to crediting what God propounds by these means 1. The spirits represents the expressions of the Lords love to the soul in the latitude and fulness of them It makes it appear to be so full so compleat and perfect a love as there is not the least imaginable cause of jealousie And surely this is the very intention of the Spirit of God in so often heaping up expressions upon expressions in setting out the love of God in Christ the Spirit of God doth even rise to the highest kind of expressions that is possible in this way for this end seldom names the grace of God that is to say the love of God but he calls it riches of grace nay abundant riches and the exceeding riches of his grace 2. The Spirit in this case reveals the Lords strong confirmation of all those expressions of his love The Spirit reveals how the Lord hath bound himself to the performance of all those expressions of love in the latitude and fulness of them to every Iota and point to the least tittle 1. The Spirit reveals the Lords promise of faithfulness in the expression of his love Then in Hos 2.19 God tells the Church I will betroth thee unto my self in righteousness and judgment and in loving kindness and in mercies 2. The Spirit reveals the Lords confirmation of it by his own hand writing All the Scriptures are given as the hand writing of himself only for the manifestation of the sincerity and integrity of the heart of God in the love he intends to Souls The very end of writing all the Scriptures is primarily to draw Souls to believe and secondarily to believe gradually more and more to perfection till they come to this full assurance of Faith The whole Scriptures of the Lord and New Testament are but one blessed letter of love sent from heaven by God written by the blessed Secretary of heaven the blessed Spirit of God The Inscription is nothing else but this My love to poor loveless rebellious souls through my dearly beloved Son the Lord Jesus The whole matter is nothing else but this Come in and embrace my love 3. The Spirit reaveals that the Lord hath added his oath to it Heb. 6.17 And this he doth that the soul may receive the strongest consolation from the Lords intentions in the reality of his love 4. The Spirit reveals the Lord hath confirmed it by Witnesses 1 John 5.7 8 9. The glorious Trinity the three persons in one Essence they are Witnesses to it Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are Witnesses in Heaven and the Water and Blood are Witnesses on Earth 5. The Spirit reveals that the Lord hath confirmed it by Seals The common broad Seals I mean the Sacraments that are outward Witnessing signs or Confirming signs of the Lords intentions of love to Souls in the Lord Jesus What is the Lords Supper but a meer confirming sign to confirm the Soul in believing the Faithfulness of God and his loving Souls in Jesus Christ To witness to the Soul thus much that as surely as he seeth the Bread broken as he seeth the Wine poured out so surely did the glorious God of Heaven and Earth send the Dearly Beloved of his own Soul cloathed with an humane nature to have his Body broken and his Blood poured out that thereby there might be an union with himself for such a rebellious Soul Nay the Lord hath given his privy Signet which is the Seal of his own Spirit that his Spirit should assuredly Witness and Seal up unto Souls his love in receiving them into Union with the Lord Jesus 3. The Spirit reveals the nature of God himself to the soul It is not the knowledge of what God hath said but the knowledge of what God is in himself that causeth the soul to trust in him Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will trust in thee That is they that know the Lord indeed while the nature of God is unknown unbelief of necessity bares rule in every Soul 4. The Spirit of God reveals the Lords removal of all causes of suspition or Jealousie whatever concerning the Lords faithfulness and love There are but two general grounds of Jealousie First Some experience of the unfaithfulness of God Now the Spirit hath prevented the least imaginary ground this way in regard the Lord hath never failed in performing to the uttermost all the love he expressed hitherto Secondly The second ground of Jealousie must be some fear of the Lords taking dislike of the Soul because of the Souls unfaithfulness to God Now the Spirit of God reveals to the Soul the Lords removal of all grounds of suspition by shewing the Lord intends not to take any mislike from loving of souls whatever imaginary wickedness the Soul should commit against him That is the Spirit reveals the Lords declaration of passing by the treachery and filthiness of the Soul or remembring its iniquity no more That is the Spirit reveals the Lords constant acceptance of Souls after treachery without respect to the treachery to diminish his love for it Jer. 3.1 5. And lastly The Spirit of God reveals the Lords pressing urgent perswasions invitations and commands to a fulness of confidence of all the love to poor Souls that he hath expressed to them Thereupon the Spirit comes to argue thus Wilt thou not trust the Lord that knows his own love and compassions best of all He alone knows himself and thou art not able to comprehend him The light that thou hast is but a small spark saith the Spirit of God to that great light that dwels in him and wilt thou trust to thine own spark of light rather then to the fountain of light Hereby in all these ways the Spirit of God removes this Jealous Distemper plucks out this Beam from the Souls Eyes and brings the Soul into a precious believing frame This is the First part of the Fourth Distemper that the Spirit of God must remove and that is the Jealousie of God There is a second Branch of this Jealousie or a second way how this Distemper of Jealousie works and that is as it works towards the Souls own heart The Devil endeavours to make the Soul Jealous of his own heart and would have him suspect that his own wicked heart cannot receive the will of God rightly and to make it fear it should close falsly if it should think of receiving the blessed will of God This Distemper of Jealousie is hardly healed because it hath so strong a hold it comes under the shape of Godliness It hath a pretence of the greatest sincerity and integrity that is possible it tells the Soul it is a sign of sincerity to be jealous of its own deceitfulness it tells the Soul it were a sign of presumption if it were not jealous This Distemper we shall endeavour to discover and for the clearing of it you must conceive that I do not condemn all jealousie in a Soul There are divers kindes of Jealousie that the
to Heb. 6.17 he confirms it by an Oath that by 2. immutable things two things that were subject to no alteration or diminution that is to say by the word of the Majesty of Heaven and by his Oath also they might have strong consolation that do flee from refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before them that is that do accept of the Lord Jesus tendred to them So that the hanging thus the eternal estate of the soul upon the former evidences is too high an use to put the former evidences too It is the truth it self that the former evidencing beams of light manifest that is only destinated to that pretious use to build the confidence of the souls admission into union with Jesus Christ upon even that truth that the Lord doth declare that it is his will to admit even that particular soul into union with Jesus Christ if he will aceept it and whenever scruples and objections and doubts possess the soul concerning the truth of any former evidences the first-born of the souls endeavour should be taken up in in clearing that truth that the soul did conceive some beams of light did evidence to him Prop. 4. There is a strait command from the highest Majesty of Heaven and Earth given unto every believing soul to make a holy use advantage and improvement of his former evidences of his union with Jesus Christ vouchsafed to him That one Scripture gives sufficient testimony Heb. 10.32 Call to remembrance the former days in which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions This the Apostle commands them in order to the strengthning of their confidence ver 35. Thus Asaph did Psal 77.5 6. When he was under darkness when the powers of unbelief began to rage in his soul and to tyranize over him then he began to make improvement of his former evidences of the Lords love and favour to him he remembred God and was troubled now he recalls himself and begins to make diligent search into the former testimony of the Lords kindness to him I considered the days of old the years of ancient times I call to remembrance my Song in the Night I commune with mine own Heart and my Spirit made diligent search I call to remembrance my Song in the Night that is the former comfortable Communion I enjoyed in God how God delighted himself in Communion with my soul and my soul delighted it self in Communion with God again how God spake peace to me and I answerably rejoyced in God again And I Commune with mine own Heart I looked over the Records of my Heart and made diligent search to see what experience of truth and goodness and loving kindness of God to my soul are treasured up there Yea then to help himself further ver 10.11 he endeavours to make some improvement of the manifestation of the Lords love and kindness truth and faithfulness even to others I will remember the works of the Lord surely I will remember thy wonders of old There is a command from Heaven upon believing souls to make use of their former evidences and there is some kind of inherent power in every believing Soul to act something in order to this holy use or improvement of his former evidence Now the holy use of those former evidences that believing souls are engaged from Heaven to make they are various We shall endeavour to sum up 5. or 6. 1. Every such soul ought to gather from his former evidences of his union with Jesus Christ some strength to his present confidence that the Lord will admit his soul into union with Christ I beseech you mistake not I speak not of those probable fluctuating hopes that some souls have enjoyed of their union with Jesus Christ from some apprehensions of some present actings of the Holy spirit in their Hearts to clear to them in some degree their union with Jesus Christ and to foster up some hopes of it Those I say though they may be and are frequently such as really descend from the spirit of Jesus Christ yet also from such conceited and supposed actings of the sanctifying spirit of Jesus Christ proceeds most of those soul-deluding hopes that poor blind souls are deluded with by the Prince of Darkness And therefore because the difference between these two is a matter of so great difficulty to discern I durst not perswade any soul who conceives that he hath had evidences of his union with Jesus Christ whose evidences have been only some flashes of light from some conceived actings of the sanctifying Spirit of Christ to believe firmly impregnably and unmoveably that the truth and reality of those his evidences did descend from God when he doth not discern them Those fluctuating evidences unto sense questionless if Souls adhere unto them they must put them upon the tryal by sense again Therefore now observe I speak of the pretious clear infallible evidence given unto a believing soul from the blessed Spirit of light and manifestation to clear unto the Souls faith unquestionably that the Lords good will is to admit his particular Soul into union with Jesus Christ in case his Soul will accept it through which evidence unto faith also the evidence unto sense hath attained a clear beam from the Spirit of light discerning the truth of the close of the believers Heart with the blessed will of God yet mark also that which I speak hath its relation solely to those evidencing beams of light given unto the believers faith of his union with Jesus Christ Now I say though such a soul be unsuitable to take a just examination of those evidencing beams of light formerly given to his faith when their glory is obscured and darkned yet the Soul ought to believe the truth of those evidencing beams of light though it cannot so clearly and sensibly discern it The matter that was evidenced to the Soul is no more than that there lies an Obligation upon the Soul from Heaven continually to believe And therefore the matter that was evidenced being true and the Soul engaged from God to believe it the Soul also stands engaged to believe the truth of that his former evidence that his Soul received concerning the blessed will of God towards him and from the remembrance of such a former mamanifestation given unto the Soul by the blessed Spirit concerning that blessed good will of God towards him the Soul ought to gather heart and strength and courage to renew the confidence of his poor wavering rrembling unstable Heart 2. The believing Soul ought from the remembrance of his former evidences given unto his faith of his union with the Lord Jesus to foster and nourish a lively hope in his soul that the same blessed light of manifestation to manifest unto his faith clearly his union with the Lord Jesus may return That experience that such a Soul have had that there is a time of light and a time of darkness that the wisdom of Heaven seeth
suitable for believing Souls that there is a Night and a Day as well in the Spiritual life as in the natural life ought to be a ground to maintain a lively hope that when it is Night Day may break and therefore it is his Duty unquestionably to nourish and cherish such a lively hope 3. From the remembrance of its former evidence the Soul ought to obstruct it self in the obscurity darkness and dreadful blindness of his own mind The believing Soul ought to say within himself O when the Spirit of Jesus Christ irradiated the blessed word of God how clear how unquestionable was it to my Soul that it was the Lords blessed will to receive my Soul into union with Jesus Christ if I will embrace him and though I have now the same word to testifie the same thing to my Soul yet how dark is it to my Soul for the present how hard is it for my poor blind Mind to receive and apprehend that the Lords will is to receive this my Soul into union with Jesus Christ 4. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence the Soul ought to instruct it self in the mystery of the Lords way towards believing Souls From hence the Soul may learn that the Lord carries on the Soul towards full Communion with himself through Christ as well by sensible decays in Communion as by sensible encreases in Communion And from thence the Soul might instruct it self that joy and peace ravishment of Spirit triumphing acts of faith are not so inseparable from believing Souls but that they may be wanting that they are not absolutely necessary to be constant at least to the Souls attaining unto perfection of Communion so that thus the Soul may learn to adore the Lord in apprehending the unsearchableness of his ways even towards believing Souls the unsearchableness of his Wisdom that neither Man nor Angel can measure 5. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidences whose brightness and glory is now ecclipsed the Soul may instruct it self in the absolute necessity of an intire constant uninterrupted dependance upon Jesus Christ for the Spirit of light and manifestation The Soul ought in remembrance of that full satisfaction that it enjoyed when that blessed Spirit of light gave beams of light to his dark mind to clear up the will of God revealed in his precious word to say O how infinite is the necessity of hanging upon Jesus Christ continually for the constant operation of the Spirit of light into this my dark Heart 6. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence of his union with Jesus Christ the Soul ought to collect holy Pleas and pretious Arguments to intercede with the Majesty of Heaven for the return of the blessed Spirit of light and manifestation unto his Soul This was the constant practice of all the Saints who had enjoyed any experiences of the Lords mercy and kindness they did endeavour to engage the Lord to return when he seemed to be absent Many are the Arguments that a believing soul may collect from the former enjoyment of evidences of union with Christ to plead with the Majesty of Heaven to return with the same spirit of light and manifestation again to his Soul 1. From the remembrance of the Souls former evidence the soul may remember the pretious suitable disposition that possessed his Heart for the worshipping of the Lord in every Ordinance Now from thence the Soul may raise a pretious Argument wherewith he may go boldly to the Throne of Grace and cry to the blessed Majesty of Heaven when shall that blessed Spirit of light return to this darkned Soul of mine 2. The Soul may remember the readiness the quickness the activity of the Heart in all manner of obedience to the Lords blessed will Now from hence the Soul may fetch a strong Argument wherewith to come before the Throne of Grace O my God may the believing Soul say When thy blessed Spirit of light had the pretious operation upon my Heart what a blessed concurrence was there in this my crooked opposite will to this thy holy will O what an union of love was there between this thy Majesty and my opposite Heart how impatient then was my Soul of any disagreement between my will and thy will how readily was my heart disposed for any thing thy blessed Majesty commanded But now alas Lord now the workings of the Spirit of light are suspended what a disagreement is there between thy Majesties will and my will how strait and narrow and weak and feeble are the inclinations of my Heart now to obedience to thy blessed will Lord may the Soul say Have respect to thine own honour send down the Spirit of light into this dark Heart 3. The Soul may remember how highly the blessed Name of God was exalted and magnified in his Heart when that blessed Spirit of light continued its blessed operation to evidence actually its union with the Lord Jesus Now from thence the Soul from whom the lustre and glory of these his former evidences of union with Christ is now Ecclipsed may argue with the blessed Majesty of Heaven to send down the same Spirit of light and manifestation again to his dark Soul 4. Even when the orient brightness and Heavenly lustre of the Souls former evidences is Ecclipsed and darkned yet then the Soul may remember the capaciousness and enlarged openness of his Heart towards communion with God while the orient lustre of the evidences of his union with Christ did actually remain Now from hence the Soul may gather strength of Argument to appear before the Lord to Petition the return of the blessed Spirit of light and manifestation again to his Soul The Soul may plead that the suitableness and right disposition of the Heart for Communion with the Lord depends upon the enjoyment of the Spirit of light and manifestation 5. Even when the orient brightness of the Souls former evidences are ecclipsed and obscured yet then the Soul may remember how gloriously the lovely beauty and Soul enamouring brightness of the way of holiness was transparent through him when the Heavenly lustre of his former evidences did actually remain in the Soul Now from hence the Soul may gather a pretious Argument whereby he may lay an engagement upon the Majesty of Heaven to send down the Spirit of light again Thence the Soul may plead that the lustre and Heavenly beauty of the ways of holiness to be manifested through him depend upon his enjoyment of the Spirit of light and manifestation 6. When the cammanding power of the evidence of a Souls union with Christ is ceased for the present to evidence to the Soul its union yet then the Soul may remember that the tender compassionate bowels of God have moved within him and yearned toward his Soul formerly Now from thence the feeble almost fainting drooping Soul may still gather more strength and lift up its Head again to claim the Spirit of light and manifestation to
were enough to cast them down into the everlasting Lake of burning if the Lord should act in justice with them Hence it is that when Jesus Christ draws forth the sweetest believing actings in the hearts of Believers then they are most ready to accept of any chastisement that the Lord inflicts upon them in respect of their transgressions Lament 3.39 So that thence souls enjoying the clearest beams of light from the spirit of light revealing unto them their union with the Lord Jesus are commonly most filled with acclamations against themselves and all their prayers filled with self-judgings and abhorrings Yea likewise hence it is also that believing souls enjoying the evidences of their union with Jesus Christ are filled with those high admirations and that their souls conceive of the love of God in Jesus Christ to them as a mystery unsearchable past finding out either by Men or Angels because then they apprehend the infinite worthiness of those thousands and ten thousands and Millions of iniquity that they have committed to incense the anger of the Lord against their Souls Yea likewise hence also proceed those enlarged desires after the sweetest meltings of heart for sin from those Souls to whom the spirit of Jesus Christ hath certainly evidenced their union with him But as the Scripture testifies to the truth of this so reason testifies that there cannot but be a connexion between the spirits evidencing to the soul its union with Jesus Christ and the souls sense of worthiness for the least transgression to be punished with everlasting indignation 1. In regard the spirits evidencing unto the soul that it is united to Jesus Christ doth declare and manifest to the soul the equity of a perfect subjection of every soul to the Lords blessed holy will When the spirit bears witness to the soul that the blessed Majesty of Heaven is willing to be reconciled and united to poor despicable rebellious wretches to those whose hearts swell with enmity against the Crown of his glory yea when the spirit testifies that the Lord even seeks and sues for the reconciliation with the soul thence it cannot but be clearly manifested to the Soul that is but infinitely equal that a poor rebellious wretch yea such a desperate enemy to his blessed Majesty should consent to what the Lord propounds Now from this manifestation of the infinite equity of a perfect subjection to be given by every soul to the Lords blessed will from thence there is necessarily such deep apprehensions of the infinite injustice and unsearchable depth of unrighteousness and wickedness that is in the least contradicting that blessed will that the Soul conceives every such transgression or disobedience to that blessed will to be infinitely worthy to be punished with infinite and everlasting indignation 2. The Spirits evidencing unto the Soul that it is united unto Jesus Christ doth declare the absolute perfection of goodness in the Lords blessed will so as it manifests every motion of that will to be absolutely transcendently good When the spirit bears witness unto any soul of its union with Jesus Christ it represents God only as a mass of love in Jesus Christ It represents God willing all kinds and degrees of good unto every Soul that will accept it and thence every act of the Lords blessed will is represented to the Soul as absolutely good now by that means every transgression of the Lords will is represented as in opposition to infinite goodness and thence every transgression cannot but be apprehended as a just occasion for infinite wrath and indignation to burn in its fierceness and extremity against the Soul 3. The Spirits evidencing unto a Soul his union with Christ doth necessarily occasion the soul to declare to the honour of God that the least degree of communion with God causes any Soul to participate in some degree of his holiness This the Apostle testifies in 2. Cor. 3.18 That while they did with open-face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord they were changed into the same in age from glory to glory that is they are conformed into the likeness of God while they see the beams of his excellency glitter upon them through the great truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ yea that gradually according as they behold the glory so they are changed also by degrees from glory unto glory from one degree of likeness unto God to another degree Thus likewise the Apostle testifies 1 John 1.5 6. That God is light that is to say that he is holiness itself purely holy nothing but holy and then bears witness that it is impossible for any soul to have the least fellowship with him but we must be partakers of that holiness if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth as if the Apostle had spoken in these words The Lord is so infinitely transcendently holy such an infinite perfection of holiness dwells in him and an infinite averseness to any thing that is unholy that it is impossible any soul should dwell with him but he must participate of his holiness So in 1 John 2.6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked So likewise he testifies the same thing again in 1 John 3. 6. Whosoever abideth in him that is united to Jesus Christ hath union and communion with him sinneth not that is he sins not according to the manner that he sinned before his union with Jesus Christ there are other disposition infused into his heart there are some drops of the holiness of Jesus Christ communicated to his Soul through his union with Jesus Christ whosoever sinneth hath not seen him neither knows him that is whoever sins in the same manner that he did when he was void of the knowledge of Christ void of union and communion with him whatever he professeth he had not the experimental knowledge of the love of God that joyned his heart to Christ he never had the true vision of the glory of Jesus Christ he hath not so seen him whereby his Soul was transformed into the likeness of Christ And in regard of this that the spirits evidencing unto the Soul that he is united unto Jesus Christ doth necessarily cause such a declaration that the least degree of communion with God cause the Soul to participate of the holiness of God Thence it is First That the sin and transgression of a Soul enjoying the evidence of his union with Christ is so intollerably burdensom This is the reason why souls enjoying the evidence of their union with Christ melt and break so sweetly under the remembrance of any sin that they are confounded in themselves that they loath and abhor themselves in regard the glory of God is so ecclipsed and thence the remembrance of his own sin wounds so deeply because in effect he by sensual formal unworthy walking doth declare that communion with God doth not make him partaker
spirit of Christ complaining to will is present with him but to do is not yet present that when the law of the spirit begins to work the law of the flesh opposeth it by which complaint he doth in effect but breath after a more mighty power of the sanctifying spirit of Christ which might not only beget a compliance in his will to the Lords holy will but might also carry it forth to perfection that might cause his soul not only to bring forth the bud of holiness but the ripe fruit of it and his complaints are but the desiring of a power of the spirit that the Law of the spirit that is the disposition infused by the spirit might overcome the Law of the members that is the corrupt dispositions that were naturally in him so that his soul might be more then conquerer over Sin III. Hence also it is that souls injoyning the evidence of their union with Jesus Christ from the spirit of Christ are constantly enquiring into and searching to find out the secret Iniquities of their own hearts That principle being firmly rooted in them by the spirit of Revelation that discovers to them their union with Christ that a perfect conformity to the Lords will ought only to satisfie the desires oâ— any soul Thence they being always conscious to themselves of a depth of wickedness that secretly possesseth their hearts they are searching after the secret wickedness those vailed and inclosed iniquities that their hearts would even lock up as it were in dark Dungeons that the soul might never discern IV. Hence souls injoyning their evidence of their union with Christ are calling in the assistance of the heart searching God to find out their Iniquities for them According as you shall find David Psal 139.23 24. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts the holy mans meaning is that the Lord should so search him as to make him understand his own heart and to know his own thoughts see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Thus he crys that the eye of the blessed Majesty of heaven might pierce through his heart to discover all his wickedness and contrary walkings to the will of God that then God might send down a conquering power to deliver him from those corruptions and lead him into the path of holiness that is into a full conformity of the Lords blessed will V. Hence it is that souls injoying the evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus are so delighted with the precious heavenly light of the Lords word in its discovery of the Souls unholiness and in its discovery of the Lords blessed will concerning the Soul Surely it was from hence that David in Psal 19.10 was so delighted with the Lords word that he professed it was sweeter than the honey and the honey comb to him because it revealed the pretious will of God to him and discovered his own heart to him and thence was a help to conform his will to the Lords blessed will that was the only satisfying object of his Souls desires VI. Hence it is also that Souls injoying the evidence of their union with Christ are so frequently breathing after the time of their dissolution It is in regard their Souls never attain the fulness of rest that satisfying object of their desires till the time of their dissolution Hence they groan being burdened with iniquity and secretly cry out O when shall I be worshipping of God purely When shall I be free from this body of sin and death that there may be a blessed union of Wills between thee and me that this my vilest corrupt will shall never oppose and contradict thy will more So that it is evident from experience that the spirits revealing unto any soul its union with the Lord Jesus doth occasion the soul necessarily to declare that a perfect conformity to the Lords will ought only to satisfy the desires of any soul Yea likewise it is evident also from reason that the spirits discovery of a souls union with Jesus Christ doth necessarily cause the soul it self to be satisfied with no portion of holiness but a full conformity to the Lords will I. In regard the spirits evidence of any souls union with Christ doth cause the Soul to discern clearly that a perfect conformity and subjection to the Lords will is infinitely due from every creature Whenever that precious light shines from the spirit of revelation into the soul then the soul is filled with such high thoughts of the transcendency of the Lords glory that thence the soul is convinced that every creature in heaven and earth owes absolute perfect subjection to the Lords blessed will Now hence the soul cannot be satisfied with any degree of conformity to the Lords will less than an absolute perfection of conformity and likewise hence the soul is constrained to declare that absolute conformity to the Lords will ought only to be the center whereon the soul should rest II. The spirits revealing unto any soul its union with Christ doth cause the soul to apprehend so clearly the ravishing beauty and unspeakable lustre of the holiness of the Lords will that thence a full subjection and conformity to the blessed holy will appears as the highest thing that can be desirable by any soul That sweetest discovery from the spirit of Christ unto a soul of its union with Christ makes the soul apprehend the Majesty of Heaven to be so cloathed with a garment of love and makes the soul apprehend such a height and depth and length and breadth of love to be in God towards forlorn unlovely sinners that thence the will of God appears in all things to be so good towards poor sinners as the very beauty of it makes a full conformity in that will in a manner infinitely desired by the soul Yea the soul is then so strongly convinced of the absolute goodness of the blessed will of God in all its motions that thence the soul can take no rest nor contentment while his will disagreeth from that purest holy will that is so absolutely good in all its motions III. The spirits revealing to any soul his union with Christ doth establish that blessed principle in the soul that the most superlative happiness of every soul consists in perfect union and communion with God in Christ the unity and community of wills between God and the soul Through the spirits light cast into the dark soul to discover the souls union with Christ the heavenly brightness and glittering resplendent Glory of the Lords goodness so shines round about the soul that thence the soul discerns clearly that that the highest and most supream degree of the happiness of any soul must necessarily consist in the conjunction and communion of the soul with that infinite goodness in the souls nearest and largest participation of it Thence that blessed principle is rooted in the soul that the union and communion of
no more sutableness held forth in this promise for an invitation for poor burdened Souls to believe in Christ than there is in other promises held forth in Scripture to Souls for present not groaning under the burden of Sin There lies as great an invitation upon every Soul under Heaven as the burdened there lies a command upon every Soul the invitation runs as equally to the dead in Sin under the greatest captivity to Satan as to Souls groaning under the burden of Sin Secondly The second thing that can be held forth in the promise is Rest and Refreshment Now you see that the rest is held forth to them to be received for the future only through believing and so it is held forth to every Soul under Heaven Therefore this promise cannot be made to burdened Souls under Sin as they are so burdened or as they are qualified with any such quality of grace You will say then what is the meaning of the promise The meaning is this God discovers to poor necessitous Souls where they shall have refreshment The voice of God from Heaven is Thou poor necessitous Soul wouldest have refreshment and thou poor burdened Soul wouldst have ease Come to me cast thy burden upon me by faith and take my word saith Jesus Christ thou shalt have rest III. If you look into promises made to mourning Souls As in Mat. 5.5 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted So Isa 61.1 2. speaking of Christ he shall come to comfort those that Mourn in Sion But now those promises are not made to Mourners as having the quality of sorrow in their Hearts as being afflicted for their Sins and grieving for them no not as grieving for the dishonour done to God by their Sins as if the Lord should have respect to that in the promise And that will appear in two things 1. If the promise were to sorrow as a quality in the Soul then it must needs be as it is a good quality Now were the promise made to the Soul as a good quality it were the happiness of the soul to have the good quality increase and continue in his soul Whereas the promise made to the mourning soul is to remove the quality by comfort comfort and mourning being two contraries So that if the promise were made to souls having a good quality in them it were rather a misery to have the promise than a happiness 2. If the promise were made to sorrow as inherent then the soul might claim comfort by his mourning or because of his mourning And so the original of the souls comfort should be in the quality inherent in the soul 4. If you go on to poverty of Spirit Blessed are they that are poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven The promise here is not made to a soul poor in spirit as having that quality in him For then were the promise of giving the Kingdom of Heaven to be held forth to no souls but to those that were thus poor and empty and so the Kingdom of Heaven should be held forth particularly as the Lords not being willing to give it to any souls but to such as are thus poor in spirit that had a true sence of their own nothingness And so the first promise were to be received by a soul as having true holiness and grace in his soul and so consequently the receiving of the promise by Faith should not be the first act of grace in the soul but the sight of grace should be necessary in the soul to make him receive a promise There is a fourth question to be answered before we can pass to the affirmative answer Quest 4. Are not the promises made to faith and believing as believing that through faith a man can only claim right to the promise Saith the soul surely faith is a quality in the soul and if the promises be made to faith they are made to qualities as qualities Answ 1. First I answer That it is apparent that many promises are made to souls actually void of faith Though I dare not say without respect unto believing for the future yet I say without any present believing The most primary principal fundamental promises are made to souls void of faith actually they are made only to sinners and that in their very estate of sinfulness though not properly as they are sinners that is not because they are sinners as if sinners were the qualification of the promise But heinous sinners in that doleful condition the Lord makes the promise to As in 1 Tim. 1.15 that precious promise This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief He looks upon himself only as a sinner in the application of that promise that Jesus Christ came to save him Thus the promises of reconciliation are made to such actually without faith calling them as they are enemies to close with Jesus Christ as a Mediator between God and them to make up reconciliation Thus also that of Luk. 19.20 That Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost another precious promise yet made to souls only lost without respect to any present being of faith in their hearts Answ 2. Secondly I answer that some promises are made for the begetting of faith in souls and therefore not made to faith as being a quality in the soul to which those promises should be made As that promise Ezek. 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you The promise is made for the begetting of the habit of faith in the soul whereby the heart should be changed whereby the whole work of redemption should be wrought in the soul Answ 3. Thirdly I answer That no one promise in the whole Covenant of grace is made unto faith as a quality pre-existent in a soul That is as a quality to be remaining in a soul before he claim right to the promise So that no promise is made unto a believer because he doth believe The ground of the promise is not the souls believing nor the ground of the souls particular interest in the promise is not the souls believing though the ground of the knowledge of that his interest is his believing For if faith should be in a soul as a quality to receive the promise then these three things would follow 1. No promise could be fulfilled in and to a soul before it actually believe And then either faith it self must not be a gift from God unto the soul or else the great fundamental gift should be conveyed unto the soul not by vertue of the Covenant of grace nor by vertue of a promise 2. Then no soul might receive a promise nor believe a promise before he saw his own faith That is a soul till he could say the Lord hath infused the habit of faith into my soul he might not receive any promise The
propitiatory sacrifice for sin out of a purpose and intent fully to take away the sins of all those that shall believe on him Hence the Spirit evidenceth such a place as that 2 Cor. 5.21 He hath made him to be sin for us that knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him That we might have remission of sins and that justification that God had prepared for Souls by him Or such a place as that in 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all men to be received that Jesus Christ came into the World to save sinners of whom I am chies That Jesus Christ undertook to be humbled so deeply to vail the brightness of his own glory in such obscurity as to come down from Heaven into the World to take away the sins of poor perishing wretches Now in the Spirits evidencing this fulness of satisfaction it ordinarily evidenceth these things for the satisfying Faith so fully as it may work by way of assurance and fulness of confidence 1. It evidenceth the full satisfaction of the Father by his death in regard it was the Law-maker himself that was subject to the Law and made under the power of the Law to satisfie for the transgression of the Law 2. In regard the brightness of the Fathers glory was debased by Christs debasement in opposition to the debasement of the Fathers glory that was by the transgression of the Law What can conscience or carnal reason say more concerning the nature of sin and the height of its merit but only that it is a debasement of the King of Kings the Lord of Lords it is a vailing and eclipsing of the highest Majesty of Heaven it is a bringing a cloud as it were over those pretious unspotted beams of the Lords excellency over the Lords high Soveraignty in commanding Souls and over Gods holiness and equity in commanding and therefore the merit of sin is infinite Now the Spirit can answer by evidencing to the Death of Christ a fulness of satisfaction in regard it was Jesus Christ that was debased he that was the express image of his Father the lively pattern of his Fathers glory and therefore the Spirit evidenceth from the Gospel that God himself speaks in a way as if he were more than satisfied as if Grace through Christ did triumph over sin According to that in Rom. 5.17 If by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which have received abundance of Grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Much more they which receive that is they that partake of the merit of the death of Christ much more shall they reign As if there were a higher degree of equity that such should reign then there was that such Souls that were before under sin should die So Paul speaks in 1 Tim. 1.14 The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was more than enough There was more than a sufficiency of Grace through Jesus Christ still speaking as if God had so satisfied himself through the contrivance of the death of Christ for sin that he had satisfaction as it were over and over again 3. In that it was the Godhead it self cloathed in flesh that gave the satisfaction Now herein the Spirit evidenceth a fulness and abundance of sufficiency of satisfaction in regard there is a higher worth upon the satisfaction to the Godhead from the Godhead cloathed in the flesh then there could be evil by offending of the Godhead that was done by man The Godhead was only the object against whom the sin was committed but in the satisfaction the Godhead it self cloathed in the flesh became the subject from whom the satisfaction is given as well as to whom the satisfaction is given so as the satisfaction doth in a manner in the worth and height of it transcend and go beyond the height of the offence the satisfaction going from a higher subject a more subject than the offence was committed by 4. In regard of the full weight of sin that Jesus Christ bore in his giving full satisfaction to the Father He died under the reputation of the vilest of sinners that can be imagined and though this was unjust in regard of men that did so repute him yet not in regard of God who had ordained that the iniquities of all that should embrace him should be laid upon him And indeed their iniquities were laid upon him to the highest if you consider under what notion of sin he died he died under the notion of a Traytor to his own Prince as one that took pleasure in all kind of sin a friend of publicans and sinners as they reputed him he died as a wretched blasphemer of the most high God as one that did strike at the Throne of God to dethrone God himself and he died as an imposture as a vile seducer Nay more he died under the notion of a Devil yea the Prince of Devils they say of him that by Belzebub the Prince of Devils he cast out Devils Now therein the Spirit evidenceth a fulness of satisfaction to the Father in the Death of Christ in regard Christ who is holiness it self who was the spotless Lamb without the least blemish that he should take upon him to be accounted and so to suffer as the highest kind of sinner that can possibly be imagined The Spirit can evidence here clearly a sufficiency and fulness of satisfaction for the sin of every Soul that shall embrace him whatever Conscience can object against the Soul seeing Conscience cannot object a higher kind of wickedness than was laid upon the back of Christ as a surety 5. In regard the Lord Christ took a fulness of pleasure and contentment in bearing the Justice of the Father executed upon him as a sinner Justice receiveth satisfaction when its sentence is executed fully against any transgressor that it passeth sentence against and thus Justice was satisfied through the Death of Christ But there is a satisfaction as it were over and above when the sentence of Justice past out against a transgressor is not only executed upon the transgressor or him that stands in stead of the transgressor but the sentence is received with delight pleasure and contentment Now thus Jesus Christ through his Death gave fulness of satisfaction in that it was the pleasure of his Soul to bear the determined will of his Father for sinners in this way saith he Psal 40.8 Lo I come to do thy will my God expressing the readiness and willingness of his Heart to beat that will of his Father for sinners Nay so great was his delight in bearing the sentence of Justice past upon him as he stood as a transgressor and sinner that he saith himself be was even straitned till it be accomplished Luke 12.50 Now as the Spirit evidenceth by the effusion of Christ's Blood a satisfaction given to the Father So
Christ 1. That the love of Christ to those souls is augmented There is no more prevailing argument of love than suffering evil for the beloved one 2. The spirit evidenceth from thence that Jesus Christ hath a nearer interest in them The propriety of Christ is as well augmented by his sufferings as his love Therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.19 20. Ye are not your own why for ye are bought with a price 3. The spirit reveals that there is a higher degree of Joy in the bosom of Christ in the obtaining of union with them Therefore Isa 53.11 Christ is said to see of the travel of his soul and to be satisfied That is he shall see souls gathered in to him as the fruit of all his sufferings and this shall satisfie him Now from hence the spirit reveals the unsatiable longings of Christ after the union of those souls that shall embrace him 3. The spirit reveals the sensibleness of the Lord Christ of his own duty as he is Mediator to gather such lost souls as will embrace him into union with him This you may find John 10.15 16. Saith Christ I have other sheep which are not of this fold them also I must bring in As if Christ should have said there is necessity I am engaged by duty to my father in respect of the command my father laid upon me to gather those lost souls into union with me 4. The spirit reveals that it is onely sutable to the nature of Jesus Christ to be gathering lost undone Sinners into union with him His nature is nothing but an abstract or quintessence of love as Mediator and therefore it is only natural to him to be pouring out of his love into empty souls Secondly the spirit evidenceth the expressions of those longings of Jesus Christ by himself I. The spirit presents Jesus Christ seeking after such lost sinners to gather them into union with him when their backs are altogether turned upon him and when they have altogether forgotten him This spirit causeth the soul to hear from the mouth of God himself Luke 19.10 The Son of man is come to seek and save that which is lost It is my office saith Christ for which I came down from heaven II. The spirit manifests the Lord Christs strong compassionate cries of love after such souls to accept of a blessed union and communion with himself This the spirit causeth the soul to hear Rev. 22.17 Let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely So Isa 55.1 2. Ho every one that is in any want in any necessity any poor thirsty soul come ye saith he buy wine and milk without money and without price Here the spirit causeth the soul 1. To discerern the loud cry of Jesus Christ after such poor dead sluggish souls to embrace them 2. The spirit causeth the soul to see the redoubling of his cry and call Come ye saith Christ yea again come and again come as if his bowels yearned 3. The spirit lots the soul see his propounding all the precious arguments that can possibly be imagined to prevail with souls Come saith Christ buy Wine and Milk take the most precious soul-ravishing comforts the sweetest Cordials to thy poor needy fainting soul III. The spirit reveals the low condescention of Jesus Christ to become an intreater a beseecher of souls to accept of that union propounded According to 2. Cor. 5.20 We are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be reconciled to God that is be ye one with God IV. The spirit reveals that the Lord Christ hath put his own Spirit in commission for that end to make all these longings of his evident to the soul and these expressions of his longings in his Cries and Intreaties effectual upon souls The spirit reveals to the soul the strength of the desires of Jesus Christ to be so superlative as to take care least after all the expressions of his longings the soul should still remain unconquered and therefore he adds as it were a supplement to all his former desires of union with him he adds his own spirit to stand as a constant Officer for that end to convince the soul of his longings that they should have union with him Therefore he sends the comforter John 16.7 V. The spirit reveals the Lords Tender Pittiful Compassionate discovery of the dreadful danger of neglect of union with him According to that in John 3.17 18. God sent not his Son into the World to condemn but that the World through him might be saved I tell you souls saith Christ the very intention of my Father in sending me is not to augment your Sins that your condemnation should be augmented but it is his intention that you might be saved And then v. 18. he reveals to them the desperate state of them that neglect this Salvation that he brings He that believeth not is condemned already VI. The spirit reveals that the Lord waits to be gracious and even waits as it were the leisure of poor lost undone souls to accept of that blessed union tendered The spirit presents the Lord Jesus standing at the door of hearts and knocking till his head is wet with the dew and his locks with the drops of the night waiting for the souls accepting of that blessed union with himself that he tenders There is a fourth beam of divine light the spirit causeth further to sparkle forth from the Gospel in this work of Irradiation or manifestation of it Fourth beam of divine light and that is this The absolute independency of this willingness of Jesus Christ to accept souls into union upon any thing in the Souls whom he is thus willing to accept and after union with him his soul thus longs There can be no act of Faith by way of fulness of confidence or assurance till there be such a clear apprehension of the acceptance of the particular soul into union with the Lord Jesus that all matter of fear vanisheth and all occasion of doubt is taken away by the clearness of that light that the spirit casts into the understanding and by the clear satisfaction it gives the soul concerning his acceptance by Jesus Christ to be one with him Therefore the spirit in respect to those Multitudes of fears that commonly arise in souls concerning the unsutableness of themselves to be taken into union with Christ for the taking away those occasions of fear doth reveal to the soul that the willingness of the Lord Jesus to accept it into union and the longings of Jesus Christ after union with souls hath not the least dependance upon any thing in the soul it self whence he accepts it into union Now for the evidencing of this the spirit may and doth evidence these three things to the soul I. The spirit evidenceth the impossibility of the will of the glorious Deity to be moved 〈◊〉 any thing
him from time to time as it dare not trust its Heart when it deals most Plainly and Uprightly Now from this Holy Jealousie there ariseth a Difficulty to settle and Establish the Heart and to free it from all Wavering in its Conscience Now in respect of this the Lord adds this work of the spirits Attestation that the soul may have a full Satisfaction that there may be no inward Misgivings of Heart in its Confidence of the Lords acceptance of it into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in its Cleaving and Adhering to him IV. There is a natural Unconstancy that possesseth every such Believing soul in some degree Ever since the Heart of Man was drawn from that first Blessed Center it hath naturally been Unconstant in all its Restings Now from this Unconstancy of the spirit the Heart is exceeding prone to have its Confidence shaken when the spirit hath raised it to a high Degree And in respect of that the Lord Vouchsafeth to add the work of Attestation for the perfect Establishing of the Wavering Soul V. There is all the Concurrent Rage of Hell Imployed against every Soul attaining that Confidence of his Acceptance into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in his Adhering to him Now should there not be a Witness from Heaven or greater Authority in the souls Apprehension than any Dictates of the Counsel of Hell the Believing soul would soon call in question the Pretious Word of the Majesty of Heaven and Incline to give Credit to the Dictates of Hells Counsel Therefore in respect to this least the Believing soul through this means should be Robbed of that Pretious Joy and Peace in Believing that the Lord intends the Lord hath Determined that his Blessed spirit should become the souls Comforter by way of Attestation to bear Witness to the certainty of the souls Acceptance into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in the souls Cleaving to him that so the Witness of Heaven might be of higher Authority to the soul than all those Cursed Lying Dictates of Hell frequently propounded to that Believing soul Now the second thing to be opened is what this Attestation or Witness unto the souls Faith is What the Spirits Attestation unto Faith is I conceive that this Attestation unto Faith is a Pretious Beam of Heavenly Light darted into the Understanding whereby the spirit clearly Demonstrateth to the Believing soul the Lords Approbation of the souls act of Believing or Confidence and that with such an unspeakable Divine Authority as is irresistable by the soul so that hereby the soul is Established in a Plerophery or more than a fulness of Confidence There are four things in this Description that you must observe I. This Attestation unto Faith is a Pretious Beam of Heavenly Light darted into the Understanding That is the nature of the Witness This is as commonly called by Divines and Christians a secret Voice or a sweet Whispering of the spirit And thence many have sadly Mistaken and Conceived that Witness to be some strange kind of Revelation by a Voice from Heaven But indeed it is therefore spoken of as a secret Voice because it is a secret Beam of Heavenly Light And thence it is rightly called the Witness of the Spirit of the Lord Witnessing with our Spirits that we are the Sons of God Witness that is bear Record give a Testimony Now to give a Testimony is to declare a thing Verbally Now indeed in this respect it is not unfitly called the Voice of the Spirit for a Voice is nothing else but an Expression of the inward Conception of the mind by words Now by this secret Beam of Heavenly Light darted into the understanding the spirit of the Lord doth secretly express the mind of God II. This Attestation or Witness of the spirit unto Faith is such a Beam of Heavenly Light as doth Clearly and Infallibly and Unquestionably Demonstrate or Manifest to the soul the Lords Approbation of his act of Believing or of his act of Confidence All the Unquiet Tossings and Agitations and Perplexing Waverings of souls from what occasion soever they have their Original in some kind of Doubting whether it be according to the Blessed Will of God that their Forlorn Despicable souls should be so Confident of their Acceptance into Union with the Lord Jesus in their adhering to him Now therefore the Light that the spirit casts into the Understanding is on purpose to clear and make it out of all doubt to the soul that it is Infinitely pleasing to the Blessed God that even that particular soul should be so Confident of his Acceptance into Union with the Lord Jesus That is the matter it self that the spirit doth Testify to the soul or the Testimony it giveth III. You must observe in the Description That this Attestation of the Spirit is such a Beam of Heavenly Light that so clears to the Believing Soul the Lords Approbation of his act of Believing or his act of Confidence that it carrieth along with it an Inconceivable Divine Authority It is such a Beam of Light as hath such an Impression of the Majesty of the Blessed God upon it that it is impossible for the Heart to make Resistance IV. Observe in the Description that it Establisheth the Soul in a Plerophery a more than a fulness of Confidence a Triumphing Confidence That is the peculiar Inseparable effect of this Testimony that the spirit gives it fixeth the Wavering Unconstant Soul This is the Spirits Attestation unto Faith Now we shall come to the Spirits Attestation unto Sence But there is an Objection will be cast in that must first be opened whereby the depth of this Unspeakable Mystery may be something more Unfolded Obj. Some Soul may say If the Spirit giveth no other Testimony to the Soul than this That his particular Soul shall be Certainly and Infallibly Accepted into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in his Adhering to him and Produce no other Confidence in the Soul than this that I even I this Unlovely Soul of mine in Adhering to the Lord Jesus shall Infallibly have Union and Communion with him to all Eternity then saith the Soul even after the Witness of the Spirit unto the Soul it may remain doubtful of its Union with Christ still seeing by this Testimony of the Spirit unto Faith the Soul is not assured of his own Cleaving and Adhering unto Christ and seeing the certainty that the Spirit giveth by the Testimony to the Souls Faith of his Union with Christ hath its whole Dependance upon the certainty of the Souls Cleaving and Adhering unto Christ Ans 1. For Answer to this Grand Objection First When this Testimony of the Spirit is given unto the Souls Faith and he is assured that his particular Unlovely Forlorn Soul shall certainly and Infallibly be accepted into union with the Lord Jesus in his resting upon Christ for union it is not then possible that there should be any Solid Ground
into Union through his Adhering to him II. In regard the spirits Excitation of the Believing Disposition into Exercise is General and Universal Now there being strength to Inable the soul to Adhere unto Christ tendered as well as Union with Jesus Christ is tendered and the spirits Exciting work being thus General and Universal it cannot be but the Heart should be Established in the constant Expectation of the one as of the other To be as Confident of the souls everlasting Cleaving unto Christ as of his Acceptance into Union with Christ upon his Cleaving to him III. In regard the spirit doth Adjoyn a Testimony unto the soul that it doth Cleave unto Christ to its Testimony that it gives to its Faith that it shall be admitted to the Lord Jesus infallibly in cleaving unto him The Spirit is so blessed a Comforter that it sends down living streams of refreshing both to faith and spiritual sense when it hath once testified to the souls faith that unquestionably and infallibly that particular soul shall be accepted into union with the Lord Jesus in his embracing of him it then also testifies to the soul that it hath embraced Christ and that the soul is already actually instated in union and communion with him Now having opened the spirits attestation unto the souls faith The spirits attestation unto sense The second act of the attestation of the spirit is it's attestation unto the souls spiritual sense in this we must open three things to you First that there is such a witness of the spirit to the souls sense and feeling besides the former Record that it gives unto Faith Secondly In what respects this witness of the spirit is added unto the spirits witness unto the souls faith Thirdly what this witness of the spirit to the souls sense and feeling is First that there is such a testimony of the spirit unto sense and feeling may appear from that one place alone Rom. 8.16 The spirit it self beareth witness mith our spirits that we are the sons of God this holds forth that there must be a witness of the spirit unto the soul above and besides those holy dispositions or precious gracious habits that the spirit doth communicate unto souls and therefore that there is such a witness of the spirit unto faith Now from hence appears that there is such a witness of the spirit unto the souls sense and feeling in that the spirit is said to give a particular testimony unto particular souls of their actual union with the Lord Jesus The spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God that we it is not only a determinating sentence that the spirit passeth upon the truth of what the Gospel reveals in general unto every soul that shall embrace him for that is only thus that thou or thou or that particular soul in his accepting the Lord Jesus tendered shall infallibly be one with Christ which is still a testimony unto faith but the Scripture speaks it plainly the spirit gives testimony of their souls real accepting of Jesus Christ tendered The spirits testimony of saith could be only thus much to witness from the promise that this or that particular soul shall be adopted to be a Child of the Blessed Majesty of Heaven in his accepting the Lord Jesus tendered But this testimony is a witness to the particular soul of it's actual adoption already that we are the sons of God therefore this must be a testimony of the spirit unto the souls sense and feeling in regard the proper object of faith is to receive what is promised not receive what is done 2. The spirit is said to be a Co-witness with believers spirits that they are united unto Christ and adopted sons and daughters of God through their union with Christ Saith the Original the spirit doth bare witness together with our spirits so that the spirit is said here to bear witness to the soul of the same things that the souls own spirit that is the renewed understanding or the sanctified Conscience bares witness to Now the renewed conscience in the believing soul can only bear witness unto the souls sense and feeling and therefore the spiris witnessing the same thing that the renewed conscience in a believing soul doth witness it must needs be that this witness of the spirit must be a witness to the souls sense and feeling III. It appears from the peculiar office to which the spirit of the Lord is destinated The spirit is appointed to be the comforter the most superlative eminent comforter now should not the spirit witness unto the souls sence and feelâ—ng spiritually it's union with Christ it could not comfort in the highest manner There are three degrees of spiritual comfort 1. A souls appehension that union and communion with the Lord Jesus is tendered to his despicable lost soul There is a degree of comfort from the possibility that his poor lost sinking soul may be admitted into union and communion with Christ but alas this is weak 2. There is the souls actual embracing this union with the Lord Jesus tendered There is infinite sweetness and peace in that very believing act of the soul though as yet there is no sensibleness in the soul of that his own believing and so no sensibleness of his union with Christ 3. Which is the Top Stone of the Souls Consolation and that is the sensibleness of the souls union with the Lord through believing Now if the spirit should not give such a witness to the believing soul as this to witness to the souls actual close with Christ in union and communion the blessed spririt who is sent from the Lord Jesus on purpose to be a comfort to believing souls should not comfort in the highest manner he should not be the most eminent comforter II. The second thing to be opened is the reasons of the additions of the spirits testimony unto the souls sense and feeling to the testimony that it gives to the souls faith There are five or six reasons of it I. To prevent the souls receiving that determination of its corrupt conscience concerning its everlasting estate In all the various actings of conscience as a Law Witness and Judge it is corrupted by vertue of our first Transgression so that in whatsoever state the soul remains when its conscience worketh according to its natural disposition and inclination it bears false witness and passeth false judgement Now therefore doth the Lord vouchsafe to add the spirits testimony of the souls union unto sense and feeling that the false sentence that conscience passeth upon the soul might not be received by it There are three respects wherein the Lord vouchsafeth to add the spirits testimony to sense unto the the testimony it gives to faith 1. The depravedness and perverseness of conscience in its testimony 2. The unavoidableness of the souls hearing that testimony that conscience gives when the soul is once alive through the life of Jesus Christ 3.
act to it self that it becomes the earnest of the souls inheritance That is that it becomes as a small portion given by the Blessed Majesty of Heaven to the soul in hand in Testimony that it shall injoy the full inheritance The spirit is such an earnest in irradiating the souls believing act three ways 1. In regard the spirit manifests its own presence in the believing soul by its irradiating the souls believing act in discovering to the believing soul that it doth uprightly according to the Will of God believe It doth discover Holiness to be infused into the soul and so consequently discover it self to have taken up its Habitation in the believing soul So that the believing soul by the sight that the spirit puts into the believing act making it Visible to his own eye discerns the presence of the holy spirit in his heart and thus indeed there is a pretious earnest given to the soul of his everlasting union and communion with the Lord Jesus 2. In regard the communion between Jesus Christ and the soul by the sight of his believing act appears to the soul to be begun The soul discerns Jesus Christ and himself to be partakers of one and the same life by discerning infallibly the truth of his own believing act 3. In regard it enters the soul into the very fruition of union with Jesus Christ and so becomes indeed a first Fruit of Heaven gives it actual possession of that highest blessedness that sanctifyed souls shall possess in Heaven The fruition of it consists in two things First In the certain knowledge that it hath of union and communion with Christ Secondly In the sense of the sweetness and comfort of union and communion with Christ Nothing though it be possessed can be said to be enjoyed unless the party possessed of it hath a sense of the sweetness and comfort of the good that he is possessed of III. The third thing observable is the effect of the manifestation or the enlightning of the believing act in the soul That is a pretious sweet consciousness in the believing soul in his very act of believing that he doth rightly believe It is by the spirits irradiation of the pretious Gospel of Jesus Christ to the souls understanding that the soul discerns by faith the bosom of that blessed Redeemer the Lord Jesus ready to receive his loveless perishing sinking soul into the nearest union and communion with him so likewise by the spirits irradiation of the souls believing act the spirit makes the soul see also as clearly that it doth as it were creep into the open bosom of the love of the Lord Jesus IV. The fourth and last thing observable in the description of the spirits witness to the souls sense of its union and communion with the Lord Jesus is the inseparable adjunct or concomitant testimony of the spirit unto sense That 's the determination of the renewed Conscience in the believing soul that he is everlastingly one with Christ This is properly the effect of the spirits testimony unto sense whereas the light of every Grace though they be luminous Bodies and proceed from the spirit of light is such a small light in it self that unless there be an addition by the Spirit unto sense it shines not apparently to the believing Soul and therefore the infallible testimony of the Believers own Spirit or of his renewed Understanding or Conscience is but the consummation or the consequent of the Spirits irradiating the Souls believing act yet it is inseparable from it no sooner hath the Spirit witnessed to the Souls sense that it is one with Christ but the renewed Conscience answers also Thou art one with Christ The witness of the Believers Spirit or of the renewed Conscience is but the Eccho of the witness of the Lords own Spirit according to Rom. 9.1 My Conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost It is the Spirit as it were that puts words into the mouth of renewed Conscience it doth but answer what is the voice of the Holy Spirit as the Eccho answers our voyce Now when the Spirit hath witnessed unto the Souls Faith that in its cleaving to the Lord Jesus his Soul shall be infallibly admitted into Union and Communion with him and in that witness hath drawn out the believing disposition to act in its strength and then casts a brightness and splendor upon the believing act that it shineth thus apparently in the Souls eye yea so apparently that the renewed Conscience bears witness that the Soul doth rightly believe then doth the Soul say with those in 1 John 4.16 I know and believe the Love that the Father of the Lord Jesus bears to this my Loveless Soul then is the poor wavering Soul established and setled as upon an everlasting Rock the Rock of Ages Then 1. All the beginnings of Hell in his own Spirit are past All the condemning Sentences of Conscience that he was wont to hear every day are obliterated and blotted out I mean so long as the testimony of the Spirit thus continues all the Frowns of Conscience are gone 2. All tormenting Fears are banished The inward perplexity anguish and vexation that perplexed the Soul through the fear of his everlasting separation from the Glory of the presence of the Majesty of Heaven all cease and there is a blessed Calm possesses the Soul and then the Soul is brought like a weather-beaten Ship into the sweetest and most commodious Haven of rest 3. The Spirit of Glory possesseth the believing Soul Then is its contentment in union and communion with the Lord Jesus infinite unspeakable then doth it rejoyce yea triumph in the Lord Jesus Rom. 5.3 Thus through this testimony unto Sense added to the testimony unto Faith the Soul is even set down with one foot as it were into the great City of the King of Heaven sweetly expecting his full fruition of that transcendent Glory that it solaceth it self in the sweetest expectation of till time shall come that Faith and Expectation shall cease and Sight and Vision shall only take place Thus you see what the sealing-witness of the Spirit is unto Sense There are now some Cautions that of necessity must be given to you believing Souls to prevent any sad Mistake about this great Mystery Caution 1 First therefore you must understand That though the fulness of the Souls infallible certainty of his union with the Lord Jesus doth depend upon this attestation of the Spirit unto his Faith and Sense yet the Lord doth vouchsafe much comfortable evidence to many believing Souls of their certain and infallible union with the Lord Jesus to whom he doth not send this blessed Spirit thus to avouch and attest to their Souls their Union with Christ 1. The Spirit may and doth by those four former precious effects upon the believing Souls establish their Souls in a sweet Soul-chearing Soul-reviving confidence of the Lords acceptance of them into union with Christ There is the whole Materiality
his union IIII. That the Lord might instruct all others the better by his dealings with some believing souls God instructs weak believers in this that the evidence of union is not essential unto union V. That the glory of the precious Saints may be Vailed and hid and this may be in judgement to the world that they may stumble at the Saints and judge them dispicable fools that spend their time in sadness and melancholy Cau. 4. Fourthly there is a fourth causion and that is this that the efficacy of this blessed Record that the spirit gives to a believing soul of his union with Christ ought to continue when the Record it self doth not actually continue The Record of the blessed spirit is the judicial sentence the spirit casts upon the souls final estate and therefore ought to be totally definitive never to be called in question by that believing soul but the soul for ever after even in the saddest interruption of that blessed spirit ought to say though I do fall I shall arise though I have no vision of the sweetest face of my Redeemer yet I shall see him face to face when I shall be altogether like unto him It is infinite sinfulness for that believing soul ever to call in question the love of the blessed Majesty of Heaven after the spirit hath thus avouched it to the soul Thus you have heard in some measure the grand question opened which is how a soul may certainly and infallibly know that he is united to the Lord Jesus I shall now come to answer to the second question which is this Que. 2. How Souls that conceive themselves to have received certain and satisfying evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus may konw certainly and infallibly that their evidence of this union with Christ received is only from God and not a diabolical Enthusiasm or Inspiration or a delusion by the Divels translation of himself into an Angelical glory Now for the clearer explication or unfolding this question there must be divers things premised There be four things I must premise concerning those diabolical inspirations And there are Four things concerning the manner of the Souls trial of his evidence received whether it be a delusion or whether it be from the Lord in Christ Pre. 1. First I must premise that all the dimensions of the implacable malice of the infernal powers is directly set aâ— work against every believers evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus The darkning the pretious evidence of the Souls union is in a manner the Center wherein all the Hellish designs that are practised against a believing soul meet together in one All the fiery darts that he shoots from his Hellish Quiver against Believing souls are intended to batter down the Tower of strong confidence of the Lords acceptance of his Soul into union with the Lord Jesus His most cursed insinuations into any believing heart alluring to any corruption intentionally tends towards the darkning the light of the Lords countenance that shines upon the believing soul certainly the Devils acting with so high a hand against the Apostle Peter that caused him to deny his blessed Lord and Master the Lord Jesus intentionally ended in this to overthrow his confidence in Christ and therefore Christ tells him he had prayed for him that his faith fail not Nay the blessed head of all believing souls the Lord Jesus himself who was a perfect example and pattern to all believing Souls in temptation he was encountred withal in this way by the grand Adversary the Devil the Devil made his close and strongest battery against his confidence of the hypostatical union between the Father and him therefore saith he if thou be the Son of God command these Stones to be made Bread And in like manner all the powers of Hell are in a particular manner employed against every Believers evidence of his union with Christ and therefore he especially endeavours to strike down their faith Whence it was that the Apostle was chiefly over the Devil in that particular 1 Thes 3.5 Saith he I sent to know your faith least by some means the Tempter have tempted you and our labour be in vain Indeed there are many reasons why the peculiar malice of Hell should work in all its strength against believers evidence of their Union with Christ I. In regard the faith that is necessarily drawn forth into exercise with strength and power upon receiving evidence of the souls union with Christ is a peculiar object of the Devils malice And that in Three respects 1. That faith which is drawn forth into exercise is the most direct opposite of the Devil it is the Devils grand Adversary In that lieth all the strength of the believing soul against all the Devils encounters It is the Shield that quenches all the Devils fiery darts Eph. 5.6 It is that whereby the soul resists the Devil till he gains the conquest and puts that infernal Adversary to flight 1 Pet. 5.9 2. In regard it is the most triumphant Conqueror over all his Army that he calls in for his assistance against the believing Soul This is the victory whereby we overcome the World 1 John 5.4 That is all that either within or without the Soul shall concur to the drawing it from obedience to the Lords will 3. That faith that is necessarily drawn out into exercise upon the receiving the evidence of the union is that which gives the Lord his most peculiar glory and honour of his precious truth By this the believing Soul sets to his Seal that God is true John 3.33 Now the Devils peculiar malice being against the blessed Majesty of Heaven thence his malice is against this faith that is drawn out into exercise upon the Souls receiving evidence of union with the Lord Jesus II. In regard the joy and comfort that is the unseparable consequence of the Souls receiving the evidence of his union is another peculiar object of the Devils malice Envy works infinitely in the Devils bosom upon the sight of such unspeakable joy as poor believing Souls are filled with seeing Angels whose nature are more glorious are lefâ— absolutely destitute of joy and comfort Now from these workings of envy hatred works also infinitely and unspeakably in the Devils bosom against the evidence of the Souls union with Christ III. The believers evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus being the peculiar work of the blessed Spirit of necessity must be the peculiar object of the Devils malice there being such a diametrical opposition between the Devil and that blessed Spirit Every work of that blessed Spirit is infinitely abominated by him And thence this evidence of the Souls union is the particular object of the Devils malice in regard it is the Office of the blessed Spirit to be the comforter of those believing Souls IV. In regard the believing Soul through that evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus hath some kind of fruition and enjoyment of
of the Lord Jesus to every particular perishing and lost Soul that will accept it is the prime foundation of all the righteous hopes that ever dwelt in a believing Soul all the expecttations and hopes of believing Souls are but the building upon that foundation now when the building of the Souls hope shake the only means to establish the building is to add strength to the foundation This you shall observe was the remedy of the poor distressed Church Lament 3.40 after many distractions in her spirit many tossings and tumblings this way and that way when she had fed upon gaul and wormwood for a long time at last she was constrained to take this course to search and trie her ways and turn again to the Lord she was constrained now to make a new converting work of the matter according as Christ tells his Disciples except ye be converted when they were already converted that is unless you renew the close of your spirits with me whereby you may have power against this particular sin and I conceive this also may be intended by the spirit of God Isa 50.10 in that sweet councel to poor distressed souls in this case that walk in darkness and hath no light that is no refreshment no comforting hope to trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is first a renewed act of Faith immediately commanded to such a distressed soul let him trust in the name of the Lord. Secondly here is a direct act of Faith an act of Faith proper to the soul that did never put forth a believing act formerly Here is an act of Faith required and commanded to be done by these souls without respect to any thing in themselves without respect to their former comforts whether they 〈◊〉 be true or false without respect to their receiving grace whether they have received grace or not received grace It is worth the clearing that this should be the only immediate means to deliver such declined souls from under the fears that the evidences of their union with Christ are but delusions This will appear in three things 1. In regard it is in this renewed act only that the former evidences and manifestations given to such souls of their union with Christ do shine forth in their perspicuity clearness and satisfying power Then only when the soul doth thus close afresh with that union with the Lord Jesus offered to it there is both light within and light without whereby the soul is able to discern the former manifestation unto the soul of its union with the Lord Jesus in their glory and power afresh 2. In regard through this renewed act only the proper effects of evidence of union with Jesus Christ are again stirred up and drawn forth into their powerful operation Now it is the souls apprehension of the want of those precious effects that evidences of union with Christ do naturally beget in believing souls that do occasion the poor distressed soul to suspect his own evidences and to be Jealous they are but delusions Now the only means to deliver these dark and doubtful souls from under the Tyrannical Power of these Jealousies and Suspitions must be this renewed believing act this renewed confidence in that truth of the Lords word wherein he tender Christ in general to every sinner in regard these blessed effects the evidence of union with Christ do naturally beget in souls are only made visible to these believing souls again by that means 3. In regard both the incapacity of souls for the tryal of their evidences and the unsutableness of souls for tryal also are removed by that renewed believing act in regard those distempers are healed These are healed two ways First By a more general influence of that believing act Secondly by a more particular influence First By a more general inffuence of the believing act into those distempers The believing Soul closes with the Lord Jesus tendered so as he accept of a redemption from his sin and from under the power of corruption through Christ the notion under which the Lord makes the proffer of Christ unto sinners is that he should mediate a reconciliation between the Father and the soul shall so accept him that he should beget a precious amity between the Fether and the Soul establish the soul in a state of love that is the soul as well to be filled with love towards the Lord as the Lord to be filled with love towards the Soul Now in a souls acceptance of Jesus Christ thus tendered the soul accepts of Christ necessarily as a Redeemer to redeem him from slavery under those Enemies of the Majesty of Heaven even Sin and Satan so that there must be a State of Amity and Love between God and the Soul Secondly this particular act hath a particular influence into those particular distempers that made the Soul uncapable for a just examination of the evidence of his union with Christ 1. In this renewed belieeving act formerly mentioned there is a precious sweet act of submission in the will of the believing Soul to the will of God Indeed the believing act is the highest submission to the Lord that ever is given by any Soul to him in regard the Soul in that case captivateth all his reason and Judgement only to the Lords authority because the Lord hath spoken so and so concerning his Soul Now from hence this renewed believing act hath a precious influence into the distempered Soul under impatiency to heal the impatiency of the spirit that domeneerd in him for now the will is contented to wait on God it is contented the will of God should be fulfilled in him 2. This believing act hath a particular influence into the Souls rashness to heal that distemper also In this renewed act there is a renewed sense of the believing Souls absolute nothingness Now from the Souls actual sense of his own nothingness proceeds a holy awe a holy reverential fear of the Majesty of Heaven which doth hold in bounds the rash disorderly Spirit so that by this the Spirit is more carefull how it draw conclusions from any precious word of God 3. The believing act hath an influence upon the disorderly affections the irrational affections which did also incapacitate believing Souls for a just examination of their evidences In the believing the Soul doth captivate all the imaginations and thoughts of sense and carnal reason unto the truth and authority of God and so all the disorderly affections jealousies doubts and fears are even captivated and brought under 4. This renewed believing act hath an influence also into the prejudicial conceits or opinions against the evidence of union received to subdue those In the believing act there is a renewed sight of the truth of the souls former evidence unto his Faith of his union with Christ in some degree so that the soul while he was under the power of his fears that the evidence of his union were delusions having lost the
be sent from Heaven into his dark Soul 7. When the splendor and beauty and satisfying power of the evidences that the Soul have received of his union with Jesus Christ be decayed yet then the Soul may remember that all his abominable wickedness and most cursed vileness did not formerly prevent some movings of the Bowels of the Lords mercy towards him Now hence may the Soul gather strength to plead for the returns of theâ—â— blessed Spirit of light into his dark Soul Hence the Soul may plead that there is the same reason the same motive to incline the Lords blessed will to send now the Spirit of light and manifestation to it that ever there was to incline his Majesty to the least thought of kindness towards it 8. The Soul from whose Eyes some dark Clouds hath obscured the former lustre of his Evidences yet may remember that some spark of holy confidence in the Lords blessed will to admit the Soul into union with Jesus Christ was formerly infused into his unbelieving Heart Now from thence the Soul may again gather some strength whereby to lay hold upon the Lord and to engage him to give as it were a new Commission to the Spirit of light to come down to his dark Soul Thence the Soul may plead the Lords engagement never to recall the gift once past out of the hand of his pretious love he having declared his Gifts are without Repentance and thence the Soul may plead that the Lord stands engaged to nourish up that confidence so begotten in the Heart by his blessed Spirit 9. When the irresistible commanding power of the evidence that any Soul hath received of his union with Christ be weak yet then the Soul may remember the uselesness the inefficatiousness of all terrors and distractions upon his Spirit and the most blessed efficacy that the least glimpse of light discovering to the Soul the Lords will to admit it into union had upon his Heart Now from hence the Soul may cry to the Lord and complain in the bitterness of his Soul that he understands not what his blessed will concerning him is in terrifying and affrighting suffring his Spirit even to be distracted with terror Lord may the Soul say Hath thy Majesty its honour from me this way Is thy Name exalted in my Heart in this manner Will my Heart ever bow in obedience to thy blessed Will through the power of those terrors and distractions that are upon me This holy arguing and expostulating with the blessed Majesty of Heaven and engaging him by Arguments collected from what the Soul remembers in his former evidences of his union with Christ is the last holy use that the Soul may make of his former evidences of his union when their Heavenly lustre and commanding power and beauty cease And I would perswade every obscure Soul from whose Eyes those sweet Heavenly beams of light are now hidden with which his Eyes were once blessed above all the other uses to have a particular respect to this last use thus to gain upon God to insinuate its self into the love and favour of the Lord again to engage the Majesty of Heaven by this kind of pleading with him to send down the Spirit of light and manifestation afresh This indeed is the very principal use of the former evidence whereforâ— present darkness overspread it and that in these Two respects First In regard in this kind of pleading the poor decaying sparks of the Souls confidence is kept in some degree alive Now the stronger the Souls confidence is the more suitable is the Soul to make a righteous examination or just and impartial tryal of those former evidences of his union with the Lord Jesus Secondly In those pleadings the Spirit of light may be again expected to return The blessed Spirit and all the actings of it are reserved in the Golden Closet of the Promises wherein the Lord hath engaged himself to Communicate whatever mercy and love shall be suitable to the poor believing Soul and these holy pleadings are the Key to the Door of the Golden Closet I mean the Key of the Promise to open the Door for the Spirit of lighr to have its free access Questionless by such a holy improvement of former evidences as this believing Souls might be much furthered towards the obtaining of the renewed operations of the spirit of light and manifestation of renewed discoveries from the same Spirit unto the Souls faith of the Lords will to receive him into union with the Lord Jesus Thus now you have the Question also cast in upon this occasion opened It is apparent there is a pretious holy use that Souls may make of all former evidences when their orient brightness is ecclipsed and their commanding power is weakned though the Soul cannot then take an impartial examination of those his evidences or put them upon such a righteous Trial whether they be really from God or no. One consideration also I must add concerning knowledge whether evidences of union received be really from God or whether they be Diabolical inspirations .. The Soul must understand that this knowledge is a collection or gathering of this conclusion that his evidences received are really from God from a certain necessary infallible reason The difference between knowledge of the evidence to be really from God and Opinion and Faith must always be kept clear in the Souls understanding who shall be able to receive a right answer to that grand Question propounded To believe the Souls evidences that he hath received of his union with Jesus Christ to be really from God is an act of the Soul that hath its foundation only upon the authority of him that relates or discovers it to the Soul There are two things whereupon faith is founded First That the thing believed is spoken or declared Secondly That the Speaker or Declarer is true and faithful Now to have an Opinion that the evidences of the Souls union with Christ received are really from God is to collect or gather the conclusion of it from some probable reason as from the adjunct or the consequence that follow in his Soul upon his receiving the evidences of his union with Christ But the knowledge that the evidences of a Souls union with Christ received is really from God is the collection of this conclusion to the Soul from a certain necessary and infallible reason Therefore your Philosophers in distinguishing between knowledge and opinion define knowledge to be a certain true habit of the mind And they define Opinion to be an uncertain habit in the mind So that he that propounds the Question How a Soul that conceiveth he hath received sufficient and satisfying evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus may know certainly and infallibly that the evidence of his union received is really from God he must understand that he asks How a Soul may demonstrate to himself from certain necessary reasons that the evidences of his union with Christ received
actings of saith there cannot also but be constant veiws of the Souls most abhorred wickedness the Soul by an act of faith veiwing the reconciliation wrought by Christ for him it cannot also but veiw the enmity of his Soul against God in Christ so that from the constant veiw of the Souls vileness there cannot but be sensible abhorrence of that vileness 5. In regard the admiration of the glory of the Lords love in Christ fills the Soul with a constant sense of its own baseness The Soul cannot be ravished in the admiration of that love but it must sit down and admire and wonder now the Soul can never wonder at that love as it is manifested but it must take in it self as the object of that love whereby it is that the glory of that love shines forth so infinitely the Soul cannot but say who am I what could the Lord discern in me that such riches of love should work towards me So that thence the heart during the continuance of that light that shined from Heaven to discover its union is kept constantly working against his own vileness and from the consideration of his vileness the Soul proceeds to a sensible acknowledgement thereof 6. In regard such a precious beam of light doth necessarily produce a dear tenderness in the heart towards the honour of God yea it produceth an infinite contentment and delight in the Soul to be exalting God Now the Soul cannot be exalting the name of God in that way of his mercy towards him but he must begin with the sense of his own abhorred wretchedness towards whom such mercy hath been discovered he can never speak of the glory of the Lords love in Christ but he must also speak of the wretchedness and wickedness of himself towards whom that love works otherwise the Soul vails the glory of the love of God in Christ So that hence also necessarily proceed sensible acknowledgements of the Souls accursed wretchedness whenever a a beam of light shines from Heaven to discover to a Soul his union with Christ Secondly The second way of manifestation of the perfection of the freedom of the Lords love which is by the Souls manifesting an unwavering confidence in the faithfulness of the Lord to vouchsafe the sweetest embraces of love to the loveless Soul notwithstanding all its wretchedness Even this is the constant certain and infallible effect of a beam of light shining from Heaven to discover to the Soul its union with Christ This you may observe in 2. Cor. 5 6 7 8. The Apostle declares they had received the earnest of the Inheritance they had received a pawn from Heaven a pledge of everlasting communion with God in Christ saith he we are always confident willing rather to be absent from the Body and present with the Lord. So likewise in Rom. 8.23 Those that had received the first fruits of the spirit did groan after the full redemption of their Bodies in the mean time being filled with holy confidence as you may observe ver 33.34 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect speaking in the Persons of those that had received the first fruits of the spirit who is he that condemneth It is Christ thas died who shall separate us from the Love of Christ And indeed this cannot but be the necessary effect of the spirit of light revealing to the Soul its union with Jesus Christ seeing the rock of everlasting certainty whereupon the Soul may build the hopes of the riches of the Lords love in Christ towards him is revealed by the spirit of light revealing to the Soul its union For you know the prime way of the spirt of light revealing to the Soul its union is by revealing to the Souls faith that it is the will of the Lord to admit that particular Soul into union with Jesus Christ yea the spirit of Jesus Christ should not execute its office in revealing to the Soul its union should it not establish the Soul in an unwavering confidence while that light remains of enjoying the sweetest embraces of the Lords love notwithstanding all its vileness Thirdly The third act of the Soul whereby it manifests the perfection of the love of God to unlovely sinners which is by the souls manifesting its stedfastness in the same confidence of the fulness of the Lords love in Christ working towards it under the sense of new infirmitie imperfection crookedness even that is also the certain necessary effect of the spirit of light discovering to the Soul its union with Jesus Christ This you may observe in that 2. Cor. 5. They were sensible of their imperfection while they were in the Body yet they were nevertheless confident having received the earnest of the spirit So Rom. 7.23 compared with Rom. 8.1 Paul though he fought new Combates though he were never led captive by the law of his members yet notwithstanding he was confident that there was no condemnation no sentence of vengeance or dictate of justice that could pass out against his Soul that was now admitted into union with the Lord Jesus And this indeed cannot but be the necessary effect of a beam of light shining from God to manifest unto the Soul its union with Jesus Christ seeing that beam of light first discovers the Lords blessed unchangeable will to be the only foundation of that love of God in Christ Thus when the glory and lustre of the light continues the sense of the Souls weakness sinful disposition imperfection cannot shake the Souls confidence in regard of that clear apprehension that then possesses the Soul that there is nothing in that Soul that is the foundation of that love of God in Jesus Christ that he hopes for and in regard also a dear apprehension possesses the Soul that there are the same motives and arguments in the bosom of that ever blessed God of love yet to love that unlovely Soul notwithstanding his new infirmities his new backsliding disposition or proneness to backsliding Now such a manifestation of the stedfastness in the confidence of the Soul under the sense of new infirmities cannot but be the effect of such a beam of light in regard the unchangeableness of the will of God that is revealed to admit the Soul into union with God in Christ is clearly revealed by the power of that light so that while the beauty and glory of that light continues though new corrupt dispositions arise in the believing Soul yet the confidence of the Soul shakes not because it is built upon the faithfulness of God in fulfilling his blessed will to the Soul which will of his is unchangeable So that then it is apparent that the name of God is exalted through every believing Soul in the glorious freedom of his love that is in Jesus Christ to unlovely sinners by and through the spirits discovery to the Soul certainly his union with Jesus Christ III. A Soul doth manifest the glorious perfection of the Lords love in Christ to
wills between God and a Soul is that top-stair of happiness that any soul can possibly ascend to Now thence seeing happiness is the object of the desires of every soul naturally the soul cannot be satisfied in it self without a perfect union of wills with that God in Christ and perfect communion with him So that thus it is evident both from Scripture from the experience of the manner of the workings and motions of the souls enjoying the evidence of their union with Christ and from reason it self that the spirits evidence given unto any soul of its union with Christ doth necessarily cause the soul to declare that a perfect conformity to the Lords will ought to be the only satisfying object of the Desires of any soul So that it is apparent that the blessed Name of God is exalted in every soul in the glory and brightness of its transcendent holiness to whom the spirit of Jesus Christ doth revael its union with Christ Now I beseech ye you that are sutable according as hath been opened to take a righteous and just examination of your evidence of union with Christ received to try whether you can prove to your own souls or demonstrate from this precious reason that your evidence of your union with Christ received had God for its Father and came down from Heaven only But as I said formerly so I say again that I am confident that those souls whom the spirit hath blessed with the spirit of wisdom to discover to them their union with Christ and with whom the spirit of light remains those souls have a testimony to their hearts and spirits of the real descention of the evidence of their union with Christ from heaven from this reason now opened Certainly there is not a soul among us to whom at present the spirit of Christ doth witness his union but his own heart doth witness that that very testimony of the spirit of Christ did cause the blessed Name of God thus to be exalted through his soul there is not such a soul certainly but his heart testifies that ever since he enjoyed that precious witness of the spirit he hath born record and testimony to the world he hath professed apparently verbally and practically that a perfect conformity to the Lords purest holy will ought only to satisfie the desires of any soul And questionless the soul also understands in some degree that from thence hath proceeded the dissatisfaction of his soul in all the purest acts of obedience to the Lords blessed will Questionless the soul understands that thence it hath been that he could not but in his most holy duties when most assisted by the spirit of Christ be still groaning under the sense of his own unholiness under the sense of his want of that largeness and fulness of the concurrence of his will with the Lords blessed will and under the sense of his want of freedom and liberty of spirit in his compliance with the Lords will that he was convinced ought to have been in his soul and questionless also that soul understands that even from thence hath proceeded those precious desires that have ever since possessed his soul after a larger portion of the sanctifying spirit of Christ and that ever since he hath always been searching after the secret iniquities of his own heart and hath been appealing to the heart-searching God to find them out for him and hath been delighted with the discovery of the Lords will and his disagreement to that will And questionless that soul understands sensibly that since the spirit gave that testimony of his union with the Lord Jesus he hath had many struglings with his spirit to be content to live that he might be redeemed from the power of his contradicting will Thus I doubt not but the spirit of Jesus Christ also doth irradiate the precious Gospel-Truth that the soul is able to prove to it self the descent of its own evidence to be from heaven that God was the Father of that his evidence But yet here I must take in every confident soul without exception that thereby the power of the Truth of Jesus Christ might seize upon hearts And 1. I must desire all souls that think they shall be everlastingly saved by Christ to search into their hearts to know whether their apprehension of salvation by Christ did produce these blessed effects in their hearts or no. I must appeal to your own Consciences Did your apprehensions of salvation by Christ infuse that principle into your minds and hearts that a perfect conformity to the Lords blessed holy will ought only to satisfie the desires of any soul Let Conscience answer Was this blessed principle so rooted in your hearts by those apprehensions of salvation by Christ that thence your hearts have been unsatisfied ever since in your most holy actings in those acts of the purest obedience that ever you rendered to the Majesty of heaven that thence ever since you could not but be complaining when your hearts were most enabled to any act of obedience of the narrowness of your wills in compliance to God's will And that you could not but be complaining of the want of singleness and uprightness and simplicity of heart in every act of Obedience yea that you could not but be complaining of the want of freedom in your wills to comply with the Lords will that you have ever since been groaning for want of the liberty of your wills in that compliance the want of facility and easiness in your wills answering to the Lords blessed will Souls I can only call for Conscience to answer I beseech you stop not its mouth but let it give an Answer in the presence of God whether your hopes of salvation by Christ did so root that principle in your hearts that nothing could satisfie your souls but a full conformity to the Lords will so as you have been unsatisfied in the fullest acts of Obedience you have performed that thence you have caused the Name of God to be exalted through you that you have born witness to the world that the perfection of holiness dwells in God only and all ought to bow down in subjection to that absolute holy will of his 2. I beseech you try whether your apprehension of salvation by Christ did so sweetly build your souls up in the belief of that great Truth that no less than a perfect conformity to the Lords will ought to satisfie the desires of any soul that thence you have been perpetually groaning after a larger portion of the sanctifying spirit of Chrit What do your hearts answer Have you not satisfied your selves with freedom from gross sins and thought your condition should be safe enough because free from the gross pollutions of the world And others of you have you not satisfied your selves with holy duties and thought you gained a sufficient degree of holiness that your hearts never groaned after a larger portion 3. Examine whether your apprehensions of your salvation by
Christ did ever engrave that great Maxim in your hearts that nothing ought to satisfie your souls but a full conformity to the Lords will that thence you have ever since been enquiring and making diligent search to find out the hidden iniquities of your own hearts Do not many of your Consciences attest this before the Lord that it was never made your work one moment to search what iniquity was in your hearts undiscovered 4. Was ever your spirit so caused to apprehend that nothing ought to satsfie your souls but a perfect conformity to the Lords will by your apprehension of your being saved by Christ that thence you have appealed to the Lord to be the trier and examiner of your rotten deceitful hearts to find out your Iniquities for you that your wills might be brought into a more precious conformity to his blessed will Did ever your souls breath forth one such request before the Lord to this day Nay let me ask you whether you durst now in the presence of the heart-searching God come to say Lord search me try me see if there be any way of wickedness in me If so then how far are you from receiving the true evidence whose descent is from heaven whose Father is God that evidence that proceeds from the spirit of Christ of our union with Christ and salvation by him 5. Did ever your apprehensions of your salvation by Christ so confirm in your Souls that great Gospel-Truth that the Lords blessed will ought to have the most absolute perfect subjection from the will of any soul that thence your Souls have delighted and taken contentment in the light of the Lords precious Truth revealing the Lords will to you and revealing the disagreement of your own wills to the Lords will Are not your souls to this day so far from delighting in the discovery of the Lords will to your souls as your spirits loath and hate those blessed discoveries of the Lords will to you and your hearts inwardly bulk and swell against the discoveries of the Lords will that you have hard thoughts and think if God require such holiness such praying such watching over the heart words and thoughts this is a hard Master indeed to require such strictness as no holy heart can observe and answer How then can you say confidently that you shall be saved by Christ when your apprehensions of salvation by Christ cannot testifie in the least degree from this effect of the causing the Name of God to be exalted through you that the descent is from God 6. Lastly Examine whether your apprehension of being saved by Christ begat such a principle in you that nothing could satisfie you but a perfect conformity of your wills to the will of Christ that your hearts have groaned after a dissolution after the time of breaking the corrupt union between Body and Soul that you might no longer be detained under corruption and a necessity of sinning that you might no longer have your wills opposite to the Lords will Alas do not your souls answer that such a time of dissolution is rather a time of horrour to your souls Do not your hearts answer that want of unity to the Lords will is so little burdensom to you that could you dwell in your corrupt bodies it would be accounted happiness to enjoy the pleasures of sin for ever rather than that perfect union and communion with God in Christ If your hearts answer any of these things I beseech you see how far you are from being able to prove to your own souls that the apprehension of your salvation by Christ did descend from God Questionless did they proceed from God they would cause the Name of God and his Holiness to be exalted through you they would cause your souls to bear record to the glory of the Lords holiness do testifie that such a perfection of holiness dwells in God that his will ought to be the Rule for the conforming of the will of every Soul FINIS ERRATA Pag. 6. l. 29. read dependance p. 38. l. 1. for in r. of p. 44. l. 12. r. knowledge p. 83. l. 21. r. but promises p. 87. l. 3. for it r. them p. 93. l. 17. for of r. to p. 94. l. 26. for proceeding r. preceding p. 121. l. 17. for Union to r. Evidences to p. 174. l. 2. for into r. upon p. 188 l. 31. r. receive him p. 189. l. 19. r. make them p. 115. l. 30. r. have one p. 121. l. 32. r. or joynt p. 129. l. 33. r. to recieve p. 132. l. 26. r. in every p. 146. l. 27. dele to p. 160. l. 22. r. of that l. 25. for af r. after p. 193. l. 26. for Lord. r. old p. 205. l. 16. for to r. in p. 213. l. 33. r. fruitfulness p. 241. l. 12. r. glorious subject p. 244. l. 12. 14. 16. for imputed r. reputed p. 259. l. 6. r. Hebr. 4 15. p. 263. l. 32. for perection r. perfection p. 265. l. 28. r. to discern p. 268. l. 12. for to any r. by any p. 284. l. 33. r. superabundance p. 292. l. 17. r. name p. 311. l. 9. r. Rev. 1.6 p. 330. l. 15. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 20. r. he nearer p. 331. l. 18. 19. for Ministers r. miseries p. 350. l. 15. for into r. in p. 352. l. 13. dele of p. 354. l. 1. r. discovered p. 381. for be r. believer to p. 393. l. 7. for there are r. three or p 394. l. 12. r. chiefly jealous p. 395. l. 24. for less r. left p. 39â— l. 5. r. inextricable l. 27. for Lord. r. Soul p. 399. l. 8. for edifie r. excite p. 401. l. 27. for to r. that p. 407. l. 33. r. a believing soul p. 410. l. 12. for fahen r. fallen p. 415. l. 7. r. compass l. 31. for fafly r. falsely p. 417. l. 22. for charge r. chang p 422. l. 12. for also r. able l. 32. dele that p. 423. l. 16. for declare r. compare l. 22. for act r. art dele into p. 428. l. 17. for for r. of l. 18. for so r. for p. 4â—9 l. 22. for poor r. pure p. 430. l. 21. for abstrenuous r. obstreperous p. 441. l. 20. for them r. view p. 432. l. 2. after to add make p. 445. l. 10. after admission add into Vnion p. 448. l. 7. for Confusions r. Conclusions p. 449. l. 7. r. easy l. 31. r. view of p. 450. l. 8. for safe r. false l. 13. for Contradiction r. conclusion l. 27. for but. r and. l. 26. for shalt r. hast l. 30. for God r. good p. 451. l. 35. for of r. into p. 452. l. 30. for dust r. dost l. 34. for them r. the. p. 454. l. 26 r. evidences p. 455 l. 12. 13. r. suspend p. 456. l. 31. for hath r. have p. 460. l. 25. for Lord. r. soul p. 464. l. 5. r. excluded l. 7. r. I beseech l. 28. r. blessed p. 170. l. 16. r. really from God l. 17. for slow r. flow p. 471. l. 15. for then r. when l. 19. r. work in l. 20. r. only then p 476. l. 20. for sealed r. are ceased p. 477. l. 29. for from r. for p. 482 l. 9. for will r. would p. 486. l. 20. for their r. the. p. 488. l. 15. foâ— is r. are so p. 400. l. 10. p. 492. l. 10. p. 494. l. 5. p 462. l. 16. dele in l. 32. for doth r. do p 496. l. 15. r. union l. 32. r. necessarily p. 50â— l. 15. for was r. i as l. 28. for his r their
acting by his own power the divine Light communicated to the soul p. 233. 2. The spirits Irradiation of the Promise or of the Gospel of Jesus Christ Diverse things in the Promise or in the Gospel that the Spirit doth evidence to the Soul when it is revealing its Vnion with Christ This is clear in many particulars from p. 234. to 340. The first beam of Divine Light p. 236. A Second Beam of Divine Light p. 254. A Third p. 262. A Fourth p. 267. A Fifth p. 269. A Sixth p. 274. The security given to Souls from the Covenant Oath Seal p. 274. From the many engagement upon God himself p. 305. 3. The Spirits conviction of the Conscience p. 340. What Conscience is The two most eminent works of Conscience The spirits excitation of the habits of grace formerly infused into their proper exercise p. 345. What the spirits excitatioin is p. 350. 5. The Spirits Attestation or Witness unto the Soul Both its Attestation to sense and to faith p. 355. to 392. Quest How Souls that conceive themselves to have received certain and satisfying evidence of their Vnion with the Lord Jesus may know certainly and infallibly that the evidence of their Vnion with Christ received is really from God and not a Diabolical Enthusiasm or Inspiration or a Delusion by the Devils translation of himself into Angelical glory p. 392. Several things concerning Diabolical Inspirations p. 393. The grounds of the different actings of the Devils policy towards Believers and Vnbelievers p. 406. Quest Can the Devil look into the understandings of Men to know what the inward actings of their Minds are p. 425. 2. Satans power upon the Conscience p. 431. 3. Satans power upon the Affections and Passions p. 436. Premises about a Souls tryal of the evidence of his Vnion received whether it it be from God or be a diabolical inspiration p. 437. Four sinful Distempers incident to believing Souls when doubtful of the truth of their Evidencs of their Vnion with Christ which do incapacitate for a just Trial and true examination of the evidences of their Vnion p 445. Quest If souls under the Dominion of impatiency rashness irrational affections prejudicial conceits against the truth of their evidence of their Vnion with Christ and under decays of holiness be unsutable for a right Tryal of their Evidences then what sutable means remains for such souls in these sad conditions under fears that their Eaidences are delusions Answer p. 455. If the examination can only be taken from those Evidences which remain in their perspicity clearness and sanctifying power then Quest What use could souls make of the evidences they conceive they had received of their Vnion with Jesus Christ when the Lustre and orient brightness of their evidences be Eclipsed p. 472. Answered in 4 Propositions Six Holy Vses the soul is to make for former Evidences p. 479. Nine Arguments from former Evidences to plead with the Majesty of Heaven p. 483. From all those Considerations the Question is thus Stated Quest How shall any Soul that conceives he hath received and doth actually injoy certain and sufficient evidence of his Vnion with the Lord Jesus Demonstrate from certain necessary and evident reasons that those his Evidences are really from God p. 491. Answ There are but two kinds of Demonstrations 1. The first and most certain ground is taken from the Causes Now there are but two principal Causes of the Souls Vnion with the Lord Jesus both which concur together and are never Separated one from another that is the Lords Blessed Written Word and that pretious Spirit of Jesus Christ. That the first primary and principal reason from whence a Soul may conclude that the Evidences of his Vnion with Christ received are really from God is that those Evidencing Beams of Light do proceed from the Blessed Spirit of Jesus Christ Two things opened to clear this 1. That the Light that proceeds from the Spirit to Evidence to any Soul its Vnion with Christ doth Evidence it self to proceed from the spirit p. 493. 2. That the light that proceeds from that spirit to discover to the soul its Vnion with Christ is the most potent invincible Demonstration of its own proceeding from God p. 499. The second Instrumental cause that shineth into any heart really from God to discover its Vnion with Christ is the Lords pretious Word p. 502. Where is cleared that the Scriptures are the Word of God p. 512. 2. The second sort of Demonstrations a posterioti taken from the effects Five acts in Believing Souls whereby they exalt the name of God Souls Confident they shall be everlastingly saved by Christ put upon it to search into their Hearts and seriously lay six things before them to consider of A TREATISE OF THE Souls Vnion WITH CHRIST c. Ephes 1.10 That in the Dispensation of the fulness of Times he might gather togather in one all things in Christ both which are in Heaven and which are in Earth even in him THE Apostle taking care of the Church of Ephesus after his departure from it writes this Epistle for the Establishing their Hearts in the Riches of the Lords Free Grace in Christ that the Lord had made their Souls Partakers of that thereby he might excite and quicken them to all sutable walking to such Priviledges This being his Scope in this first Chapter the Apostle begins to reckon up all those Glorious Priviledges by their several names in their several Causes and orders and therefore you shall see in ver 3. He breaks out in the very beginning into a Holy Rapture of Praise and Admiration of God to Bless his name for those high Priviledges as Election Justification Vocation and Glorification Now in ver 8. is comprehended the great Priviledge of their Vocation in those words wherein he hath abounded towards us in all Wisdom and Prudence or Understanding That is in which Grace and Love before named the Lord hath abounded towards us through the Communicating that Grace of Wisdom and Understanding to us That is that Grace that made us receive and rest upon the Doctrine of the Wisdom of God to Salvation And having thus named the Priviledge it self ver 9. He opens the manner of the Lords thus effecting this grace upon their Souls in these words having made known unto us the Mystery of his Will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himself The manner of the effecting of it is by the Lords manifesting the Mysteries of his will to their Souls And what he means by the Mystery of his will he tells us ver 13 it is the Word of Truth the Gospel of Salvation He means indeed the Salvation Preached in and through the Lord Christ alone which was the great Mystery that the Angels desired to pry into Now by the Revelation of this Mystery the Lord did Communicate that Grace and Understanding to them whereby they did embrace that pretious doctrine that made them wise to salvation
guide you into all truth and observe why for he shall not speak of himself but whatever he shall hear that shall he speak He shall have a Commission from Heaven as it were to lead them into all truth Now in this guiding the soul into all truth there are two offices that the Spirit of God is designed to First the making known of truth to the soul Secondly the application of truth made known First The making known of truth to the soul It is the office of the Spirit to cast in the precious principles of Spiritual knowledge whereby the soul should be any ways apprehensive of any truth This making known of truth to the soul consists in three things 1. In the communicating of Spiritual light to the soul or in giving the soul a Spiritual eye of discerning We are all like poor Bartimeus born Blind The Natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit for they are Foolishness to him neither can he know them because they are Spiritually discerned 1 Cor. 2.14 Now it is the office of the Spirit alone to make a precious Eye Salve that may restore spiritual sight to the soul and make it capable of discerning truth Therefore it is said in 1 John 5.20 In Conversion we are said to receive a mind to know him that is a disposition to know him an understanding capable of knowing him 2. The Spirit presents truth to that Spiritual eye tâ—â—t that he hath communicated Therefore in Eph. 1.17 The Apostle prays for a spirit of wisdom and revelation Not only a spirit of wisdom that is an internal spiritual habit of spiritual light to discern truth But a spirit of revelation also that is of manifesting the truth unto the Soul 3. In making known spiritual truths the spirit of God removes all impediments that do prevent the discerning of truths presented Though the spirit gives eyes and presents truths there may be such impediments between the Souls eyes and the truth that may prevent the Souls discerning There may be some films or some corrupt humours some film of lust or selfishness that may hinder the sight of the truth Secondly The Spirit makes application of the truth known The first truth that God discovers to a Soul which is his own sin his guilt and danger of condemnation must as well be applied to the Soul by the Spirit as revealed to the Soul by the Spirit Therefore John 16.8 The office of the Spirit is to reprove or convince the world of sin of righteousness and of judgment to make it clear to the conscience of every particular man that there is a judgment for him that he is one of those sinful wretches that believe not That the Spirit also must make this application will appear in two things 1. In that there should be an equal and proportionable sense of the effects of Sin and Wrath according to the measure and degree of every sinners understanding sin and wrath If it were not the Spirit alone that did make application of the truth made known it could not be then but so far as every Soul did understand what Sin and Wrath was the effect both of the knowledge of Sin and of Wrath would remain in such a heart But alas experience enough teacheth us that many sinners that have large knowledge of the nature of sin and of the consequences and effects of sin which is Wrath and condemnation yet have not the knowledge of this effect in the least manner The effects are two Condemnation in the Souls Judgment Horrour and anguish in the sense of condemnation He that understands sin rightly in the least degree understand it to be damnable therefore the effects of it must needs be condemnation in his own Soul But nothing is more common than for men to confess every sin to be damnable and to confess themselves to be sinners but far off from drawing a sentence of condemnation They will be sure enough of the conclusion though they conclude sin to be damnable yet they will not conclude themselves to be in a damnable condition So if you look upon the second effect that follows the knowledge of Sin and that 's Horrour and Sense of the dreadfulness of that Condemnation Though it may be sometimes a soul goes so far as almost to conclude it self to be in a Damned condition yet far is it from letting it take effect upon his heart so as to lie heavy upon his heart as an intolerable burthen Therefore it is plain not only the revealing of the truth but the application of truth revealed depends upon the Spirit of God The Spirit must say here is thy Sin and yonder is the Pit of Misery before a man can apply those truths to his own soul 2. It must be the Spirit of God that makes the applicationâ— in regard the Terrours and Horrours for Sin are appropriated by the Scripture to the Spirit and to his work alone Whence you shall see Rom. 8.16 Fear is said to be the work of the Spirit of Bondage You have not received the Spirit of Bondage again to fear that is the Spirit of Bondage again working Fear and Anguish and Vexation of soul in respect of the guilt of Sin 2. The Spirit alone must be the principal efficient cause in evidencing to the soul from the promise his union with Christ in regard of the Spirits particular and peculiar office that it is appointed unto by Jesus Christ The Spirit hath its office and that is to Comfort and Refresh the souls of the peculiar ones of Christ Hence the name of the Spirit is the Comforter John 16.17 Now this being the peculiar office of the Spirit of Christ to comfort those that are the the Members of Jesus Christ it must needs be that that must needs be the principal Instrumental efficient cause in revealing to the soul his union with Christ in the promise And that will appear in two things 1. In regard the Word of promise alone is the ground of all Consolation unto the souls Faith Now the Spirit should give souls but small comfort could he not give them Comfort unto Faith did not the Lord reveal the everlasting Inheritance to be theirs everlasting Union and Communion with Christ to be theirs and then let them see Holiness in them to be a drop of the Inheritance that the soul shall feed it self with to Eternity the Comfort were but small 2. In regard it must be by appropriating the thing promised that the promise is able to afford any Consolation There must be two things for the soul to receive comfort from the promise Propriety and Security The Soul must see propriety or else no love at least no satisfaction to the heart and while there is not the satiating of the soul there is no comfort Comfort is the content the soul hath in beholding his desired satisfaction Now whatever the soul sees it satisfieth not till it hath a propriety in it And till there be a security
whence to draw a conclusion of his contrary state to the state of other Christians that he beholds to excel him in so a high a measure When it riseth to this it becomes a sinful dark distemper and that will appear in divers things 1. This may prove a measuring of Gods love by the acts of his love 2. It may be an arguing meerly from a Souls want of light to discern Gods good will to him in Christ 3. It makes the Soul draw a conclusion of the total want of the being of Grace while a Soul thus concludes because he seeth no Graces shining forth in himself as he doth in others that therefore he is not beloved of God in Christ it may come to argue in this manner because I see my Soul is not such a burning and shining light as such a Christian therefore I am not so much as smoaking flax 4. This argument from the defect of Grace may be an argument from the Souls infirmity It may be but an argument from the Tyranny that some lust hath exercised over the Heart to the concluding it is under the voluntary service of his lust 5. It may be a reasoning from the want of fruitfulness in Christianity to the want of Christianity it self and the want of all fritfulness whatsoever Now when the Soul is about to draw such conclusions as these from its measuring it self by other Christians let these things be observed 1. He must first assure himself that the defect he beholds in his own Soul is a sinful defect Four things the Soul must be assured the defect comes not from before he can be assured the defect is Sin First That it is not barely through the suspension of the influence of the comforting Spirit of Christ Secondly It must be assured that the defects he beholds in his own Soul of the Graces of others be not through the Lords suspending the arbitrary influences of the quickning Spirit of Christ You must conceive there are influences that are for the Souls Being and influences that are for the Souls well Being These influences of the quickning Spirit of Christ that are for the Souls Being are never withdrawn But the influences that are for the Souls well Being are communicated in various degrees to various Souls which therefore I call arbitrary influances of the Spirit of Christ that is such as God disposes of according to his meer pleasure to the Soul in divers degrees at divers times and to divers Souls in divers times Thirdly The Soul must be assured that the defect he beholds in his own Soul in respect of the Graces of other Christians proceeds not only from the defects of gifts thar others furnished with the same Graces injoy above him Gifts are like a pretious cundit-pipes that the Lord hath appointed to let out the streams of the Spirit of Jesus Christ through Now if another Soul hath more abundance of those kind of gifts more readiness of Capacity quickness of Understanding greater depths in the apprehension of the things of Christ clearness of light more readiness of expression Then thy Soul may be deceived in judging a greater degree of Grace in such a Soul than in thy Soul in regard he hath a greater opportunity of expression of Grace and a greater aptness to hold forth Grace received than thou hast Fourthly The Soul must be assured that it is not from the defect of the means and opportunity only without any negligence of any means by the Soul that his defect of Grace proceeds from 2. The Soul must be assured that those defects that he beholds in himself are such defects as are altogether inconsistent with the state of the union of the Soul with Christ Whatever gives a true and sufficient demonstration of its cause must be an effect that proceeds properly from such a cause only that cannot proceed from another cause 3. The Soul must be also sure that Spiritual Rashness and Wilfulness or Ignorance or Temptation do not overcloud his Judgment in his searching out and trying the defects in the Soul Therein I shall advise to three things 1. The Soul ought to be sure that he trust not his own light alone 2. The Soul ought to bring all things both in their substance and in their circumstances that are worthy to be weighed to the rule of the Word alone 3. A Soul must endeavour that his Judgment be settled by God That 's thus The Soul that hath his Judgment past upon his own defects and the nature of them to be such as is inconsistent with the state of union with Christ must endeavour to draw near to God to bring himself into the presence of the Heart searching God with a serious apprehension and meditation that all the secrets of his Spirit are open before God and then and there in this frame to view over again and meditate upon that Judgment that he finds himself ready to pass against his own Soul and then observe whether his Spirit then dare pass this conclusion against himself III. When a Soul in measuring himself by others makes the defect of Grace in himself to be the matter of discouragement of his Soul and matter of impediment to the exercise of his Faith in Christ That is when the Soul by looking upon some other Christians and beholding many pretious gratious holy dispositions shine forth like so many Stars in the lower orb when he sees much holy fire drop down from Heaven into their Hearts that drop forth in their Conversations and looks upon himself and sees a defect in all Sees his own Heart overgrown with dulness stupidness blockishness carelesness forgetfulness of God regardlesness of Communion with God in Christ and the Soul makes these defects of Grace apprehended in himself matter of discouragement to his Soul to beat it off and to keep it back from the exercise of Faith Then this distemper of Judging themselves by others prevails too far 1. It is a joyning with the wretched corrupt opposit Heart against Christ and the furnishing the Soul with matter of cavil and scruple against the blessed tenders of receiving the love of Jesus Christ 2. By this the Soul maketh that part of his duty that he seems to perform to be nothing but disobedience The Soul by looking upon the Graces that shine forth in any Christian seems to do a part of his duty because it is one thing commanded and in reflecting upon his own Heart in the sight of those Graces seems to do another part of his duty but both these are made disobedience when the Soul makes the defect of Grace he finds in himself when he looks upon the Graces of others discouragements to himself in exercising Faith 3. The Soul crosses God in his highest end which is to make the excellencies of Jesus Christ shine forth in the Souls of his People IV. The fourth case wherein a Soul doth measure himself too much by others so as it becomes a sinful distemper is when the
disproportion a Soul finds out between himself and other Christians his Graces and their Graces his Duties and their Duties are made a sufficient ground for the Soul to draw a final conclusion of his own estate from As thus when a Soul argueth in this manner I see there are none of those pretious workings of the Spirit of God in my Spirit that I behold and see apparent are in the Spirits of such and such Christians they have their Hearts so powerfully drawn by Jesus Christ to close with him in a way of union that they are inabled by a mighty power from God to believe but saith the Soul I do not find that God draws my Heart and comes with a mighty power to constrain my Soul to close with the Lord Jesus tendred and therefore surely God never intended good to my Soul That this is a dark and sinful distemper will appear in divers things for there may be many disproportions between one Christian and another that are not sinful disproportions 1. There may be a disproportion without a mans sin in the manner and order and degree yea in the very Being of all the workings of God in the Soul before the actual union of the Soul with Christ by any act of believing First There may be a disproportion in the fear of Conscience that other Christians have had upon them before their actual consent to the Lord Christ tendred and the fear of Conscience that thou hast hitherto had Secondly A disproportion may be in the grief of mind for sin that other Christians have had upon them for sin before their union with Christ and the grief of mind thy Soul hath hitherto had upon thâ—â— Thirdly There may be a disproportion in the effects that fear of Conscience and grief of mind do naturally produce in Souls As doubtfulness and multitude of scruples and objections against thine own Soul These indeed are the common effects that grief of mind and the fear of conscience produce And there may be a great disproportion between thy doubtings and the doubtings of other Christians and yet no sin neither as appears in this because neither fear of Conscience nor doubt of mind nor scruples and objections against the Soul do in the least commend any Soul to God As all things are sin before union with Christ so is the fear of Conscience and grief of mind sin and all those doubts and objections sin and therefore have not the least vertue in them to commend a Soul to God 2. There may be a disproportion in the degrees of Grace without sin First There may have been a difference in the time of the growth of his Grace and the Graces of others by which he measures himself It may be he yet remains but a green tender plant in the House of the Lord and measures himself by an old flourishing green Olive in Gods house Secondly There may be a difference in the helps and means of growth The field is not blamed because it is not so fruitful as the garden when the garden is daily watred and dressed 3. There may be a disproportion in the actings of Grace and yet no sin First In regard there may not be the same necessity to occasion to act Grace in thee that is in others The occasions are like the Wind to the Ship that set the Ship a going They are but the heavenly Winds as it were that blow upon Grace that set Graces a working and various Graces must and ought to work according to the variety of occasions Now according to the necessity of the Soul so God binds himself in Covenant to provide for the Soul Secondly The Graces of other Christians may be acted by an extraordinary influence of the quickning Spirit of Christ I call it extraordinary in regard it is that which is not common at all times to all Christians that have some of the influences of the quickning Spirit of Christ so that by some extraordinary gale from Heaven his Graces may be acted and through thy want of those quicknings of the Spirit of Christ thy Graces may not be so acted and yet not sin Thirdly There may be a difference in the outward excitation and quickning unto the actings of Grace A Soul stands not only in necessity of the inward breathings of the Spirit of Christ but of the outward excitation too in regard it is through the outward excitation that the Lord hath appointed those inward breathings of his quickning Spirit Now if other Christians by whom thy Soul do measure it self should injoy more excitations that is that they have more Bellows blowing upon Grace in their Hearts than thine though there may be difference in the acting the bare disproportion may not be thy sin Secondly There may be many sinful disproportions that yet destroy not the Being of the Souls union with Christ 1. There may be a disproportion in Faith it self First There may be a want of most of the highest and excellent operations of Faith and yet not the Being of union destroyed Secondly Faith may be oppressed with doubting and distrust and yet not be suppressed Thirdly There may be the want of almost all stedfastness stability and constancy in the acting of Faith so that a Soul can seldom keep his Heart in a believing frame one moment and yet that sinful defect may not nullifie the union with Christ 2. There may be a sinful disproportion in all the Spiritual life of the Soul and yet the union with Christ hold That is all the principles of Spiritual motion towards God may be unactive when thou seest others full of life and activity and yet this sinfull disproportion doth not destroy the union Now it appears to be a sad distemper thus to measure the Soul by others 1. In regard there is such a disproportion between the one and other Christians that can possibly be found out discovers nothing but the heinousness of the Souls sin in its neglect of union with Christ Now from hence to conclude God intends no good to the Soul is contrary to the blessed will of God revealed Isa 55.7 where God hath promised abundantly to pardon to multiply to pardon 2. In regard when the greatest disproportion between the one and other Christians is found out yet thou art one of those that Jesus Christ now comes to woo and perswade and beseech to be one with his Father Now I shall shew you the grounds of this distemper upon which it is built or whence it arises in Souls I. It is commonly built upon this principle That the Lord maintains a proportion in his Gifts and Graces unto his people Now what a dark blind principle is this For the clearing of it 1. You must conceive the Lord doth equally dispense to all his peoples Souls all kind of Graces He leaves suitable dispositions in the Heart to yield obedience to all his blessed will Thus far the Lord proportions Grace but then the Lord doth not proportion the
secondly it evidenceth the sutableness of the satisfaction and that in two things 1. In regard of the things suffered by Christ to give satisfaction Those things every way sutable to what Justice could require from the Soul it self in regard of his sin Two things sin declareth the Soul hath merited to suffer for ever First The Death of the Body wherein sin is acted and committed Secondly The Death of the Soul it self in the separation of it from God which was the chief actor in the transgression of the Law Now the Spirit evidences the Death of Christ a sutable satisfaction in regard of the things suffered by Christ First In regard the humane Body died that stood in the stead of those that had been the transgressors of the Law he took upon him flesh and so died for sin in the flesh in the same nature in the same kind of Body that sin was acted in Secondly In that there was a separation of the Soul of Christ from injoyment of communion with his Father as appears Matth. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me That is why hast thou deprived me of communion with thee And though indeed the separation was not eternal yet in regard of the person bearing the separation it was equivalent to an eternal separation One moment of separation was as great an evil inflicted upon such a person as an eternal separation could have been to have been inflicted upon a poor finite Creature 2. The Spirit evidenceth the sutableness of satisfaction to the Father in regard of the sins themselves laid to the charge of Christ in his suffering what Justice could require should be suffered by the transgressor and that both in the kind of sin and also in the degree of sin yea and also in the circumstance of sin too That which was equivalent to all kind of sin was imputed to Christ to be suffered that should have been suffered by transgressors Apostacy from God was imputed to him by being imputed to be a Devil Enmity to God in the highest degree was imputed to him in that he was imputed the Prince of Devils All kind of fighting against God was imputed to him in that he was imputed a Blasphemer and a striver to sit down in the Throne of God himself and an impostor and deceiver So that no kind of sin that Conscience can object against the Soul but the Spirit can and doth evidence at such a time was imputed to Christ and Christ suffered for such a sin that was equivalent to that kind of sin II. In the Spirits evidencing the Lord Christ to have fully and everlastingly taken away all the wickedness of what kind soever from every Soul that shall embrace him it evidenceth the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Dead This is clear Rom. 8.34 It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again In this the Spirit evidenceth three things to the Soul 1. It evidenceth the Fathers acknowledgment of his own satisfaction for the sins of all the persons that should ever embrace Christ and believe on him The Spirit evidenceth to the Soul Christ having once taken upon him as a surety to bear the transgressions of all that should believe on him having entred into Bond to pay all their debts and suffered himself to be arrested by the Justice of God yea to be carried to the prison of the Grave by the Hand of Justice for those transgressions he must never have come out till he had paid the uttermost farthing And that 's the reason that in 1 Cor. 15.14 the Apostle tells them That their Faith is vain and their Preaching of Christ is vain unless Christ be risen Whence the Apostle noteth That though the Death of Jesus Christ was the matter of sattisfaction to the Justice of the Father for the Justifying of all the persons that Christ sustained yet there is no evidence unto Faith that God the Father is satisfied for those transgressions by the Death of Christ unless Christ be risen 2. The Spirit evidenceth to the Soul Christs own triumphant victory over sin and all the concomitants and consequents of sin Now therein the Spirit evidenceth Christs removal of all kind of sin from every Soul that shall hereafter embrace him in regard he hath now captivated sin he hath got sin under his own power to trample under his Feet and to do with as he please he hath taken sin and tied it to his Chariot wheel as the word imports 3. The Spirit doth evidence in and from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as he was a surety that the Lord doth account his acquittance given to Jesus Christ for sin that was charged upon him to be an acquittance of all those that ever should embrace Christ through believing and also that Christ in receiving that acquittance from God did receive it in the room and in the stead of all that ever should embrace him And thence the Spirit evidenceth to the Soul that the Scripture attributes unto every believer a participation of the resurrection of Christ yea that it attributes to them a Co-resurrection with Christ Col. 2.13 You being dead in your sins hath he quickned together with him that is hath made you partakers of the vertue of his resurrection and raised you with himself and vers 14. Blotting out the hand writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross that is Justifying our Souls from all that ever Sin Conscience the Law or the Devil could bring against us III. The Spirit evidenceth to the Soul the Ascension of Jesus Christ to the right Hand of the Father as he was a surety and as he did represent sinners that should receive him to be their Mediator Thus Rom. 8.34 Paul through the Spirits manifestation of Jesus Christ at the right Hand of the Father had such a full evidence as he could make a challenge to the Law and to Sin and Hell and the Devil to bring all their accusations and see if they could lay any thing to his charge Who shall condemn saith he Jesus Christ is gone to the right Hand of the Father Now from Christ's Ascension to the right Hand of the Father the Spirit is wont to evidence these four things 1. That the Lord Christ as a surety for all sinners that should embrace him as their Mediator hath now received an acknowledgment in Heaven that he hath fully taken away all the sins of all that ever so receive him The Spirit brings to the Souls remembrance what welcom as it were Jesus Christ had into Heaven It shews the Soul from such a place as that Psal 110.1 The Father said to Christ when he came into Heaven Well done thou obedient Son sit thou down at my right Hand There are two things observable in that First In that welcom given by the Father there is an evidence that the Father acknowledgeth the work
by Christ to be fully done Sitting imports a rest after a work fulfilled Heb. 10.1 Secondly The Spirit evidenceth that high favour that Jesus Christ had in Heaven as he was a surety for those sinners that should embrace him to be their Mediator Heb. 1.5 2. The Spirit evidenceth from Christs Ascension that he as a surety for all those sinners that should embrace him hath fully prepared Heaven Now this Spirit evidenceth by two things First That the very end of the Ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven to sit at the right Hand of the Father was to prepare places in Heaven for all that should embrace him John 14.2 Secondly That Jesus Christ is gone to Heaven as a fore-runner of those that should embrace him Heb. 6.20 Now a fore-runner implys many followers 3. The Spirit evidenceth from Christs Ascension that he hath a Soveraignty and Supremacy of all power committed to him This Christ himself hints Matth. 26.64 Hereafter shall you see the Son of man sit at the right Hand of power That is exalted in the highest power So Eph. 1.20 21. And thence in two things the Spirit evidenceth the Lord Christs taking away all kind of sin from the Soul First The Spirit evidenceth that Christ hath such a supremacy of power over all things that it is impossible that the power of sins guilt should prevail against any for whom Jesus Christ hath undertaken seeing he hath the keys of Hell and of Death and hath all things under his Feet in a vassalage to him Secondly The Spirit evidenceth to this supremacy of Christ as Mediator that the Lord was well pleased with him as a surety for such Souls as should embrace him 4. From the ascension of Jesus Christ to the right Hand of God the Spirit evidenceth that the Lord Christ had the highest authority of Judgement committed to him Sitting is the posture of Judges Prov. 20.8 and John 5.21 22. The Father hath committed all Judgement unto the Son Thence in Eph. 1.21 22. he is said to have all things put under his Feet and was given to be Head of all things to the Church Now from hence the Spirit evidenceth by two things the Lords full compleat taking away all sin from every Soul that shall embrace him First In that no Judgment of condemnation can be passed upon such a Soul but what Judgment Christ as surety passeth seeing all Judgement was committed to him as the Son and as Mediator And what can be more sure than that all sin and guilt shall be compleatly removed seeing the Son himself that is the surety for Souls must pass the Judgment concerning all guilt that must be imputed to lie upon Souls Secondly In that no Judgment of condemnation or guilt can pass against those Souls that shall embrace him as their Mediator but what shall pass against themselves The Spirit manifests that whoever embraces Christ must be interessed in every sentence of Judgment that pass out because the Judgment that Christ passeth as he is the surety of Souls and represents them it must pass out in their names even with their votes So that no Judgment of condemnation for guilt can pass out against them without their joynt vote and consent IV. The Spirit evidenceth the intercession of Jesus Christ with the Father for all those Souls that shall embrace him Therefore in Rom. 8.34 the Apostle proceeds to that step Who shall condemn It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again that sitteth at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Now in the Spirits manifesting this it doth manifest divers things for the satisfying of the Soul for the full and everlasting taking away all sins by Christ for every Soul that shall embrace him 1. In the Spirits evidencing the intercession of Christ for sinners with the Father it doth evidence the Lord Christ to be a Son to the Father and to plead as a Son with the Father for sinners This you shall see Heb. 7.25 compared with vers 28. he tells you he is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him and vers 28. he puts an emphasis upon it that he was a Son This the Spirit commonly reveals to Souls in drawing them to Faith of assurance that Jesus Christ as the natural Son of God intercedeth in Heaven for Souls Now from thence there are two evidences given to a Soul of Christs fully taking away sin from every Soul that shall embrace him First The Spirit evidenceth that it is impossible that any guilt whatever should cleave to the Soul in regard the Son can ask nothing but what the Father will The Father and I am one saith Christ so their wills are one and their thoughts and dispositions one Secondly The Spirit evidencing that it is impossible for the pleading of Jesus Christ to be denied There is such a complacency and acquiescence of delight of the Father in Jesus Christ that the Father hath no more power to deny what the Lord Christ pleadeth for then he hath power to deny himself and that is impossible 2. The Spirit evidenceth the intercession of Christ doth evidence that the Lord Christ pleads with the Father as an obedient Son to his Fathers will Now from this the Holy Ghost evidenceth in two things the full compleat everlasting taking away of sin from every Soul that shall embrace him First The Spirit evidenceth that there is an obligation upon the Father to accept his Sons intreaty for poor sinners Secondly The Spirit evidenceth that it was the fulfilling the same will of the Father that Jesus Christ pleaded for when he pleaded for the pardon of the sins of those that embrace him It was his Fathers design originally out of his love to poor lost wretches to take away their sins only it was his purpose to effect it through Jesus Christ doing and satisfying his Justice for sin So that Jesus Christ in yielding obedience unto his Father unto Death did it to effect the end of his Father in the pardon of the sins of lost sinners 3. The Spirit evidenceth in this intercession of Christ that though he died as a common person and rose as a common person yet he doth not intercede as a common person not in their steads but for them That you shall observe Heb. 7. comparing vers 22. with vers 25. He was made the surety of the new Covenant vers 22. And then he tells you He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him There are two things the Spirit evidenceth in that First It evidenceth that he pleaded as a surety appointed by his Father for Souls According to Heb. 5.5 he did not glorifie himself to be made an high Priest but he that said unto him Thou art my Son to day have I begotten thee His Father ordained him to the office of an high Priest which contains the suretiship Secondly He pleads as a surety to his Father to accomplish
the full salvation of Souls through his pleading The Father ordained him to be a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek hence he as an high Priest is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him Then the Spirit reveals the things done by Christ in his intercession as a surety Two things there the Spirit reveals First That by Christs intercession as a surety for Souls there is a vertual continuation of the sacrifice of the Blood of Christ for the satisfaction of the Fathers Justice Now from thence the Spirit brings in full evidence for taking away all sin from every Soul that shall embrace Christ in regard the satisfaction is continued in the Fathers Eye Thence it is observable Heb. 8. comparing vers 2 3. with vers 12. That the Apostle from the meditation of the continued Priesthood of Jesus Christ ministring in Heaven doth conclude the firmness and stability of the new Covenant there mentioned in the latter end of the Chapter and concludes from thence Gods remembrance of sins and Iniquities no more Secondly The Spirit evidenceth that through Christs interceding as a surety there is a continual suing out of the benefit of the satisfaction of the Father by his death for sinful Souls according to their necessities Hence you may observe in 1 John 2.1 That the Apostle directs those believers that should sin to be acting of Faith upon Jesus Christ as he was a present advocate with the Father 4. The Spirit manifests to the Soul's Faith from that beam of light in the Gospel that the Lord hath everlastingly removed all sin from all that shall embrace him That the Lord Christ in his intercession with the Father for the perfect Salvation of those that shall embrace him doth plead for nothing but what the Father himself and of himself is as willing to give to those Souls as Jesus Christ is willing to ask it at his Fathers Hand Therefore in Isa 53.10 The whole work of Salvation that Jesus Christ was to accomplish for Souls is called nothing else but the Fathers pleasure The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his Hands Now this the Spirit clears up convincingly and satisfyingly that the Father is altogether ready yea that the Fathers bowels do as much yern after the full Salvation of those that embrace the Lord Jesus as the bowels of Christ himself who is the Head of those Souls Now the Spirit may and doth sometimes evidence this parallel willingness of the Father in these three things First The Spirit clears it that an amity and oneness comprehends all kind of near relation in it and manifests that those that embrace Christ are admitted into unity with the Father himself to be one with the Father According to that in John 17.21 22. That they may be one as thou and I are one and that they may be one in us as thou Father art in me and I in thee Secondly The Spirit may evidence that the relation between the Father and Souls is the very foundation of all relation between Christ and those Souls And therefore there must needs be as great willingness in the Father to accept Christs pleading for perfect Salvation as there is in Christ to plead for it So that though Christ have those that embrace him ingraven as it were upon his Heart yet it was there ingraven by the Hand of his Fathers love John 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me They were made mine because they were first thine Thirdly The Spirit may manifest here that the willingness of Christ to plead for them proceeds from the willingness of the Father that he should so plead that he should become an intercessor Christ in all his pleadings is but a Priest which Priesthood is but an office to which God the Father had ordained him Heb. 5.5 The Spirit evidenceth that Christ in his intercession with the Father for the perfect Salvation of those Souls that shall embrace him pleads for nothing but what he hath power to command to be effected As in Psal 2.6 7. He hath set his King upon the holy hill that is as he that God the Father hath appointed in his own stead and room as Mediator to dispence all things communicable to dispose of all according to his will only God the Father will be acknowledged as a Father to him and he to be a Son therefore the Lord saith in the next verse Ask of me and I will give thee it shall be by intercession yet John 5.22 All judgment is committed to the Son still and he hath the power and command of all Therefore you shall read John 17.24 in that prayer that is the pattern of his intercession in Heaven for Souls he prays thus Father I will that those that thou hast given me be with me he prays as it were in a commanding way Second beam of Divine Light There is a Second beam of the same Spiritual Heavenly light that the Spirit doth necessarily also cause to shine resplendently before the enlightned Souls Eye before Faith can receive such full assurance as to work by way of fulness of confidence and assurance and that 's this The Spirit doth evidence from the Gospel or from the promise The Lord Christs unquestionable willingness to embrace every poor lost sinner that is willing to embrace him Indeed the Lord Christ doth primarily embrace lost sinners into the bosom of his love and joyns them everlastingly to himself yea and compleats the relative union between himself and their Souls whilst they are meer patients altogether under an impossibility of any such Spiritual action or so much as any concurrence with the Lord Jesus in the compleating of the relative union But this union remains invisible till by the vertue of this passive or this relative union the dead Soul is inabled by actual believing actively to close in union with the Lord Jesus and to embrace him to be one with him And therefore to the least degree of the knowledge of a Souls union with Christ of necessity the Spirit must present the Lord Christ with his pretious everlasting arms of love to embrace such loveless sinners as will embrace him that thereby the Soul may be satisfied concerning the object that he believeth and may close with the Lord Christ propounded and make application of that union tendred in the Lord Jesus with himself Now for the Spirit evidencing this to the Soul satisfyingly and to make the Soul in believing to triumph the Spirit is wont to evidence divers particulars 1. The Spirit is wont to evidence the consent and agreement of the blessed Trinity from all eternity in that glorious design of the Lord Jesus entertaining every lost despicable sinner that will embrace him I. The Spirit reveals the consent of God the Father to that glorious design and that in divers particulars 1. In that God the Father imposed a command upon the Lord Jesus to embrace every such despicable lost
without it self in any of the motions of his love whatever So that thence the spirit evidenceth to the soul that it were a denying of the glory of the God-head to conceive that God should look out of himself for any argument any motive any incentive that should either excite or incline the divine will to any motions of love whatever to wards any creature II. The spirit evidenceth the absolute will of the Father alone to be the first principle and also the only cause of admission of souls into union and communion with the Lord Jesus So that both the purpose of God to accept souls into union and also the execution of that his purpose do depend only upon the Lords bare will and good pleasure According to that in Eph. 1.5 6 compared with ver 9. III. The spirit evidenceth the Lord Christs willingness to accept of souls into union to be only done through the Commission that he received from the good pleasure of his Fathers will concerning such souls According to that in John 6.37 38. When he saith he would reject no one soul in no wise under no consideration whatever he gives this reason for I came down from Heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me There is a fifth beam of light that the spirit causeth to shine forth from the Gospel and that is Fifth beam of divine light The admirable and incomprehensible fulness of all perfection of love and mercy that is comprehended in this tender of union with the Lord Christ to every particular Soul that will accept it Notwithstanding those former beams of divine light there is a two fold necessity for the Spirit to cause this beam of divine light also to sparkle before the souls eyes I. That there may be a fulness of sufficiency to produce acts of Faith in a soul by way of fulness of confidence and assurance And in this regard there is a necessity of the spirits casting this beam of light also before the souls eyes to open the incomprehensible perfection of all kind of love that the soul soul can imagine he should have the least necessity of II. To excite and quicken the affections to more enlarged operations or workings Though there hath been a former apprehension of the infinite perfection of love in the tender of the union yet there is no answerable working of affection towards the union unless there be that very actual Vision Now when the operation of the affections towards the union tendered are but small then the souls assurance of its acting of Faith by way of fulness of confidence of its union with Christ is but in a small degree Therefore it is in this respect that the spirit doth manifest the absolute compleat incomprehensible perfection of love that is included in the tender of union And this the spirit doth in divers particulars 1. The spirit reveals the Lords tender of passing over himself and all that is in himself wholly unto souls through this union with Christ For the evidencing this the spirit only brings to remembrance the sum of all the promises according to the Lords own abstract and Compendium that he hath made of them And that is this That God hath said he will be the souls God in Christ Here are two particulars included under this one depth First The spirit manifests that the highest interest that is possible to make a soul capable of in the infinite perfection of God himself is offered to be passed over to the soul in the tender of union Secondly The spirit manifests that the Lord offers in this tender of union to interest the soul in himself with such an interest as should be most sutable for the fullest communication of himself to the soul that it shall be as proper and peculiar for God to love the soul as it should be proper to the nature of God to be loving himself 2. The spirit reveals that the Lord hath laid the highest obligation upon himself to be the souls own in all that he is in his passing over himself unto the soul through that union with Christ This the spirit manifests by bringing to remembrance the Lords asseverations and protestations and highest oath that he adds unto that his word that declares him to pass over himself unto souls through their union with Christ Hebr. 6.13 3. The spirit reveals the Lords establishing the transactions of himself and all that is in himself over to the soul through its union with Christ upon his own will alone on purpose that there might be a fulness of all love contained in him Three particular ends the spirit may bring to the Souls remembrance for the clearing of this First That there might be no possibility of an alteration of that perfect love of his to a soul through union with Christ by any Power or Possibility of the soul The Holy Ghost affirms Rom. 11.9 The Lords Election of love to be meerly established upon his own will for that end that the Election might stand being not of Works but of Grace That is that it might be certain being unchangable So as the souls wickedness and wretchedness rising to what height soever yet it might not be able to make an alteration in that perfect love So Rom. 9.16 Secondly That there might be a fulness of love and to make a constant immutable ground for his peoples faith to rest upon him for the perfection of of his love towards them This the spirit may reveal to the soul from that in Hebr. 6.17 18. The Lord is said to add the confirmation of his Oath that there might be two immutable grounds in which it was impossible for God to Lie Thirdly That his people might have a sufficient satisfactory consolation from that fulness of his love in all necessities upon all occasions and at all times That by two immutable things they might have strong consolation 4. The spirit reveals the Lords undertaking to effect in and for the soul the whole transaction of himself over unto the soul through his union with Christ by the Almighty Power of his own love alone Eph. 2.5 The whole work of Salvation is attributed to nothing but love The Spirit reveals this two ways First The spirit reveals that the Lord hath engaged himself by promise to effect the transaction of himself over unto the soul by the Almighty Power of his love Isaiah 41.10 11. Secondly The spirit remembers the soul of the necessity that the Lord hath imposed upon Jesus Christ to effect it John 10.16 5. The spirit reveals that the Lord hath undertaken the sutable tempering and disposing of the soul for all sutable walking in union with the Lord Jesus that is tendered This the spirit may and doth evidence from that in Jer. 31.33 Where the Lord reveals it to be the very Covenant This shall be my Covenant or this shall be the love that I will promise This is part of Gods love to souls
to make his Love glorious in those objects Therefore the End must in order of Nature according to our conception be before the Means though all things are at once and by one Act done by God so that according to our conceptions the Love must be first fixed and setled upon Souls in order of nature I mean the intention of Love must be first unto Souls before the conveyance of that Gift of Love through Christ Thence 't is that the Scripture speaks of Christ not only as given but also called out to the work of Mediatorship Heb. 5.1 He was ordained to be the High Priest by God the Father to offer Sacrifice for Souls 3. There can be no End of the Lords being at that high charge for the effecting of the Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers to Souls that will embrace him but his own praise and his peoples comfort Seeing there was no necessity I speak of absolute and indispensable necessity all this while I would not be mistaken in a thing of so high a nature I say seeing there was no absolute simple necessity for the Lord to be at such high cost in respect of himself and in respect of Souls to partake of this Mercy but it is done freely of God according to his own wisdom Thence it appears there can be no higher End than the Lords own praise the manifesting the Beams of the Lords transcendent Glory more abundantly in the Eyes of Saints and Angels And this you shall find to be the very End of it Eph. 1.4.6 Saith the Apostle He hath chosen us in Christ That is He hath chosen us as the Members of Christ the first Elect of God and that Head of the Mystical Body that God hath glorified himself in This he hath done saith he before the foundation of the world and therefore he destinated us to the adoption of Children by Jesus Christ Here is the Fathers Love in the Means and in the End v. 6. To the praise of the Glory of his Grace that is of his own Love wherein that is in which Love he hath made us acccepted in the Beloved that is in Christ Now this may be taken rwo wayes Either for his praise actively to be given to him by the Soul that partakes of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers Or else passively to be manifested through this way unto those that partake of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers In both ways the Lord intended to have his glorious Love admired and adored and himself sanctified in the beholding of it through the effecting and conveying of that his Love and Mercy unto Souls through such cost and charge in giving his dearly beloved Son Now observe it There are especially two wayes how the partaker of that Love and Mercy the Gospel discovers doth actively give the Lord the praise of the glory of his Love 1. In admiring the unmeasurable dimensions of his Love in gazing upon the height and depth and length and breadth of his Love so as to see it unmeasurable and bottomless and to adore God in beholding it 2. In their Souls relying with a fulness of confidence upon God for that his Love in Christ It is alwayes in the same degree wherein a Soul takes up its rest in God for any thing that a Soul sanctifies God in his heart therefore Is 8.13 when the Prophet exhorts them to sanctifie God he saith Fear not their fear but make him your fear and your dread as if he should say therein you shall sanctifie him when your spirits take up their rest in him alone Now as God is thus sanctified in the heart in general so he is sanctified in the heart in respect of every particular Attribute of his in this way only when a Souls confidence is in him alone And thus in particular in respect of his Love God hath the praise of the glory of his Love from the Soul when the Heart takes up its full rest in God with a fulness of confidence for all Love through Christ Now observe these being the two special wayes how the Lord hath the praise of his glorious Love from Souls that partake of the Love that the Gospel discovers and then both these proceeding from a Souls apprehension of the certainty and infallibility of the Lords Love in Christ thence it must needs appear that the Lords being at the high cost to effect all that Love and Mercy discovered in the Gospel for Souls through the death of that dearly beloved of his Soul that this must be on purpose done by God for the making that his Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers more sure and certain unto Souls embracing it in their own apprehensions Thirdly The Spirit discovers the Lords own Bond given out to the persons themselves that shall embrace the Gospel for their assurance of all that the Gospel discovers All the Promises written in the Lords Blessed Book are but as so many Bonds of Gods own writing by the hand of the great Secretary of Heaven the blessed Spirit of God on purpose to confirm and assure Souls of all that the Gospel discovers The Spirit reveals Promise upon Promise to seal to and confirm the same thing as you may see Heb. 6.12 13 14 15. The Promise is said to be given there as a Discovery of the Immutability of the Lords Counsel that is of the infallible and unchangeable certainty of all that the Gospel discovers Fourthly The Spirit riseth higher he adds the confirmation of his own Oath the highest Oath that was possible for God to swear which was by himself that the Soul might have security upon security to his weak apprehension Fifthly The Spirit reveals the adding of the Blood of Christ as the Seal to the Bond. The Spirit manifests the Lord to have employed Jesus Christ to be the Testator to Souls that by the Death of the Testator the Testament or the Will of God revealed in the Gospel might be made unquestionably certain that the Soul might have fulness of security to his poor scrupulous Spirit now security comes in upon security to a superabuddance of it Sixthly The Spirit reveals the Lord to have engaged the Honour and Credit of his ever-blessed Name for the better securing Souls and fuller assuring them of all that the Gospel discovers to them This you shall see in Exod. 33.19 I will proclaim the Name of the Lord before thee saith God to Moses and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and will shew mercy to whom I will shew mercy which doth both include a disposition to be gracious and a free disposition to be gracious and it includeth that Grace of his to be ordered only according to his own will Now did not the Lord freely love loveless sinners upon no other ground but his own will which is the very Sum of all that the Gospel saith then this Title of Gods Honour should be defaced and blemished But God saith
of the arguings of his own carnal reason This you may observe in Asaph Psal 73 16. he confessed the conceitedness of his own carnal reason when he saith I thought to know this but he confesseth when he went into the Sactuary to consult with the word of God and let faith be judge then he found himself as ignorant as a very Beast III. There is a peculiar disposition in the believing Soul to comply with the evidence of Hell that his union is but a delusion in regard there is such corrupt affections remaining in every believing Soul in some degree that makes the suggestion of the Devil that his evidence of his union with Christ is but a delusion to be in a manner plausible and pleasant to the believing Souls Jealousies and suspitions of God and his faithfulness in râ—â—â—iwing such a dispicable forlorn Soul into union with Christ do in some degree possess every believing Soul now in regard that suggestion from Hell that the Souls evidence of union with Christ is but a delusion and all the reasonings of the flesh that concur with that suggestion also do nourish and increase the Souls suspition and afford matter to the Soul of Jealousie thence through the strength of the Souls Jealousie and Suspition even that very suggestion that under one respect is like a dreadful poisoned Arrow that sticks in the Heart to wound the Bowels yet in another respect it is in a manner plausible and pleasant IV. There is a peculiar disposition in the believing Soul to comply with this suggestion that his evidence is but a delusion in regard the remaining corruption in the believing Soul doth evade the mighty power of faith in crucifying mortifying and suppressing them by complying with this suggestion Faith's power against corruption consists especially in two things 1. In holy boldness claiming power from the Majesty of Heaven against corruption in his holy bold engaging his blessed God in Christ to come in for his assistance Now this power of faith against corruption is abundantly weakened by the heart complying with that suggestion from Hell that the evidence of his union is but a delusion 2. It consists in faiths holy oratory in arguing within the soul against corruption Indeed there is Faith's mighty power in bringing in such impregnable arguments as all the Sophistry of Hell it self cannot devise an evasion from them These things I have premised concerning delusions only in reference to believing Souls First that believing Souls might not account it strange to meet with that suggestion that the evidence of their union with Christ is but a delusion Secondly that Believing Souls might not subscribe suddenly to that suggestion that the evidence of their union with Christ is but a delusion without due holy examination of the ground and reason that backs and fortifies that suggestion in the soul But now in reference to unbelieving Souls there is much more to be added still by way of premise concerning these delusions Pre. 5. Fifthly I must also premise that the most profound Policie the depth of subtilty and suggestion of all the Spirits whose habitation is in the Region of Darkness is imployed to the utmost to delude multitudes of Souls with false hopes counterfite joys self-deceiving and soul-destroying confidence of their union with the Lord Jesus and reconciliation with the Father Thus the Policy of Hell was imployed to delude those poor foolish Virgins Mat. 25.11 12. by arguing from their profession of the Gospel of Jesus Christ signified there by their Lamps that they were joyned to Jesus Christ and should be everlastingly saved by him whereas poor foolish Souls they saw at last to their everlasting horrour and amazement that they were meerly couzened by the Devils Sophistry Thus certainly the Wits of Hell were imployed to deceive those self-flattering Jews John 8.18 to make them conceive their natural Birth from Abraham was ground sufficient whereupon they should conceive the blessed God of Heaven to be their God whereas the dearest compassionate Redeemer of lost Souls was constrained to tell them they were of the Family of Hell and the Devil was their Father Thus was that proud Pharisee Luke 18.11 by the subtle Sophistry of the old Serpent deluded also he was even triumphing as if he were sure of Heaven he was thanking God before hand for it But indeed as it is the Master peice of the Devils Policy to perswade true Believing Souls that the evidence of their Union with Christ is but a delusion So on the contrary the result of all those cursed counsels of Hell concerning Unbelieving souls living under Gospel Preaching is to perswade them that they are certainly joyned to Christ and shall be everlastingly saved by him And indeed there are Various grounds of this different practice of the Policy of Hell against believing and unbelieving souls The Perswasion that the soul hath to conceive that his evidence is but a delusion is most sutable for the Devils purpose to work upon a believing soul I. In regard every believing soul is for ever out of conceit with himself Such a view hath every such soul received of his loathsome filthiness and Forlorness that in some degree he doth for ever abhor himself he is utterly out of love with himself and all that he is and hath Now thence it is the perswasion that the evidence of his Union is but a delusion is sutable to fasten and take Impression upon such a soul II. Every believing soul hath experimentally found the dreadful self-Flattery that his spirit is exceeding prone to His heart hath flattered him into a good opinion of his own estate from various rotten grounds Believing soul hath experimentally found that one time he imagined his estate to be safe and sure and secure meerly upon the ground of his own Change and Reformation from what he was Another time he thought his estate to be secure meerly from the performance of the duties the Lord required publick and private Now from these many experiences of the sandy foundations that his heart had caused him to build the hope of his security and safety for eternity upon every believing soul is apt to be Jealous and ready to entertain any scruple about his own estate he is very fearful least he should build upon another sandy Foundation III. Every believing soul hath been sensible of infinite invaluable worth of Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus In matters of great concernment the spirits of Men are naturally suspitious of Disappointment So that from the sence of the infinite value of Union with Christ naturally flows Suspitions and Jealousies of being deceived in the greatest matter of Union And thence the Suggestion that the souls evidence of Union with Christ is but a Delusion is sutable and feeds that suspition IV. Every believing soul is sensible of the infinite danger of the loss of Union by fostering false Hopes and groundless Conceits of Union by Flattering himself in a good Opinion of
then doleful weakness yea abhorred wickedness in any soul to cast off all confidence of the Lords admission of his soul into union with Jesus Christ Though the oratory light of the blessed spirit or the superadded light to the word that causes the word to give so clear and satisfying a testimony unto faith of its union with Jesus Christ be withdrawn and suspended yet there is a Heavenly shining burning Lamp of the written word of God that stands constantly shining to discover to the faith of the believing soul the open bosome of the love of the Lord Jesus and his outstretched Arms ready to grasp the soul into the nearest union Therefore it must needs be dreadful horrid wickedness for any soul to neglect slight undervalue or disregard the light of that pretious written word because those Heavenly beams of superadded light that the spirit sometimes gives are by the wisdom of the Lord or through the occasion of the souls own iniquity sometimes suspended The Command of believing stands as an everlasting command founded and built upon the meer written word making a pretious discovery of the Lords will to admit every lost perishing soul that will to be reconciled 1 John 3.23 Now thence it is most wretched disobedience in any soul when he hath lost that glorious light of manifestation from the spirit to disobey that precious Heavenly command also Prop. 2. Secondly Whenever any soul subjects himself to the Principle of darkness and unbelief that still dwells in him upon the Lords withdrawing the brightness and glory of that satisfying light of the spirit that did evidence unto the soul his union with Christ and cast off his confidence of the Lords admission of his soul into union with Christ then the soul is uncapable while he so remains of making any pretious holy use of those former evidences that his Soul enjoyed of his union with Jesus Christ 1. In regard while the soul so remains there can be no holy conception of the evidences that his Soul did formerly enjoy First take holiness for all kind of strictness and righteousness and conformity to the Lords blessed will and in that sense there can be no righteous conception of his former evidences The soul cannot understand them what they are nor discern them as they were Secondly Take holiness effectively for these conceptions that do excite and quicken a believing soul unto holy actings and in that sense there can be no holy conception of his former evidences while the soul so remains All such conceptions or apprehensions of the way of God towards us are as holy effectively that is that produce or quicken a soul to holiness are such as do apprehend some beam of excellency shining forth from those ways of God in relation to that particular souls good now while a soul casts off all his confidence of the Lords will to admit him into union with the Lord Jesus he cannot conceive of his former evidence in such a manner as to conceive any beam of excellency shining forth from God in relation to his particular soul 2. While any Heart so remains he is uncapable of making a holy use of his former evidences in regard the activity of all holy affections whatever depend upon the activity of that believing disposition they live and die together The moving Principles that move holy affections objectively are the believing conceptions and apprehensions of God that is to say the apprehensions of the Lords will to receive the poor loveless soul to be reconciled to him through his union with Jesus Christ And therefore while a soul casts off all his confidence that the Lords will is to admit his soul to be one with Jesus Christ there is a defect of moving Principles to move the affections to their exercise and so consequently there can be no activity of any pretious holy affections 3. In regard all the Ordinances that should excite and quicken the heart to the holy use of his former evidences are made useless While the soul enslaves himself to carnal reason through unbelief not believing Gods will to make him one with Jesus Christ though the Gospel should be preached by the mouth of Angels and they should be sent from Heaven to be mouths to those souls in Prayer yet those Ordinances could have no operation upon those souls saith the Apostle Heb. 4.2 The word that was preached profited not because it was not mixed with faith in them that heard it if there be not some degree of confidence in that great and grand Gospel-truth to the particular soul there can be no mixing faith with any other Gospel-truth that should be Preached so as to make it have a pretious efficacy upon the Heart 4. When any Heart yields up himself captive to unbelieving reason and so casts off all that his pretious confidence it cannot make a believing use of his former evidence of union with Christ in regard there is a continual decrease in all holiness and encrease in all the working of corruption while the soul so remains The Heart is so naturally active that it will be spending its strength in some kind of activity or other and therefore when the holy actings of the forenamed precious confidence is sealed the Heart will spend all its strength in corrupt workings when the Heavenly plant of faith doth not grow and flourish in the soul the weeds that come from the Devils Garden will be all flourishing hardness indisposition for God hard thoughts of God will all be augmenting daily Prop. 3. Thirdly No Soul ought to entertain such a superlative conceit of the use of those evidences of his union with Christ that he formerly received that he should make those his evidences the sole or the primary or the principal Prop or Pillar whereupon he builds his confidence that the Lord will admit his soul into union with Jesus Christ The utmost use intended by God that believing souls should make of former evidences received can be but strengthnings and encouragements to renew the strength of their confidence in his truth and faithfulness to fulfil his blessed word unto their souls It is utterly strange from the mind of God that souls should make any one act of God towards or in the soul the principal Pillar Rock and foundation whereupon to build its hope of his union with Jesus Christ All those actings of the spirit of God whether by way of light and manifestation or by way of infusion of holiness they are meerly arbitrary excepting only the spirits constant influence for the preservation of the life of a believing soul and consequently changeable and various according as the infinite wisdom of Heaven doth see suitable for the estate of various souls but now the Lord out of that transcendent riches of his love in Christ hath prepared unchangeable Rocks where the prime Anchor of believing souls hope should be fastned unmoving Pillars that never shake whereupon the foundation of their confidence must be laid according
that thence it appears the word of God doth speak and declare as particularly to a believing soul his union with the Lord Jesus as if it did speak to any soul by name for that light that discovers to the souls sense and feeling or knowledge his union with Christ is but the discovery of the truth of his own heart in believing the written worb speaks as plainly to a particular souls sense and Knowledge his union with the Lord Jesus that is declares to him that he doth particularly believe as it doth declare to any particular rebellious obstinate sinner that he particularly doth sin the word saith whosoever walks thus or thus transgresseth the will of God now this speaks to every particular soul so sinning Que. But the soul may say how can a soul know that those Books of the Old and New Testament are the Lords own word May there not be some mixture of men That the Scriptures are the writen word of God Answ For answer to the question first negatively secondly affirmatively I. Negatively I answer that the soul cannot be assured by all the powers and possibilities of men no not by any created power that the Books of the Old and New Testament are the written word of God Though I deny not that the testimony of men may give some kind of ground to the soul to believe it and I fear the greatest number among us have no other ground yet no testimony of man can assure the soul sufficiently that these are the Lords written word the matter contained in the written word of God is altogether spiritual and therefore it must be a beam of spiritual light that must satisfyingly and sufficiently discover to a soul that the spiritual matter is the truth of God and did proceed from God 2. All the most exquisite reasoning that the most elevated wits of man can extract are not sufficient to demonstrate satisfyingly unto a soul that the Books of the Old and New Testament are the written word of God himself indeed If it were so then the wisest of men should have been ready to receive the word of God as the word of God whereas the Scripture testifies the most wise have been most oppsite to receive it 1. Cor. 1.26 Scribes and Pharisees the wisest of the People were the greatest opposers to our dearest Redeemer 3. The written word of God barely and simply taken without the Mighty Power of the spirit conrurring with the Word is not able to demonstrate it self to be the Word of God Questionless if it were then whoever had been partaker of the Written Word or had heard the Word Preached that is Written must in like manner have given credit to it whereas the Scripture Testify that when Jesus Christ himself spake of those things he had wrought some Opposed and Blasphemed But then I answer affirmatively I. That the Blessed Spirit of God only is able to demonstrate Clearly Evidently Satisfyingly and Infallibly unto a soul that the Written Word of God is the Written Word of God This the Apostle affirms directly 1 Cor. 2.9 to 12 that the spirit had Revealed those things to them which they by the Power of Reason could never comprehend And that all the things given to them of God are Revealed by the spirit to be so given And the Written Word of God is none of the smallest gifts of God to his people Therefore consequently it reveals that also to be given to them So likewise he affirms that it is the Spiritual Man that Judgeth all things that is of truths that is it is only the Man Begotten by the Spirit of Jesus Christ unto God and led by the light of that Blessed spirit of Jesus Christ that is able to Judge of Truths to Judge what Truths have their Original from God and to Judge what have not their Original thence It is the spirit also saith he that searches the deep things of God that discovers the very Mystery of God to them so as to make the Divinity shine forth in them Whereas the most heightned reason of the Accutest Sons of Adam can discern nothing but Foolishness in the deep Mysteries of Godliness v. 14. And indeed were it not the Testimony of that Blessed Spirit to a Believers Heart that the Books of the Old and New Testament are the Lords Written Word that they have their Original from the Lord himself then the Foundation of Believers Faith were not a Divine Authority neither could a Believer say in believing any truth contained in those Books that he knew whom he hath Believed with a Relation to God himself II. When that ever Blessed Spirit doth reveal to any Believing soul the Written Word to be the Written Word of God then the proper light of the Written Word it self shines forth so gloriously as it discovers it self also to be the Lords Word That is to say the matter of the Lords Written Word appears to be so Transcendent so far surpassing the Capacities of weak men yea the quality of the Word appears to be so Holy so Pure and Undefiled so contrary to the Powers of Hell and the Kingdom of the Devil and so contrary to the Tyranny and Dominion that mans Corrupt Affections naturally desire to bear over him yea the quality of the Word appears to be so Unspeakably Unconceivably excellent that the soul sees infinite reason even in the Word it self to perswade it that it is the Lords Word Yea the manner of the Written Word speaking the very Language it speaks favours so much of Heaven that it appears to the Believing soul to be so Cloathed with Power and Irresistable Authority it appears to have such properties of God himself peculiar unto God Soul-Searching Heart-Dividing Properties finding out the Secrets of the Heart that then the Believing soul is Compassed about with Reason Cloathed in with Reason that appears shineing from the Word it self that satisfys the Believing Soul that it is the Word of the Almighty Majesty of Heaven Divinity is then every way Ingraven upon the Written Word in the Believer So that as the spirit in its casting the Pretious Heavenly Light into the Beliving soul did Write his own name upon those Beams of light and made them appear to the soul to be from the spirit So likewise in the souls discerning the light also to proceed from the Lords Written Word there is the name of God Written upon those Beams of light also that the soul knows as well as believes them to proceed from God himself seeing they shine forth from that Word of his that the soul believes with Confidence yea so Satisfyingly and so knowingly to his full contentment it is the Word of the Blessed Majesty of Heaven Would you know you that are Confident this day that a light did shine into your souls to satisfy you concerning your union with Jesus Christ whether this union be from God or no Would you be assured as well to knowledge as to faith that you
certainty of the actings of faith raised by the power of the Spirits working to discover to the soul its union with Christ the soul enjoys all that Heaven affords at present So that needs must a superlative degree of joy possess the believing soul when he in a manner sits in Heaven as enjoying the sweetest communion of the Lords love as gazing upon that precious face of God in Christ and blessing himself also in the contemplation of it to all eternity II. The second means by which the believing soul practically declares that there is all perfection and glory contained in the love of the Lord in Christ to unlovely sinners whereby the name of God is exalted through him is the souls despising and disregarding all difficulties for the enjoyment of that love of God in Christ That is also the necessary the infallible effect of a beam of light proceeding from the spirit of light to discover to a soul his union with Christ This you may observe Rom. 8.34 35. There you find the assuring act of faith concerning the souls union with Christ who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died and ver 37. You shall find the Apostle triumphing over all kind of difficulties trampling under foot persecution necessity famine nakedness piril and sword and professing we are more than Conquerors over all to overcome them so as they are no impediment or hindrance to us but we are able to be more than Conquerors to make advantage even of those difficulties whereby we shall the more closely pursue after Jesus Christ Yea such is the power of that light that discovers to the soul its union with Christ that it doth necessarily cause the soul thus to despise all difficulties for the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ 1. In regard that light enobles and raises the spirit of every one to whom the spirit of light communicates it Heirs views of their great Possessions greatens their Spirits likewise do the believing souls vision of those glorious things prepared for them heighten and elevate their Spirits above all things below 2. In regard the pretious light from the fpirit of light doth present such unparalled such incomprehensible glory to the believing souls view that all things appear as nothing in comparison of that glory that is revealed Now thence it cannot be but difficulties must appear as nothing upon the sight of such glory hence Moses Heb. 11.26 disregarded Pharoahs wrath because he saw God that was invisible and the Apostle calls the afflictions they met with light afflictions because they looked at things that were not seen 2 Cor. 4.17 18. 3. In regard it doth necessarily produce enlarged enlivening actings of love Every believing act produces a proportionable act of love Therefore certainly that high noble act of faith that act of certainty that is drawn forth by the spirit of light at such a time doth produce enlarged acts of love it proportionably doth send out the strength of the soul in love towards God in Christ as well as the strength of the soul goeth out in believing 3. A third means whereby the soul practically declares that there is a fulness of the Lords love whereby the Lord is exalted in the soul is the souls pursuance with his utmost strength the enjoyment of the clearest visions of that love and the sweetest freedom of the actings and workings of that love into and towards the soul Now this also is the necessary effest of a beam of light coming down from Heaven to evidence or reveal to a soul his union with Christ You shall observe in 2 Cor. 5.1 2 4. That Souls certainty of their union with Christ which was the effect of the spirit of light shining into their hearts it did produce such groaning and longing with the strength of their Souls 〈◊〉 the sweetest and clearest enjoyment of the fulness of that love We know saith he there is the act of certainty that if our earthly House of this Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens Mark for this we groan earnestly desiring to be cloathed upon with our House which is from Heaven So ver 4. we groan being burdened and so ver 1. they were willing to absent from the body and to be present with the Lord The strength of their Souls so pursued after the fullest the clearest enjoyment of that love that they desired to breath out their lives to be dissolved that they might have the clearest vision of that love of God in Christ and the sweetest enjoyment of it Neither can it possibly be otherwise considering 1. In that things appear in their despicable nothingness by such a beam of light shining from the blessed Spirit into a believing Soul to discover its union Thence it is that the strength of the soul pursues after the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ only seeing no other object appears worthy to be desired in comparison to the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ 2. In regard the love of God in Christ discovered by that light appears in such a manner as takes up the whole intention of the believing Soul and implies every faculty of it Such a mystery appears in that fulness of the love of God in Christ to unlovely sinners as takes up all the strength of the Souls capacity to view and meditate upon yea it at last appears to be a depth never to be fathomed and so drowns the understanding in a depth of admiration yea that fulness of the Lords love appears so to comprehend all beauties and glories and all things desirable as it is the object of every desire of every motion or reaching forth of the Spirit So that thence it takes up all the intentions of all the faculties of the Soul IV. A Fourth means whereby believing Souls do declare the Lords love to be according as the Lord reveals whereby the Name of God is exalted in the Soul is the deadness of the Heart to every thing in comparison to that love of the Lord in Christ Now even this crucifying of the Heart to all things else in comparison of that love is the infallible effect also of such a beam of light from the Spirit of God to reveal to the Soul its union That 2 Cor. 5.8 is enough to manifest it Their certainty of their acceptance with God produced a willingness in them even to be absent from the body it self a readiness in their Hearts to part with every thing for the enjoyment of that love it choaked and quenched all desires of earthly objects of beauty or excellency so as their Spirits were so dead so void of desire so empty of all thirstings and endeavours after earthly objects as they rather deny to be dissolved to be dead indeed that they might have the full benefit of their union even the full presence of God in Christ And certainly it cannot be but such a light from
worthless unlovely sinners by manifesting such an absolute perfection of the love of God in Christ to sinful Souls as that love is subject to no variation alteration or shadow change When the Soul so walks as he declares practically that the rich love of God in Christ to his unworthy Soul is the same yesterday and to day and the same for ever the foundation thereof standing firm and unmoveable like Mount Sion that cannot be moved then doth the brightness of the Lords glorious love shine through the Soul so as the name of God is exalted through it Thus God glorified himself before the eyes of Balak through the mouth of the false Prophet Balaam to give testimony to the unchangeableness of the love of God in Christ to his People Israel by sending that message to Balaam Numb 23.19 God is not a man that he should lye neither the son of man that he should repent that is not like the sons of men that his thoughts should change what he hath spoken shall it not come to pass His words concerning his People shall certainly be fulfilled So likewise when the Lord by the mouth of the Prophet Malachie intended to lift up his name in his Peoples hearts Mal. 3.6 he discovers to them his precious thoughts of love concerning them in declaring the coming of Jesus Christ with the blessed effect of it and saith he I am the Lord I change not therefore the Sons of Jacob are not consumed So the Church exalts the name of God by bearing witness to the unchangeableness of his love to her Lament 3.22.22 It is of the Lords mercy that we are not consumed because his compassion fail not Now a Soul manifests the unchangeableness of the Lords love in Christ to his unworthy Soul by its constancy and unmoveableness in that precious confidence of his union with the Lord Jesus that was once raised in his heart by the power of that evidence of his union And doubtless it is for that end that believing Souls might thus exalt the name of God in the unchangeableness of his love towards them that the Lord hath prepared unchangeable Grounds unmoveable Rocks for the feet of their Faith to stand upon he hath added his oath to his word Heb. 6.17 18. That by two immutable things by which it is impossible that God should lye they might have strong consolation that receive Jesus Christ tendered It is for this end that he hath given those unchangeable grounds for faith to build upon 1. That those Ecclipses of the glory of Gods love in Christ in its unchangeableness by the constancy of the actings of Faith might be prevented Surely it was the bowels of the compassions of our tender God in Christ that wrought towards the unlovely Soul that caused him to stoop down so low as to add an oath to his word which gives no security in it self to a Soul more but only a fuller security to our unbelieving hearts in our low apprehensions of God that thereby the precious consolations of his People might not change and it was the ultimate end of God in the workings of those compassions that the glory of his own love might not be vailed by the unconstancy and fickleness of the actings of faith so as Souls should declare by believing when their hearts are filled with holy actings that there was a glorious love in God through Christ to unlovely sinners and when the apprehension of the liveliness of those holy actings in their hearts should cease that then they should again declare that the love of God in Christ is withdrawn again from them 2. That the glory of his love in its unchangeableness might shine forth in its brightness with transparent glory so as the Soul under the saddest defect of holy actings and workings in his own heart might still declare the precious love of God in Christ to his unlovely to be the same sounded upon his own will only which can never be moved The constancy and unmoveableness of the Soul in his confidence of his union with Christ that the evidence of union with Christ begets is always the effect of such a beam of light from Heaven to reveal to a Soul his union so long as the light continues shining into the Soul in its lustre and glory This you may observe of Paul in 2 Cor. 5.5 6. Having received the earnest of the spirit what then we are always confident of everlasting communion with God that is we are confident at all times constantly our confidence is unmoveable Yea doubtless seeing the spirit of light from the spirit of light shining into any Soul is but an act of the conforming office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ it cannot be but that light shining from the Spirit of light to evidence to the Soul its union must necessarily establish the heart in that confidence of his union with Jesus Christ that so long as that light remains the confidence must remain also and that in its power and strength Thus you have the first way opened how the name of God is exalted through a Soul which is by the Souls bearing testimony to the truth of the record that the Lord hath given to his love in Jesus Christ by the souls manifesting the same glory of the love of God in Christ to sinful souls that God himself hath revealed to be in him Secondly God is exalted through the Soul by the souls manifestation that an incomprehensible perfection of purity and holiness dwels in God God hath revealed himself in his word not only to be holy but holiness it self Amos 4.2 The Lord hath sworn by his holeness that is he hath sworn by himself He hath discovered such absolute perfection of holiness to be in him that he hath an absolute unspeakable abhorrency of all that is cross and contrary unto holiness in its perfection Hab. 1.13 yea the brightness of the perfection of holiness dwell in him Exod. 15.11 Now then is the name of God exalted through a Soul when the Soul conceives of God as thus excellent and wonderful in holiness when the Soul declares before the world that his God in Christ is purity and holiness it self Hence it is that the holy Angels are said to cry to the Lord Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts Isa 6.3 and also the office of the dispencers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is described Rev. 4.8 9. by their crying Night and Day without ceasing Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty it is for this reason because the name of God is exalted when there are such manifestations and declarations of an absolute perfection of holiness to dwell in God Now a Soul may manifest this absolute perfection of holiness to dwell in God these three or four several ways I. By a precious sensible acknowledgement of an infinite disproportion and disagreement in his most holy exact exquisite actions when the Soul is most mightily assisted by the spirit of God to the Lords blessed holy
with the strength of my Soul after the things before after the height of the vertue of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that is the experimental knowledge of the vertue of his death and resurrection that is to say the full communion with Christ in his holiness Fifthly He testifies that he passeth over or leaps over all difficulties all impediments and hindrances in his striving after this perfect conformity to Jesus Christ in his Death and Resurrection which is also contained in that he doth profess towards the mark he doth thrust through all troops of impediments that stand to oppose him in his way and with all the powers and possibilities of his soul extended makes the persuit after the full experience of the vertue of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ Yea likewise he hears witness that every sincere believing soul ought to walk according to this rule to be thus minded ver 15. Let us therefore as many as be perfect be thus minded That is let us thus count of our selves to be infinitely short of that which ought only to satisfie our souls whatever degree of holiness we have apprehended and let us fix our eyes singly and constantly upon the perfect holiness that souls attain to through Communion with Christ in his Death and Resurrection and let us forget all our labours and endeavours and all the degrees of holiness that we have attainted to so as not to satisfy our selves in that measure and degree and let us stretch out our Arms after full Communion with Jesus Christ and let us pass over all difficulties pressing towards the mark the fulness of Conformity to the Lords will which the Lord hath determined to bring beleivers to through Communion with Jesus Christ their Mediatour in his Death and Resurrection Likewise the Apostle John testifies as much in 1 John 3.3 Every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Mark what hope he speaks of The second verse tells you saith he we are the Sons of God and we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is So that the hope that he speaks of is the hope of Adoption the hope of their union with Christ the first-born of all the Elect ones and the hope of their perfect Union and Communion with Jesus Christ in the highest Heavens Now mark what the effect of this hope is Those that have received this hope infused from the spirit of Jesus Christ it occasions the souls to purify themselves as Jesus Christ is pure that is all one as God the Father is pure Christ being but the express image of his Father The Apostle means not that actually any soul having such an evidence of his union with Christ from the spirit as produceth that blessed hope in him is actually purified according to purification of purity that is in Christ But he means that the soul into whom this hope of his union with Christ is infused doth desire breath after long for endeavour with all the intentions of his soul the same purity that is in Jesus Christ satisfying his soul with no degree no measure less then the fulness of likeness unto Jesus Christ himself Likewise it is evident that the spirit revealing unto any soul his union with Christ doth occasion the soul to declare that a conformity to the will of God is the only satisfying object of the desires of any soul in regard the spirit of Christ makes the promises of union and Communion with God in Christ to be the motive unto perfection of holiness 2 Cor. 7.1 Now if the very propounding of the promise be that which excites an heart unto perfect holiness perfect Conformity to the Lords will then much more must the sense of the souls interest of Union and Communion with God in Christ necessarily constrain a soul to pursue with all his strength after perfection of conformity to the Lords will and to declare that no less then Conformity to the Lords will perfectly ought to satisfie the desires of any soul And likewise it might be evident from the very prayer of the Apostle that he always made for believing souls which was for their perfect Conformity to the Lords will 1 Thes 5.23 Now the very God of Peaee sanctify you wholly in Spirit Soul and Body And he prays that they might be filled with the fulness of God Eph. 4.19 And as Scripture thus Testifies that God is thus exalted in his holiness in any soul to whom the spirit doth reveal its union with Jesus Christ by that souls declaring that a Conformity to the Lords will perfectly ought only to satisfy the desires of any soul So likewise the experience of souls receiving the evidence from the spirit of their union with Christ bears Witness of the same I. Hence it is that those souls that injoy the Evidences of ther union with Christ are unsatisfyed with their most holy duties and acts of purest Obedience to the Lords blessed will So that souls injoying their union with Christ are always complaining of Imperfections and wants in their most holy actings And 1. Hence it is that we shall hear constantly those pretious souls complain with much Bitterness of the narrowness and straitness of the working of their wills in Conformity to the Lords Will. 2. You shall hear them always complaining when Assisted most mightily by the spirit of Christ of their want of singleness of Simplicity of heart in their wills conforming to the Lords will 3. They are constantly complaining of the want of liberty of spirit in the compliance of their wills with the Lords blessed will This David Intimates when cries out 51.12 Restore to me the Joy of thy Salvation and Establish me with thy free Spirit He Apprehended his spirit to be much under Bondage and Thraldom and with much earnestness he desires Communion with God again 4. Hence those souls are always sadly complaining in their acts of purest obedience of their want of fixedness and stability of the workings of the disposition of their wills to comply with Gods will 5. You shall hear them complain of the Weakness and Imperfection of the inward acts of the most pure Obedience that their souls render of the Imperfection of their desires in prayer even when they are drawn out by a mighty power from the spirit of Christ II. It is from hence also that souls injoying the evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus are perpetually groaning after a fuller measure of the sanctifying spirit of Jesus Christ in what measure soever the sanctifying spirit is poured out upon them Thus David often in the 119. Psalm begs for quickening which in a word is but this Lord send down more of the spirit of Life and Holiness from the Lord Jesus Yea this you may observe from the workings of the spirit of the great Apostle Paul Rom 7. how his soul groans after a larger portion of the sanctifying
Martyrdom for the Name of Christ is accounted such an high honouring of Jesus Christ and that the Lord testifies such respect to those that do suffer for his Name in regard by those their sufferings wherein they seem to slight their Estates their outward Liberty their Lives for the sake of Christ they declare there is all fulness of contentment in him that there is happiness enough for them that all outward contentments the confluence of all the happiness that the Earth doth afford is not to be compared to the enjoyment of the love of God in Christ and to the pretious manifestation and sweetest operation of it Thirdly When the Soul sends forth the whole strength of his soul in his pursuit of the enjoyment of the sweetest discovery of that love and the most pretious operations of it into and upon his soul Fourthly When there is a deadness in the Heart towards all things else in comparison of the love of God that is in Christ Fifthly When the soul can take its fulness of contentment in that love in the absence of all things else When a soul can actually drink such full drafts of the love of God that is in Christ that is to say promise himself such happiness contentment unspeakable perfection of glory in the enjoyment of that love that the Heart says practically it is enough though the Heavens should withdraw their light and the Earth all her advantages that ever she can afford seeing there is the love of my God in Christ that I shall actually enjoy Now further we are to shew you that this manifestation or declaration practically by the believer that all perfection and glory is eminently contained in God in Christ to unlovely sinners is the necessary certain infallible effect of a beam of light shining from God to a believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus So that whenever any beam of light is cast down from Heaven into the dark soul of any believer to manifest certainly its union with the Lord Jesus then certainly also that ever blessed Name of God is exalted through the believing in that that pretious beam of light doth necessarily cause that believer to manifest and declare practically the fulness of the Lords love in Christ that there is all perfection excellency and glory that can possibly be suitable for the believing soul contained in that love eminently transcendently infallibly as will appear further by opening every particular way and means how the believing soul doth practically manifest that there is fulness in the Lords love in Christ to such unlovely sinners as the Lord declares As I. The kind of fulness of joy and rejoycing which is a prime and principal means how the name of God is exalted by a believing soul is the necessary and infallible effect of a beam of light shining from Heaven into a soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus That you may observe from 1 Pet. 1.8 whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory With joy unspeakable Joy that cannot be uttered either by the Tongue of men or Angels Joy it is full of glory that is full of excellency and sweetness delight and contentment Their believing produced this effect an unspeakable joy in their Hearts Then much more a beam of light from the spirit of light discovering unto faith the Lords blessed will to admit the soul into union with Christ and thereby powerfully enabling the believing soul to believe afresh and also a beam of light from the blessed spirit manifesting the souls believing act unto the soul it self and so discovering both unto faith and sense such unspeakable matter of joy and rejoycing much more must this fill the believing soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory According to that in Eph. 5.22 The fruit of the Spirit is peace and joy Mark it the proper effect of the spirit of Jesus Christ dwelling in the believing soul is joy then certainly that joy that possesses a believing soul must needs be exceedingly eminently raised to a high strain to a superlative degree when the spirit of Jesus Christ shall dwell so plentifully as it doth when it thus bears testimony to faith and testimony to sense of the Souls union with Jesus Christ Yea such is the nature and power and vertue of a beam of light sent down from God to discover to a soul his union with Christ that it cannot but infallibly produce such a superlative degree of joy and rejoycing in that love of God that is in Christ I. In regard through that beam of light from the spirit and discovering to the Soul its union the enlarged longing restless breathings of that believing soul are in some measure accomplished Now Solomon tells us Prov. 13.12 that the accomplishment of the desire is a tree of life There is such infinite sweetness contentment and satisfaction in the souls attaining his desires that from thence the soul seems to gather Apples of life from a Tree of life II. In regard that light gives the believing soul a pretious taste of his mutual Communion with his God through Christ Every believing act doth occasion some Communion to be between God and the believing soul but much more in that believing act that is heightned by the power of the spirit of Christ to a certainty Then there are large degrees of life and holiness communicated from God to the believing soul and a kind of full communication of all the powers and possibilities of the believing soul to God again then God delights himself in the believing soul sweetly and the soul reciprocally delights himself in God Now the very taste of the communion which is the earnest of the souls full inheritance which is eternal communion with God in Christ that cannot but fill the believing soul with joy and peace III. In regard that light occasions the believing soul to enjoy all that Heaven it self can afford through hope It causes the soul to sit together with Christ by hope Eph. 2.6 It causeth the soul to discern certainly through believing the Lord Jesus as his blessed head to be gone before as an Harbinger to prepare a place for him that the soul by hope sits there already and is saved already 4. That light draws out the actings of faith in such certainty that all the glory of Heaven it self is presented also to the believing soul Faith saith the Apostle in Heb. 11.1 Is the evidence of things not seen That is it is such a disposition as by its pretious working gives things not seen an evident certainty unto the believing soul yea it is the substance of things hoped for The word in the original is very emphatical it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is that which gives a substantial being to things hoped for a being already that the soul not only enjoys all that Heaven affords by hope but through the