our salvation sure, then, is to gain full and sufficient evidence that we have saving faith.

The assurance of salvation now under consideration, is called in Scripture, "the full assurance of hope." ́Heb. vi. 11, Many confound this with "the full assurance of faith," spoken of in Heb. x. 22. Hence they often speak of "the faith of assurance." But the one is very different from the other. "Full assurance of faith” is an undoubting belief of what God has revealed in his word, especially perhaps what he has promised in the Gospel. "The full assurance of hope" is an entire confidence that we have complied with the condition on which salvation is offered, and that we shall therefore assuredly be saved. The former is general, having regard to all that God has revealed: the latter is particular and personal, having regard only to our own salvation. Faith goes before hope. Faith, that is, saving faith, is the foundation on which hope rests; for we hope we shall be saved, because we have previously exercised this particular faith. The assurance of the one, then, must be very different from the assurance of the other.

Some confound assurance of hope" with perfection in holiness: insisting that they are the same, or at least that the one implies the other. But they are altogether different in their natures; nor have they scarcely any relation with each other. It is true, the more faithful we are in duty, the more evidence there is that we shall be saved. But all this evidence may not be seen by us. And the assurance is not measured by the amount of evidence existing, but by the amount of evidence discovered. The degree of our assurance does not depend entirely on the degree of our faithfulness in duty. It depends also, on our faithfulness in selfexamination. Perfection in duty, then, is no way necessary to the full assurance of hope.

What is now to be said on the subject of making our salvation sure, is upon the supposition that the doctrine of Saint's

Perseverance is true. If, however, any reader doubts this doctrine, he can regard what is said as relating, not to the evidence that we shall finally be saved, but to the evidence that we have been born again.

Many insist that the full assurance of hope is necessarily attained by all real Christians; that no man can possibly be born again without this assurance. Others go to the opposite extreme, and insist that none can have it. The sentiment to be maintained, is the one that lies between these two extremes. It is not true that Christians must necessarily know that they are Christians. Neither is it true that none can know that they are Christians. It is true that although many real Christians do not have the full assurance of hope, yet it is possible for all of them to have it.

It is proposed to show in this work,

I. That the opinion that all Christians must of necessity have the full assurance of hope, is false and dangerous. But,

II. That all Christians may and ought to gain this full assurance of hope.

III. How it is to be obtained. And

IV. That it is vastly important that it should be obtained.

CHAPTER I.

THE OPINION THAT ALL SAINTS MUST OF NECESSITY HAVE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE, SHOWN TO BE

es.

FALSE AND DANGEROUS.

Of those who hold this error there are two classThe one insist that saving faith consists in believing Christ is ours, that he died with a view to save us in particular, and consequently that we shall assuredly receive the benefit of his death in the pardon of our sins, the sanctification of our natures, and the final salvation of our souls. The other class though they do not consider assurance of salvation as making any part of saving faith, insist nevertheless that it is inseparable from it: that is, they insist that the change of heart which takes place at the time of receiving salvation by faith, is so great and perceptible that none can experience it without knowing it. That saving faith consists in believing Christ is ours, and that we shall therefore assuredly be saved,' is most evidently false; for it amounts to this:

'we shall be saved, because we believe we shall be saved''we are Christians for we think we are Christians.' And if it be true that believing ourselves Christians makes us Christians, then there is no such thing as self-deception in regard to salvation. But how many do we see, who are altogether confident that they are real saints, while they give evidence to all around that they "have neither part nor lot in this matter." Nay, how

often do the Scriptures speak of persons as having false hopes, 'thinking they stand, while ready to fall,' (1 Cor. x. 12.)-thinking themselves something while they are nothing,' thus deceiving themselves, (Gal. vi. 3.) —'coming in to the wedding without a wedding garment,' (Matt. xxii. 11, 12.) having a religion which is vain,' (James i. 26.)-'coming and crying at last,' "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils; and in thy name done many wonderful works;" but to whom Christ will say "I never knew you, depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matt. vii. 22, 23. What but self-deceivers were the five foolish virgins of whom Christ spoke? And what but self-deceivers were the stony-ground hearers, who received the word with joy; but who endured but for a time, because they had not the root of grace in their hearts? Matt. xiii. 20, 21. But none of these things could be, if believing Christ ours, made him ours.

There is no intimation in Scripture that this ap propriating faith, as it is called, is saving faith. It was not believing Christ to be his, that secured to Peter the divine benediction. Matt. xvi. 1518. Nor was it this which qualified the eunuch for Christian baptism. Acts viii. 37. Faith is, indeed, the receiving of Christ, John i. 12.-Col. ii.

6.

But it is not a belief that we have received him. Much less is it a belief that he died for us, in a higher sense than for all mankind.

Faith and hope are essentially distinct from each other. Hence they are spoken of in Scripture, as things of different import. See 1 Cor. xiii.

13. Gal. v. 5. Eph. iv. 4, 5. and Tit. i. 1, 2. The one is evidence of the other. Heb. xi. 1. The fact that we have faith is the testimony on which our hope rests. But the proof and the thing proven are entirely distinct. Hope then, and especially full assurance of hope, makes no part of saving

faith.

Equally groundless is the opinion, that the change of heart which takes place on our exercising saving faith, is so evident, that we cannot experience this change without knowing it. Our charity must be very circumscribed if we do not believe this opinion to be contradicted by constant facts. We see multitudes of professors daily, who relate a good Christian experience, who talk and act, as if they lived in the constant exercise and enjoyment of religion, and who manifest as much constancy and faithfulness in the cause of Christ, as many who pretend to know that they are Christians; but who say nevertheless, that they are troubled with continual doubts and fears, whether they were ever born again. Must we, then, conclude, against all the evidence which they give us to the contrary, that they are yet in the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity? Can we be so uncharitable as to pronounce by far the greater portion of professors in the several Christian denominations to be self-deceivers or hypocrites, because they do not know that they are Christians?

If I mistake not, this opinion is contradicted by the experience of some of its own advocates. I think I have known some that hold to this opinion, who, on meeting with a change of beart, doubted