Ans. 1. Keep a pure conscience ; let no guilt lie upon the conscience unrepented of: God seals no pardons before repentance. God will not pour in the wine of assurance into a foul vessel, Heb. x. 22., " Let us di-aw near in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience !" Guilt clips the wings of comfort ; he who is conscious to himself of secret sins, can- not draw near to God in full assurance, — he caimot call God father, but judge ; keep conscience as clear as your eye, that no dust of sin fall into it.
A 2. If you would have assurance, be much in the actings of grace, 1 Tim. iv. 7., " Excercise thyself rather unto godliness." Men grow rich by trading ; by trading in gi'ace we grow rich in assurance, 2 Pet. i. 10., " Make your election sure." How ? " Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue know- ledge." Keep grace upon the wing, it is the lively faith flourisheth into assurance. No man will set up a great sail into a small boat, but in a large vessel : God sets up the sail of assurance in an heart enlarged with grace.
A. 3. If you would have assurance, che- rish the Holy Spirit of God. When David would have assurance, he prays, " take not thy Holy Spirit from me," Ps. li. 11. He knew that it was the Spirit only that could make him hear the voice of joy : the Spirit is the Comforter, he seals up assurance, 2 Cor. i. 22. Therefore make much of the Spirit, do not grieve it: as Noah opened the ark to receive the dove, so shoidd we open our hearts to receive the Spirit, this is the blessed dove which brings an olive branch of assurance in its mouth.
A. 4. Let us lie at the pool of the ordi- nances, frequent the word and sacrament, Cant. ii. 2., " He brought me to tlie ban- queting-house, and his banner over me was
love." The blessed ordinances are the ban- queting-house where God displays the ban- ner of assurance. The sacrament is a seal- ing ordinance ; Christ made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread : so, in the holy supper, in the breaking of bread God makes himself known to us, to be our God and portion.
Quest. 9. How shoidd they carry them- selves who have assurance ?
Ans. 1. If you have assurance of your justification, do not abuse assurance : 1. It is an abusing of assurance, when we grow more remiss in duty ; as the musician, hav- ing money thrown him, leaves off playing By remissness, or intermitting the exercises of religion, we grieve the Spirit, and that is the way to have an embargo laid upon our spiritual comforts. — 2. We a1>use assu- rance, when we grow presumptuous and less fearful of sin. What! because a father gives his son an assurance of his love, and tells him he will entail his land upon him, shall the son therefore be wanton and dis- solute? This were the way to lose his fath- er's affection, and make him cut off the en- tail ; it was an aggravation of Solomon's sin, " his heart was turned away from the Lord, after he had appeared to him twice," 1 Kings xi. 9. It is bad to sin when one wants assurance, but it is worse to sin when one hath it. Hath the Lord sealed his love with a kiss ? Hath he left a pledge of hea- ven in your hand, and do you thus requite the Lord ? AVill you sin with manna in your mouth ? Doth God give you the sweet clusters of assurance to feed on, and will you return him wild grapes? It much pleas- eth Satan, either to see us want assurance, or abuse it : this is to abuse assurance, when the pulse of our soul beats faster in sin, and slower in duty.
A. 2. If you have assurance, admire this stupendous mercy. You deserved tliat God should give you gall and vinegar to drink, and hath he made the honey-comb of his love to drop upon you ? O fall down and adore his goodness ! Say, Lord, how is it that thou shouldest manifest thyself to me, and not to other believers ! those whom thou lovest as the apple of thine eye, yet thou boldest them in suspense, and givest [ them no assurance of thy love ; though
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thou bast piven them the now namo, yet not the white stone; tlioiij^li tliey have the seed of graee, yet not tlte oil of" p:la(hi(«s ; tlioiifrli they have the Holy Ghost, the sanctifier, yet not the Holy Ghost, the comforter ! Lord, whence is it that thou sliouldest manifest thyself to me, and make my ffolden heams of assurance shine upon my soul ? O admire God ! this will be the work of heaven.