the children of rich men as to some he doth but cover their nakedness that it may not appear but others he adorns as 't is exprest in Ezek. 16. When the Prodigal came home he put on the best robe and the Ring 't was sealing time very early and the Shoes of the preparation of the Gospel on his feet and Bread and Flesh strong meat to feed him when others it may be though God have compassion on them and take them into his Family and give them Milk to keep them from perishing with hunger yet they have not a Ring given them all their daies nor any thing but Milk to eat and though they be cloathed with the same righteousness for kind yet 't is not so embroidered and set forth to the eye as the others was The Church or Spouses garment is of diverse colours 'T is a time of Love but God doth not tell them of it as he doth some as soon as he washeth them from their blood The Father loves them though he do not kiss them yet as he doth some others of his Children Well however bless him that he covers thy nakedness though thou see not the riches of his grace laid out upon thee yet that he forgives thee 4. Consider this that God is better pleased with that little grace than he is displeased with that much corruption which is in thee only do not like thy corruption the more but love and praise thy God the better Though thou be but as Gold in the Oâ—r God hath more regard to thee than to throw away the Gold because of the Oâ—r On no he will lose no Gold The Disciples were little better than this and yet he would not lose one of them nor the least grain of grace that appeared in them but made much of the willingness of their spirit when the bodily flesh was weak and the corrupt flâ—sh strong Though they were but as bruised Reeds and smoaking Flax yet he had not a little value for them though there were more smoak than fire yet he would not quench but cherish it Though thy grace be little and thy corruption much yet he will prize thee 5. Think of this also though thou have not assurance yet thou hast that which will secure thee and doth ensure thy Soul Every grace is assuring in its nature and degree though thou have not the evidence and comfort of it and is it nothing to be safe thou art upon the Foundation and shalt stand and not fall for thou art in a state of blessedness Eternal life is begun and there is no falling from Eternal life This day is Salvation come unto thee as it did to Zâ—cheus and it will never depart from thee This state is blessed for so are they that mourn and in due time they shall be comforted Matth. 5.3 4. The beginnings of grace though but poor and therefore mourners is blessed and it shall be blessed as old Isaac said of Jacob. Poor weeping soul thou little knowst what Joy there is in Heaven at thy weeping on earth see Luke 15.7 and again Vers 10. and Vers 32. Thy sighs make Angels sing The crying of the Babe makes the Father laugh as our saying is and 't is true of the heavenly Father and all this is spoken of this first attainment of Babes viz. Repentance Paul rejoyced that he made the Corinthian Babes sorrowful because they sorrowed to Repentance which was to salvation and never to be repented of 2 Cor. 7.9 10. yea Jesus Christ seeing the travail of his soul safely delivered rejoyceth that a man or woman child is born though it be not yet any more than new-born thy sorrow makes him forget his sorrow Our Saviour after his Resurrection appeared to Peter before he did to the twelve 1 Cor. 15.5 and the Angel sent the first tidings of his Resurrection to Peter Mark 16.7 for he was repenting and weeping bitterly which was as another Conversion to him as our Saviour hinted to him before Luke 22.32 When the Incestuous person repented Paul takes care that he may be comforted lest he should be swallowed up of over-much sorrow 2 Cor. 2.7 Thus are we given to understand how precious the tears of Penitents are and yet withal that God would not that they sorrow over-much Though he love to see them swim in tears yet he takes care that they may not be drowned as the word notes in tears though he love a broken i. e. a contrite heart yet he would not that such should break their hearts or despair and mourn as them that are without hope In Cant. 2.14 the Spouse was fallen to the ground for grief and sorrow as I take it and hid her self in the clefts of the rock and the secret places of the stairs and the little Foxes Satans temptations and wiles did endeavour to spoil the Vine that had but tender grapes but the Bride-groom seeing her in this disconsolate condition bespeaks her thus Rise up my Love my fair one and come away Vers 10. and again Vers 13. Let me see thy countenance and hear thy voice Mine O Lord alas I dare not look up I am so black as 't is said of the poor Publican Luke 18.13 that he stood afar off and would not lift up his eyes to Heaven but smote upon his breast and said God be merciful to me a sinner My countenance O Lord 't is not worth looking on saith this poor soul these blubbered checks of mine and eyes standing full of tears will not give me leave to look up But saith he Let me see thy Face for it is comely I love it now the tears run down I love to see it beset with these Diamonds and silver drops of tears 't is a precious sight in my eyes and therefore let me see thy face yea and let me hear thy voice My voice Lord alas I can but chatter as the Crane and mourn as the Dove Oh let me hear this voice of thine thy sighs and groans are musick and make melody in mine ears let me therefore hear it For sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely Rise up my Love my Dove my fair one and come away for lo the winter is past the rain is over and gone the flowers appear on the earth the time of singing is come and the voice of the Turtle is heard in our Land The Fig-tree puts forth her green Figs and the Vines with the tender Grapes give a good smell I will take the Foxes that spoil the Vines and preserve the tender Grapes Thus may the dear and loving Jesus and oh that he would thus speak to thee poor soul that after thy April of showers thou maist have a month of May with all its flowers and be able to conclude as the Spouse did Vers 16. My beloved is mine and I am his In the mean time if thou hear not this joyful sound if thou have not Wine to drink nor meat to eat yet go thy way and
for say they with a scorn Hearest thou what these say Yea saith he have ye never read Out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected praise Matth. 21.15 16. Christ hears their Hosanna's with joy and gladness as that which full-fills a Scripture and helps to fill up the praise and glory of God A Babe is one of the joynts and members of the Body and supplies its measure even to the perfection of praise As 't is in Nature there is one glory of the Heavens another of the Earth One of the Son and another of the Moon and Stars the Heavens declare his glory and the Earth his goodness for 't is full of it the Sacred and Royal Pâ—ophet doth not only admire the Heavens and the Sun but the Moon and Stars too and that in the very Psalm where he speaks of Babes and Sucklings from whence our Saviour quotes it Psal 8.2 3. For as 't is in Nature so 't is in grace not only the greatest but lesser Luminaries not only the highest but the lowest creatures do contribute something to the praise of God the Sun indeed shines bright and gives a great lustre but the Stars also do twinkle so though an Abraham c. is strong in Faith giving great glory to God yet Gods praise is not fully perfected till the Babes contribution be taken in small though it be In the body the least member in an House the least Pin hath its use and tends to the perfecting of the whole and vessels of an inferiour office serve not a little to eek out the glory of more honourable one The Milk that the Babes do eat doth every spoonful of it give praise and glory to God Repentance doth so Faith towards God submission to Ordinances trembling at his Word desires after growth love of the Brethren these all praise and glorifie his name though not with so loud a voice and so open a mouth as that and the higher attainments of Children Young-men and Fathers doth do And the truth of it is that 't is not a little glory which accrews to God hereby for that these poor Babes who have so much corruption and not without considerable temptations too should yet be kept from Apostafie that Grace should live like a spark of fire in the midst of waters and not be extinct is a wonder and such an one as that 't is not so great a wonder that other Saints of higher Forms cleave close to God as that these do noâ— that the Devil is conquered and baffled by them as that he is defeated by these 't is much to the praise and glory of God and his grace though not so actually given by them as 't is by others 2. The second Branch of this Use is to exhort Babes to be humbled that they are but Babes i. e. as carnal and not past the spoon and so incapable of having strong meat to eat or of any more than the Alphabet of Religion such as we Preach to sinners viz. Repentance and Faith towards God c. which is but Milk and this especially concerns them who are old in years and yet but Babes as to understanding and practice who have been professors of long standing but little proficiency 'T is a prime part of the Christians ingenuity to be low and vile in his own eyes under the sense of impersections and defects yea and that though God be pacified towards him Ezek. 16.60 63. Let Babes therefore that are as carnal though they be in Christ Jesus be very humble in the sense of their defectiveness and which is worse their carnality Especially considering 1. That they have enjoyed means and helps by which they might have been more spiritual had they not been dull of hearing We are all careful to use means but we should take one care more and that is to make use of means to profit thereby the want whereof calls for being humbled The Apostle might well twit the Corinthian Babes with this you boast of Paul Apollo and Cephas but is it not a shame to you to be carnal under such mens Ministry The more persons are priviledged with means the more improved should they be by the means and if not so they should be the more humbled for their non-proficiency Many of you have had not only the Milk but the Cream of the Gospel and are ye yet carnal let it then be for a lamentation and answerable Humiliation 2. Be the more humbled considering that many of the more refined sort of Heathens would have scorned to be so carnal as some of you the Apostle upbraids the Corinthian Babes and thereby provokes them to shame by this very thing 1 Cor. 5.1 2. It is reported commonly and in this fama non est mendax report is no Lyar that there is Fornication among you and such Fornication as is not so much as named recorded of any amongst the Gentiles that one should have his Fathers Wife and yet ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned It should deeply humble Christians to be guilty of that which the Gentiles are not and scorn to be 3. Let your Humiliation and Humility be the more that ye have been better taught Ephes 4.17 21. and that for a long time Paul had spent a year and an half among these Corinthians Act. 18.11 and had written to them two or three times and was yet ready to come again to correct their Bâ—bish-carnality as 2 Cor. 12.14 with 20.21 and Chap. 13.1 2. Our Saviour upbraids his Disciples with this that he had been so long with them and yet they were ignorant of the Father and of him Jeh 14.9 and another time asks them as one grieved and angry too How long shall I be with you will ye never learn c. 'T is with this that the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews twits them also that for their time and standing they might have been Teachers and yet were still to learn yea and stood in need of being taught their Primer over and again Heb. 5.12 When men have been planted in Gods Hort-yard and have been often watered with the dew of Heaven and he comes year after year for Fruit yet finds none this calls for deep Humiliation To be old 〈…〉 profession and novices in knowledge and practice is that which should lay us low 4. Think of this also to humble you how many that came in long after you are gone far before you Paul was a Posthume born after Christ died and rose and went to Heaven yet out-stript and labour'd more abundantly than many that lived in Christs time and Family To allude to the Story in 2 Sam. 18 23 I may say that many like Cushi run first and yet are out-run by Ahamaaz who set out after him for he run the way of the plain when others like Cushi fetch a compass about and are for vagaries and wandrings The Gentiles came in last but out un the Jews who were first and
Preaching and Hearing of the Gospel by which Faith comes now what a sad thing is it to hear of Faith and not feel it to be a hearer and not a Believer Have ye not heard yes the Gosspel hath sounded loud and long in your ears 'T is sad when the Gospel comes to thee and thou dost not come to God! when it comes in word and not in power it had been better for thee thou hadst never heard than to have heard and not believe Better thou hadst never known the way of righteousness than knowing it not to walk in it 'T will be more easie for Turks than for thee according as 't will for Sodom and Gomorrab in the day of Judgement than for Capernaum as our Saviour speaks Matth. 11. These things are said as the Gospel is written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that believing ye might have life through his Name Joh. 20.31 And truly if you believe not the Gospel neither would you believe if one should come from the dead the more means of Faith the greater condemnation if men do not believe and greater means than that of Gods appointing there can be none And then 3. Consider this that Christ may take his Gospel and be gone then the things of thy peace may be hid from thine eyes thou maist die in thy sins and be damned for ever to day therefore while 't is called to day now or never i. e. now or it may never be hear his voice who calls thee to repent and believe the Gospel that thou maist be saved which if thou do not the same Gospel saith He that believeth not shall be damned Canst have patience to think of going to Hell if not believe It were better thou hadst never been born than to die without being new-born 't is sad to be dead in sins but to die in sins Oh who but them in Hell can tell how sad it is Hear therefore and believe that thy soul may live 2. I am now to address my self to the Babes especially such of them as lie under despondencies of Spirit and to you I say as before 1. Despise not the day of small things who knows to how great a tree this grain of Mustard-seed may grow how great a fire this little spark may kindle To how tail a stature a poor Babe may grow though thou canst eat but Milk thou maist grow thereby Thou hast got down one portion of Milk more already and art not only one that repentest from dead works but hast Faith also towards God Though thou have no Wine to make thine heart glad nor oyl to make thy face to shine nor bread to strengthen thine heart yet bless God that thou art alive and hast milk to eat For 1. Consider that thou art gone farther than thou art aware of thou art nearer Heaven than thou thinkest for in having Faith towards God though thou be a great way off yet thou art within thy Fathers ken and view as 't is said concerning the Prodigal while he was yet afar off but a coming but beginning to come his Father saw him had compassion of him c. the Father saw him before he saw the Father and though he were but coming yet 't is said he was come he arose and came i. e. was a coming for as yet he was afar off and yet 't is said he arose and came his coming was lookt on as if he were come as Abraham is said to offer his Son in that he did purpose and was about to do it so the Prodigal and the Babe is said to be come though as yet but coming towards God It 's something to be on thy legs that thy journey is begun dimidium facti qui bene coepit habet thou art on thy way and thy Father sees it and hath compassion on thee and as to Christ Jesus he will never cast thee off no by no means see John 6.37 39. 2. If thou never go further than to be a Babe all thy daies suppose that yet thou art gone far enough to be saved by Faith we are saved as safe as if we were saved There is a blessing for this Faith as before Matth. 16.17 and Justification for this Faith as before Luke 18.14 and God loves such Believers as before from John 16.27 'T is not a little remarkable that blessedness is annexed to the lowest as well as to the highest Form in the School of Christ as in the Beatitudes Mat. 5. and to these Hebrew Babes the Apostle saith I hope better things of you than of some that had been inlightened c. and things that accompany or contain salvation though you be but Babes Heb. 6.9 10. Salvation is not annexed to degrees as such but to truth of grace as such in the lowest degree John 6.37 him that is but coming 3. As weak as thy Faith is the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it thou shalt be kept through this Faish by the power of God unto Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 This poor Soul is apt to scruple and say Alas my Faith is but small if any and I fear what will become of me in an hour of temptation my strength is so small that I shall faint in the day of affliction But the Lord saith to thee Fear not for though thou have but a little strength yet because thou dost not deny his name God will keep thee from the hour of temptation or from the temptation of the hour as it may be read Rev. 3.8 10. Though Saul pursue thee and hunt thee yet the house of Saul shall grow weaker and weaker and the house of David shall grow stronger and stronger and the weak shall be as David who notwithstanding his fear did not perish by the hand of Saul Though thy enemies be strong and thy grace weak yet thy weak grace shall be too strong for thy strongest enemies Though the Sons of Zerviah be strong and in thine eyes too strong for thee yet shalt thou die in peace Maugre all the malice and power of Satan the gates of Hell shall not prevail against thee as Christ promised Peter who believed as thou dost that Christ is the Son of the living God nor did it fail when Satan sisted him for though he denied that he knew the man he yet still believed that Christ was the Son of God which was the Faith that Christ prayed might not fail Let the rain descend the floods come and the winds blow and beat all together upon thee yet thy house shall stand for 't is founded like Mount Sion on a rock that cannot be moved Matth. 7.24 25. Indeed if thy Faith alone were to buckle with Satan 't were impar congressus an unequal match but thou art kept by the power of God and the Prayer of Christ so that there is more power for thee than there is against thee though it be all the power of Hell 4. These experiences which thou hast
speak to them a little by way of Application COme poor Babes you that tremble at the Word of God and serve him though it be with fear hear this for your Consolation that the high and lofty one who dwelleth in the high and holy place doth not despise such a trembling soul but will dwell with it Isa 66.2 Jer. 3.13 Be not afraid of the Resurrection nor of Judgement 't will be an happy day for thee read it they self what is said 1 Thes 4.13 18. and 5.1 11. thou hast a friend in the Court of Heaven Jesus Christ thine Advocate and he 't is that shall be thy Jodge who to be sure will not condemn any that are in him although they be but Babes He will rememâ— thyâ— bâ—ur of little love Heb. 6.9 10. as thou maâ—sâ— him telling theâ— afâ—rehand Matth. 25.34 37. where thou hast that he remember what thou hast for 〈◊〉 and placeth thaâ— account which it may be thou 〈◊〉 worth nothing He is so 〈…〉 he will remember no more but he is so righteous that he will not forget thy labour of love no nor thy fear for he hath a Book of remembrance written for them that feared the Lord and thought mark that that did think and it may be could do little more than think upon his name Mal. 3.16 Well then as the wicked should rejoyce with trembling Psal 2. do thou tremble with rejoycing Abide in him keep close to him whom thou hast chosen for thy Saviour and thou shalt not be ashamed before him at his coming 1 Joh. 2.28 Be stedfast and immoveable yea abound alwaies in the work of the Lord for thy labour shall not be in vain at the Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.58 In the mean time live as one that looks for and hastens to the coming of the Lord 2 Pet. 3.11 12. and seeing he will come without sin a Saviour and change thy vile body and make it like to his most glorious Body let not only thine affections but conversation be in Heaven Col. 3.1 4. Phil. 3.20 21. which no man is or can be that doth not believe the Resurrection and Eternal Judgement Be glad therefore and bless God who hath given thee this Milk and taught thee to take it in for else thou hadst been still without God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the world yea and in the world to come which will be a world of happiness to thee and all Saints who have not their portion of good in this life as the wicked have but 't is reserved for them to be theirs at the Resurrection and Eternal Judgement So much for the attainments of Babes from this Text. V. Of their tasting that the Lord is gracious and their desiring the sincere Milk of the Word to grow thereby From 1 Pet. 2.1 3. THE Apostle Peter had to do with Babes as well as Paul for such were the Jewish Converts generally and having told them Chap. 1.23 that they were born again he doth in this Text exhort them to lay aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all evil speaking to which they being yet as carnal were too prone as was noted before and as new born Babes to desire the sincere Milk of the Word that they may grow thereby if so be or seeing and because they have tasted that the Lord is gracious This tasting is their coming to Christ and believing in him as the chief corner-stone v. 4.6 and their growth is their being built up on him a spiritual House c. Vers 5. which notes both the nature and inclination of these Babes viz. to come to and believe in Christ and withal to grow up in and to be built on him that as he is precious or an honour to them Vers 7. so they may be precious or an honour to him and shew forth the vertues and thereby the praises of him who hath called them out of their darkness into his marvellous light Vers 9. But of their Faith I have spoken before I shall now speak of some of their experience which I conceive is coucht in this word of tasting The perfect Christian hath many senses exercised he is full of many and rich experiences Heb. 5.14 But the Babe hath the exercise of this one Sense Tasting especially which begets in him a desire and longing after the Word for growth that he may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of Consolations that he may milk out and be satisfied with the abundance of glory To allude to Isa 66.11 The Babe hath a taste as soon as he is born and hath Milk given him to eat in which he tastes a sweetness and from which he finds so much nourishment and strength as holds his sonl in life If he were not alive he could not taste and if he did not taste he could not live Experience is often exprest by tasting which is a thing beyond Hearing and is joyn'd with Seeing Psal 34.8 Oh Taste and See that the Lord is good Now as Seeing so Tasting affects the heart and quickens the Appetite and therefore saith he desire the Milk which doth not only express the duty but the nature and inclination of Babes and that grounded on Tasting Seeing or because they have Tasted that the Lord is gracious several experiences as Tastes they have had of this As 1. That the Lord will admit them to Repentance this is of his grace when man had sinned the Law was inexorable a mans Repentance could find no place there for re-acceptance though it had been sought with tears God might have chosen whether he would have admitted man to repent but now he hath it favours of grace and by this the Babes Taste that he is gracious 2. They Taste that the Lord is gracious in that he hath provided a new and living way wherein to come to him that they may be saved at anothers cost and charges that he sent his Son into the world to save sinners that through him they might believe in God and that thence they might have hope in God 1 Pet. 1.21 3. They Taste grace in this That God calls for no greater things at their hand than to eat Milk Pro. 28.14 to Repent and Believe the Gospel and doth not put them to do penance in Hell for thousands of years or do some extraordinary tasks of duty in this world and weeping out their eyes wearing out their knees c. 4. They Taste his grace in that he not only commands but invites and intreats them to come to Repent and Believe that they may live That God should condescend so far as to beseech and go a begging to them as the word is that they would be reconciled gives them a Taste that the Lord is gracious 2 Cor. 5.19 20. 5. They Taste it in this That God incourageth them to come by many great and precious promises Isa 55.1 2 3. Matth. 11.28 30 c. Yea he swears to them as he lives that
words than there are to express it significantly this work cannot be worded 't is such an experience as comes not under expression All the Eluquence in the world cannot acquaint you with the sweetness of this honey so well as the taste can and doth do 'T is like the new name which no man knows but he that hath it a stranger doth not intermiddle with this joy And as none knows it but he hath hath it so he that hath it cannot make it known as he hath it 〈◊〉 single witness that of a mans own Conscience afford so much joy as the Apostle found it did 2 Cor. 1.12 what incomparable joy must that be which flows from a double witness viz. That of the Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God this is the joyful sound it 's such Musick as makes the Soul to leap and dance for joy Hos 2.14 15 16. They were Babes and under bondage in Aegypt but now they sing like the Children that had heard the joyful sound of the Silver Trumpets proclaiming love and peace in their youth they sang when God had proclaimed them his Sons and first-born and called them his Sons out of Aegypt 2. Notwithstanding this joy yet consistently enough they blush and are ingenuously ashamed in the sense of their former sinfulness which made them unworthy of such favour yea worthy to have been Children of wrath for ever The Fathers lips were no sooner off from them of the returning Prodigal but the first words he utters are Father I have sinned against Heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy Son Luk. 15.20 21. And this confession was a great part of his gratitude and so taken by his Father for this interrupts not their feasting and rejoycing together This ingenuity is an effect of this assured reconciliation as 't is in Ezek 16.62 63. I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I Jehovah viz. gracious and merciful that thou maist remember thy waies Vers 61. and be ashamed c. but when this When I am pacified toward thee for or notwithstanding all that thou hast done saith the Lord. 3. By reason of this Testimony the little Children have a great deal of considence and boldness towards and with God If our hearts condemn us not we have confidence towards God 1 Joh. 3.21 but how much more when by the Spirit which he hath given us we know that he dwelleth in us and we in him Vers 24. This is the perfecting of love viz. assurance is love with us made perfect which gives us not only a boldness at the throne of Grace 1 Joh. 3.21 22. with 5.14 15. but in the day of Judgement Chap. 4.17 for there is no fear in love thus made perfect but it casteth out fear and fills with confidence and boldness familiarity and freedom 4. The little Children having received this Testimony long exceedingly to be with their Father not only to have their affections and conversations in Heaven but to be personally there Few Saints are willing to die that are but Babes and know not the Father and I fear if God should not take them to Heaven before they were willing and desirous to die I say I doubt that Heaven would be very thinly peopled as to that sort of his people But when they have got assurance that God is and Heaven shall be theirs they sing their nune demittis with the reverend good old man Simeon Now lettest thou thy Servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation And not only Paul 2 Cor. 1. 8. and Phil. 1.23 but all the seed that have received this Testimony Ephes 1.13 14. the first-fruits and earnest of happiness do sigh and groan and long yea and think it long till they be set free Rom. 8.23 While here they are absent from the Lord and 't is not without self-denial that they are willing to stay here but while they must be here they are hugely ambitious to be acceptable to God as 't is 2 Cor. 5.9 and to serve the Churches good as 't is Phil. 1.23 24. They are sure that though they suffer with Christ yet they shall be glorified together Rom. 8.16 17. and therefore they would as they are bid hasten his coming and Pray Come Lord Jesus come quickly And surely might they have their wishes either Christ should come to them or they would go to Christ within a very little while But yet remembring that they are not their own and that they serve not God only for their own advantage but his glory they are made willing to wait all the daies of their appointed time though it be a warfare as 't is in that Text in Job till their change come Rom. 8.23 24 25. As much as they long to be at home they would make no more hast than good-speed This much of the first thing The second follows SECT 4. Shewing how the Testimony of the Spirit may be distinguished from delusions of Satan and the presumptions of our own hearts IT may be some or other may be yet fearful and suspicious lest they should mistake and be deceived and so meet with the true miseries of false joyes 't is all one to the Devil which way any go to Hell so they go there whether through the common road and dirty high-way of prophaneness immorality and irreligion or through the Fields and pleasant walks of a Form of godliness which hath its Joys Raptures Transports and Ecstasies too for the evil spirit doth ape the good one and that he may the more facilely and undiscernably deceive he puts on the garb of an Angel of Light How therefore shall we discern whether the Testimony which we think we have be sound and good or but feigned and counterfeit I confess 't is good to watch and be circumspect because of our adversary the Devil who is seldom more our adversary than when he pretends to be our friend as he did to Eve and to Christ himself but yet they that have the Testimony of Gods Spirit are secure and safe though they that have it not cannot be so what ever presuming confidences they may entertain themselves with I shall therefore indeavour to clear this thing that none may be hardned through the deceitfulness of sin or Satan or their own hearts In relation whereunto I shall lay down three Rules to which though I purpose not to speak much yet I hope to speak much to the purpose having first premised this one thing that they cannot have the witness who have not the work of the Spirit and consequently they cannot have the witness of the Spirit who have not the witness of their own spirit or the Testimony of a good Conscience for if our hearts condemn us upon just grounds and we do not bear false witness against our selves which is the sin of many an otherwise tender-hearted Christian I say if our hearts condemn