did his cursing the day of his birth destroy his assurance; for this could not invalidate the evidence in his favor, arising from the perfectly holy affections, which he had often been conscious of feeling and expressing.

If we now look into the New Testament, we shall there find, that the primitive christians attained to full assurance, by a consciousness of having pure and holy affections. The Apostle John dwells largely upon this subject in his first Epistle. In the third chapter he says, "Hereby do we know that we know him, if we keep his commandments." Again he says, "We know that we have passed from death unto life; because we love the brethren." He goes on and says, "My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the spirit which he hath given us." He pursues the subject further and asserts, "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. Hereby we know that because he hath given

we dwell in him, and he in us, us of his spirit. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him." To give an emphasis to these declarations, the Apostle expressly says, that he wrote this Epistle on purpose to teach christians how to attain assurance of their title to heaven. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life.

Thus it appears, that it is the reality of holy affections, and not the constancy of them, which affords true believers an infallible evidence of their being born of God. Whenever they discover truly benevolent

exercises, they discover certain evidence of a change of heart. For holiness in every degree of it is the fruit of the Spirit. And this evidence cannot be invalidated by moral imperfection, because it is agreeable to the character of saints in this life, that they should have the remains of moral corruption, or that their holy exercises should be sometimes interrupted by positively sinful affections. Though a single, solitary holy exercise might be more easily overlooked, yet a succession of holy exercises may be readily and clearly discerned. Hence a succession of holy exercises, which always take place in every regenerate person, may afford every real saint full assurance of his good estate. Let all professors of religion, and especially those that are in doubt of their sincerity, follow the Apostle's direction. "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves, how that Christ is in you," that is, his spirit, "except ye be reprobates."

INFERENCE 8.Since the imperfection of saints consists in the inconstancy of their holy affections, they need to be much in prayer for divine influence and assistance. They find that their hearts are extremely deceitful and prone to go astray. They find, that all the objects around them are apt to divert their attention and their affections from heavenly and divine things. They find, that after they have had the nearest approaches to God, and the most intimate communion with him, their hearts are bent upon backsliding, and ready to pursue every object of vanity. They are weak, dependent, inconstant, inconsistent creatures. They perpetually need divine influence, to keep their hearts, to maintain uniformity of affections, and to give them that peace of mind, which the world cannot give. In this view, Seneca, a heathen philos

opher, was very sensible of the importance of prayer. "Ask, says he, at the hand of God a good mind: and first of all pray unto him for the health of thy spirit; and next for the health of thy body." When the blood is either accelerated or retarded in its motion, or when the bones are either broken or dislocated, the body is unfitted for every duty and enjoyment. But a disordered mind is much more intolerable, than a disordered body. A man may sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear? When the affections are interrupted, and thrown into tumult and convulsions, saints are unfitted for thinking, reading, praying, or the performing of any other duty. They are exposed to every temptation from within and from without. They can enjoy no peace nor satisfaction, until their affections are rectified, and their souls return unto God, their only proper rest. Their moral imperfection, therefore, arising from the inconstancy of their holy exercises, perpetually calls upon them to call upon God, for either preventing, or preserving, or restoring mercy. It was a realizing sense of the inconstancy and deceitfulness of their own hearts, which led the ancient saints to give themselves unto prayer for divine instruction, guidance, and influence. This appears from the peculiar modes of expression, which they used in their addresses to God. David prays in "Who can un

a strain very singular and striking. derstand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins, let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not unto covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. Order my steps in thy word: and let not iniquity have dominion over me. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity." In most of these places, David is to be considered as speaking the general language of the Old Testament church; which language is exactly agreeable to that daily petition, which Christ taught his disciples. "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Though an hypocrite will not always call upon God; yet every sincere christian, who realizes the inconstancy and deceitfulness of his own heart, will feel the propriety and necessity of complying with that divine precept, "pray without ceasing."

INFERENCE 9.-If the imperfection of saints consists in the inconstancy of their holy exercises; then they are, notwithstanding their imperfection, essentially different from sinners. The present imperfection of saints has led some very ingenious men to imagine, that the comparative difference between saints and sinners is extremely small; and that they will not be treated so very differently in a future state, as is generally supposed. This is the opinion of Mr. Paley, a very ingenious and perspicuous writer. He cannot admit, that the lowest saint will be perfectly blessed, while the best sinner will be perfectly miserable, in a future state. He has conjectured, therefore, that there will be but very little difference between the future and eternal condition of the lowest saint, and that of the most moral and amiable sinner. But if the imperfection of saints in

this life entirely consists in the inconstancy of their holy exercises; then their moral character is essentially dif ferent from the moral character of sinners. They have some perfectly holy and benevolent affections, of which all sinners are totally destitute. They need nothing but constancy in their gracious exercises, in order to render them as perfect as Gabriel, or even as their Father who is in heaven. There is, therefore, not merely a gradual, but an essential difference between the saint, who has but one spark of saving grace, and the best sinner on earth, who has nothing but selfish and sinful affections. Upon this ground, the inspired Writers distinguish gracious and graceless persons, by the most opposite appellations; such as the godly and ungodly, the holy and unholy, the righteous and unrighteous, the friends and the enemies of God. But Christ sets the essential difference between saints and sinners in the most plain and intelligible light. He brings the matter to a point, and decides it in the most unequivocal terms. For he absolutely declares, "He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad." And again, "He that is not against us is on our part. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, Verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward." This decision of the supreme and final Judge, puts it beyond doubt that there is an essential difference between every saint and every sinner; and that every saint will be finally and eternally rewarded, while every finally impenitent sinner will be finally and eternally punished.

INFERENCE 10. Since all saints are imperfect in this life, the world ought not to scruple their sincerity, on account of their inconstancy. Many are ready to call in question the sincerity of saints, because they are