Sermon 7

1 John 5:12. He that has the Son, has life, and he that has not the Son, has not life.

We now come to a third head of signs, by which it may appear whether we have Christ or no, and that is from the third word in the text (which is Life) for it is an argument of like strength and value, to argue the one from the other. He that has the Son has life, and he that has life, he has the Son; and therefore now at this time to open to you some signs, or marks by which it may appear to us whether we have life, or no; that spiritual life here spoken of: to wit, the life of righteousness in our justification, and of sanctification, of comfort and consolation, and of eternal glory.

And the signs of life are of three sorts; either you may discern the life of God's grace by the causes of it, or by the effects of it; or by the qualities and properties of it, as we call them.

First; for the causes, the Holy Ghost usually sets forth the causes of our spiritual life, and if we find these causes to have been the work of that life, which we conceive our souls to be endowed with, we may from there argue the truth of our spiritual life, and from there the truth of our fellowship with Christ.

For the first; the first cause of our spiritual life, is the holy and gracious will of God (James 1:18). Of his own will he begat us; it is that therefore to this life by which we are begotten, for all generation is to life, it is of his own will that we are begotten to this life.

And the apostle John sets it forth, by the removal and denial of all other causes (John 1:13). We are born not of flesh nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God: not of blood. Not of godly parents; for men may have godly parents, and yet themselves degenerate, and therefore it is not to be ascribed to parentage, it is not from the parentage, but from the covenant, and from God's will in the covenant, that begets a child of God, nor is it of the will of the flesh; that is, of corrupt nature, nor of the will of man, nor of the best pains that they can take, though they take much pains for us, yet all may be in vain, so as that unless God set in with Christian friends, and with the blood and covenant of our ancestors, we shall not be brought on to live a spiritual life in God's sight. It is that which God himself speaks of in (Ezekiel 16:6). When we were yet in our blood, yet God said to us live. When we were in our blood, like an infant, gasping for natural life, and ready to perish, even then when none could help us, then God said to us live, and then we lived in his sight. And therefore in a word, you may take this for an evident sign of the true life of grace, wherever you find the work of grace wrought in any soul, you shall find the heart speaking of it, as the work of God's own hand. Take you a man in the estate of nature, and he will say, God be thanked he had always a good mind, and his parents would never say no less of him, but he was always a promising and hopeful child he thanks God; and thus a man will speak that is only well nurtured, he will say, it is a work that was ever in him, and he ever thought so of himself. But now take another man, that is indeed born to a new life, and has this life in him that springs from Christ, he will tell you as Paul was used to say (Galatians 1:15-16). When it pleased God to separate me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace. There you shall as in a pattern discern what the manner of the expression of a living soul is, he does not say it was wrought when he had a good mind to hear such a man, or to take such a course, so it may be will flesh and blood say, but when you come to a heart that indeed lives in God's sight, he expresses himself thus: but when it pleased God it was done. I for my part ran clean another way, I never had a desire after God, I had indeed a kind of form and show, and could comply myself to my governors and neighbors; that I might be flattered and encouraged by them, and I should never have taken better course of myself; but when it pleased God to call me by his grace, there is the life of a Christian, he fetches his life from the highest heavens. It pleased God to call me by his grace, and to reveal his Son in me; when it pleased him to show me the estate of my soul, and the sinful rebellion of my heart and when he revealed Christ, not so much to me, as in me, he was revealed to him, in (Acts 9), in the first vision and work upon him; but when he revealed Christ in me, then he went that way the Holy Ghost led him. Thus you shall easily discern it plainly; though it be hidden in the pleasure of God, yet it will show itself evidently in the expression of a Christian man, when he comes to speak of the life of his spiritual estate, they never attribute it to good inclination, nor to the good instructions of others, but they say, when it pleased God, thus and thus to reveal himself in me, when he showed me myself, when God laid about to find which way to hem me in, then it pleased God to do it, and since then I have lived.

A second cause of my spiritual life is, the word of God; the word of promise, for so the Apostle tells you; not all that are of Abraham, are the seed and children of Abraham; but the children of the promise, are counted for the spiritual seed: that seed which is elected of God, and chosen to everlasting life, that is the seed of promise. That is, such as are begotten of some promise of God or other, every Isaac is a son of the promise. And lest you should think it peculiar to Isaac alone, the Apostle opens it sweetly, in (Galatians 4:28). As a thing common with Isaac to all the people of God; it is a like privilege given to the Galatians, and to all others that were born of God: we brethren are children of the promise; it was not peculiar to Isaac alone to be born of the promise, and yet of the promise he was born, in a kind of peculiar manner; for before he was born, God gave Isaac to Sarah by promise, and by virtue of that promise was he born, even a natural life. Now so far indeed it was a special peculiar prerogative to Isaac and Jacob: but the Apostle would from there gather; that the spiritual birth of us all, is by a word of promise; all of us, one and other is born, by a word of providence, but if we speak of our spiritual birth, then we brethren are children of the promise. So that you shall observe this to be a holy truth of God; that every child of God, is born of the promise of God: so that then have you a new birth, and do you live a new life. Tell me then, what promise was it that did beget you to God, that begat you to this new life? What word of God was it, by which you were begotten? It is a general speech, that in (Romans 10:17). faith comes by hearing, and by the doctrine of faith preached, (Galatians 3:5). that is, the Gospel of faith; so that this is the point: there is some promise which being reported to the soul in the ministry of the word, is laid hold upon by the hearts of God's people, the same word of promise, working that faith in the heart, by which the soul cleaves to such a promise. Then do but consider, if you are born of God, what cause was there of your birth? Were you born of that word of God, or of your own conceit, or of the good opinion of Christians? Or is there some word of God, which you have placed your confidence in, and upon which you have been reformed; and since that day to this, God has turned your heart and way to another course, and given you to live in his sight? It is true, it may be many a good soul cannot readily tell you, what promise did first bring them on to God; but though you cannot always tell, yet a word of promise it was; and ordinarily, a word of promise which the word preached did apply to your soul, and caused your heart to reach forth and to lay hold upon it; but though you are not always able to reckon up the first promises, yet this I say: and mark it, there is no Christian soul, but has some promises of God on which his heart is stayed upon, and by which his life is nourished, which argues it was bred of those promises, of which it is now fed, though a man be not always able to tell what promise it was. Sometimes a word of reproof or of counsel, may sink deep into a man, when God sets it well on; and may make a deep impression in the heart of a man; and may so turn about the course of their lives, as that thereby they may reform all common and outward, and known soul sins, which before was ever cause and matter of reproof, but that is not so safe a work of Christ, not such a strong evidence of our spiritual life, when such a word of reproof or counsel has set us in such a course, and we have thereupon refrained gaming and breaking of the Sabbath, and vain fashions; this is well, but it is not so safe a sign of our new birth. For this may befall even a hypocrite, he may be so convinced by a word of grace, and wise counsel, as may strongly turn the stream of his course another way; and yet be without any life and power of godliness, only the word of promise is able to work grace, and life in the heart of a man.

For the ground of the point is this, we cannot have a spirit of life wrought in us by the works of the law, nor by the words of the law. (Galatians 3:5). He that ministers to you in the spirit, and works miracles, does he do it by the works of the law? As if he should say, did you ever receive the grace of Christ, by the works of the law? Or by the counsel of the law, or by the commandments of the law? Or by the reproofs reached forth from the law; he excludes it as impossible, and as no ways able to do it, (verse 21). And therefore he does ever lead us to some word of the Gospel, to some promise of grace for the ground of all our spiritual life; as if ever we would be able to say, we are begotten to a new inheritance, we must be able, and are able to say, we have some word of promise, which has wrought this in our souls, which has bowed us to look to Christ, and to cleave to him for strength, and increase, and grows in grace.

For it is true indeed, the works of the law may indeed cut us off from some bad ways, but when it has done so, it leaves us there; leaves us in an estate wherein we would not give offence, and would not displease men, that are grave and wise; and this we may reach to without respect to the glory of God, or any inward regard of his holy fear, but when as we are quickened to live by virtue of some promise, then the love of God constrains us to live to obedience and good ends, then our respects can reach heavenly and spiritual ends.

And therefore observe this as of necessary use for any man; that as he would be loath to be deceived in a counterfeit piece of money; so much more let him be careful in the main points of his everlasting estate: on this depends our having or not having of life. And therefore it behooves us to be sure that we be not disappointed in this great mystery of godliness, and consider seriously upon what your hopes and confidence was bred, and from where it was grounded.

Quest. You will say; But is it not ordinary that the Word of the Law does humble and cast down the heart and spirit before God, and cut them off from all confidence in the flesh, before they come to lay hold of the promise of grace in Christ?

Answ. True, it is so indeed, that ordinarily, some word of the Law, some word of conviction prevails with the heart, and makes him in sense of sin, say to his Christian friends, what shall I do to be saved? This is true, but yet this is not it, that makes him a new man in God's sight, it may reach to the reformation of his outward man, and to the alteration of several of his former courses, which no means else could have reclaimed; but yet this makes him not live a spiritual life, until he be not only humbled by the Law, but in some measure brought on, to look after the promise of grace in Christ, and to long after them, and to say, and desire, oh that I had but my part in this or that promise, what a mercy of God would that be to me, could I but lay hold upon them, but thereupon the soul of a Christian, does stand poring and plodding, and wistfully gazing upon them, till in the end the very sight of a promise, has so seasoned us with a spirit of faith, that we begin not only to long after that promise, but to cleave to it, and in time come to receive it into our hearts, and come to embrace it, to rejoice in it, to acknowledge it, and find our happiness, and life, and comfort to be wrapped up in it.

A third cause of our spiritual life, is the Spirit of grace — that which is born of the spirit is spirit, whatever is born of the flesh and no more, is but carnal, but that which is born of the spirit, is spirit (John 3:6). There is a shedding abroad, the spirit of God's grace in the heart of man, that makes him of another spirit, he is not the same man, that he was before his spirit was changed, his inclination and disposition is changed.

For Spirit is nothing else but the inclination, and disposition, the habit of it; the spirit of wisdom is an habit or inclination to wisdom; the Spirit of grace is an habit of grace; the Spirit of prayer is an inclination or an habit of prayer: they are several words, but all mean the same thing: Be renewed in the spirit of your minds, that is, be renewed in the inclination and disposition of your mind (Ephesians 4:23). And not only be renewed in the mind, or judgment, or understanding of a man; but there must be a renewal of the whole soul of a man, the disposition and inclination of the whole must be changed and altered. Caleb and Joshua was of another spirit, they could judge of things otherwise than other men could do, other men not renewed in the spirit of their mind, have no alteration; but the truly regenerate they see a great change, they never saw the danger of their sins before, nor ever before judged themselves for their sins, but now their spirit, and soul, and affection is changed, and now a spirit of fear, and love, and care, and every affection is altered; now a man is turned quite off from earthly things, so far as they hinder him in the enjoyment of his spiritual life, and now we are set upon the things of God, so as that he that is born of God to a spiritual life, is become a new creature, and old things are past away (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has a new mind, and a new heart, new affections, new language, and new employments that he was never used to do before; now he can read God's Word, and confer with God's people about the things of God, and can instruct others, and fashion himself to a new mold, and all upon the renewal of the spirit of his mind; so that if you see that God has put another spirit into you than ever you had before, so as not only this, or that part, but the whole man is changed, and put into another frame, that though there be still a taste of the old man, yet the frame both of the body and soul is of another mold, and all things are become new in some measure; then you live a new life indeed, else it is not a perfect change, though this and that alteration be wrought in you. By these causes you may clearly discern whether God has given you a new life or no; consider it therefore I beseech you, how do you now find your hearts apt to speak, when you speak of that estate you are in? Are you in your closets used to say, that time was when you have been thus and thus led, in the vanity of your mind, and the hardness of your heart, and custom of sin, but when it pleased God, who called you by his grace, when it pleased God, then it took place; you had been in good company before, and had used many means, but never anything would work; but when it pleased God, then it wrought, and from that day to this it has been so and so with me. It is a good sign to you, if also you can recall, that such or such a word of promise it pleased God to pitch your souls upon, you have long looked and waited for salvation, but in the end it pleased God to wrap up your souls in life by such a promise; and if you can call to mind that such a promise your souls did cleave to, then are you indeed born to a spiritual life, because you are right bred, bred of a promise, and of the holy will and pleasure of God; but if you find yourselves to be of another frame, and you are bowed to walk with God, and to reform your course of life by outward bounds, this is not so safe; but if your whole man universally be bowed to a godly holy frame, and all things are become new; new friends, new affections, new desires, if you find such a universal change, then you are right bred Christians, and indeed no Christians are right bred but such Christians; but if you make a great stir about the great reformation that is wrought in you, and it is from the good inclination, and disposition you have always had; you ever had a good mind, and in the end (you thank God) you have reformed such and such evils as you have been blamed for; time was when you could have freely played at cards and dice, but since then you see the vanity of it, and you take better courses, and do now consort yourselves with well ordered and stayed company, you had always a good mind to be better, but you could not do it suddenly, and so in the conclusion your reformation is but a good inclination or disposition of your mind; and if you see that much good has been wrought upon you by the counsel of such and such friends, and by the good example of such and such wise and discreet friends; and if you find that there is some strange change in your carriage, your course of life is much altered, you are not so light and wanton as you were; but you take a far more grave, and wise, and stayed course, and to much better purpose both for church and commonwealth wherein you live; now I say, if you shall go on, and look for that spiritual life, which only springs from Christ Jesus, and will lead on to eternal glory, and therefore rests not in any reformation of yourselves, till you find there be such an inward and whole change wrought in you, which the heart is used to speak of to the praise of God's grace, it was God's will, else it could never have been wrought, and you could not speak of it till now; and you never rest satisfied in such a change, as a word of reproof or counsel, that has wrought such a change or reformation in you, that stayed in the outward man, or in some affections, till you found your hearts to sanctify the name of God's grace in the acknowledgement of the word of promise, and of the Spirit of grace, making you new, that you may be able to say, that in very deed you have Christ, and with Christ life, and that life which will never decay, but will hold to all eternity.

And therefore now to speak something of the signs of the life of our justification.

Therefore a second sort of signs, is taken from the effects of spiritual life, you see what is the causes of it, as the good pleasure of God, the word of promise, and the Spirit of grace, these be the first sort of signs.

Now a second sort of signs is from the effects and fruits of life, and in this take notice of some fruits of your life of justification; it is a principal part of our spiritual life to have our sins forgiven, Blessed is the man whose iniquity is pardoned, and to whom the Lord imputes no sin (Psalm 32:1-2). And therefore it is, that forgiveness of sin is called justification; then God accounts us righteous, and this is called, justification of life (Romans 5:18), because in the pardon of our sins is our life. As when a malefactor by the law is condemned, he is by the law a dead man; and if his pardon come, his pardon is his life, and it is so indeed: so is it in this case, the pardon of our sins is the very life of our souls, and if God give us to find that life, there is no fear of the life of our sanctification, or consolation, etc.

The first effect then that flows from the pardon of our sins, is some inward peace of conscience, some inward refreshment and satisfaction yielded to the heart, that it could never attain to before, for sin may be pardoned in the sight of God, and yet that pardon is not manifested and declared to my soul, until God grant me some measure of peace, and a manifestation of the free pardon of my sins, I can have little rest. It is a notable saying (Romans 5:1), Being justified by faith we have peace with God, through Jesus Christ. A man justified, is one that has his sins pardoned, for what was it that all our lifetime before made us afraid of God's displeasure, and we had much disquietness about our estates; oh, the sin of our souls that we had committed all our life long, the sin committed many a day ago, that now lay heavy upon our souls, and the want of pardon lay as heavy as our sins; but now if God come and say, Your sins are pardoned, then follows a sweet tranquility of peace in the soul. A matter that philosophers have talked of, to quiet the mind, to lull men asleep, and with applying remedies, did [reconstructed: stupefy] for a while, and take off the heavy burden, or the sense of the burden, rather than the burden itself; but as soon as ever God pardons sin, there is shed abroad a spirit of peace in our souls, and sometimes in that unspeakable measure, as that it passes the understanding of a man to conceive (Philippians 4:7). But I do not so conceive, that every Christian as soon as ever his sin is first pardoned, has such an inconceivable peace in his soul; but he finds a great deal of ease sometimes, as if you had thrown a millstone from off his body. Notable is that expression in (Isaiah 32:17), The work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness, and assurance forever. He speaks of that righteousness, whereby we stand righteous before God, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to our souls. The work of righteousness shall be peace; from this work and effect you may gather what the causes of it is: blessed are such, it is quietness and assurance forever. Not that there is an everlasting sense of that peace, for the sense of it is sometimes obscured for want of watchfulness, and want of experience in the ways of godliness; and sometimes through the buffetings of Satan, or desertions from the hand of God, and so many times our peace may be over-clouded, and the sense of it taken away, but the work of righteousness is peace. If sin be pardoned, peace will follow upon it, and the fruit of this righteousness is quietness, and assurance forever; the heart is now peaceable, quiet, and assured that God has wrought this and that grace in me, which will abide in me forever.

2. That you may be further instructed in this point, see a second effect of this life of justification, of the life of righteousness, which is of special use for the right discerning of our spiritual life, and that is this. Look as in all natural life, no man has received life, but is careful to preserve it; skin for skin, and all that a man has will he give to save his life; and if his life be struck at, he will have his hand cut off rather than have his head wounded; he will expose himself or any member to any danger, rather than lose his life. And so if God grant pardon of sin, and peace of conscience; you will find this an evident sign of pardon and peace together, and an evident effect of them both; a serious care, and a constant endeavor to maintain and keep that peace, that as you see God has been very gracious in speaking peace to you, so you would preserve that peace above all the blessings in the world, that whatever you lose else, though you lose friends, and goods, and lands, and trades, health, and liberty, you would not lose your peace, though you hazard the loss of them all to preserve and maintain your peace. That peace when it was given you, was so unspeakable and glorious, that life itself was not to be compared to this mercy which God has granted us, when he gave us peace (Psalm 63:3), Your lovingkindness is better than life.

A man that has found something that is better than his life, he will lose his life rather than it, and much more anything else; and therefore if you see God incline your hearts to be tender and careful of your peace, then God has bestowed peace and pardon upon you; and it is evident; because you are so loath to break it. A man that never received this peace, he makes no conscience of sin, unless it blemish him in the eye of the world; he makes no great matter of conscience to run into any sin, because the old score is yet undischarged: Christ is not wont to discharge that score which we make no conscience to run into again.

And if they do, he can tell how to make them feel the smart of playing such prodigals, but when God has blotted all our sins out of his sight, that there is no more mention of sin between God and our souls, that the heart of a Christian will be marvelously careful and solicitous, that it sin no more against God; he that has his sin pardoned, and knows what it has cost, both on God's part and on his own, he is very careful of running into sin any more, and is very careful to walk more holily for ever hereafter. Notable is that example (Genesis 39:9). When Joseph was tempted to a pleasing sin, oh, says he, how shall I commit this great wickedness, and so sin against God, how should he now break his peace with God, and run upon a new score with God? It is certain he had sinned before, and he had found pardon of it. And how should he now sin any more against God: this is the constant care of every Christian man, he is fearful of every sin.

I grant you, it is true, that sometimes, even those that have their sins pardoned, and the writing of transgression by which they had engaged themselves to everlasting torments has been cancelled, yet even they have afterwards turned the grace of God into wantonness, through sinful lusts. As David and Peter, etc., through some corruption or other; but you shall also find this to be true, that as they have been overtaken and overwhelmed with such corruptions as those be, so they have held forth as much repentance, and affliction in this case; that if you had taken many lives from them, you could not have grieved them so much as in this case they are put to. The blotting out of the sense of this pardon has been more bitter to them than death itself. And if it be not so, that Christian men in such a case do not more shame themselves before God, and loath themselves for all the evils they have done in God's sight; they will either lie down seared and benumbed, and their spiritual life will evaporate away, and then it will argue, it was never true, and sincere; and if it were true; it will lie so close and hidden, that you may plainly see what a slaughter Satan has made, and what heavy load he has put upon such as are careless to maintain that peace with God, which he has granted them. And therefore if God give us hearts to keep our peace, it is an evident sign God is at peace with us.

If we flee from sin, as from the grave or hell, then surely those sins are pardoned which we do abhor. And that peace and reconciliation is procured which we desire.

That is the nature of spiritual life, it desires to maintain itself, and to expel all that is contrary to it. If the body has taken any noxious and hurtful thing; it will vomit and cast it out, and will not let it rest there in quiet. If it be an enemy to our life it will strive against it. If there be any spiritual life in us, it cannot let sin rest in us; it will strive against it, and never rest till it be shut of it, any way, some way or other, out it must, though he shame himself for it by an open confession; and though it many ways trouble him, yet out it must, it is an enemy to his life, and out he must cast it. And therefore if God give us hearts to be fearful of sin, and careful to maintain our peace, it is an evident sign of the truth of our spiritual life; and this is a sign of life, for he feels not his peace because it is clouded in him; he discerns no life in him, and he fears what he had was but a delusion. Why, how stands your care to preserve your peace, and to avoid the danger of the loss of it? If God give you a heart desirous and careful to maintain your peace, though it be not so lively as sometimes it was, yet it is certainly true and good.

A third sign and effect of the life of righteousness is that which our Savior gives (Luke 7:47): "Her sins are forgiven her, which are many, for she loved much." So then, this is a third sign that our sins are pardoned, and of the life of our justification — our love of God. Love of God, proportional and suitable, according to the greatness of the sins that have been forgiven and pardoned to us; this is a good evidence of the life of our justification, this is not a dead and a lifeless pardon. A prince may pardon a malefactor of his former offense, but he can put no new principle into him; but God's pardons does convey life into the soul, and it has this work in it; when the soul sees that all its sins are done away, and those sins many and great, as many and great sins are forgiven him; so is his love great and manifold, and this is of the same nature of the love there spoken of. She was a wicked woman, and very notorious for uncleanness, for so said the people (verse 38-39): "Surely if this man were a Prophet, he would know what manner of woman this was, for she is a sinner." And when they say, "A sinner," they mean not such a sinner as other men and women ordinarily be, but such a sinner as was a notorious wicked woman, and therefore a shame for him that professed himself to be a Prophet to come so near her. She begins to wash, and to kiss his feet, and to wipe them with the hair of her head, and to anoint him with precious ointment. Now says Christ to Simon the Pharisee (and he was none of the worst of them neither) — for Christ seems to imply that he had some sins forgiven him — "I have something to say to you, Simon: there was a creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence, the other fifty, and when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both; tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?" "Why," says he, "I suppose him to whom he forgave most." And Jesus said, "You have rightly judged, since I entered into your house you gave me no water for my feet, etc. — therefore I say to you, her sins which are many are forgiven her, for she loved much." She showed wonderful much love, she sat behind him weeping, when she thought she had not been so much seen, not presuming to come into his presence. Now therefore her sins which are many are forgiven her. You may see it plainly, because she loves so much; and you that have showed less love, you have less forgiven you, but they that have many sins forgiven them, they have much. And therefore if a man's sins be forgiven him, and God give him peace in the pardon of them, according to the measure and multitude of his sins, such is the measure and variety of his love, the greatness of his love to God. And as God has forgiven him many sins, so he gives God manifold measures of love, he loves God greatly — the very feet of God, the lowest and poorest members of the body of Christ. He is content to stoop to the meanest office of love to Christ, or to any of his servants; anything wherein love may be showed to Christ, or his members, he is content to stoop to it. According to what is your forgiveness, such is your love.

And because no man has so little forgiven him, but if anything be forgiven him at all, he knows that little is so much, and so great, as would indeed have plunged him into the nethermost Hell; and therefore no true Christian is proud of the smallness of his sins, but he thinks it a very great matter to have any one sin forgiven him. But he knows if God had cast him out of his sight for any one of them, just had his judgments been, and if at any time his love decay, he renews it by repentance of that sin, for which before God had granted him pardon. And thus you see a six-fold sign of our spiritual life, three from the causes, and three from the effects; and the latter, the three effects chiefly concern the life of our justification.

And therefore do but apply it home to your souls, because the whole discourse is but an application, and a use of the point; but I pray you consider what you have heard, and lay it to heart, and draw near now into the closet of your spirits, that you may discern what God has done for you. Did you yet ever see any peace of conscience? You say, "I never had a troubled unquiet conscience all my days"; but to you I only say this much, your peace has neither a good root, nor will it bring forth any good fruit, not well rooted. For I pray you, from where came it? Did it come from any word of God's promise, or any work of the Spirit of grace, or from your self-love, or is it not a benumbed peace? And if so, then it is not well rooted.

And truly it has and will have as bad fruits, for if you say your sins are pardoned, then what care have you to keep that peace, and to preserve it? Does not a sin befall you, but it is an annoyance to your spiritual life, and you cannot rest till you are shut of it, and cannot be satisfied till you are wholly discharged of it; it is well, but if you find that you can live quietly in known sins, and your soul is never troubled about them, this is then but a barren and false-hearted peace, and will deceive you, and in the midst of this peace you may sink into Hell, unless God heal this distempered peace in you; and if God has given you such a peace, what love do you then return to God? Where is that great and manifold love you give to God? If this love be wanting, and your care to preserve it be wanting; if your peace be groundless and fruitless, then spiritual life is wanting, but if God has been pleased, and your own heart can find it so, and bear witness to your soul, that God has pardoned your sins, then that peace which is in your soul will refresh you. Have you ever found such a peace in your soul, as has been unspeakable and full of glory, and you have been sweetly quieted when many troubles have been about you, and have you found comfort from there in any of the ordinances of God? And do you find, that though that peace then gotten be in a great measure lost and decayed, yet you have as great a care as may be to preserve it, and to maintain it, and to renew, and to recover it again by repentance, and are careful to preserve yourself spotless before the world? And do you find that according as God has been merciful to you, so your love is great and manifold, you can never love God so much as he has done you; you can never answer the thousandth part of his love and mercy showed to you? And then no service of God, or office so mean that he calls you to, but to the utmost of your endeavor are you willing to spend and be spent for God, then it is an evident argument that justification is conveyed to your soul; for God has given you peace, and has given you a heart to love him back again.