science, a person had need to have a great and extensive acquaintance with the things which pertain to that science.

Thus the devil has, undoubtedly, a great degree of speculative knowledge in divinity; having been as it were, educat ed in the best divinity school in the universe, viz. the heaven of heavens. He must needs have such an extensive and accurate knowledge concerning the nature and attributes of God, as we, worms of the dust, in our present state, are not capable of. And he must have a far more extensive knowledge of the works of God, as of the work of creation in particular; for he was a spectator of the creation of this visible world; he was one of those morning stars that we read of, Job. xxxviii. 4, 5, 6, 7. "....who sang together, and of those sons of God that shouted for joy, when God laid the foundations of the earth, and laid the measures thereof, and stretched the line upon it." And so he must have a very great knowledge of God's works of providence: He has been a spectator of the series of these works from the beginning: He has seen how God has governed the world in all ages: He has seen the whole train of God's wonderful successive dispensations of providence towards his church, from generation to generation. And he has not been an indifferent spectator; but the great opposition which there has been between God and him, in the whole course of those dispensations, has necessarily greatly engaged his attention in the strictest observation of them. He must have a great degree of knowledge concerning Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men, and the nature and method of the work of redemption, and the wonderful wisdom of God in this contrivIt is that work of God wherein, above all others, God has acted in opposition to him, and in which he has chiefly set himself in opposition to God. It is with relation to this affair, that that mighty warfare has been maintained, which has been carried on between Michael and his angels, and the devil and his angels, through all ages from the beginning of the world, and especially since Christ appeared in the world. The devil has had enough to engage his attention to the steps of divine. wisdom in this work; for it is to that wisdom he has opposed his subtilty; and he has seen and found, to his great disap

ance.

pointment, and unspeakable torment, how divine wisdom, as exercised in that work, has baffled and confounded his devices. He has a great knowledge of the things of another world; for the things of that world are in his immediate view. He has a great knowledge of heaven; for he has been an inhabitant of that world of glory; and he has a great knowledge of hell, and the nature of its misery; for he is the first inhabitant of hell; and above all the other inhabitants, has experience of its torments, and has felt them constantly, for more than fiftyseven hundred years. He must have a great knowledge of the holy scriptures; for it is evident he is not hindered from knowing what is written there, by the use he made of the words of scripture in his temptation of our Saviour. And if he can know, he has much opportunity to know, and must needs have a disposition to know, with the greatest exactness; that he may, to greater effect, pervert and wrest the scripture, and prevent such an effect of the word of God on the hearts of men, as shall tend to overthrow his kingdom. He must have a great knowledge of the nature of mankind; their capacity; their dispositions, and the corruptions of their hearts: For he has had long and great observation and experience. heart of man is what he had chiefly to do with in his subtle devices, mighty efforts, restless and indefatigable operations and exertions of himself from the beginning of the world..... And it is evident that he has a great speculative knowledge of the nature of experimental religion, by his being able to imitate it so artfully, and in such a manner, as to transform himself into an angel of light,

The

Therefore it is manifest, from my text and doctrine, that no degree of speculative knowledge of things of religion, is any certain sign of true piety. Whatever clear notions a man may have of the attributes of God, and doctrines of the Trinity; the nature of the two covenants; the economy of the persons of the Trinity, and the part which each person has in the affair of man's redemption; if he can discourse never so excellently of the offices of Christ, and the way of salvation by him, and the admirable methods of divine wisdom, and the harmony of the various attributes of God in that way; if he

can talk never so clearly and exactly of the method of the jus tification of a sinner, and of the nature of conversion, and the operations of the Spirit of God in applying the redemption of Christ; giving good distinctions; happily solving difficulties, and answering objections, in a manner tending greatly to the enlightening of the ignorant; to the edification of the churchof God, and the conviction of gainsayers, and the great increase of light in the world; If he has more knowledge of this sort than hundreds of true saints of an ordinary education, and most divines, yet all is no certain evidence of any degree of saving grace in the heart,

It is true, the scripture often speaks of knowledge of divine things, as what is peculiar to true saints; as in John xviį "This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Matth. xi. 27. "No man knoweth the Son but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father save the Son, and he to whom soever the Son will reveal him." Psalm. ix. 10. "They that know thy name, will put their trust in thee." Philip. iii, 8. "I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowl edge of Christ Jesus my Lord." But then we must understand it of a different kind of knowledge, from that speculative understanding which the devil has to so great a degree. It will also be allowed, that the spiritual, saving knowledge of God and divine things greatly promotes speculative knowledge, as it engages the mind in its search into things of this kind, and much assists to a distinct understanding of them, so that, other things being equal, they that have spiritual knowledge, are much more likely than others to have a good doctrinal acquaintance with things of religion, but yet such acquaintance may be no distinguishing characteristic of true saints.

III. It may also be inferred from what has been observed, that for persons merely to yield a speculative assent to the doctrines of religion as true, is no certain evidence of a state of grace. My text tells us, that the devils believe, and as they believe that there is one God, so they believe the truth of the doctrines of religion in general. The devil is orthodox in his

faith; he believes the true scheme of doctrine; he is no Deist, Socinian, Arian, Pelagian, or Antinomian; the articles of his faith are all sound, and what he is thoroughly estabfished in.

Therefore for a person to believe the doctrines of Christfanity, merely from the influence of things speculative, or from the force of arguments, as discerned only by speculation, is no evidence of grace.

Though it is probably a very rare thing for unregenerate men to have a strong persuasion of the truth of the doctrines of religion, especially such of them as are very mysterious, and much above the comprehension of reason: Yea, it is manifest, that we have no warrant to determine, that it can never be so, or to look upon such a persuasion, as an infallible evidence of grace; and that no person can safely determine his state to be good from such an evidence. Yet if he, not only himself, seems to be very confident of the truth of Christianity and its doctrines, but is able to argue most strongly for the proof of them; yet in this he goes nothing beyond the devil, who, doubtless, has a great knowledge of the rational arguments, by which the truth of the Christian religion, and its several principles are evinced.

And, therefore, when the scripture speaks of believing that Jesus is the Son of God, as a sure evidence of grace, as in 1 John v I, and other places, it must be understood, not of a mere speculative assent, but of another kind and manner of believing, which is called the faith of God's elect. Titus i. 1. There is a spiritual conviction of the truth which is, a believing with the whole heart, peculiar to true saints, of which I would speak particularly by and by.

IV. It may be inferred from the doctrine which has been insisted on, that it is no certain sign, that persons are savingly converted....that they have been subjects of very great distress and terrors of mind, through apprehensions of God's wrath, and fears of damnation.

That the devils are the subjects of great terrors through apprehensions of God's wrath, and fears of future effects of it, is implied in my text,which speaks not only of their believing,

but trembling. It must be no small degree of terror, which should make those principalities and powers, those mighty, proud and sturdy beings to tremble.

There are many terrors, that some persons, who are concerned for their salvation, are the subjects of, which are not from any proper awakenings of conscience, or apprehensions of truth, but from melancholy, or frightful impressions on their imagination, or some groundless apprehensions, and the delusions, and false suggestions of Satan. But if they have had never so great and long continued terrors, from real awakenings and convictions of truth, and views of things as they are; this is no more than what is in the devils, and will be in all wicked men in another world. However stupid and senseless most ungodly men are now, all will be effectually awakened at last: There will be no such thing as slumbering in hell. There are many that cannot be awakened by the most solemn warnings and awful threatenings of the word of God, the most alarming discourses from the pulpit, and the most awakening and awful providences; but all will be thoroughly awakened by the sound of the last trumpet, and the appearance of Christ to judgment, and all sorts will then be filled with most amazing terrors, from apprehensions of truth, and seeing things as they be; when "The kings of the earth and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, (such as were the most lofty and stout hearted, most ready to treat the things of religion with contempt) shall hide themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the mountains; and say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb For the great day of his wrath is come, and whe shall be able to stand?" Rev. vi. 15, 16, 17.

Therefore, if persons have first been awakened, and then afterwards have had comfort and joy, it is no certain sign that their comforts are of the right kind, that they were preceded by very great terrors.

V. It may be further inferred from the doctrine, That no work of the law on men's hearts, in conviction of guilt, and just desert of punishment, is a sure argument that a person has been savingly converted.