all who settle on the lees, expect eternal rest; but God pronounceth a woe to them that are at ease in Zion.

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None are more confident of being saved than the self-righteous formalists who make clean the outside, while the heart is unsanctified, and left full of pride, malice, and covetousness. These rest in the form of godliness without the power of it, which will prove as ruinous as the grossest immoralities. These in their blindness practise the art of self-deception in various ways. They pride themselves on being free from some transgressions which others are guilty of, and in possessing virtues which many are destitute of. And not a few put down amiable tempers for real godliness. What numbers are quite confident that they were made real Christians in baptism, and rest satisfied with formal attendance on ordinances! Others again feel quite secure on being admitted as members of some religious community, where they are respected. Though all these, with many others, are rotten foundations, yet tens of thousands build confidently upon them this they do in unbelief, pride, ignorance, and hatred of God's way of salvation. This false confidence is most injurious, and fatal; it keeps men blind to their danger, and hides from them the way of salvation by grace. No men on earth will be so disappointed and confounded in the end, as those who have gone about to establish their own righteousness, and would not submit to the righteousness of Godand their name is Legion.

3. The ignorant and unbelieving, which form the greatest part of mankind, are of opinion that it is

utterly impossible for any man on earth to know now what will be his state and portion in the world to come. Nay, they deem it even presumptuous to make any such pretensions. To them all is darkness and uncertainty beyond the grave. 'We must first go into the other world, say they, before we can know what is in it.' I would ask these blind men, Has God given us no information of what we are to expect in the eternal state? Has he not plainly revealed the different states of the righteous and the wicked in the world to come? And has he not given us an infallible standard by which we may try ourselves, and know whether we belong to the righteous or to the wicked? When our true character is clearly ascertained, it will be easy to know what will be our lot and portion in the eternal world. Why do men deny the possibility of knowing our present state and future portion? It is entirely owing to their blindness, hardness of heart, and contempt of God's word. To be of opinion that we cannot know our present state, nor our future condition, is a most injurious sentiment, which has caused the ruin of thousands. For while they hold this opinion, they go on quietly in the way of death, and make no effort to obtain salvation, and the lively hope of the Gospel.

Christless sinners, indeed, cannot obtain assurance of their own salvation; but were they to search and believe the Scripture, they might easily know that they shall be for ever lost. Let them hear the declaration of God himself by the mouth of Paul-" Now the works of the flesh are these, adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred,

variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like, of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in times past, that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. v.) This declaration of the Most High is so plain and distinct, that it must be understood by the dullest reader. And if they give God credit for what he here declares, they must know assuredly that they who live in these or any other sins, shall never enter into heaven. Is it not also plainly declared, that all unbelievers, impenitent, and unconverted souls must be kept out of heaven; for without holiness, no man shall see the Lord? And shall not all deceivers, liars, and hypocrites, have their portion in the lake? Seeing that the God of truth and grace declares these things, then why is it impossible for sinners to know in this world what will be their portion in the next? And if the ungodly may know that they shall be lost, why may not the godly also know that they shall be saved?

II.-Assurance of Salvation is attainable.

I. It is not the will of God that the children of his grace should continue all their days ignorant of their state here, and portion hereafter. God hath done very marvellous things for his children, and settled on them by covenant all the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. It is not his plan to hide this from them while they continue on earth. No. He saith to them, "Fear not, little flock, it is your Father's good pleasure to

give you the kingdom," a glorious and an everlasting kingdom, reserved for you in heaven, and ye are kept by the power of God for the kingdom. When the believer gives his heavenly Father full credit for this he triumphantly sings, "The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage."

When it hath pleased God to make them his children, to unite them to Christ, to raise them from death to life, and engage to conduct them safe to glory, and make them his eternal companions, and partners of his joy it is not the will of God to keep them ignorant of these things all their days on earth. God willeth the happiness of his children, and bids them to rejoice; but how can they rejoice when they have no assurance of their salvation? So far from concealing their state from the children of his grace, he exhorts them to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure," and to examine whether they are in Christ or not. This diligence, and this examination, must be altogether useless, if assurance of salvation cannot be obtained. But to put this matter beyond all dispute, the Lord saith by his servant John, to the men of grace, "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, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John v. 13.) It is therefore very evident that it is the will of God, that his children should know that they have eternal life, and that that life is hid with Christ in God, where it cannot be destroyed. So it is not the will of God

that his children should be ignorant of their state of salvation.

II. There is nothing in the nature of assurance of salvation to make it impossible to be known and believed. We know and believe things upon evidence. We know a vast number of things in the natural world on the testimony of our senses and feelings, so as to have no doubt of their existence. We know many things in the moral world by the conclusion of our reasonable faculties. We also know and believe a thousand things on the mere testimony of persons of strict integrity and veracity.

If we can be assured of any thing on such testimonies, how much more on the infallible testimony of the holy and true God, who cannot lie? As our faith rests on evidence, the stronger the evidence, the more firm our faith should be. Then what faith should be so fixed, as that which we build on the word of God. All other testimonies may fail us; but this is a rock which can never give way: they who rest on this can neither fall nor be disappointed. Then "trust in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength," and his truth can never fail, for faithful is he that promised.

Then let us inquire and hear what the Lord says on the subject of assurance. He tells us who they are

that have life and salvation.

"He that hath the Son

hath life, and he that hath not the Son, shall not see life." Again, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not on him, is condemned already." Jesus saith," I am the bread of life, which came down from heaven; if any man