CHAPTER IV.

SHOWING THE IMPORTANCE OF OBTAINING THE FULL ASSURANCE OF HOPE.

THE full assurance of hope, though a possible, is yet a rare attainment. Many think they have it, while it is to be feared they have nothing but presumption. They are confident that they are Christians, while they are "in the gall of bitterness, and bonds of iniquity." And perhaps there are not a few real Christians, who are confident of salvation, but whose confidence is not founded on the real and only evidences of grace. They have only stumbled on a right-conclusion respecting their state.They have guessed with confidence, and have happened to guess right. But probably, by far the greater part of Christians are in much doubt res, pecting their spiritual condition. Many believing that full assurance is not attainable, have not attempted to reach it. And others who have believed it attainable, have failed from other causes.Some fail because they mistake in relation to what are evidences of grace. They suppose some things necessary to a state of grace, which are not necessary; and because they have them not, they remain in doubt: or, they have not distinctly learned what are evidences of grace; and therefore, though they have holy affections, they do not consider them as proof of their gracious state. Others, again, who have sufficient information respecting what the evidences are, neglect self-examination, and thus remain in doubt. Others, again, who know the pro

per evidences, and who are not entirely deficient in self-examination, fail through the faintness and mixture of their exercises. They neither practice that faithfulness which would obviate these difficulties, nor search with sufficient diligence to discriminate the nature of their faint and mixed affections. We have said, the best way to obviate these difficulties, is to be very faithful in duty. Few are thus faithful; and through a want of this faithfulness, inany, very many, fail of the full assurance of hope. Some have peculiar temptations to encounter; and others are of a gloomy and doubting temperament. And these things often contribute to their failure ot this desirable attainment.

As, then, so many Christians fail of obtaining assurance of hope, they need to be excited to it.Those readers who have been discouraged from attempting to attain it, by the opinion that all their attempts would be unavailing, have had their discouragements removed, we hope, by perusing the foregoing pages. But they, and others, will need additional excitement. This excitement it is proposed now to present, by showing the importance of attaining the full assurance of hope. It is important to attain this assurance, 1. Because God requires us to have it. have seen under the fourth proof, that the full assurance of faith is attainable, God frequently commands it. By the mouth of the apostle Paul, he says: Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith: prove your own selves. Know ye not, your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ve be reprobates? 2 Cor. xiii. 5. Again he says,

As we

"And we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence unto the full assurance of hope.". Heb. vi. 11. And by the mouth of another apostle he says, "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure." 2 Pet. i. 10. God, then, commands us to have the assurance of hope; and what he commands us, we should do without gainsaying, whether we have any particular benefit arising from it or not. It is enough that God has commanded it. Our province in such cases, is implicit obedience; and were there no other reason for attaining the full assurance of hope, this would be sufficient. The command of God looks down every objection, and makes it of the utmost importance that the full assurance of hope should be attained. But it is important that it should be attained,

II. Because our endeavours will secure us against self-deception; consequently, against the danger of eternal perdition. All who do not know that they are Christians, do not know but they are yet" in the gall of bitterness, and bonds of iniquity." We have reason to believe, from what the Scriptures say on the subject, that many who hope they are saints, are still in sin, and thus as much exposed as ever to the eternal wrath of God. While, therefore, we have not assurance of our salvation, how much reason we have to fear, that while we think we stand, we are ready to fall;' that we have only the lamp of profession without the oil of grace; that we have gone to the wedding without the wedding garment;' that though we eat and drink in Christ's presence, nay, though we teach and prophecy in his name, and even cast out devils,' never

theless, he will at length say to us, "I never knew you." What more dangerous state then, can a man be in, than to hope he is a Christian while he is yet in his sins? He believes himself on the way to heaven, while passing rapidly down to hell.— While this delusive hope continues, he is in far greater danger than careless sinners. They feel that their state is unsafe. There is hope, therefore, that the warnings of the gospel will awaken them; at least, that the approach of danger will alarm them. But what will alarm him who hopes he has made his peace with God already? But while we have hope, and yet not the full assurance of hope, we know not but this is our condition. We know not but that we have just enough of this delusive hope, to keep us along in self-security, till the day of grace is gone for ever. The frail raft may be just strong enough to bear a man along, where the water is shallow and still; and where, therefore, if it failed him, he might easily escape to the shore. But if it reaches the current and the depth of the stream, it will be speedily torn asunder, and leave him to perish without remedy. All it avails him, is to bear him into perdition. So this uncertain hope may be barely sufficient to buoy us up in seeming safety, until we reach the current of death, and then abandon us to final despair. But from all this danger, a faithful attempt to obtain the full assurance of hope, would effectually deliver us. If sinners, the attempt would show us our real condition of exposure to the wrath of God; and probably arouse us to escape from it. If saints, it would show us that our salvation was secure. How im

portant on this account then, that we give diligence to make our calling and election sure.'

III. It is important, because it prevents our present pain, and promotes our present enjoyment. In all things, suspense and doubt are painful; and they are painful just in proportion to the amount of interest supposed to be involved. How painful must they be then, where the infinite and eternal interest of the soul is rightly apprehended, and is found to be in uncertainty. If uncertainty respecting a small amount of property will create such anxiety and pain, what should be felt when in doubt respecting the soul, for whose loss the world could not compensate? If a trial at law, involving character or interest, excite so much anxiety, and if uncertainty respecting its decision, should cause so much pain; what agony should be felt when in doubt, how the Judge of quick and dead' will decide at last on our character and destiny? whether he will say, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:" or whether he will say, "Depart ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." But such is the distressing uncertainty which hangs over the prospect of him who has not made his calling and election sure.' He knows not whether he is on the way to heaven, or on the way to hell; and in consequence of this doubt, how much painful anxiety might he endure. But all this distress the attainment of assurance will prevent. They who are assured of their salvation, are freed from such fearful solici tude.