."

This confequence is avoided by a very plain and important diftinction between faith as a general duty, and as a special grace. As a general duty, it is to believe affuredly on the teftimony of God, who cannot lie, that Chrift Jefus is freely given, in the gofpel offer, to me in particular; and to take him to myself, as the Father's gift, for my own particular falvation; perfuaded, in thus receiving him, that I fhall be faved. It is this receiving of Chrift which converts the indefinite promife of falvation to believers, into a promise of falvation to me in particular; and without this appropriation of Christ, none have a right to conclude that he died for them, and that they shall be faved.-As a fpecial grace, faith does actually receive the Lord Jefus, and thus binds

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the divine faithfulness to the particular falvation of him who believes: fo that he may warrantably say, and ought to be perfuaded, and, in fome measure, is perfuaded, that whatever Christ did for finners, he did for him; and whatever God hath promised to his people, shall be accomplished to him.

Nor can it be objected, that "this doctrine of faith, representing true believers as at all times undoubtedly affured of their own gracious ftate, is "inconfiftent with christian experience, and with "the encouragements held forth in scripture to those "who labour under doubts and fears; and tends to "make fad the hearts of those whom God hath not “made fad.”

The question is not concerning a believer's opinions of his state, which are influenced not only by his faith, but by his feelings, by temptations, by corruptions, and especially by unbelief; but concerning the nature of his faith itself. That this is fome times ftrong, fometimes weak; yea, fo weak that he cannot difcern its operations, and even disputes its existence, is moft certain. But faith he has notwithstanding. His being unconfcious of it at the time, does no more prove the want of it, than unconsciousness of the vital motions of the body proves a state of death. Though his faith be fmall as a grain of mustard feed, and feeble as the firft motion of embryo-life, it is effentially the fame with the branching tree, and with the active energy of a perfect man. It is, therefore, as really oppofed to every kind of doubting in its fainteft, as in its most vigorous exercise. The difference lies only in degree,

Doubting believers there are; but doubting faith there cannot be. In fo far as a believer doubts, he is under the power of unbelief; for be his darkness and his fears what they may, they prevail exactly in the fame proportion as his faith fails. A doubting faith, then, is equivalent to an unbelieving faith; or, which is the fame thing, a believing unbelief. But this is a contradiction. It is, therefore, undeniable, that, in the midst of conflict and dejection, the believer does, and cannot but truft, and that for himself, in the mercy and faithfulness of his covenant-God. This is evinced to others, and may be evinced to the fatisfaction of his own foul, by his clinging to the Lord Chrift as his only hope; and by his horror at the thought of relinquishing his claim to the promises, and to the living God as his portion. Poor as he may call his hope, he would not barter it for millions of worlds. This be fpeaks a trust, and that not a flender one, in the Lord's promise, in Chrift, for personal falvation and this truft is precisely the affurance afferted as effential to faving faith.

It would greatly conduce to clear views of this fubject, were the diftinction between the affurance of faith, and the affurance of fense, rightly underftood and inculcated. When we speak of affurance as effential to faith, many suppose we teach that none can be real christians who do not feel that they have paffed from death unto life; and have not unclouded and triumphant views of their own intereft in Christ, so as to fay, under the manifeftations of his love," my beloved is mine, and I am his." But

God forbid that we should thus offend against the generation of his children. That many of them want such an affurance, may not be queftioned. This, however, is the affurance, not of faith, but of fense: and vaftly different they are. The object of the former, is Chrift revealed in the word: the object of the latter, Chrift revealed in the heartThe ground of the former, is the teftimony of God without us: that of the latter, the work of the Spirit within us-The one embraces the promise, looking at nothing but the veracity of the promiser: the other enjoys the promise in the sweetness of its actual accomplishment-Faith trufts for pardon to the blood of Chrift; Senfe afferts pardon from the comfortable intimations of it to the foul. By faith we take the Lord Jefus for falvation; by fenfe we feel that we are faved, from the Spirit's fhining on his own gracious work in our hearts.

These kinds of affurance, fo different in their nature, are very frequently feparated. The affurance of faith may be, and often is, in lively exercise, when the other is completely withdrawn. "Zion faid, my Lord hath forgotten me; and the Spouse, my beloved had withdrawn himfelf, and was gone."? "He may be a forgetting and withdrawing God to my feeling and yet to my faith, my God, and my Lord ftill." This cafe is accurately defcribed by the prophet. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and ftay upon his God.* Here:

* If. 1. 19.