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There are saints of several sizes in Christ's family; some fathers, some young men, and some little children, 1 John ii. 13, 14.

Case 7. I never read in the word of God, nor did I ever know of a child of God so tempted, and so left of God as I am; and, therefore, no saint's case being like mine, I cannot but conclude I am none of their number. --Ans. This objection arises to some, from their unacquaintedness with the scriptures, and with experienced Christians. It is profitable in this case, to impart the matter to some experienced Christian friend, or to some godly Minister. This has been a blessed mean of peace to some persons; while their case, which appeared to be singular, has been evinced to have been the case of other saints. The scriptures give instances of very horrid temptations, wherewith the saints have been assaulted. Job was tempted to blaspheme; this was the great thing the devil aimed at, in the case of that saint, Job i. 11. "He will curse thee to thy face." Chap. ii. 9. "Curse God

and die." Asaph was tempted to think, it was in vain to be religious, which was in effect to throw off all religion, Psalm lxxiii. 13. "Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain." Yea, Christ himself was tempted to cast himself down from a pinnacle of the temple, and to wor ship the devil, Mat. iv. 6, 9. And many of the children of God have not only been attacked with, but have actually yielded to very gross temptations for a time. Peter denied Christ, and cursed and swore that he knew him not, Mark xiv. 71. Paul, when a persecutor, compelled even the saints to blaspheme, Acts xxvi. 10, 11. Many of the saints can, from their sad experience, bear witness to very gross temptations, which have astonished their spirits, made their flesh to tremble, and sickened their bodies. Satan's fiery darts make terrible work, and will cost pains to quench them, by a vigorous managing of the shield of faith, Eph. vi. 16. Sometimes, he makes such desperate attacks, that never was one more put to it, in running to and fro without intermission, to quench the fire-balls incessantly thrown into his house, by an enemy designing to burn the house about him, than the poor tempted saint is, to repel satanical injections; these horrid temptations, though they are a dreadful affliction, they are

not the sins of the tempted, unless they make them theirs by consenting to them. They will be charged upon the tempter alone, if they be not consented to; and will no more be laid to the charge of the tempted party, than a bastard's being laid down at the chaste man's door will fix guilt upon him.

But, suppose neither Minister nor private Christian, to whom you go, can tell you of any who has been in your case; yet you ought not thence to infer, that your case certainly is singular, far less to give over hopes; for it is not to be thought, that every godly Minister, or private Christian, has had the experience of all the cases a child of God may be in. And we need not doubt, but some have had distresses known only to God, and their own consciences; and so, to others these distresses are as if they had never been. Yea, and though the scriptures do contain suitable directions for every case a child of God can be in; and these illustrated with a sufficient number of examples; yet it is not to be imagined, there are in the scriptures, perfect instances of every particular case incident to the saints. Therefore, howbeit you cannot find an instance of your case in the scriptures, yet bring your case to it, and you shall find suitable remedies prescribed there for it. And study rather to make use of Christ for your case, who has salve for all sores, than to know if ever any was in your case. Though one should shew you an instance of your case, as an undoubted saint, yet none could promise it would certainly give you ease; for a scrupulous conscience would readily find out some difference. And if nothing but a perfect conformity of another's case to yours will satisfy, it will be hard if not impossible to satisfy you. For it is with people's cases as with their natural faces; though the faces of all men are of one make, and some are so very like others, that at first view we are ready to take them for the same; yet if you view them more accurately, you will see something in every face, distinguishing it from all others, though possibly you cannot tell what it is: Wherefore I conclude, that if you can find in yourselves the marks of regeneration, proposed to you from the word; you ought to con clude, you are in the state of grace, though your case were singular, which is indeed unlikely.

Case last. The afflictions I meet with are strange and unusual. I doubt if ever a child of God was trysted with such dispensations of providence as I am.-Ans. Much of what was said on the preceding case may be helpful in this. Holy Job was assaulted with this temptation, Job v. 1. "To which of the saints wilt thou turn?" But he rejected it, and held fast his integrity. The Apostle supposeth Christians may be tempted to think strange concerning the fiery trial, 1 Pet. iv. 1. But they have need of larger experience than Solomon's who will venture to say, See! this is new, Eccles. i. 10. And what though, in respect of the outward dispensations of Providence, it happen to you according to the work of the wicked? You may be just notwithstanding, according to Solomon's observe, Eccles. viii. 14. Sometimes we travel in ways, where we cannot perceive the prints of the foot of man or beast; yet we cannot from thence conclude, that there was never any there before us; so, albeit thou canst not perceive the footsteps of the flock in the way of thine affliction, thou must not therefore conclude, thou art the first that ever travelled that road. But what if it were so, that thou wert indeed the first? Some saint or other behoved to be the first, in drinking of each bitter cup the rest have drunk of. What warrant have you or I to limit the Holy One of Israel to a trodden path, in his dispensations towards us? "Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters; and thy footsteps are not known," Psalm lxxvii. 19. If the Lord should carry you to heaven, by some retired road, and let you in at a back door, so to speak; you would have no ground to complain. Learn to allow sovereignty a latitude; be at your duty; and let no affliction cast a veil over any evidences you otherwise have for your being in the state of grace: For, "No man knoweth either their love or hatred, by all that is before them," Eccles. ix. 1.

USE II. Ye that are strangers to this new birth be convinced of the absolute necessity of it. Are all in the state of grace born again? Then ye have neither part nor lot in it, who are not born again. I must tell you in the words of our Lord and Saviour, (and O that he would speak them to your hearts,) "Ye must be born again,"

John iii. 7. And for your conviction, consider these few things:

First, Regeneration is absolutely necessary to qualify you to do any thing really good and acceptable to God. While you are not born again, your best works are but glittering sins; for though the matter of them is good, they are quite marred in the making. Consider, (1.) That without regeneration there is no faith; and, "Without faith, it is impossible to please God," Heb. xi. 6. Faith is a vital act of the new-born soul. The Evangelist, shewing the different entertainment our Lord Jesus had from different persons, some receiving him, some rejecting him, points at regenerating grace as the true rise of that difference, without which never one would have received him. He tells us, that as many as received him were these which were born of God, John i. 11, 12, 13. Unregenerate men may presume, but true faith they cannot have. Faith is a flower that grows not in the field of nature. As the tree cannot grow without a root, neither can a man believe, without the new nature, whereof the principle of believing is a part. (2.) Without regeneration, a man's works are dead works. As is the principle, so must the effects be: If the lungs be rotten, the breath will be unsavoury; and he who, at best, is dead in sin, his works, at best, will be but dead works. "Unto them that are defiled and unbelieving, is nothing pure-being abominable and disobedient; and unto every good work, reprobate,” Tit. i. 15, 16. Could we say of a man, that he is more blameless in his life than any other in the world; that he macerates his body with fasting; and has made his knees as horns with continual praying; but he is not born again; that exception would mar all. As if one should say, There is a well proportioned body, but the soul is gone; it is but a dead lump. This is a melting consideration. Thou dost many things materially good, but God saith, All these things avail not, as long as I see the old nature reigning in the man, Gal. vi. 15. For, in Jesus Christ, neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature."

If thou art not born again, (1.) All thy reformation is naught in the sight of God. Thou hast shut the door, but the thief is still in the house. It may be thou art not what once thou wast, yet thou art not what thou must be,

if ever thou seest heaven; for, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God," John iii. 3. (2.) Thy prayers are an abomination to the Lord, Prov. xv. 8. It may be, others admire thy seriousness; thou criest as for thy life; but God accounts of the opening of thy mouth as one would account of the opening of a grave full of rottenness, Rom. iii. 13. "Their throat is an open sepulchre." Others are affected with thy prayers, which seem to them as if they would rend the heavens; but God accounts them as the howling of a dog: "They have not cried unto me with their heart, when they how!ed upon their beds," Hos. vii. 14. Others take thee for a wrestler and prevailer with God; but he can take no delight in thee nor thy prayers neither, Isa. Ixvi. 3. “He that killeth an ox, as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol." Why that? Because thou art yet in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity. (3.) All thou hast done for God and his cause in the world, though it may be followed with temporal rewards, yet is lost as to divine acceptance. This is clear from the case of Jehu, who was indeed rewarded with a kingdom, for his executing due vengeance upon the house of Ahab, as being a work good for the matter of it, because it was commanded of God, as you may see, 2 Kings x. 13. Yet he was punished for it, in his posterity, because he did it not in a right manner, Hos. i. 4. "I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu." God looks mainly to the heart; and if so, truly albeit thy outward appearance be fairer than that of many others, yet the hidden man of thy heart is lothsome; thou lookest well before men, but art thou, as Moses was, fair to God? as the margin hath it, Acts vii. 20. what a difference is there betwixt the characters of Asa and Amaziah: "The high places were not removed; nevertheless, Asa his heart was perfect with the Lord all his days," 1 Kings xv. 14. «Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart," 2 Chron. xxv. 2. It may be, thou art zealous against sin in others, and dost admonish them to their duty, and reprove them for their sin; and they hate thee, because thou dost thy duty: But I must tell thee, God hates thee too, because thou dost it not

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