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Show J11tlall, though in an hour of temptation he cryeth 01U, I flzaU one Jaytlie by the band of Saul. ~. He etJHIIot JtHDw it, whiles hi~ toHfeienct-teUetb hint lu lytth 1111der the [Uilt of fin not rtptnted of: for thot~gh under fuch a guilt there be in reality a great difference between an elcd, julliliedSoul, and one not jutlitied; yet to his own apprehenfion there can be no difference 1 for all his guidance as to this knowl<dg mull be from the Scripture, which fpeaketh nothing to encourage a Soul really lying under the guilt of Sin not repented of. · . 3. Thirdly, He ca/lltot ~o"' it brtt in the "'alk.jng i11 that cnurf~ ~f life, and in the 11{1 of, tho[< mean1 which God hath •PJ>ointed hirn for the ttzaintailring and preji:rving of thi1 Vniott. The Scripture Iilith, His {tr11atttJ ~ou are whom you obey. A man cannot know that he is the fervont ofChrill, or the Spoufc of Chrill, unlefs he finds his heart let to obey Chrill, lludying to perfect holinefs in the fear of God. This is tlfen all which we affirm in this Point. · T hat a gracious Soul Iring not ulldcr the notorious guilt of any fin not •epented of;. but herein exercifing himfelf to keep a confcience void of offence both towards God and rowards man : having his Spirit free from Jefs ufual incumbrances of melancholick difiempers and temptations, may know and be able to conclude, not only his prefent Union with Chrill, but alfo the abiding of this Union : yea, and this (as I faid before for the kno.wledg of the Union ) wirhont any extraordinary Revelation f.am Heav<n, but from the mere ordinary exercifes of Faith under the ordinary atlillances of the blelfed Spirit ot God,enabling it to fee the Truth, and Sincerity ofits own ads. r. Now as to the proof of this, it dependeth perfed:!y upon what I have all this while been difcourfing to you, that ts, GodJ RroelatioH of the ctrtaint) of the thing in it fi:lf; (or granting the thing in it felf certain, ( whicl~ is tha~ ~hich I have. been ~ll.along difcourfing:) and that there ts a ful!ictent Revelauon of It tn ~h~ llook of God · what fhould hinder but that we may know tt . l.itppofing us ;o believe the Word of God, and that the Spiiit of God af!illeth us to difcern the rruth of our own acts ofFatth;and in the lludyofHolinefs. . . . . 2. Again, 'fhe Scripture once and a gam tells us of ;oy, JOY tn \1.1~ holy Gholl 111 11 {rNit of tbc Spirit, as a confequent and tJf!a.J · Ju!ft· The DD!Jrine t~pplied. 1•Jtijie&tf•n, &c. Rom. 5· 2; Gal. 5· 2 2. Now how could the chlldre? of God be capable of rtjoycing in the bopt1 of tbe glory of God, tf they were not capable of knowing that they fhall be brough~ to t?at glory> How could they rrjoyce in the Lord, and agam rr;oyce, tf rhey mull always live in fear,thvifh fear, offalling from their bldfed Clare? 3•. Further, Yet what !hall we make of qhat {eali11g with the ba1~ Sptrzt of Promife a[t<T believi>~g, which the Apollle callcth tbe ear neff Eph+'3•'4· of '!"r. lnhmt,ncc rento the Rtdtmption of the purcba[<d P•fFJ!ion l What IS that Seal, and earnr/f uf the Spirit in our bPartJ, mcn;10ned In l Cor. r. 22? What doth all this' fignify, but the pollibility of fuch a Knowledg ? '!-· La111y, If this were not, 101bat <ert•inty could tlu re be ;, Faztl!! The ob1ed of Faith is the Propojitmn of the word; rhe w~rd as I have Chewed abundantly revealeth and confirmeth this ahtdt~g !late of the Soul united to Chrill: if now having fuch Promttes, t~e Soul could not yet know it, and might not yet be a~le to lay tt, there could be no certainty at all in F ailb; nay, faath would be rather worfc than an opinion: whereas undoubtc? Iy as there i_s the highell certainty of a thing imaginable in a dtvtne _Revelatton, nothint; oan be more certain than whai God hath la~d. /itall be : fo as to us we can never be mldc more certain · of any thing than what Faith trulling to a divine Revelation gives as the affurance of. But I (hall in lift no more upon the Dod tina! part, I come to t_he Appl!cJtion ; and fhall begin fhewing you how profitabl( th1s Dodrme may be to us for lnllrudien. The Apoll!e faith, 2 Tim. 2. r6. that all Scripture is given by divine ln! J>rr~tlltt of_God,~tl. i1 profitable for Do{}rint, for reproof, for cor· r~llton, for zojlr~llronittrightt•ufite{J. The Apo!lle to tlx: RomanJ, Chap. '5·. 4· ~1ves us another ufe of Scriptt~re, vi7 .. for o11r cr;mfort. I .wtll begtn watb Chewing ·you the ufefulnefs of this truth for lH~ ruelion. , r. In th~ tirll place, we may be inflruded from hence bo., B mt~cb better the II ate of the Saints under the Gofpel is tban tb'e (btt 1' r mch. •f Adam while he . WJ< in the Jl•te of Inncwtcy? So as God hat C. kept his bell Wme 011fto the lafl. Undoubtedly no man can confi· de_r the !late of_a mao in which he was created, but mufl "y out ' ~Hh the Pfalmtll, Pfal. 8. 4· What i1 man tbat tholl art mindful nf b.rrn, ani the Son of man that thm vi{ttrft; f or thou hoft ,.,,de him lztllelowtrtban tbt 4nge1Jl What a word is tb:~t, Ge11.1. 27. In Ttt2 t~ |