come with desponding fears ; and are ready, " in their hearts " at least, " to say, I shall one day perish by the hands of my great enemy." Now it is no uncommon thing to hear the parallel drawn between David and them; and to infer, from the sinfulness of David's fears, a corresponding sinfulness in theirs. That we may enter justly into the comparison, I will state,
1. The correspondence there is between the cases —
[God has doubtless given us " a covenant ordered in all things and sure:" and his promises are so " exceeding great and precious," that we may well rest upon them mth most unshaken affiance. In that covenant, God provides for our acceptance with him, through the blood of his dear Son ; for our renovation after his own divine image, through the in- fluences of his good Spirit ; for our perseverance in the ways of hoHness even to the end, and for our final admission to his heavenly kingdom. He assures us, that he will " never suffer any one to pluck us out of his hands^:" and, because we may well suspect the effect of our own weakness, he engages "never to depart from us to do us good; and to put his fear into our hearts, that we may never depart from him*." This covenant He has even " confirmed by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for him to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge, to lay hold on the hope set before us^."
But, on the other hand, our conflicts wdth our spiritual enemies are exceeding heavy, and with little intermission. The world, the flesh, the devil, are aU confederate against us; and are diversifying their attacks in endless variety, whilst within our own bosoms there are traitors ready at all times to deUver us up into the hands of our enemies. Thousands of times are we saved from them, almost as by miracle : and ene- mies, which we thought were slain, rise up against us with renewed vigour ; whilst Satan, baffled in one assault, goes and takes with him seven other spirits, mighty as himself, to renew the contest
Is it to be wondered at, then, if the saints are sometimes discouraged, and ready to fear that they shall one day perish by these continual assaults? Or can they be considered as sinning against God, if they sometimes give way to despond- ing apprehensions ?]
To answer this, I will proceed to state,
2. The difference between the cases —
2 John X. 28, 29. ^ Jer, xxxii. 40. *> Heb. vi. 17, 18.