We may come to it, as a feaft, preparatory to the beavenly banquet, and a pledge to affure us of fitting down with Chrift hereafter in his Father's kingdom. We may come to it, as a feal to the covenant of grace, to aflure us of all the everlasting mercies of that cove nant. We may come to it, as an exhibition of the love of God and Chrift to us, in the paffior and death of Chrift for us in particular. O with what fatisfaction may they eat of that bread and drink of that cup, who are well-perfwaded of their intereft in Jefus Chrift!

5. This will take away the terror of death. Such as are in the dark and under doubts about their effectual calling, cannot but be under fears of death. They muft needs be afraid of dying, who know not whether death will hand them over to eternal mifery, or to eternal blessednefs. None but thofe that are in fome measure fatisfied of their being effectually called, can welcome that king of terrors. Such may at the approach of death lift up their beads with joy, as knowing that their full redemption from fin and mifery draws nigh. Effectual calling is infeparably conjoined with glorification. Rom. viii. 30. Whom be called, them he alfo glorified. Such therefore as are fure of their being effectually called, may be fure of their being finally glorified. And therefore they may look upon death, as that which will be unto them a paffage and inlet to eternal glory. And death under fuch a prospect, will be no terror, but a comfort to them. Upon this account, the apostle Paul could chearfully entertain the thoughts of his approaching diffolution, yea, and could heartily defire it. Phil. is 21, 23. To me to die, is gain. Therefore he had a defire to depart and be with Chrift, which was far better than to live here. 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteoufnefs, which the Lord the righteous Fudge, fhall give unto me at that day.-.-. Thus for Motives. Now for Direction in a few words.

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Direct. 1. Labour to abound in the acts and exercises of grace. This is given by the apoftle as a rule to be attended, for making our calling fure. 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7,8. Giving all diligence, add to your faith, vertue; and to pertue, 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 be neither barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. By the exercife and increase of these graces, the goodness of our fpiritual eftate will be made evident unto us. There is no better way for the gaining affurance, than that of growing in grace, and abounding in the fruits of true bolinefs, Growth in grace makes way for the evidence of grace, If then we would be affured chriftians, we must labour to be advanced and improved chriftians. The greater progrefs we make in fanctification, the clearer will our difcerning of it be. And that is evermore the most unfailing affurance, which arifes from a fteady zealous following after holiness. When it comes in this way, there can be no ground to fufpect the reasonableness of it.

Direct. 2 Be much in prayer to God, to clear up your effectual calling to you. That God, who has effectually called us, is he alone that can give us a fettled perfwafion of our being effectually called. It is by the Spirit of God, that we come to know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Cor. i 12. 'Tis the holy Spirit, that feals believers unto the day of redemption. Eph. iv. 30. 'Tis he who testifies to them, that they are of the number of God's redeemed ones, and that they fhall one day partake of full and eternal redemption. 'Tis he that witnesses with our fpirits, that we are the children of God. Rom. viii. 16. If therefore we would obtain the affurance of our fonfhip, we must pray to God for his holy Spirit to be fent to us, to make this evident to us. The Spirit of obfignation and confolation is to be asked of God. Pfal. li. 12. Reftore unto me the joy

joy of thy falvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. This we must pray for ; but with fubmiflion to the holy pleasure and fovereignty of God. For this affurance is not effential to falvation. A man may be in a state of grace, and have a title to glory, though he want afforance thereof. Ifai. 1. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his fervant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light ? One that truly fears and serves God, may be in the dark about his condition, and want comforting light, to evidence his good eftate to him. Affurance therefore is not to be asked of God abfolutely; as grace may be. Without

grace, we cannot glorify God nor be faved; this there. føre may be abfolutely prayed for. But we may glorify God and be faved, though we want affurance: and therefore, this is only conditionally to be prayed for, if it fhall be best for us and moft for God's glory. Thus fhould we wait on God in prayer, while we are following boliness: and then, when it is beft for us, he will grant affurance to us.

Direct. 3. Examine yourfelves by the marks of fuch as are effectually called. God in his word has laid down figns of fuch as are called into a state of grace; and by them we should try ourselves. Therefore felf-examination is prefcribed, as one way, to come to a certain knowledge of our good estate. 2 Cor. xiii. 5.

Examine your felves, whether ye be in the faith ; prove your own felves. We fhould make ftrict examination, and bring ourselves upon a trial. Now the marks by which we are to try ourselves, are fuch as these.

Mar. 1. Those that are effectually called, have their hearts taken off from this world, and fet upon heavenly things. Those that are called of God, are called to his kingdom and glory. i Theff. ii. 12. They are called to a participation of the glory and bleffednefs of heaven. And this call to heaven, when it is effectual, does call off their hearts from an immoderate love to earthly things, and caufes their defires to go out principally after heavenly things. Thus Abra

bam,

bam, when he was effectually called of God, he fojourned in the land of promife, as in a firange country, and looked for a city, even the heavenly city, which bath foundations, whofe builder and maker is God. Heb. xi. 9, 10. Men naturally for fake God, the fountain of living waters; and betake themfelves to broken cifterns, that can hold no water. But when the call of God to them is made effectual, they turn away from thefe broken cifterns, and go back to God, the fountain of living

waters.

Mar. 2. Thofe that are effectually called, delight not in the fociety of the ungodly, but in the communion of faints. God's called ones, are called out of the world. Joh. xv. 19. I have chofen you out of the world: felected you from them, and withdrawn you from fociety with them, and from conformity to them. The call of God is that, 2 Cor. vi. 17. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye Separate, and touch not the unclean thing. This call when made effectual, is readily complied with. One that is effectually called, forfakes the foolish, comes away from vile finners, defiring to have no intimate familiarity with them. Though they were once dear to him, yet now they are a lothing to him. The grace of God in him will excite him to pity them and pray for them, but will not permit him to have delightful fellowship with them, as in times paft. He will be a companion of them that fear God, and keep his precepts. But as for evil doers, he will fay to them, Depart from me, for I will keep the commandments of my God. Pfal. cxix. 63,

115.

Mar. 3. They that are effectually called, are careful to walk with God in ways of boly obedience. When it is the day of God's power with finners, they are made willing. Pfal. cx. 3. They are made the willing fubjects of God, willing to obferve all his commandments to do them. When the call of Chrift to them is made effectual, they cry out, as the apostle Paul did, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Act. ix. 6. His heart was made willing to do whatsoever Chrift commanded him.

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The posture of a foul effectually called, is like that of Samuel, 2 Sam. iii. 10. Speak, Lord, for thy fervant beareth. He has an ear to hear what God has to fay unto him. Those then that are effectually called, will be exceeding careful to forfake fin, and to follow after holinefs. They will ceafe to do evil, and learn to do well. They will study to ferve and please God, by doing those things which are right in his fight. When Abraham was called of God, he obeyed God, yea, he readily obeyed a command of God which greatly croffed his natural and lawful affections, viz. that of offering up his only fon. Heb. xi. 17. When he was tried, be offered up Ifaac, his only begotten fon. He offered him, in his preparation for it, and full purpose of heart, which was accounted and accepted of God for the deed. One that is effectually called, will be ftudious to keep all God's commandments, the most difficult, as well as the more easy.---Well then, do we find an heart in us, clofing in with the command of God, as holy, juft and good? And are we concerned to walk in all the ordinances and commandments of the Lord, blameless ? Are we effectually taught, to deny all ungodliness, and every worldly luft, and to live foberly, righteously and godlily, in this prefent world? If it be so, this is an evidence that our hearts have felt the power of divine grace, in turning them from fin and fatan, to ferve the living God.

DOCT. V. God the Father, is the God of Jefus Chrift. The Father is here fo called; the Lord thy God. This is fpoken to Chrift, and therein the Lord, or Jehovah, is faid to be his God. Formerly God was efpecially known to his church under the name of the God of Abraham, Ifaac and Facob: But now more efpecially under the name of the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; which is a more endearing title. And we find this relation of God the Father unto Jefus Chrift frequently nientioned both in the old and new teftament. Pfal. sv. 7. Therefore God, thy God bath anointed thee with

the