with himself Conclu 2. There is as great a fulness of sufficiency in the absolute promise to assure the soul of his union with Christ as there is to give the soul a ground of particular dependence upon God in Christ for union This will appear in two particulars 1. In regard confidence of the particularity of the promise is of the Essence and Being both of faith of dependance and faith of assurance Take away particular confidence of the Lords particular will towards such a particular soul to receive his soul into union with Christ and you destroy the faith of adherence Take away the particular confidence and there remains nothing but a bare general belief of the truth of the promise of God as it is tendered 2. Both the confidence in the saith of dependance and faith of assurance are of one and the same kind Though indeed that the confidence that the soul hath when he once acts faith by way of assurance differs gradually that is in many degrees from the faith of dependance and adherence yet they are both of one and the same kind they are both substantially the same They are but a confidence of the Lords willingness to take his soul into union with Christ he receiving of him Only this differs in a circumstance of time That faith of assurance acts that confidence by way of the time past that the Lord out of his good will alone hath received his soul into union with Christ whereas that confidence that is in the act of dependance or adherence may work thus that it is the Lords will now at this present to receive my soul into union with Jesus Christ Now all men grant that the absolute promise is sufficient to build saith of adherence or dependance upon otherwise you must take away all grounds upon which a soul must believe and you must leave a soul under a command to believe having no bottom upon which to set his faith We shall now proceed to the opening of the second question and that is Quest 2. By what means doth a soul receive the infallible evidences of his union It hath been determined that the absolute promise of God to give the Lord Jesus to every poor despicable loveless forlorn soul that will receive him is the only unchangable ground from whence the soul doth first gather the certain infallible evidence of his union But now saith the soul By what means is the promise made efficacious for this end How comes it to pass that the bare absolute promise of God doth manifest to the particular soul that he is united to Jesus Christ For the answer of this question I must first premise divers things for the right understanding of it and then lay down the answer in positive Conclusions Prem 1. First I must premise That the absolute promise of God hath a fulness of sufficiency in it self to discover at all times to every particular soul in what condition soever under what Temptations in what clouds and darkness soever that the will of God is to receive his particular soul into union with Jesus Christ And that he should accept the good will of God and receive Jesus Christ into union with himself Though indeed the promise works this effect very rarely in souls yet at all times the promise hath that sufficiency in it self and there is no addition made by God to the promise neither by word nor light neither by way of particularizing souls nor by way of comprehensiveness to make it conclude souls Neither doth the soul build upon any thing added to the promise But the promise it self is the absolute ground that the soul always builds upon in receiving evidence from it Now because the promise it self doth not at every time and in every condition manifest unto that soul thus his union with Christ to whom it hath evidenced his union therefore think some souls it is somthing superadded to the promise And some again are ready on the other side to conclude from the position it self that the absolute promise should give the soul assurance of Jesus Christ That it must be from some revelation of God that is added to the promise A kind of revelation of the souls name to be written in the book of life and so the soul should not build upon the word of God but upon some superadded revelation But neither of both these must be conceived But the promise hath always a sufficiency of light to discover to the soul the Lords willingness to receive him into union with himself Only this promise of God or discovery of the will of God to be laid as the Tower of the souls assurance must have a wise Master builder to lay it It is with this foundation as with other foundations when the timber is hewed and squared fit for a groundsel it must have a wise Master builder to lay it for a foundation So the soul must have instruction from the wisdom of God to lay this foundation so as he may see his assurance stand firm upon it Prem 2. Secondly I must premise That whatsoever is imployed by God in a subordination to his will for the effecting any end that is intended by God that 's the means of producing or effecting such an end This I premise that we may understand what is meant by means when we say by what means is this promise made sufficient to give the soul evidence of his union God is to be considered as the primary efficient cause upon which all things have their dependance And all things imployed by God for effecting that are inferiour causes and in respect of God himself they are called means though in respect of created causes some such inferiour causes may be called a principal cause So that whatever is imployed by God for effecting this end of assuring the soul of union with Christ that 's the means by which the promise is made effectual for that use Prem 3. Thirdly I must premise That there are divers and various means that do commonly concur together for effecting one and the same end though they have divers relations unto the end and work diversly for the effecting of it There may be divers kinds of influences from divers things to one and the same end And whatever hath influence into the end comes under the notion of a cause and in respect of the principal cause it comes under the notion of a means So in this great matter of evidencing to a soul its union with Christ there are many things that may and do concur for effecting that blessed end in the soul for enabling the soul to draw from the absolute promise the conclusion that he is united to Jesus Christ though those various things work in a various manner and one have influence into the end and another have another influence and so be looked at as divers in relation to this great matter of assurance Prem 4. Fourthly I must premise That there are four or five
either in his heart or life 1. To convince him of all his voluntary defects By discerning how the principles of other Christians are improved to the honour of God the soul may convince himself of his wilfull defects that he that hath received the same principle should walk so far contrary to God 2. The Soul may indeavour to convince it self of all his unsuitable walking to his Profession by gazing upon the brightness of that principle of Christianity professed by other Christians that shine forth in their Conversations 3. The Soul may indeavour to convince it self of his own unsutableness in his walking to his engagements unto God 4. And lastly of his unsuitableness to the rest of the Members of the Body of Christ V. Every Soul ought to endeavour to break his own Heart for any disproportion he can discern between his own Life and the Lives of other Christians between his own Grace and their Graces There are many pretious Soul-melting arguments that a Soul may help it self to towards the breaking of his own heart for any unsutable walking towards Jesus Christ by measuring his own Life and Graces with the Graces of other Christians 1. The Soul may be helped to a clearer sight of the transcendency of the riches of the Lords Grace in Christ to his Soul 2. The Soul may have a discovery of the superlative degree of the perverseness of his Heart to God Seeing the disproportion between himself and other Christians he may say Lord what a cursed crooked hellish perverse Heart have I 3. The Soul may have a discovery of the height of dishonour done to Jesus Christ by him when he shall see that those that he professes himself to be fellow members with so bearing up the brightness of the Image of Jesus Christ in their Conversations and then reflect upon himself and see scarce so much as any spark of that glorious Image of Christ to shine forth in him 4. From thence the Soul may have an inward holy shame to seize upon it to see the growth and increase of the Members of Christ his Brethren and see himself so barren so empty and poor VI. Every Soul may and ought to pass the sentence of condemnation against his own Soul from a discovery of any unsutableness in his Heart and Life to the Hearts and Lives of other Christians VII A Soul may measure himself so far by the Graces of others as to draw quickning arguments from thence to awaken his Heart to more watchfulness diligence and circumspection 1. From the sight of the Graces of other Christians excelling his own a Soul may and ought to propound to himself the Lords separation of his Soul as only peculiar to himself as well as the Souls of those that so much excel him in Grace 2. A Soul may from thence propound to himself the Lords predestination of him to as full a a participation of the fulness of Christ as any of those that he sees excel him in Grace From thence the Soul may argue with God why should others have such a large spark of Grace from Christ when I am so empty and poor and have scarce any thing of Christ 3. A Soul may from hence find out this argument that the glory and honour of Jesus Christ as much depends upon his Soul as upon the Souls of other Christians that so far excel him in Grace 4. The Soul may from thence propound to himself a necessity of conformity between all the members of Jesus Christ and thereby awaken his Heart to strive for the height of perfection or Grace that he discerns in any Christian VIII And lastly the Soul may and ought to keep a constant view of the Graces of all other Christians within his sight with a constant reflection upon his own Heart so as to provoke him to Jealousie to a kind of Emulation least other Christians should magnifie and exalt the name of Jesus Christ by a sutable conversation more than he Thus you see how far it is lawful for any Christian to measure himself by other Christians by their Hearts and Lives their Graces and Duties The second thing to be opened is when a Soul measuring himself by other Christians becomes a dark sinful distemper or when a Soul measures himself too too much by other Christians so that by measuring himself by others he keeps himself from that blessed heavenly light that should shine into his Heart whereby he might receive satisfaction of his union with Christ There are four ways how this measuring a mans self by other Christians becomes a dark distemper I. When a man makes his conformity to the Graces and Duties of other Christians to be the ground of his Faith either in the first act of Faith in consenting to the blessed will of God revealed or else in the renewed exercise of Faith again upon any occasion That is thus when the Soul conceives himself to have good grounds to hope that the Lord is willing to accept his Soul into union with Christ when he sees the same holiness and activity of Spirit for God the same Heavenliness and Spirituality the same pretious Dispositions working in their strength in his Soul to God that he discerns to be in other Christians And on the contrary the Soul conceives himself to have no good ground to believe the Lords willingness to accept his loveless Soul in Christ when he discerns a great disproportion between his Heart and other Christians when he beholds his own Heart dead and other Christians lively his own Heart shut up and others inlarged in all their faculties towards God This distemper is both exceeding sinful and exceeding dark when it grows once to this 1. It is a proportioning the love of God towards poor loveless Souls according to the proportion of Grace and Holiness in that Soul Yea the Soul by this makes the Eternal unchangeable love of God to be alterable various and changeable according to the alterations and variations of Mans Heart 2. It is a vailing and eclipsing at least if not a nullifying the freedom of the Lords love in Christ to poor loveless despicable Souls It is a making the Lords love to depend upon the Graces and Holiness in Souls and to be conveyed into Souls upon that ground 3. It makes the Soul nullifie undervalue and wretchedly disparage all the pretious promises in Gods blessed Book The Soul makes those unchangeable Words of God insufficient to support and uphold a poor sinking troubled laden Soul and to satisfie it concerning Gods will to receive it into union with himself in the Lord Jesus 4. It is a departing from the pretious Springs of Consolation digged by the Omnipotent God for thirsty Souls and a choosing a poor empty dry brook II. When a Soul in making a just parallel between himself and others makes every defect that he beholds in the proportion of his own Graces and Duties to the Graces and Duties of other Christians to be a sufficient ground
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