thought of it: as a man in his sleep is said to know what he knew when awake, when indeed he knoweth it not actually till he be awake.

Object. But true grace is rather to be judged by the habit, than by the present acts.'

Answ. By the habit of the will it is, that is, by habitual love, for that will command the most frequent acts: but I propose it to the consideration of the judicious, whether an ordinary habit of drowsy knowledge, or belief that God and holiness are best, may not be ordinarily kept out of act, and consist with a prevailing habit of sensuality or love of forbidden pleasure in the will, and with a privation of prevalent habitual love to God and holiness. I suppose with most such sinners this is the true case: the understanding said lately, It is best for thee to love God, and live to him, and deny thy lust: and it oft forgetteth this, while it still saith with sense, that fleshly pleasure is desirable: and at other times it saith, Though God be best, thou mayest venture at the present on this pleasure; and so lets loose the corrupted will, reserving a purpose to repent hereafter, as apprehending most strongly at the present, that just now sensual delight may be chosen, though holiness will be best hereafter.

Object. But if a habit will not prove that we sincerely love and prefer God, how shall any man know that he loveth and preferreth him, when the best oft sin; and in the act of sin God is not actually preferred.'

Answ. 1. I told you that a habit of true love will prove sincerity, though not a habit of true opinion or belief, which is not brought into lively and ordinary act: ineffectual faith may be habitual. Yea, such an ineffectual counterfeit half love, which I before described to you, may be habitual, and yet neither act nor habit saving.

2. The sins of godly men are not prevalent absolutely against the being, operation or effects of the love of God and holiness; for even when they sin, these live, and are predominant in all other things, and in the main bent and course of life; but only they prevail against some degree of holy love, perhaps both in the act and habit, for such sins are not ungodliness, but imperfection of godliness, and the effects of that imperfection.

3. When godly men fall into a great extraordinary sin, it

is not to be expected that they should comfortably discern the sincerity of their love to God either by that sin, or in that sin; but they may discern it, 1. By the course of a godly life, where the prevalency of the habit appeareth in the power and stream of acts; and 2. By their repentance for, and abhorring and forsaking of that sin, which stopped and darkened their love to God. And these two together, viz. a resolved course of living unto God, and repentance and hatred of every sin which is against it, and especially of greater sin, will shew the sincerity and power of holy love. Object. But then one that sinneth daily, e. g. by passion, or too much love to the world, or creatures, and by omissions, &c., shall never be sure that he sincerely loveth God, because this is a course of sin, and he cannot have such assurance till he forsake it.'

Answ. One that ordinarily committeth gross and wilful sin; that is, such sin as he had rather keep than leave, and as he would leave if he were but sincerely willing, hath no predominant love of Ged; at least in act; and therefore can have no assurance of it: but one that is ordinarily guilty of mere infirmities may at the same time know that the love of God doth rule both in his heart and life. The passion of fear or of anger, or of sorrow may be inordinate, and yet God loved best, because the will hath so weak a power over them, that a man that is guilty of them may truly say, I would fain be delivered from them. And some inordinate love of life, health, wealth, friends, honour, may stand with a more prevailing love of God, and the prevalency be well perceived. But what greater actual sins (as Noah's or Lot's drunkenness, David's adultery and murder, Peter's denial of Christ) are or are not consistent with true love to God, is a case that I have elsewhere largely handled, and is unmeet for a short decision here.

Object.' But when I feel my heart, desires and delights all cold to God and holiness, and too hot after fleshly, worldly things, may I not conclude that I love these better?'

yet

Answ. Sensible near things may have much more of the passionate part of our love, our desires and delights, and not be best loved by us. For God and things spiritual being out of the reach of sense, are not so apt or likely to move our sense and passion immediately to and by themselves. As I said before, that is best loved, which hath, 1. The highest.

esteem of the understanding. 2. The most resolved prevalent choice of the will. 3. And the most faithful endeavours of our life.

And many a Christian mistaketh his affection to the thing itself, because of his strangeness to the place and to the change that death will make. If the weakest Christian could have without dying, the clear knowledge of God, the communion of faith and love by his Spirit; could he love God but as much as he would love him, and answerably taste his love, in every prayer, in every promise, in every sacrament, in every mercy; could his soul keep a continual sabbath of delight in God, and in his saints and holy worship, this seemeth to him more desirable and pleasing than all the treasures of the world. And he that desireth this communion with God, desireth heaven in reality, though he fear the change that death will make, because of the weakness of faith, and our strangeness to the state of separated souls.

CHAP. XX.

The Second Part of the Exhortation; Rest in this, that you are known with Love to God.

2. To be KNOWN OF GOD here signifieth to be approved and loved of him, and consequently that all our concerns are perfectly known to him and regarded by him.

This is the full and final comfort of a believer. Our knowledge and love of God, in which we are agents, are, 1. The evidence that we are known with love to God, and so our comfort (as is said) by way of evidence. 2. And they are our comfort in their very exercise. But the chief part of our comfort is from God, not only as the object of our love, but as the lover of us and all his saints, even in our passive receiving of the blessed effects of his love for ever: when a Christian therefore hath any discerning of his interest in this love of God, by finding that he loveth God and goodness, here he must finally anchor his soul, and quietly rest in all temptations, difficulties and tribulations.

1. Our enemies know us not, but judge of us by blinding interest, and the bias of their false opinions, and by an easy

belief of false report, or by their own ungrounded suspicions: and therefore we are odious to them, and abused, slandered and persecuted by them. But God knoweth us, and will justify our righteousness, and bring all our innocency into light, and stop the mouth of all iniquity.

2. Strangers know us not, but receive such characters of us as are brought to them with the greatest advantage; and even good men may think and speak evil of us (as Bernard and others of the Waldenses, and many fathers of many godly men that were called heretics, and many called heretics of such fathers). But to us it is a small thing to be judged of man, that is not our final judge and knoweth not our cause, and is ready to be judged with us; we have one that judgeth us and them, even the omniscient God, who knoweth every circumstance of our cause.

3. Our very friends know us not: no not they that dwell with us: in some things they judge us better than we are, and in some things worse: for they know not our hearts; and interests and cross dispositions may deceive them; and even our bosom friends may slander us and think they speak the truth.

And when they entirely love us, their love may hurt us, while they know not what is for our good: but God knoweth us perfectly, and knoweth how to counsel us, conduct us, and dispose of us: he seeth the inwards and the outwards, the onwards and the upwards of our case, which our dearest friends are utter strangers to.

4. We know not ourselves thoroughly, nor our own concerns: we oft take ourselves to be better or worse than in. deed we are: we are oft mistaken in our own hearts, and our own actions, and in our interest: we oft take that to be good for us that is bad, and that to be bad which is good and necessary. We long for that which would undo us, and fear and fly from that which would save us: we oft rejoice when we are going to the slaughter, or are at least in greatest danger; and we lament and cry when God is saving us, because we know not what he is doing. Paul saith, "I know nothing by myself, yet I judge not my ownself:" That is, though I have a good conscience, yet that is not my final judge: it must go with me as God judgeth of me, and not as others or myself.

Is it not then an unspeakable comfort in all these cases, that we are known of God?

Desiring to know inordinately for ourselves, was our first sin; and this sin is our danger, and our constant trouble : but to be to God as a child to his father, who taketh care to love him and obey him, and in all things trusteth his father's love, as knowing that he careth for him, this is our duty, our interest, and our only peace.

Remember then with comfort, O my soul, 1. Thy Father knoweth what it is fittest for thee to do. His precepts are wise, and just, and good: thou knowest not but by his word. Love therefore, and submit to all his laws: the strictest of them are for thy good : Thy Guide, and not thou, must lead the way; go not before him, nor without him; nor stay behind him: in this night and wilderness if thou have not his light and presence, how forlorn, erroneous and comfortless wilt thou be? He knoweth thy heart, and knoweth thy enemies, temptations and dangers, and therefore best knoweth how to guide thee, and what to put into his laws and into thy duty.

2. He knoweth what place, what state of life, of health, of wealth, of friends is best for thee. None of these are known to thee: He knoweth whether ease or pain be best: the flesh is no fit judge, nor an ignorant mind: that is best which will prove best at last; which He that foreknoweth all events knoweth. That therefore is best which Infinite Wisdom and Love doth choose. Ease and pain will have their end: it is the end that must teach us how to estimate them: and who but God can foretel thee of the end?

He knoweth whether liberty or imprisonment be best: Liberty is a prison, if sin prevail, and God be not there. A prison is a palace, if God by his love will dwell there with us. There is no thraldom but sin and God's displeasure; and no true liberty but his love.

3. He knoweth whether honour or dishonour be best for thee: If the esteem of men may facilitate their reception of the saving truth of God which is preached to them, God will procure it, if he have work to do by it; if not, how little is it to be regarded! What doth it add to me to be highly esteemed or applauded by men, who are hasting to the dust, where their thoughts of me and all the world are at an end? When I see the skulls of the dead, who perhaps once knew