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believe in Christ Jesus; and I know that the promises of the gospel belong unto me. The holy Scriptures are written for both these ends, that first faith, and then assurance of faith and hope should be wrought in men. These things are written, saith John in his gospel, that ye might believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing ye might have life through his name, John xx. 31. Again, these things have I written, saith the same apostle in his Epistles, to ye who believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe, that is, continue to believe, and increase in believing, on the name of the Son of God, 1 John v. 13.

A man is saved by faith, but has comfort in hope of salvation by assurance; so that the being of spiritual life, in respect of us, does subsist in faith, not in assurance and feeling. And that is the strongest and most approved faith, which cleaves to Christ, and to his promises, and rests upon his truth and faithfulness, without the help of feeling. For, although assurance gives unto us a more evident certainty of our good estate, yet faith, even without this, will certainly preserve us in this good estate, whether we be assured or not.

Hence it is, that although reason, as it is now corrupt, will still be objecting, and will be satisfied with nothing but what it may know by sense, John iii. 4; yet faith, even above and against sense, and all natural reasoning, Rom. iv. 19, 20, from a reverence to God's command, who bids to believe and trust in him, and a persuasion of the truth and goodness of the promises will give credit unto, and rest upon the bare, naked divine witness of the word of God, for his sake that does speak it, Heb. xi. 8, 11.

Secondly, There is a certainty of evidence; namely, when the thing believed is not only said to be true and good, but a man does find it so to be by sense and experience, and is so evident to man's reason, convincing it by force of argument, taken from the causes, effects, properties, signs, and the like, that it has no-