who has had so long an experience of the beauty, and of the pleasure of it? Good habits, when they are grown up to perfection and maturity, seem to me as natural as 'tis poffible evil ones should be : and • if fo, 'tis no less difficult to extirpate the one than the other. And I think I have the fcripture on my fide in this opinion : Does the prophet Jeremy demand, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard bis spots? then may you that are accustomed to do evil, learn to do well, Jer. xiii. 23. St. John on the other hand does affirm, whosoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; for his feed remaineth in him; and be cannot fin, because he is born of God, 1 John iii. 9. Whofoever abideth in him, finneth not, ข. 6. These are the grounds of affurance • with respect of the time to come. As to perfonal and peremptory predestination to life and glory, 'tis at least a controverted point, and therefore unfit to be laid as the foundation of affurance. But suppose it were granted, I fee not which way it can affect our present enquiry, since the wisest amongst those who stickle for it, advise all to govern themselves by the general promifes and threats of the gofpel; to look upon the fruits of righteousness as the only folid proof of a state of grace; and if they be under the dominion of any fin, not to presume upon personal election, but to look

:

1

look upon themselves as in a state of damnation, till they be recovered out of it by repentance. Thus far all fides agree; and this I think is abundantly enough; for here we have room enough for joy and peace, and for caution too; room enough for confidence, and for watchfulness too: the Romanists indeed, will not allow us to be certain of salvation, certitudine fidei cui non poteft fubeffe falfum, with such a certainty as that with which we entertain an article of faith, in which there is no room for error; i. e. we are not so fure that we are in the favour of God, as we are, or may be, that there is a God: We are not fo fure, that we have a title to the merits of Christ, as weare, or may be, that Jesus is the Christ. Now if this afsertion be confined to that affurance which regards the time to come, as it generally is; and do not deny afsurance in general, but only certain degrees or measures of it; then there is nothing very abfurd or intolerable in it. For a less afsurance than that which this doctrine excludes, will be fufficient to secure the pleasure and tranquillity of the perfect man. But if this assertion be designed against that assurance which regards our present state; then I think it is not found, nor agreeable, either to reason, fcripture, or experience. For first, the question being about a matter

of

(

of fact, 'tis in vain to argue that cannot be, which does appear manifeftly to have been: and certainly they who rejoiced in Christ with joy unspeakable, and full of glory, were as fully perfwaded, that they were in a state of grace and falvation, as they were that Jesus was rifen from the dead. Secondly, 'tis one thing to balance the strength and degrees of afsurance; another to balance the reasons of it. For it is very poffible that affurance may be stronger, where the reason of it may not be so clear and evident as where the affurance is less. Thus for example; the evidence of fense seems to most learned men to be stronger than that of faith: and yet through the affistance of the spirit, a man may embrace a truth that depends upon revelation, with as much confidence and certainty as one depending upon fenfe. And fo it may be in the case of afsfurance : the Spirit of God may by its concurrence raise our assurance as high as he pleases; although the reason on which it be built, should not be divine and infallible, but merely moral, and subject at least to a poffibility of error. But thirdly, why should not the certainty I have concerning my prefent state, be as divine and infallible, as that I have concerning an article of faith? if the premises be infallible, why should not the conclusion? he that believes and

and repents is in a state of grace, is a divine and infallible proposition: and why may not this other, I believe and repent, be equally infallible, though not equally divine? what faith and repentance is, is revealed; and therefore there is no room for my being here mistaken: besides, I am affifted and guided in the trial of myself by the Spirit of God. So that the truth of this proposition, I believe and repent, depends partly upon the evidence of fense; and I may be as fure of it, asof what I do or leave undone: partly upon the evidence of inward fenfation, or my consciousness of my own thoughts; and I may be as fure of it as I can be of what I love or hate, rejoice or grieve for: and lastly, it depends upon the evidence of the Spirit of God, which affifts me in the examination of myself according to those characters of faith and repentance, which he hath himfelf revealed. And when I conclude from the two former propositions, that I am in a state of grace, he confirms and ratifies my inference. And now, let any one tell me, what kind of certainty that is, that can be greater than this? I have taken this pains to fet the doctrine of affurance in a clear light, because it is the great spring of the perfect man's comfort and pleasure, and fource of his strength and joy. And this puts me in mind of that

other fruit of Perfection, which in the beginning of this chapter I promised to infift on, which is,

life.

Its fubferviency to our happiness in this

That happiness increases in proportion with Perfection, cannot be denied; unless we will at the fame time deny the happiness of a man, to exceed that of an infant, or the happiness of an angel that of man. Now this truth being of a very great importance, and serving fingly inftead of a thousand motives to Perfection, I will confider it impartially, and as closely as I can. Happiness and pleasure, are generally thought to be only two words for the fame thing: nor is this very remote from truth; for let but pleasure be solid and lasting, and I cannot fee what more is wanting to make man happy. The best way therefore to determine how much Perfection contributes to our happiness, is to examine how much it contributes to our pleasure.

If, with the Epicurean, we think indolence our fupreme happiness, and define pleasure by the absence of pain; then I am fure the perfect man will have the best claim to it. He furely is freeft from the

mistakes and errors, from the paffions and follies,

1