We have in our case called in the testimony of the saints in hea- ven, with whom those on earth do make up one family, even that one family in heaven and earth which is called after the name of the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Eph. iii. 14, 15. And they all agree in their testimony, as becomes tlie family and cluldren of God. But those below we may deal personally with; whereas we gather the Avitness of the other only from what is left upon record concerning them. And for the clearing of this evidence simdry things are to be observed; as, —
]. Men living under the profession of religion, and not experi-
45-i AN EXPOSITION UPON I'SALM CXXX. [Ver.4.
encing the poiuer, virtue, and efficacy of it in their liearts, are, ivhat- ever they i)rofess, very near to atheism, or at least exposed to great temptations thereunto. If " they profess they know God, but in works deny him," they are " abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate," Tit. i. 1 6. Let such men lay aside tra- dition and custom, let them give up themselves to a free and a rational consideration of things, and they will quickly find that all their profession is but a miserable self-deceiving, and that, indeed, they believe not one word of the religion which they profess: for of what their religion affirms to be in themselves they find not any thing true or real; and what reason have they, then, to believe that- the things which it speaks of that are without them are one jot bet- ter? If they have no experience of what it affirms to be within them, what confidence can they have of the reality of what it reveals to be without them? John tells us that " he who saitli he loves God whom he hath not seen, and doth not love his brother whom he hath seen, is a liar." Men who do not things of an equal concernment unto them wherein they may be tried, are not to be believed in what they profess about greater things, whereof no trial can be had. So he that believes not, who experienceth not, the power of that which the religion he professeth affirms to be in him, if he says that he doth believe other things which he can have no experience of, he is a liar. For instance, he that professeth the gospel avows that the death of Christ doth crucify sin ; that faith purifieth the heart ; that the Holy Ghost quickens and enables the soul unto duty; that God is good and gracious unto all that come imto him ; that there is precious communion to be obtained with him by Christ; that there is great joy in believing. These things are plainly, openl}'^, frequently in- sisted on in the gospel. Hence the apostle presseth men unto obe- dience on the account of them ; and, as it were, leaves them at liberty from it if they were not so, Phil. ii. 1, 2. Now, if men have lived long in the profession of these things, saying that they are so, but indeed find nothing of truth, reality, or power in them, have no ex- perience of the effects of them in their own hearts or souls, what stable ground have they of believing any thing else in the gospel whereof they cannot have experience? A man professeth that the death of Christ will mortify sin and subdue corruption; why doth he believe it? Because it is so affirmed in the gospel. How, then, doth he find it to be so? hath it this effect upon his soul, in his own heart? Not at all; he finds no such thing in him. How, then, can this man believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because it is affirmed in the gospel, seeing that he finds no real tnith of that which it affirms to be in himself? So our Saviour argues, John iii. 12, "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how will ye believe
Ver.4.] EVIDENCE OF FORGIVENESS WITH GOD. 455
if I tell you heavenly things?" — "If you believe not the doctrine of regeneration, which you ought to have experience of, as a thing that is wrought in the hearts of men on the earth, how can you as- sent unto those heavenly mysteries of the gospel which at first are to be received by a pure act of faith, without any present sense or ex- perience?"
Of all dangers, therefore, in profession, let professors take heed of this, — namely, of a customary, traditional, or doctrinal owning such truths as ought to have their effects and accomplishment in them- selves, whilst they have no experience of the reality and efficacy of them. This is plainly to have a form of godliness, and to deny the power thereof And of this sort of men do we see many turning- atheists, scoffers, and open apostates. They find in themselves that their profession was a lie, and that in truth they had none of those things which they talked of; and to what end should they continue longer in the avowing of that which is not ? Besides, finding those things which they have professed to be in them not to be so, they think that what they have believed of the things that are without them are of no other nature; and so reject them altogether.