1. Of the first, or the spiritual sense that we have of acceptance with God, there are sundry parts or degrees; as, first, hereunto belongs peace with God: Rom. v. 1, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God." This peace is the rest and composure of the soul emerg- ing out of troubles, upon the account of the reconciliation and friend- ship made for it by the blood of Christ. And it hath, as all peace hath, two parts, — first, a freedom from war, trouble, and distress; and, secondly, rest, satisfaction, and contentment in the condition attained ; — and this, at least the second jDart of it, belongs unto the spiritual sense that we inquire after. Again: there is in it "joy in the Holy Ghost," called "joy unspeakable, and full of glory," 1 Pet. i. 8; as also " glorying in the Lord " upon the account of his grace, Isa. xlv. 25 ;
Ver.4.] FAITH AND SPIRITUAL SENSE DISTINGUISHED. 563
with many the Hke effects, proceeding from a " shedding abroad of the love of God in our hearts/' Rom. v. 5.
Yea, you say, these are the tilings you aim at; these are the things you would attain, and be filled withal. It is this peace, this joy, this glorying in the Lord, that you would always be in the possession of. I say, you do well to desire them, to seek and labour after them, — they are purchased by Christ for believers ; but you will do well to con- sider under what notion you do desu'e them. If you look on these things as belonging to the essence of faith, -without which you can have no real interest in forgiveness or accejDtance with God, you greatly deceive your o^vn souls, and put yourselves out of the way of obtaining of them. These things are not believing, nor adequate effects of it, so as immediately to be produced wherever faith is ; but they are such consequents of it as may or may not ensue upon it, according to the will of God. Faith is a seed that contains them vii'tualli/, and out of which they may be in due time educed by the working of the word and Spirit ; and the way for any soul to be made partaker of them is to wait on the sovereignty of God's grace, who createth j)eace in the exercise of faith upon the promises. He, then, that would place believing in these things, and will not be persuaded that he doth beheve until he is possessed of them, he doth both lose the benefit, advantage, and comfort of what he hath, and, negiectiug the due acting of faith, jjuts himself out of the way of attaining what he aimeth at.
These things, therefore, are not needful to give you a 7'eal saving interest in forgiveness, as it is tendered in the promise of the gospel by the blood of Christ. And it may be it is not the will of God that ever you should be intrusted with them. It may be it would not be for your good and advantage so to be. Some servants that are ill husbands must have their wages kept for them to the year's end, or it will do them no good. It may be, some would be such spend- thrifts of satisfying peace and joy, and be so diverted by them from attending unto some necessary duties, — as of humiliation, mortifica- tion, and self-abasement, without which their souls cannot live, — that it would not be much to their advantage to be intrusted with them. It is from the same care and love that peace and joy are detained from some believers, and granted unto others.
You are therefore to receive forgiveness by a pure act of believing, in the way and manner before at large described. And do not think that it is not in you unless you have constantly a spiritual sense of it in your hearts. See, in the meantime, that your faith briugeth forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth l^eace.
2. The like may be said concerning the other head of grace, though
564 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [Ver.4.
it be not so direct unto our purpose, yet tending also to the relief of the soul in its depths. This is the grace that we have from God in Christ for our sanctification. When the soul cannot find this in him- self; when he hath not a spiritual sense and experience of its in- being and power; when it cannot evidently distinguish it from that which is not riglit or genuine, — it is filled with fears and perjjlexities, and thinks it is yet in its sin. He is so, indeed, who hath no grace in him ; but not he always who can find none in him. But these are different things. A man may have grace, and yet not have it at sometimes much acting; he may have grace for life, when he hath it not for fruitfulness and comfort, though it be his duty so to have it. Rev. iii. 2; 2 Tim. i. 6. And a man may have grace acting in him, and yet not knoiu, not be sensible, that he hath acting grace. We see persons frequently under great temptations of appre- hension that they have no grace at all, and yet at the same time, to the clearest conviction of all who are able to discern spiritual things, sweetly and genuinely to act faith, love, submission unto God, and that in a high and eminent manner. Ps. Ixxxviii., Heman complains that he was " free among the dead," " a man of no strength," verses 4, 5, — as one that had no spiritual life, no grace. This afflicted his mind, and almost distracted him, verse 1 5 ; and yet there can be no greater expressions of faith and love to God than are mixed with his complaints.