(7.) The seventh and last reason why God denies assurance, for a time, even to his dearest ones, is, That they may live clearly and fully upon Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ may he seen to he all in all. It is natural to the soul to rest upon everything below Christ ; to rest upon creatures, to rest upon graces, to rest upon duties, to rest upon divine manifestations, to rest upon celestial consolations, to rest upon gracious evidences, and to rest upon sweet assurances. Now the Lord, to cure his people of this weakness, and to bring them to live wholly and solely upon Jesus Christ, denies comfort, and denies assurance, &c., and for a time leaves his children of light to w^alk in darkness. Christians, this you are always to remember, that though the enjoyment of assurance makes most for your consolation, yet the living purely upon Christ in the want of assurance, makes most for his exaltation. No Christian to him that, in the want of visibles, can live upon an invisible God; that in thick darkness can live upon God as an everlasting light.* He is happy that believes upon seeing, upon feeling, but thrice happy are those souls that believe when they do not see ; that love when they do not know that they are beloved ; and that in the want of all comfort and assurance, can live upon Christ as their only all.* He that hath learned this holy art, cannot be miserable ; he that is ignorant of this art cannot be happy.®
• 2 Cbron. xxxii. The whole chapter is worthy of reading.
* As I get good by my sins, so I get hurt by my graces, said Mr Fox, they being acci- dental occasions of pride to him. [The Martyrologist.— G.] Augustine saith that the first, second, and third virtue of a Christian is humility. [See Index under Humility for former citations of this ; also under Augustine for reference.— G.]
» God hath two hands, a hand open and a hand shut, and he makes use of both to keep souls humble.
* Omne bonum in sutnmo bono, all good is in the chiefest good. Christ is all things to Christians ; he is bread to feed them, a fountain to refresh them, a physician to heal them, a rock to shelter them, a light to guide them, and a crown to crown them.
» Heb. xi. 27; Isa. Ix. 1!» ; Micah vii. 7-9; John xx. 28, 29.
• Christ is omnia super omnia.
Rom. VIII. 32-34.] heaven on earth. 335
The second proposition is this, That the Scripture hath many sweet significant tcords to express that well-grounded assurance by, which believers may attain to in this life.
Sometimes it is called a persuasion.' Rom. viii. 38, ' I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, &c., shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.' It is rendered a per- spicuous and peculiar manifestation of Christ to the soul, John xiv. 21-24. It is often rendered, to know, as 1 John iii. 14, 19, 24, and V. 13, 19, &c. But the word that the Scripture doth most fully express this by, '^'krjPo<poBia, full assurance, that is, when the soul, by the Spirit and word, is so fully persuaded of its eternal happiness and blessedness, that it is carried, like Noah's ark, above all waves, doubts, and fears, and, Noah-like, sits still and quiet, and can, with the apostle Paul, triumph over sin, hell, wrath, death, and devil.
This is sometimes called ' full assurance of understanding ;' some- times it is called ' full assurance of hope ;' and sometimes it is called ' full assurance of faith ;' because these are the choice and pleasant springs from whence assurance flows. Col. ii. 2 ; Heb. vi. 11, 18, 19; X. 22.
Now though this full assurance is earnestly desired, and highly prized, and the want of it much lamented, and the enjoyment of it much en- deavoured after by all saints, yet it is only obtained by a few. Assur- ance is a mercy too good for most men's hearts, it is a crown too weighty for most men's heads. Assurance is optimum maximum, the best and greatest mercy ; and therefore God will only give it to his best and dearest friends.''
Augustus in his solemn feasts, gave trifles to some, but gold to others. Honours and riches, &c., are trifles that God gives to the worst of men ; but assurance is that 'tried gold,' Rev. iii. 18, that God only gives to tried friends. Among those few that have a share or portion in the special love and favour of God, there are but a very few that have an assurance of his love.'
It is one mercy for God to love the soul, and another mercy for God to assure the soul of his love. God writes many a man's name in the book of life, and yet will not let him know it till his hour of death, as the experience of many precious souls doth clearly evidence. Assurance is a flower of paradise that God sticks but in a few men's bosoms. It is one thing to be an heir of heaven, and another thing for a man to know or see himself an heir of heaven. The child in the arms may be heir to a crown, a kingdom, and yet not understand it ; so many a saint may be heir to a crown, a kingdom of glory, and yet not know it. As the babes that passes the pangs of the first-birth do not presently cry, 'Father, father;' so the new-born babes in Christ, that have passed the pangs of the second-birth, do not presently cry ' Abba, Father ;' they
^ (1.) There is a natural persuasion : natural principles may persuade a man that there is a God, and that this God is a great God, a beauteous God, &c., but this will not make a man happy; (2.) there is a moral persuasion; (3.) there is a traditional persuasion; (4.) there is a divine persuasion that flows from divine principles and causes.
* This full assurance is the maximum quod sic, the highest pinnacle of assurance.
' Most saints, 1 believe, can give a loud testimony to this truth. I shall rejoice when theii: experiences shall confute it. [Augustus, . . . trifles : Suetonius, Octavius, cap. 75._G.]
336 HEAVEN ON EAETH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.
do not presently cry out, Heaven, heaven is ours ; glory, glory is ours Rom. viii. 16, 17, 1 Peter ii. 2.
The third proposition is this. That a man may have true grace, that hath Ti 0 ) assurance of the love and favour of God, or of the remis- sion of his sins and salvation of his soul.
A man may be truly holy, and yet not have assurance that he shall be eternally happy. A man may be God's, and yet he not know it ; his estate may be good, and yet he not see it ; he may be in a safe condition, when he is not in a comfortable condition. All may be well with him in the court of glory, when he would give a thousand worlds that all were but well in the court of conscience.'