3. Some have ' left their first love,' Kev. ii. 4, have fainted in the race before they came to the goal : Gal. v. 7, ' Ye did run well ; who hindered you ? ' Men that have made long profession of the name of Christ may find a great abatement of their integrity in their latter days: 2 Chron. xvii. 3, ' Jehoshaphat walked in the first ways of his father David.' In his latter time he fell into scandalous sins, partly through the suggestions of Satan. An importunate suitor may at length pre- vail by his perseverance in his suit. Long conversing with the world, #nd objects to which we are accustomed, taint the mind. Worldliness formerly hated may creep in. A deformed object is most odious at first sight, afterward it is more reconciled to our thoughts. Indwelling sin, long restrained, may break out again ; as roses snipt in summer bud in winter. A man, upon the supposition that he hath grace, and is possessed of the love of God, may grow negligent, and thinketh there needeth not such diligence as when he was doubtful.
4. The nature of the assurance is to exclude fear, which hath torment ; but not the fear of caution and diligence ; for so, ' Blessed is he that feareth always,' Pro v. xxviii. 14 ; and ' we must pass the whole time of our sojourning here in fear,' 1 Peter i. 17. We need not retain the same doubting perplexities and fears of God's displeasure, but we must retain a fear of binning, and be much more in the love of God and his service than ever we were before. So that this assurance, if it be right, doth increase our diligence and watchfulness, and make us more obedient, holy, and fruitful towards God. We are never so thankful, humble, and heavenly as when we do most certainly look for salvation.
Use 1. To show us the difference between carnal security and solid assurance of our good estate before God. There are many differences, but it will not suit with my purpose to pursue all.
1. There is a difference in the grounds ; the one is a slight presump- tion of the end without the means, the other goeth upon solid evidences: 1 John iii. 19, ' Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him.' The one buildeth upon a sandy foun- dation, the other upon a rock.
2. They differ in the effects: the one benumbeth the conscience into a stupid, quiet, and lazy peace ; the other reviveth the conscience, and filleth it with joy and peace in believing : Rom. xv. 13, ' Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost.' With joy and peace in obeying : 2 Cor. i. 12, ' For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world.' With joy and peace in suffering: 1 Peter i. 8, ' Though now in tribulation, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory.'
3. They differ in the way, how either is gotten, or how maintained. Foolish presumption costs a man nothing ; like a mushroom, it grow- eth up in a night, or like Jonah's gourd. We did not labour for it ; it came upon men they know not how nor why. The less such men exercise themselves unto godliness, the more confident. A serious exercising of grace would discover their unsoundness. A peace that groweth upon us we know not how, and is better kept by negligence
VER. 12.] SERMONS UPON PHILIPPIANS III. 81
than diligence, is not right. We may say to them. How earnest thou by it so soon, my son ? Men leap into it upon slight grounds ; but a true assurance is gotten with diligence, and kept with watchfulness.
[1.] It is gotten with diligence. The scripture everywhere calls for it, when it persuades us to look after so great a benefit. And surely the counsel of the Holy Ghost is not to be despised : 2 Peter i. 10, 1 Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure ; ' Heb. vi. 11, 'That ye show forth the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end,' 2 Peter hi. 14, ' Be diligent, that you may be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless/ Now see after all this warning if the comforts of the Spirit will drop into the mouth of the lazy soul. If you neglect your duty, your sense of your interest will abate. God withdraweth his comforts to awaken his children and quicken them to their duty.
[2.] It is kept with watchfulness. The scripture is plentiful in warnings of that nature. See some places: Heb. iv. 1, ' Let us there- fore fear lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.' The more confident we are of the promise, the more should our caution increase : Heb. xii. 28, 29, * Wherefore, we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear : for our God is a consuming fire ;' 1 Cor. x. 12, ' Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.' The fear of caution doth not weaken assurance, but guard it. And therefore if men be confident of salvation, and gather some ill consequence of it, that tendeth to security and remitting of their watchfulness and care, surely their assurance is not right ; that is, if they be bolder with sin, if they stretch conscience, omit some of the more painful and costly duties, take more fleshly liberty and ease, and say, Now I am a child of God, out of danger, and therefore need not be so strict and diligent ; these think themselves something when thev are nothing.