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approaches to God. Thefe and many fuch experiences of a begun falvation from evils have all be: lievers, if they would be at pains to observe them.

(4.) They likewife have fome experiences of the freedom of Chrift's fubjects. They find a freedom in the service of God; it becomes natural and eafy to them. They find not obedience fo hurtful as once they thought it; nay, now they find a delight and refreshment in it, which is indeed fomething of the beginnings of that fatisfaction with God's likeness, which is to be completed fully in heaven.

(5.) They experience many times the begin nings of heaven in fome refreshing taftes of the gracious communications and intimations of God's love to their fouls. In fine, all of them upon their believing do experience in lefs or in more, Christ as their hope of glory in their hearts. Some dawnings of hope there are in the darkest and most difconfolate believer that lives: for where there is no hope, there can be no ufe of means; it is hope of fuccefs that is the spring of

action.

These and many fuch experiences do even the weakest believers fome time or other find. That they are not more clearly difcerned, to the comfort of fuch as have them, is, paft all peradventure, in a great measure owing to their own ne gligence and want of obfervation. Now thefe things are evidences of the truth under confideration. When finners upon their believing do experience the beginnings of that falvation which God has promifed them, they may comfortably and without any hesitation wait for its completion, expecting firmly that he who has begun that work will complete it, that he who has begun the

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accomplishment of his promifes will in due time fully accomplish them. Now thefe experiences being of no ufe for proving the truth to others, unlefs they can be known fatisfyingly by them; We fhall,

Secondly, fhew, in a word, how we come to know that believers do find fuch things upon their believing. And this we do, ·

(1.) By the account we have of the experiences of believers in the word of God. To go no fur ther than the text, who more frighted, who more terribly shaken, and under greater horror than the jaylor, when he is trembling and putting the queftion, Sirs, what muft. I do to be faved? Well, what becomes of him afterward, when he believes on the Lord Jefus Chrift? Look to the 34th verle of this chapter, and there we shall find him rejoicing and believing. The like account have we of thefe who were pricked in their hearts, and cried out, men and brethren, what must we do? Acts ii. 37. As perplexed as they then were, yet upon their believing the ftate of their affairs was per fectly altered; for they did eat their meat with gladness and fingleness of heart, praifing God, and having favour with all the people, ver. 46, 47.

(2) We may know this, as from the teftimony of God, fo from the teftimony of believers in our day. Though there be but few, yet we hope there are not wanting fome, who will readily and cheerfully give in their teftimony to the fame truth, and own that upon their believing they have had fome experience of the things menti oned, and of not a few which we have not men tioned.

3-) Though they thould hold their peace, yet we might even with our eyes fee the truth of

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what is afferted. Have we not fometimes feen fome graceless and even profane wretches, who have been mad upon their own ways, ftopt in their progrefs and career? Has not the Lord fhaken them, and filled them with his terrors? And has not this courfe of believing calmed them? Have they not vifibly been delivered from thefe fears of wrath, which had gone to fuch a degree? Has it not been clearly feen, that they were freed from that dominion of fin under which they formerly lived? Surely thefe things are obvious proofs that, upon believing on the Lord Jefus Chrift, fuch perfons have been made partakers of fome beginnings of this great falvation, and that as an earneft of the whole. Several other things night have been added for proof of this great truth; bur paffing them, we fhall now come to make fome practical improvement of this great truth.

In the improvement of this truth, we shall firft draw fome general doctrinal inferences; and then proceed to trial, which will lead us into a more clofe and particular application.

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Is it fo then, That a convinced finner believ ing on the Lord Jefus Chrift fhall affuredly be faved? Then,

1. We may hence infer, That faith is a moft valuable bleffing. Well might the apoftle call it precious faith, 1 Pet. i. 1. for not only is it precious in itself, but it is unspeakably so in respect of its confequents. It, like a chain, draws Chrift and all his purchafe after it: it is big with many and great mercies. There are great and precious promifes fraught with the great and precious bleffings of the gospel, nay, with Chrift himself; and precious faith lays hold upon the promises of the

life that now is, and of that which is to come, of grace and glory, and makes them all ours.

2. We may fafely hence infer likewife, That the preaching of the word is a great bleffing; fince faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The whole of this the apostle plainly enough declares, Rom. x. 13. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord Jefus, shall be faved. How then fhall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how fhall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

3. Then we may infer, that fuch as do believe, whatever their circumftances may be at prefent, are in an unfpeakably happy condition. They have an intereft in the great falvation; and what loffes will not this compenfate and make up? How rich are they, who have heaven and all the means leading to it, as theirs? They have a good title to, and shall at length be actually poffeffed of that rich inheritance of the faints in light, Jam. ii. 5. Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chofen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

4. Affurance of falvation is attainable. If falvation be fure upon our believing, then we may be fully affured of falvation; for one may know certainly whether he believes or not, whether he be content to accept of and clofe with the Lord Jefus Chrift upon his own terms. This is not only knowable, but it may be more easily dif cerned than moft do apprehend. Were we but, with any measure of ferioufnefs and concern, turning our eyes inward, we could not but know how our hearts ftand affected toward Chrift and the

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gofpel-method of falvation: but of this more afterwards.

5. Perfeverance in faith is not the condition of falvation, or at least that which founds our title to it for whoever believes fhall be faved. If once a perfon believes, then he has a right given him by the promise of God to eternal falvation. The promise of God doth not run thus, Believe, and if ye perfevere in believing then ye shall be faved; but believe and ye fhall be faved. Once lay hold on and accept of Jefus Chrift for falvation, and then faved ye shall be.

6. We may fafely infer from the doctrine infisted upon, that unbelief is felf-murder, and that of the worft fort. It murders the foul eternally. Hence it is that it is faid to be a rejecting the counfel of God against one's felf, Luke vii. 30. But the Pharifees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, that is, to their own ruin and fo may it be faid of every unbeliever, he rejects the counfel of God to his own destructi-, on and ruin. These things we only mention: and now we shall proceed

To improve this doctrine for trial. Is it fo that it is certain, that a convinced finner accepting of, or believing on the Lord Jefus Christ, fhall affuredly be faved? Then all who would be faved, are nearly concerned to try, whether they do believe or not. And that I may ftir you up to this duty, I fhall lay before you fome few confiderations. And,

1. Confider, the moment and importance of the matter. It is a trial whereon not your worldly eftate, nor any other petty temporal concern hangs; but your life lies upon it, and that even the life of fouls. When we bid you

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