fins but will make us cry abba father, that is, it will make us bear the tender affection of a dutiful and obedient Child, fo as we shall be afraid to offend fo loving a Father, not fo much for fear of Punishment due for fin,as for offending fo loving a God, who hath loved us from the beginning. And therefore all those which delight in fin, and are not afraid to offend God, furely they can find no affurance that they are the Children of God. And therefore if you defire to be allured that your Names are in this Book, labour to find this Teftimony of Gods Spirit,to witness to your fouls,that you belong to God,and labour to be earnest in pray. er to God, for that is a SpecialWork of Gods Spirit. The fecond means whereby we may know that our names are written in the Book of Life; is by the Word of God: For the Word of God tells us, whofoever believeth in Jefus Chrift Shall be faved. But a Child of God hearing this promife opened and applyed by the Ministry of God's Word and Spirit, is able to fay, I believe and am able to apply this promife to my felf. For a man that hath faith, knoweth that he hath it: And therefore can fay, feeing I believe with all my heart, I furely know I fhall be faved.

Thirdly, Befides the blessed teftimony of Gods fpirit, which cannot deceive, and the Witness of the Word of Truth, we may know our Election by the fruits and effects thereof. As we fay, a man is alive fo long as he breaths, and can judge of the Tree by the Fruits: Even fo by the effects of Election, we may know whether our Names are in the Book of Life,or not. Now the Fruits of election

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election are fet down by the Holy Spirit that all - men may be able to examine and try themfelves, and know whether they be ordained to life, or not, Rom. 8. 30. Whom God predeftinated, them he alfo called; and whom he called, them be alfo ju ftified: and whom he justified,them he alfo Glorified.

Where we may behold the marks of our Ele tion; for all that be elected unto Life Eternal, and are written in this Book, they are first called, fecondly, juftified; and thirdly, fantified. So then, if you would know whether you are elected to life,look to thofe three effects of Election. Art thou called? Art thou juftified? Art thou fanctified? Then fure thou art elected; but if thou haft not these three, then thou canst not affure thy felf of thy Salvation.

So then the first fruit of our Election is our Effectual calling: When God doth by his Spirit and the preaching of the Gospel call us out of the World from our old fins, to be of the number of his People, to live as his Children: As he call'd Samuel three times, fo Samuel anfwered and left his bed: And likewife as he did Paul when he went to perfecute the Children of God at Damafcus; and fo he did Matthew from the receipt of Custom So he call'd Peter and John from fishing, and made them to be fishers of men. at this call being amazed, Paul fell to the ground; and it was the happiest fall that ever man had, for as one fays, he fell a Jew, and rofe a Chriftian.

Again, when a man cometh by the Spirit, or preaching of the word, to fee his fins, and Gods anger

anger for them be dislikes them,is grieved for them, bewails them, and begs pardon for them, and begins to become a new man, to believe in Chrift, to feek after Gods Kingdom, as Nicodemus did. He which findeth the effe&tual calling in him, may aflure his foul that he is predeftinated to eternal life. But we must take heed that we deceive not our felves with an outward calling; For our Saviour faith, Many are called, but few are chofen.. Many hear the word of God with the car, but we must labour to find the Spirit of God to preach unto our fouls, to apply the word of God unto our Confciences, to believe in it, and to obey it; this is that which is found in every Chriftian, and that which affures him of Eternal Life and Salvation, and therefore they which live in their old fin, are as blind, ignorant, and prophane as ever; (alas) how can they think to be faved, feeing God choofeth none, or faves not any but whom he calls effectually by the Gospel, and fevers from the rest of the world?

Secondly, the fruit of Election is Juftification, For whom he predeftinated, them he call d; whom be called, them he justified, Rom. 8. 30, &c. Here then is another token and mark to know whether we are Elected, namely, our Juftification. Now this is a fpecial grace of God; to juftifie a poor finner that must be faved: and whofoever is not juftified, cannot be faved, Juftification hath two parts, first, the pardon of fin, fecondly, the imputation of Chrifts Righteoufnefs For before a man can be justified, he must repent him of his fins, know them, base and abhor them, and beg the D 5 pardon

pardon of them, and then Chrift Jefus will affure us of the pardon of them. And therefore if we would know whether we be justified, or no, we muft look whether we have truly repented; yea, and have been truly humbled for our fins, and got the pardon of them all. Secondly, that we may be truly justified, we must have a true faith in Chrift Jefus, to lay hold upon him, and to wrestle with him, as Facob did with the Angel, and not let him go till he gives us a bleffing, to be perfwaded and affured in our fouls, that Chrift died for us, fhed his blood for us, obeyed the law for us, and will cover all our fins and tref paffes in hisRighteoufnefs,fo then,mark the Conclufion; where there is repentance and obedience there is remiffion of fins, where there is re mission of fins there is Juftification; and where there is justification, there is falvation. And this we must acknowledge not to have by nature, but by Regeneration, which is wrought in us by Jefus Chrift, being the Author and Finisher of our Faith and Salvation; and we must always confess that all the benefits and means of our Salvation we have received from him; and it is he that hath separated us wretched finners from the world, by an outward vocation, and an inward illumination of his holy Spirit, which hath already kindled faith in us, through the hearing of his holy Word: It is by thy Grace that we believe in thee our Saviour, and let us beg at Gods hands, that our Faith fail not, but that he make it perfect, that we may be juftified and glorified in the day of the Lord Jefus. And on the contra

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ry, where there is no repentance, nor obedience there is no remiffion of fins; where there is no remiffion of fins, there is no Juftification, and where there is no Juftification, there is no Salvation.

Oh then what fhall become of thofe that live in fin as Pharoah and Dives did. And as the rich man, which faid to his Soul, Soul take thine eafe, for thou haft goods laid up for many years: Thefe men trufted more in the Creature than in the Creator: More in their Hoft,Strength,and Riches than in the living God: thefe are fuch which de light in fin, and never as yet could shed one tear for their manifold and grievous fins, they cannot find themselves to be juftified, they can have no pardon of their fins fo long as they live in fin,and therefore if you would know whether you shall $}} » be faved or not, labour first of all to repent, and to lay hold on Chrift by faith, that fo he may cover your fins in his Blood.

The third fruit of Election, is Sanctification: and this is a special mark of God's Child to be Regenerate, to be Sanctified. Now Sanctification ftandeth in two parts. First, they muft die to fin; Secondly, they mult rife to righteoufnefs, and labour to know Chrift,and the vertue of his Refurrection: And Chrift's Refurrection must be our Regeneration, and our Regeneration must be our Refurrection from fin and iniquity. And would you know then affuredly, whether your names are written the Book of Life: Look to your hearts, if you find that you are Sanctified, if you hate your old fins or former evil ways, if you love Virtue, and delight in holy duties,then