This is the meaning of that prayer of the apostle, Col. ii. 2, " That your hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledg- ment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." Understanding in the mysteries of the gospel they had ; but he prays that, by a farther experience of it, they might come to the " assurance of understanding." To be true, is the property of the doctrine itself: to be certain or assured, is the property of our minds. Now, this expe- rience doth so unite the mind and truth, that we say, " Such a truth is most certain ;" whereas certainty is indeed the proj^erty of our minds or their knowledge, and not of the truth knoAvn. It is certain unto us ; that is, we have an assured knowledge of it by the experience we have of it. This is the assurance of understanding here mentioned. And he farther prays that we may come to the " riches" of this assur-
Ver. 4] EVIDENCE OF FORGIVENESS WITH GOD. 459
ance, — that is, to an abundant, plentiful assurance; and that sig imyncjsiv, " to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God," owning it from a sense and experience of its excellency and worth.
And this is in the nature of all gospel truths, — they are fitted and suited to be experienced by a believing soul. There is nothing in them so sublime and high, nothing so mysterious, nothing so seem- ingly low and outwardly contemptible, but that a gracious soul hath experience of an excellency, reality, power, and efficacy in it all. For instance, look on that which concerns the order and worship of the gospel. This seems to many to be a mere external thing, whereof a soul can have no inward sense or relish. Notions there are many about it, and endless contentions, but what more? Why, let a gracious soul, in simplicity and sincerity of spirit, give up him- self to walk v/ith Christ according to his appointment, and he shall quickly find such a taste and relish in the fellowship of the gospel, in the communion of saints, and of Christ amongst them, as that he shall come up to such riches of assurance in the understanding and acknowledgment of the ways of the Lord, as others by their disputing can never attain unto. What is so high, glorious, and mysterious as the doctrine of the ever- blessed Trmity? Soime wise men have thought meet to keep it vailed from ordinary Christians, and some have delivered it in such terms as that they can understand nothing by them. But take a believer who hath tasted how gracious the Lord is, in the eternal love ot the Father, the great undertaking of the Son in the work of mediation and redemption, with the almighty work of the Spirit creating gi-ace and comfort in the soul ; and hath had an experience of the love, holiness, and power of God in them all ; and he will with more firm confidence adhere to this mysterious truth, being led into it and confirmed in it by some few plain testi- monies of the word, than a thousand disputers shall do who only have the notion of it in their minds. Let a real trial come, and this will appear. Few will be found to sacrifice their lives on bare spe- culations. Experience will give assurance and stability.
We have thus cleared the credit of the testimony now to be im- proved. It is evident, on these grounds, that there is a great cer- tainty in those truths whereof believers have experience. Where they communicate their power unto the heart, they give an unques- tionable assurance of their truth; and when that is once realized in the soul, all disputes about it are put to silence.
These things being so, let us inquire into the faith and experience of the saints on the earth as to v/hat they know of the truth pro- posed unto confirmation, namely, that there is forgiveness with God. Let us go to some poor soul that now walks comfortably under the light of God's countenance, and say unto him, " Did we not knoAV
4G0 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [Ver.4'.
you some while since to be full of sadness and great anxiety of spirit; yea, sorrowful almost to death, and bitter in soul?" — Ann. " Yes/' saith he, " so it was, indeed. My days were consumed ^vith mourn- ing, and my life with sorrow ; and I walked heavily, in fear and bit- terness of spirit, all the day long."
" Why, what ailed you, what was the matter with you, seeing as to outward tilings you were in peace?" — Ans. " The law of God had laid hold upon me and slain me. I found myself thereby a woful sinner, yea, overwhelmed with the guilt of sin. Every moment I expected tribulation and wrath from the hand of God; my sore ran in the night and ceased not, and my soul refused comfort."
" How is it, then, that you are thus delivered, that you are no more sad? Where have you found ease and peace? Have you been by any means delivered, or did your trouble wear off and depart of its own accord?" — Ans. "Alas, no! had I not met with an effec- tual remedy, I had sunk and everlastingly perished."