Christians, before they can be rationally persuaded that they are Christians. They must be the children of God, before they can rationally cherish the confidence that they are so. It is not impossible, nor is it an unusual thing, for a man to be a Christian, and yet not to believe that he is a Christian. Nor is it less impossible, and unusual, for a man to believe that he is a Christian, and yet not be a Christian. It is to be feared that there will be many at the Last Day, who will say, Lord, Lord! unto whom the Bridegroom will say, Inever knew you, depart from me all ye workers of iniquity. There will be many in that day, who have confidently believed, that "God freely gave Christ and his salvation to them in particular," who will not find, that "it became a certain truth when they believed it." The error is too palpable to be ensnaring.*

Let not the import of these remarks be misunderstood. Far be it from me to discourage the followers of the Lord Jesus from placing the most implicit reliance on the Author and Finisher of their faith. Every attribute of his character demands confidence the most prompt and unreserved. But, reader, real confidence in God is a thing widely

* "When we affirm," says the eloquent Saurin, "that there is such a blessing as assurance of salvation, we do not mean that assurance is a duty imposed on all mankind, so that every one, in what state soever he may be, ought to be fully persuaded of his salvation, and by this persuasion, to begin his christianity.”—Saurin's Sermons, vol. 3. Ser

mon 10th.

different from a firm persuasion of your personal interest in His mercy. The former is your duty at all times. The latter is your duty, in the same proportion in which you have evidence that the love of God is shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost. You have just as much evidence that you are interested in His pardoning mercy, as you have that you are the subject of His sanctifying grace. Sanctification is the only evidence of conversion. The assurance of our acceptance with God, depends on the assurance of our possessing the character of those who are accepted. The scriptural mode of obtaining assurance is that pointed out by the Apostle. "GIVING ALL DILIGENCE,add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. WHEREFORE, brethren, GIVE DILIGENCE to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall." "The infallible assurance of faith," says our excellent Confession, "is founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing

with our spirits, that we are the children of God; which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption."* To cherish the confidence of your own good estate when your graces are low and languishing, and while you live in the habits of sin, savors more of presumption than of humility. No man ought to live without some doubts of his own good estate, who does not cherish such an abiding sense of divine truth, and live in such prevailing exercise of divine grace, as to have the witness within him that he is born of God. It is in the exercise of grace alone, that any one ought to expect, or even desire to find evidence of his being accepted in the beloved. The evidence of our good estate rises in proportion to our love, to our repentance, to our humility, to our faith, to our self-denial, to our delight in duty. Other evidence than this, the Bible knows not; God has not given.

Let the reader beware of these vain confidences! When men rest satisfied with these presumptions, they usually rest satisfied until it is too late to be dissatisfied. They see nothing either within or without, to shake their hopes or alarm their fears. Notwithstanding there is a wide and essential difference between these unscriptural confidences, and the faith of the Gospel; notwithstanding

*Confession of faith of the Presbyterian Church, chap. 18, p. 85, 86. Vide also Larger Catechism, p. 211, 212.

they have all the necessary means to know their true character, and could not mistake it if they would examine impartially; yet they sport themselves with their own deceivings, and know not what manner of persons they are. You may easily imagine that you are safe; and while the deception lasts, it may quiet your consciences, and administer a short-lived consolation. But, when the veil is drawn aside; when the dreams of time give way to the realities of eternity; these pleasing deceptions will vanish. There is Jess of this vain presumption in the hour of death, than in the season of health and cheerfulness. There will be none of it at the left hand of the Judge; there will be none of it in hell

The reader has now before him, what the author designed to say in the first five essays. How solemnly do these things call upon every one to see whether his heart is right with God! If vital religion does not consist in visible morality; if it does not consist in the form of religion; nor in speculative knowledge; nor in mere conviction for sin; nor in the confidence of your own good estate; nor in the whole routine of enthusiastic experiences which that confidence inspires; nor in all these things combined: is it not time to look about you? In all that has hitherto been brought into view, there is not one holy exercise of heart; not one feeling that is in the least at war with su

preme selfishness. There is not one fact, therefore, upon which I dare tell you, that you may rely for eternity, as conclusive evidence of Christian Character.

How many are there who are almost Christians! As then you review the preceding pages, look with ingenuousness into your own heart. Men may think they are Christians, and yet be in the gall of bitterness, and the bonds of iniquity. You may be almost saved, and yet perish. You may get very near to heaven, and yet-go to hell. You may advance to the very verge of the better world, and from the threshold of glory, fall into the regions of mourning.

It may be that remarks like these, will wound some of the dear children of God, while they leave the stupid hypocrite wrapt up in false security, and impenetrable by nothing but the arrows of the Eternal. If the humble child of Jesus is hereby involved in darkness for a moment; his light shall soon break forth as the morning. If for a moment his strength and courage languish; they shall spring forth speedily; his righteousness shall go before him, and the glory of the Lord shall be his reward. The hypocrite will in all probability, still cherish his deceptions; he will rest in carnal security, till the awful moment when he lies gasping in the arms of death, and is just about to take his flight to the judgment-seat of Christ. Then his refuges of lies shall be swept away, and his fan