Re: Is Your New Year's Resolution To Save and Earn More Money?

before persons, and they
have at the same time as it were seen, and tasted, and felt the divinity
of them, they have been as far from doubting their truth as they are
from doubting whether there be a sun, when their eyes are open in the
midst of a clear hemisphere, and the strong blaze of His light overcomes
all objections. And yet, many of them, if we should ask them why they
believed those things to be true, would not be able well to express or
communicate a sufficient reason to satisfy the inquirer; and perhaps
would make no other answer but that they see Him to be true. But a
person might soon be satisfied, by a particular conversation with them,
that what they mean by such an answer is, that they have intuitively
beheld, and immediately felt, most illustrious and powerful evidence of
divinity in them.

Some are thus convinced of the truth of the gospel in general, and that
the Scriptures are the word of God: others have their minds more
especially fixed on some particular great doctrine of the gospel, some
particular truths that they are meditating on, or reading of, in some
portion of Scripture. Some have such conviction in a much more
remarkable manner than others: and there are some who never had such a
special sense of the certainty of divine things impressed upon them,
with such inward evidence and strength, but who yet have very clear
exercises of grace; i.e. of love to God, repentance, and holiness. And
if they be more particularly examined, they appear plainly to have an
inward firm persuasion of the reality of divine things, such as they did
not use to have before their conversion. And those who have the most
clear discoveries of divine truth in the manner that has been mentioned,
cannot have this always in view. When the sense and relish of the divine
excellency of these things fades, on a withdrawment of the Spirit of
God, they have not the medium of the conviction of their truth at