upon as a sure and unquestionable ching; nay they pleard them. lelves not onely in a Plerophory, but in a present posseflion; for you know vertue with them, was pracox beatitudo, as grace with us is glory not fully ripe; and serenity of nacural conscience was their hidden Manna,cheir whitestone. Thus were they tain to still their souls in some shadows and appearances of certainty. This Sweened Socrates his Cicure, and made bim a chearful Martyr for Philosophy

And all wicked men that go on merrily and securely in their wayes, do frame some imaginary certainty to themselves; which (it may be) chey found upon lure principles, but falsly apply'd; as this, That Godis merciful; or the like.

All this I bring,co shew that the soul does catch at Certainty & Assurance, and will rest satisfi'd with nothing else. For, for men to apprehend themselves uncertain of happiness, what is ic else buc to be for the present miserable? Nay, would not fome (do you think )choose rather to be cercain of a tolerable misery, than to be in continual suspence of happinesse? And cruly such men as have no Assurance of obtaining this great end of their being, they are of all creatures moft miserable.

The Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, and shall not the sons of men have where to lay their heads? Every being loves cercainty: How do Naturals combine together, and unite their forces, that they may secure themselves by an happy association ? Nature will have a Plerophory, won't admit of a vacuum, the least schism and rupture would prove fatal,and put it upon uncercainties. Sir Francis Bacon Spies tbis in those fallings down of water that threed and spin themselves into such flender stillicids, that thus they may preserve their continuity, and when they can reach no longer so, then they fall in as plump & round a figure as they can.

And if every Being loves Aflurance, then furely such a Noble Being as the soul of man, cannot be faciated with a changeable good, it can't fix it self upon a moveable centre. Immortality is. near a kin to immutability. Besides, ific were onely this, that the foul did doubt of happiness, it were a lighter burden; but there is necessarily conjoya'd with this, a fear of extreamest misery. Now for a soul co be perpetually hovering betwixt Heaven and Hell; nay, to have far more ground to fear the one, than to hope

LOR

for the other, and so to tremble at the very thoughts of Eternity;
Is not this a piece of the gnawing worm? and must che soul live.
in this perpetual slavery? is chere no redemption from ic? Did
nor Chrift come to cake away.chis sting among the rest? Did not
he come to draw chee to himself, to quiec thee in his bosome?
Return thee to thy reft, O my Soul! Recurn to ibine Ark, O
my Dove! and look upon this Gospel- plerophory, as one of
those great priviledges that were purchai'd for chee by a Savia
our, For,

1. By chis, thy Soul, thy darling, tis fully provided for, for
Eternity; thy loc is fallen to thee in a fair ground, and thou
hafta goodly Heritage; Could chy soul open its mouth any
wider? Could thy foul desire any more than this, to be sure of
being for ever compleaciy happy? What would che damn'd in
Hell give for a possibility of Happinefle? What would some
wounded spirits give for good bopes and probabilities? when as
thou in the mean time halt an overflowing Plerophory? What
would the other give for a drop to cool their congue? What
would the other give for a pure itream to wash their bleeding
fouls? When as thou all the while art baching in the Fountain,
art sailing in the Ocean,art swimming in the rivers of pleasure.
Thine understanding may well rest satisfi'd, for tis sure to fix its
eye upon an eternal beauty; upon the face of its God. Thy will
may rest it self in the embraces of its dearest object; for 'eis
efpoused to the fairest good, and is sure to enjoy it with an indif.
soluble union. Thy purer and more refined affections, may sport
themselves in the Sun-beams of heaven; there may thy love
warto and melt it felf, and there may thy joy dance and exulc.
All that thou hast.co do bere below, is this ; thy Virgin-soul chat
is here affur'd and contracted, muft wait a while for the Nupti-
als, for a full fruition of ics God', for a full consummation of ics
Joy.

2. This must needs sweeten all present Conditions co thee: Eat then thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine wich a merry heart; for God accepts thy person, and Amells a sweeg odour in thy facrifice. Are there any pearls io che Gospel? thou may'ít Jay claim to them. Is there any balm in Gilead? thou hast a share in it. Are there any Gospel-priviledges? thou knowlt chey are thine, and are intended for thee. Does God beltow sempo

X 2

rals

a

2.

rals upon theer thou know'st that be first dips them in love and sweetnesse? Mount Gerizim is thy porcion; and how art thou above waves? when as some are ship-wrack'd, others are coffid and disquieted i thou hast an happy protection in all chy wayes.

i. Thou art secure against the Frowns of the World, for Heaven smiles upon thee. Thou mayst laugh at che false judging and esteems of men; it may be the World brands, I, but the piric seals; it may be the seed of the Serpent hisses, I, buc the Holy Ghost breaths. Whac,though thou beelt forty years in a Wilderness? Nay, what though thou beeft feaventy years in Babylur? Wont Canaan, and wont the new ferufalem make amends for all?

Thou art secure in times of judgment: as fob speaks of the Leviathan, the sword of him thac layes at him cannot boldy the Spear,the Dart, nor the Habergeon. The Arrow cannot make him Ace, Darts are counted as stubbies. he laughs at the shaking of the Spear, who is like him upon the Earth, one that is made without fear? When God chunders upon the men of cbe world, he speaks but in a ftill voice to thee; he darcs lightning flashes in their faces but he lifts up the light of his countenance upon thee. Judgments are intended for the sweeping away of Spiders webs, not for the sweeping away of Gods own jewels. Or if they be en volv'd in a common calamity, yet how is it rolld up in sweetnels to them? when as the other can tast nothing but gall and worm. wood. Their body may be coss'd a little in the world, but their foollies safe at Ancbor.

3. In the hour of Death. Thou know'l chat providence then means only to break the fhell, that it may have the kernel:

, Let them tremble at the knockings and approaches of death, chat know not what shall become of their precious souls: Men who through the fear of death have been all their life cime subjeđ unto bondage? But thou mayit safely trample upon the Adder, and play in the Cockatrices den. The Martyrs (you know) did chus, when they embrac'd the flames, and complemented wich Lyons, and devour'd torment, and came to them with an appetite. Af furance of the love of God jå Christ, chis, and norbing but this pulls ouc che sting of deach. Tis true, that deach has lost ics iting in respect of all chat are in Chrift; but yet such as know

not

not that chey are in Christfear death ftill as-ific had a sting: on
ly an assured Christian criumphs over it', 0 Death where is the
fting?
4. Afsurance fills che foul with praise & thankfulness. The real
presence of a mercy is not enough, but there must be the appea.
rance of a mercy, and the sense of it, before it till thy heart with
joy, and thy mouth with praise. A doubting Christian is like a
Bird intangled, and in a snare ; the foul has not its comfort, nor
God has not his praise: But an affur'd Christian is like a Bird at
liberty, chat flies aloft, and sings moft chearfully; it begins those
Hallelujahs in time, that must last for ever; it breaks out into the
Psalmists language, Blefle the Lord, my soul, and all that is wisho
in me, blefs bis holy Name.
The fourth and last obfervation which we propounded out of

Obferv. the Text, was, Lhat the way to make our Cleaion sure: is firft to make our Calling sure:" And this is sufficiently war ranted from the just order and method of this Apostolical Exhortacion, Maké jour Calling and Election suresfirst, your Calling; then your Election and by your Calling, your Election: Mithya dus Analyrica best becoming creatures.

Many have bandled ebis point at large; I shall do it very briefly; and I thall give you all thae I intend to speak to icin these fix particulars.

I.Election in it self is fecret and mysterious. For (1:) it is from Eternity, and so there was none could know it bue God alone; none could know Election, but he that made an Election, A Being that is' (pan'd by time, cannot reach to what was done from everlasting: You cannot imagine chat Non-entity fhould listen and hear what was whisper'd in the sacred Councel of Heaven. Thou goest only by the Clock of time; but chose de crees were written with an ecernal Sun-beam;chou curn'st upihy hour-glafs of time, but thele were measured by an infinite du racion. Was it poslible that Efan, not born, should fee God frowning on him; or that facob fhould perceive a smile? Thou art as far from meriting Election, as a non-entity;and chou art as fár from knowing it as a Non-entity. (2.) God has a mind to keep it fecret, and therefore he has fica seal upon it ; noc onely a seal of certainty, but a seal of secrecy. You know creacures

themselves have their Closet-decerminations ; men have cheir thoughts under lock and key; they have not windows into one anothers breasts, much lesse into the breast of a Deity, Thou canft mot fachom fometimes a shallow Creature, and dort thou think to reach co che borcom of infinire depths? Has God given thee secret springs of working; has he made the wheels and mocions of thy foul secret, and undiscernable, and may he not bave the same priviledge bimself? So chen, if God has put a veil upon Eledion,dost chou chink to see into it? When he has fhuc and clasp the book of Life, doft thou think to open it, and read it?

II. Vocation comments upon Election. God's decrees, that were set from everlasting, do bud and blossom, and bring forth fruit in time. Election buds in a promise, and blossoms in an offer of grace. The book was wricien before she foundations of the World were laid; but it was not publishe cill God bimself gave it an Imprimatur. The Letter was-dated from Eeernity, the

o Superscription was writ in time,in Vocation. Now you know though the Letter be wric first, yet che Superscription is read Arst by him that receives the Letter. 'Twas decreed from Ecernity that Decrees should be known in time. And the saupoud zcóis, is geón y mangaya76 , the fulneffe of time , is the time when

o God's Decrees are fulfilled. When the Decrees of God are ripe; chen he lecs che foul taste them and then they are sweetest. Then thou perceivest that thou are a veífel of Honour,when God puts thee upon an honourable employment. That fountain of love which ran underground from everlasting, bubbles up and dows to thee in cime. That nóg in the per that was in Election, becomes aóz a megzolends in Vocation. Thus thoughts of men, when they would appear, they put on words, they take wings to chemselves, and flie away.

III. There is a strict and inseparable connexion betwixt Election and Vocation: For who is chere that can blast the Decrees of Heaven, or who can reverse the seal of the Almighty? who can break one link of this golden Chaio? To be sure, tiş not in the power of created Beings to evacuate and annihilace the Counsels of God. A Creature, as it had no influence upon Election, so neither has it any power to alter it. A shadow does not alter the Sun, but rather shews you what time of the day it is.

And