Now this full Affurance our Lord wrought in them, by his wonderful Works, by his Death, by his Refurrection, but especially by the Holy Ghoft, with which they are often faid to be filled; and which was a Divine Testimony, whereby God bare witness to them who preached the Gospel, and affur'd the World, they delivered nothing but his Mind and Will, Heb. xi. 4.

It was clear and apparent by the Coming of the Holy Ghost, that God takes Care of Men, and bears a fingular Love to them, and would be very familiar with them. This fully fatisfied all that impartially confidered of the Words of Jefus, who faid he was the Son of God. They would not doubt any longer of his Innocency, when he was on Earth, and of his Glory now in the Heavens. They faw indeed, that his Sacrifice was highly acceptable to God, and that he had purged away our Sins by his own Blood. They did as good as behold him fitting on the Throne of his Glory, at the Right Hand of the Majesty on High: Nay, their Faith was raised to behold that Place, which he was preparing for them, in the heavenly Manfions; and they made no Scruple to conclude, that he would come again, and take them to himself, that where he was, there they might be alfo. For he had anointed them by the Holy Ghoft to an' Heavenly Kingdom, and he had fealed them, and given them the Earneft of the Celestial Inheritance, 2 Cor. i. 21, 22. Nay, the very Gifts which were an Evidence of all this, could not but fill their Minds alfo with very great Wonder,

and make them, being poffeffed with fuch high Thoughts, lefs capable of being possessed with any other.

And what should hinder us from being poffeffed with them too; at once receiving the Splendor of this Divine Light, and true Peace and Satisfaction of Heart? For he that hath this Fulness of Knowledge and Understanding, and a full Affurance of it, founded upon fuch fubftantial Reasons, is in the ready Way to perfect Contentment; nay to the greatest Comfort and Con folation; there being nothing more delicious and full of Ravishment, than thefe great Truths which I have mentioned, and of which our Saviour, blessed be the Divine Grace, hath given fuch good Affurance, that he hath left no Place for doubting, concerning what he hath taught, and what his Apostles in his Name made known to the World. We cannot entertain them, but we fhall feel inward Satisfaction, entring into our Hearts together with them; as on the contrary, if we be ignorant of them, or do not fincerely believe them, we shall be Strangers to true Contentment, be our Condition never fo pofperous in this World. And therefore, I obferve, when St. Paul speaks of this Matter, in the Place I named before, Phil. iv. 12. and faith, I am instructed in all Things, both to be full, and to be hungry, &c. he ufes a word (en

a) which fignifies, he had the Mystery, or Secret of this Thing. He knew, that is, the Mystery of the Chriftian Religion, and was full well versed in the Knowlegde of the Lord Jefus

Jefus, by which he was enabled to preserve an Equality of Mind, and in every State to be content. There is no Way therefore for us to arrive at this Felicity, but by the fame Fulnefs of Understanding, so fully poffeffing our Minds and Hearts, that it thrufts out all thofe troublefome Thoughts which are wont to make our Lives irksome and tedious to us: Which Effect it canhot fail to have, if we fuffer it to work according to its natural Tendency, and produce fomething in our Wills, anfwerable to this Fulness of holy Thoughts in our Minds. And that is the next Thing I am to obferve.

2. Befides this Fulness of Understanding,there is a Fulness of Love likewife, in the Soul of a Chriftian, to God and our Saviour, which makes it exceedingly well contented and satisfied in every State of Life. Of this you read, Eph. iii. 19. where the Apostle continuing his Prayer for them, defires they may know the Love of Chrift which passeth Knowledge, that they might be filled with all the Fulness of God. What that Fulnefs is, you will beft difcern by obferving what goes before, that ye may know the Love of Chrift. This is the Thing he defires for them, that they may know how great the Love of Chrift was, in giving himfelf and purchafing fuch Bleffings for us: Which is a Knowledge that excels and furpaffes all other which the World moft admires (fo thofe Words may be expounded, which passeth Knowledge;) and the Effect of that will be, to fill the Hearts of thofe in whom it is, with all Love to God; for that fure is meant C

by

by all the Fulness of God in this Place. God is Love, and when we think of his Love, the most natural Product of it, is to make us like to him in Love to have our Hearts burn with a most vehement Affection to him. Now the moft natural Effect of this Love to God, especially when it is in fuch Fulness as the Love of Chrift is apt to beget, is to thrust out of our Hearts all inordinate Love of the World, and to make us well fatisfied in fuch Love of God to us, and fuch Love in us to God.

And indeed Theophylact very pertinently asks the Question upon thofe Words [ to know the Love of Chrif] τίς τᾶτο ἀγνοεῖ ? What Chriftian can be ignorant of this? And he answers it as well: None fo much as they that are complaining of what happens to them every Day, and prefer the Mammon of this World before God. If we knew this Love, faith he, & av åτe Ts προνοίας κατεγογγύζομ, &c. we hould neither murmur against the Providence of God, nor be fo intent upon thefe worldly Things; which make fo many apoftatize from God, who hath fo loved them.

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This therefore is another Thing, that must fill the Hearts of thofe that will be contented in any Condition; (as you may hear more before I conclude this Argument.) For when the Apofile defires the Ephefians, v. 13. That they would not faint at his Tribulations which he endured; he prays that they might but know the Love of Chrift, fo as to be filled with all the Fulnefs of God with abundant Love to him,) and then

they

they would be fatisfied both in his Sufferings, and in their own alfo. That this is his Meaning,is apparent from the 14th Verfe: where he faith, For this Caufe he bowed his Knee to the Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift; i. e. because they fhould not be too much troubled at his Tribulations. And this was the Thing you fee, that he fo humbly begg'd of him, as a Preservative of them against all Trouble, that they might know. the Love of God our Saviour, and be filled with Love to him. Which Love made him fuffer, and would make them do the fame, and be contented with any Thing, that God thought, fit to order for them. For true Love is fo far from repining at the Hardships it endures, that it is rather glad to meet with fuch Things as may be Proofs and Demonftrations of its Sincerity and constant Fidelity; and will not fuffer the Mind to be dejected; but like to Wine, to which it is compared, exhilerates the Spirit, chears the Heart, and drives away Sorrow, as Fire doth Cold. It cannot be otherwife, if you confider in the Third Place, that there is,

3. A Fulnefs of Piety and good Works, which the Holy Scriptures fpeak of, and which are as genuine and natural a Fruit of the Love of God and our Saviour, as that Love is the Fruit of the Divine Wisdom and Knowledge, which his infinite Charity hath imparted to us. Thus we read in Acts. ix. 36. of a Woman that was full of good Works: And that St. Paul was perfuaded, the Romans were full of Goodnefs, Rom. xv. 14. C 2

which