ties, his warrant to renew his actings of trust in the Saviour; and thereby, to forfeit the comfort of his soul. Next to unbelief itself, his legal temper is, perhaps, the worst enemy of his pure consolation. It is a secret and subtle foe, that seems to intend him a kindness; whilst it is always putting him, upon seeking for some good qualifications in himself, on the ground of which, he may trust that God loveth him, and that Christ saveth him. Let him, therefore, if he would retain spiritual comfort, be diligent in mortifying his self-righteous spirit; and know that, the way to conquer and destroy it, is, by faith, to bring daily into his conscience a better hope, from a better righteousness than that of the law. All the spiritual distress of the exercised Christian, may be traced to a legal spirit in him. He seldom wants comfort, but by looking less or more to his own righteousness, instead of looking off, to the consummate righteousness of Jesus Christ w w. Believer, it is not sufficient, in

ww The Author of an excellent Sermon, in pointing out some of the injuries which believers sustain, by the prevalence of the legal temper, expresses himself thus: 'It spoils them of their comfort, and brings a damp of sorrow and dejection, over their spirits. None have such ground of comfort as believers; and did they know how to improve their privilege; did they live daily in the faith of the gospel, and in the comforts of their new state, they would be the most cheerful persons in the world but the prevalence of this temper, like a moth, secretly worms out the very life of their comfort, and throws them into the depths of despondency. What comfort can they have, in the duties of religion, when they seek it from themselves, and from their duties? What comfort can they have, either in duty, or out of duty, in the absence of their God ?*

order to maintain spiritual comfort, that thou dost not rely on thy graces and performances, for a title to eternal life. Thou must not presume to rely on them, for even so much as a right to trust in Christ thou must not make them, the smallest part of thy warrant, to renew thy exercise of confidence in him.

Again: Do believers lose their holy consolation, by living upon their comfort, rather than upon the holy Comforter himself, and by loving the former, as much as, or more than, the latter? They may hence perceive that, it is sinful and very displeasing to the Lord, to rely upon the comfort already given them, or to love consolation in the streams, more than, or even as much as, comfort in the fountain. He taketh away sensible comfort from them, because they have loved it inordinately, or loved it too much; and because he would teach them effectually, the necessity of loving the adorable Comforter Himself, more than all the sweet consolation, which they have received from him. They must not expect, that "the God of all comfort," will suffer them to let their love run waste upon their pleasant feelings. He will elevate it all to

'It robs them of their peace. As all true and solid peace is built upon justification by the blood of Christ, so it can only be maintained by the daily exercise of faith, in this comfortable doctrine. "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom v. 1. But so far as the legal temper prevails, their peace is set upon another foundation; is built upon their enlargements in duty, their frames, and attainments in religion; and therefore must be unstable as water.' The Evangelical Preacher, vol. iii.

himself. Because he loveth them, he will so chas ten them, as to teach them to love himself sup remely, and to live upon himself, in the absence of sensible delights. He will teach them to love him, more for that boundless ocean which is in himself, than for the few drops which he had shed upon them; more for his own infinite benignity, than for the grace or comfort, which he hath communicated to them. He will thereby, at the same time, shew them, how weak their love of him is, when they love him chiefly for the comfort which they have received from him; and how weak their faith is, when they live upon the streams, rather than upon the overflowing fountain of consolation.

Further: Do believers, by their aggravated of fences, provoke the Lord at any time, so to hide his face from them, as to leave them in the dark, respecting the truth of grace in their hearts? It follows that, though grace is always in the heart of a holy man, yet he is not always able to discern it there.. His heart is always the seat of the principles and habits of grace; and yet, he doth not continually enjoy the comfort of perceiving them. The figures of a sun-dial, continue to be plainly marked upon it; and yet we cannot see by it, what hour of the day it is, unless the sun shine upon it. It is only, when graces are in exercise, and when the glorious Sun of righteousness shineth upon them, that they can be seen. Let not, then, any of the saints conclude, that they never had, and that they now have not, a well-grounded assurance of their being in a state of grace; because doubts of the truth of grace in them, do sometimes arise in their minds. Their assurance of personal

interest in Christ, is well-grounded and true, though it is far from being perfect. Their graces themselves are imperfect, and therefore that assurance of sense, which arises from the perception of them, must be imperfect likewise. Such believers, as resolve never to rejoice, till they attain perfect assurance, must resolve never to rejoice, while they are in this world. They should consider that, there are many degrees of real certainty, below a perfect degree of it; and that, they injure themselves. much, when they call their state of grace into question, as often as they do not perceive clearly their habits of grace.

Once more: Is it only by sinning against the high and holy One, that believers lose the comfort of communion with him? They may hence discover, what reason they have to abhor, and with holy. detestation, to turn from all manner of sin. Their iniquity has not only pierced the incarnate Redeemer, and grieved the Holy Spirit; but it pierces themselves through with many sorrows. It is the worst enemy of their souls. It incessantly strives to rob them of their purest and sweetest joys. Let them therefore without ceasing, strive against the motions, and mortify the members, of the body of sin that dwelleth in them. If they allow, even for a moment, sin to dwell at ease in them; it will assuredly deprive them of their holy tranquillity.

CHAPTER IV.

OF THE GRIEVOUS CONSEQUENCES, OF THE CHRISTIAN'S HAVING LOST HIS SPIRITUAL CONSOLATION.

By withholding spiritual consolation from the souls of any of his people, the Lord, in proportion as he doth it, is represented in the Scriptures, as forsaking or deserting them. His forsaking of them, in respect of comforting influences, either in a less or greater degree, is the same as, his withdrawing of the sensible influences and tokens of his special favour from their souls; or, as it is often expressed in the Scripture, his hiding of his face from them. When he so forsaketh them, or so hideth the light of his gracious countenance from them, as to suspend, in any measure, his influences of comfort from their souls; they lose, in the same measure, that consoling sense of his special favour and love to them, which hitherto they usually enjoyed. The meaning of God's hiding of his face from believers, may, in some degree, be understood from the opposite phrases, of his “ causing his face to shine upon them," and, his "lifting up the light of his countenance upon them.” These phrases appear to carry in them, an allusion to the shining forth of the Shechinah, in the ancient Tabernacle and Temple; that is, of the glorious lustre, which dwelt in the cloud, as the visible token of Jehovah's favour to the Israelites, and of that gracious presence with them, which he was pleased, on some solemn occasions, peculiarly to manifest. There may also