2 PET. 2. 10.
THe possibility and duty of this Assurance hath been already declared and proved; as also the practicall objections against it, removed. I now come to shew the great advantage of this certainty. Where the godly heart hath this holy assurance and perswasion wrought by Gods Spirit, there it hath many helps which the tempted soul wanteth. It is therefore good to propound them to you, that so the profitablenesse of it in heavens way, may excite you to seek it.
And first, Where there is certainty of this heavenly priviledge, there the soul is1 more inflamed and inlarged to love God. It’s an assertion against all reason and experience, which the Papists utter, That assurance of Gods love in us would breed contempt, security and neglect of God. For with all ingenuous natures (and such the children of God are) the more perswasion of anothers love to them, the more they repay it with love again. The wife, the childe, the more they know they are beloved of husband or father, the more this inflames them. Love is fire, and fire turneth all things into fire. Thus David, when he could say, God had forgiven his iniquities, and healed his diseases, in particular; Then blesse the Lord, O my soul, and all within me praise his holy Name, Psal. 103. 1. Thus Paul in Rom. 8. 6. what puts him into those extaticall raptures, and transcendent expressions about God and Christ, but the assurance that he was such an one whom God had elected, called and justified? Oh then, know all the while thou hast doubtings and servile fears upon thee, so long thy love to God is very imperfect and cold. The fear of God brings hatred and wearisom thoughts of God: And hence the Apostle sheweth, that fear, viz. slavish, hath a torment with it; and that love casteth out this tormenting fear, 1 John 4 18. Love to God as a gracious Father, would allay all those tempestuous and swelling waves that are in the soul. Now this can never be done, but by some certainty that we are such whom God loveth. Tranquillus Deus, tranquillat omnia; when we know God is pacified, then the soul is also pacified. As it’s with the sea, that is quiet as long as the air and windes from above are quiet and still; so it is here; The soul, that is calm, comfortable and gracious, all the while it can by assurance enjoy Gods favour. Now if we cannot so vigorously love God, while we are without this certainty, how should this provoke us to indeavour after it!
Secondly, Certainty of our calling and election will breed much spirituall strength2 and heavenly ability to all graces and duties, to go through all relations with much holinesse and lively vigour. For fear which is the opposite to this, that makes weak hands, and feeble knees, that disheartens, that saith, A lion is in the way: whereas the certainty of our good condition would put hope and life into us. The testimony of a good conscience made Paul so active in the course of his Ministry, 2 Cor. 1. 12. Certainty breeds joy, and the joy of the Lord is our strength, as Nehemiah said, Nehem. 8. 10. Take a piece of timber full of moths and worms eating into it, and it’s no waies strong enough for any building. Grief is made rottennesse to the bones, which consumes the seat of all our strength: so spirituall dejections and sinfull doubtings about the work of grace in us, they consume the very heart, they destroy the very foundations. No man but a sanctified man can have a good conscience in a Scripture sense; they may have a quiet conscience, not accusing them for grosse sins committed against the light of nature: But this is not a Scripture good conscience; for that is freed not only from grosse sins, but heart-sins, and soul-sins, and it is sprinkled with the bloud of Christ. And thus a good conscience is a continuall feast. Oh then, this should stir thee up for this holy certainty; thou wilt be farre more chearfull, more joyfull in the work of the Lord: Thou wilt be more fervent and zealous; thou wilt be as the sun, like a giant running his race. We complain of our barrenness, of our weakness, of our slothfulness: What can be wings to us but this certainty of our gracious estate, This will be like the Spirit in Ezekiels Wheels. This will be like the winde that gathered the dry bones together. Oh then that the people of God would more matter this. Thou couldst not be such a lump of earth, if this breath of life were breathed into thee.
Thirdly, This certainty and assurance of grace, would exceedingly keep up the heart under all afflictions and outward miseries. Had not Paul been assured of that3 eternall weight of glory, he could not have judged these worldly miseries light and easie. When David was in all that misery, all outward hopes gone, He incouraged himself in his God, 1 Sam. 30. 6. His God, He knew God was his God, though he had lost all things else. And thus Paul is more then a conquerour; and doth so highly challenge all troubles to hurt him if they can, because he knoweth by Gods Spirit, that he is one called and chosen; and shall not this prevail with you? Is it not a miserable thing to fear to be killed by men, and to be damned by God at the same time: To be imprisoned by men, and imprisoned in thy own conscience, Oh what will provoke thee if not this? Alas! I am sure of nothing, not of my life, not of my outward comforts, not of any outward injoyment, and wilt not thou then be sure of grace within thee? Oh our vanity! when will we be wise? We labour for those earthly things, which when we have, we cannot be sure off, but not at all for grace. Is it not with many men, as with the bees, when all the summer they have laboured to fill their combs with hony, then comes the husbandman and burneth them, and takes their hony. So thou hast a long while laboured to get up so much wealth, such an estate, and then comes death, or some sudden publique judgement, the sword and warre, and that takes all thy hony from thee. Oh when we can be sure of no outward thing we have, let us be sure of inward grace.