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were a part of the testimony of God, it would, without question, be his duty to believe it with an immediate and unwavering assurance; nothing short of this coming fully up to what the divine word is entitled to. But we formerly saw the fallaciousness of such statements.

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It appears to me, that in the New Testament, the term is not used with any such definite and explicit precision; but that it simply means a strong persuasion or confidence, such as admits of various degrees.-There are only two other places where it occurs, besides the two already mentioned. In one of them, Col. ii. 2. the strong expression, “unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding," appears to mean a clear, comprehensive, soul-establishing acquaintance with divine truth, or, as Doddridge translates it, "the richest and most assured understanding of the gospel." Now in this application of the word, there is evidently the idea of progressive degrees of attainment in divine knowledge; which after all, the Apostle knew, would still be very imperfect here; as he elsewhere teaches: "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know even as also I am known."-But it is to the other occurrence of the word that I especially call the reader's attention. It is in 1 Thess. i. 5, "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance."-The word, it ought to be noticed, which is here rendered simply assurance, is the same with that which, in its other three occurrences, is translated full assurance. Here, therefore, we have "much full assurance. The accompanying adjective "much" clearly shows, that, whatever notions some may choose to attach to the word in theological systems, the Apostle uses it with a latitude of meaning,-to express what was suscep

tible of diverse measures,-something of which there might be, if not properly little, yet various degrees of abundance. And this will be still more evident, when the passage is compared with another—“ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity (love) of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."* Here, the reader will observe, to the very persons who had received the gospel with full assurance, with much full assurance, he says, "your faith groweth exceedingly." Now, how could this be? How could it grow beyond full assurance, if the word were used by Paul with the definiteness wherewith some have adopted it into their systems?

Some, I am aware, of those who have so adopted it, may be found at times allowing that the assurance for which they contend is an assurance which admits of degrees. But in admitting this, they are inconsiderate and self-contradictory. For surely, if any thing be self-evident, this is—that all degrees of assurance must of necessity imply corresponding degrees of uncertainty. They who consistently hold what is termed the doctrine of assurance, must hold that the believer in Christ should never doubt of his state, any more than he should doubt the truth of the divine testimony. Such assurance is evidently incompatible with doubt,-with any doubt. Where doubt begins, assurance ends. Yet what higher degree of assurance can there be, than assurance without doubt-undoubting assurance?— The truth is, there can be no higher,—and, in strict propriety of speech, there can be no lower. For assurance that is not undoubting, or, in other words,

* 2 Thess. i. 3.

doubting assurance, is a plain and palpable contradiction; the same as if we should speak of uncertain certainty. All, therefore, who speak of degrees of assurance, must necessarily take the word in a looser and more general acceptation;-forgetting, however, that the moment they do so, they take away from it all its fitness for being the basis of a peculiar scheme of doctrine, or the vox signata of a party-for, in the general sense of strong persuasion or confidence towards God, it has in it nothing that is at all distinctive of one scheme or of one party from another. It is in this general sense, I am persuaded, that the Apostle Paul employs the word:

and on this account I have long been of opinion, that a great deal more than enough has been made of the word, when a distinct doctrine has been founded upon the use of it. It is evidently in its absolute sense alone, that it can properly be made the basis of any peculiar tenet. And when taken in its absolute sense, and pronounced, in that sense, to be, in every instance, indispensable, its absurdity becomes absolute. For, to affirm that there can be no faith but the faith of assurance-what is it but to affirm that there can be no faith but what is perfect; that it cannot be weaker or stronger, either in different believers, or in the same believer at different times; and that it is unsusceptible either of growth or of declension! And what is this but to affirm, that the spiritual discernment or knowledge of the truth must in all be the same, and in all perfect! for to this discernment faith must of necessity be proportioned.. And does such a hypothesis accord with fact? does it accord with reason? does it not accord with scripture?--That the sinner, on his receiving the gospel, MAY have a full assurance, or undoubting confidence before God, of the safety of his state, on the ground of the full and free mercy which it reveals through the blood of

the cross, I have already more than once admitted. But there is a wide difference between MAY and MUST. To affirm that every sinner, on his first believing apprehension of the truth, must have this full assurance, this undoubting confidence, is, I repeat, to affirm, that the discernment and faith of all believing sinners must at the very outset be the same, and that in all it must be perfect. A large portion of the controversy seems to me to turn upon this simple but important difference between MAY and MUST.

The distinction, to which I have alluded, between the assurance of faith and the assurance of hope, is in itself a sufficiently intelligible one. It is similar to one on which I have all along been proceeding, that, namely, between the belief of the divine testimony in the word, and confidence of personal interest in the blessings of life eternal which the testimony reveals; a very obvious distinction, the truth of God's word, and the reality of any sinner's interest in its blessings, being two things altogether independent of each other, and resting on different kinds of evidence.-The distinction has been stated thus: "There is this remarkable difference between the assurance of faith and the assurance of hope, that when men first bccome possessed of the former, they obtain it without their using any endeavours in search of it; for it comes to them unsent for, as it did to the Thessalonians-whereas the assurance of hope is enjoyed only by those who "give all diligence to obtain it."*Again: «The first was called for in a man's first profession of the faith upon his first hearing the gospel, in order to his being acknowledged for a Christian. The assurance of hope,

* Sandeman's Letters on Theron and Aspasio, vol. ii. p. 170.

again, is an enjoyment proposed to them that believe, and have already begun the Christian race, which they were called to follow after, and to give all diligence to obtain."*

When I say that there does not appear to me any foundation for a separation of the two, my readers may possibly be startled, as if this were hardly in full agreement with my former statements. The following observations, however, will clearly show, I trust, that there is a perfect harmony; that the two are inseparable; that they must bear an undeviating proportion to each other; that they must rise and sink, wax and wane, live and die together. First. The belief of the truth is the spring or origin of hope. The two are invariably conjoined in the word of God, as cause and effect. Thus in Heb. vi. 13-19, immediately following the exhortation to "give all diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end," the apostle says;-" For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater; and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. Wherein God, will.

ing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail.”— The word and oath of God are addressed to faith;

* Sandeman's Letters on Theron and Aspasio, vol. ii. p. 170.

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