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1. Although temporary believers and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God and state of salvation, 1which hope of theirs shall perish; yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured 2that they are in the state of grace; and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them 3ashamed.
2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon 4a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded on the blood and righteousness of Christ 5revealed in the gospel; and also upon the inward 6evidence of those graces of the Spirit unto which promises are made, and on the testimony of the 7Spirit of adoption witnessing with our Spirits that we are the children of God; and as a fruit thereof keeping the heart both 8humble and holy.
3. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he be 9partaker of it; yet being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may without extraordinary revelation in the right use of means 10attain thereunto; and therefore it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure, that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper 11fruits of this assurance; so far is it 12from inclining men to looseness.
4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as by negligence in preserving of it, by 13falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit, by some sudden or 14vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the 15light of his countenance and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light; yet are they never destitute of the 16seed of God and life 17of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart and conscience of duty, out of which by the operation of the Spirit this assurance may in due time be 18revived; and by the which in the mean time they are 19preserved from utter despair.
- Job 8:13,14; Matthew 7:22,23 ↩︎
- 1 John 2:3, 3:14,18,19,21,24, 5:13 ↩︎
- Romans 5:2,5 ↩︎
- Hebrews 6:11,19 ↩︎
- Hebrews 6:17,18 ↩︎
- 2 Peter 1:4,5,10,11 ↩︎
- Romans 8:15,16 ↩︎
- 1 John 3:1,2,3 ↩︎
- Isaiah 50:10; Psalm 88, 77:1-12 ↩︎
- 1 John 4:13; Hebrews 6:11-12 ↩︎
- Romans 5:1,2,5,14,17; Psalm 119:32 ↩︎
- Romans 6:1,2; Titus 2:11,12,14 ↩︎
- Psalm 51:8,12,14 ↩︎
- Psalm 116:11, 77:7,8, 31:22 ↩︎
- Psalm 30:7 ↩︎
- 1 John 3:9 ↩︎
- Luke 22:32 ↩︎
- Psalm 42:5,11 ↩︎
- Lamentations 3:26,27-31 ↩︎