he is so, must be determined to be destitute of faith; which would necessarily follow from our asserting that assurance of our interest in Christ, is of the essence of saving faith. There are other scriptures which speak of assurance as a distinguishing character of Christians in general; which are usually brought to prove, that assurance is of the essence of faith, _viz._ 2 Cor. v. 1. _We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens_; and, 1 John v. 19. _we know that we are of God_: and in several places in the New Testament, in which the apostle addresses his discourse to whole churches, as having assurance, as well as the grace of faith: thus the apostle Peter, 1 Pet. i. 8, 9. speaks of them as _loving Christ, believing in him, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory, and receiving the end of their faith, even the salvation of their soul_; which could hardly be said of them, if they were destitute of assurance of their own salvation. All that I would infer from these and such-like scriptures is, that it seems probable that assurance was a privilege more commonly experienced in that age of the church than it is in our day; and there may be two reasons assigned for this, (1.) Because the change that passed upon them, when they were converted, was so apparent, that it was hardly possible for it not to be discerned. They turned from dead idols, and the practice of the vilest abominations, to serve the living God; which two extremes are so opposite, that their being brought from one to the other could not but be remarked by, and consequently more visible to themselves, than if it had been otherwise; but, (2.) That which may be assigned as the principal reason of this is, because the church was called, at this time, to bear a public testimony to the gospel, by enduring persecutions of various kinds; and some of them were to resist unto blood. Therefore, that God might prepare them for these sufferings, and that he might encourage others to embrace the faith of the gospel, which was then in its infant state, he was pleased to favour them with this great privilege. And it may be hereafter, if God should call the church to endure like trials, he may in mercy grant them a greater degree of assurance than is ordinarily experienced.