John xiv. 21. He that hath my commandments, and keepelh, them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
IT is supposed by many, that to profess an assur- ance of our acceptance with God is the very height of presumption. But, whilst we acknowledge that such a profession may be made very erroneously, and by persons who deceive their own souls, we can- not admit that no such thing as a scriptural assur- ance exists : on the contrary, we affirm, that a consciousness of so great a change as takes place in conversion cannot but exist in some degree ; and that our blessed Lord has taught all his people to expect it : " In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in youa." If indeed such a persuasion were to be entertained without being subjected to any test, then would it be the most enthusiastic, and most dangerous : but, if we have an infallible rule whereby to try it, then have we no reason to feel that jealousy respecting it, which so generally prevails. The truth is, that in this very passage where our Lord has sanctioned an assurance of our state, he has established a criterion wherebv all our professions must be judged : nor, till our ex- perience has been found to accord with that standard, have we any right to expect the rewards and conso- lations of his Gospel : " He that," &c.
Now in these words we may see, I. How to judge of our love to Christ —
We must not imagine that the adoption of certain sentiments, or the joining of ourselves to a particular set of people, or the manifesting of a regard for public or social ordinances, or the having had great exer- cises of mind in reference to religion, with many hopes or fears, or joys or sorrows, or the feeling a strong confidence about the safety of our own state, are any certain proofs of love to Christ : these things not only may, but often do, exist, where there is no real love to Christ in the soul. There is one mark, and one only, whereby wre can form any decided judgment about the states of men ; and that is, " By their fruits ye shall know them :" they alone truly
a ver. 20.