conscience Mat. 16. 18 19. And this I cal conviction of a gracious and happy estate which is opposite to that conviction of a wicked and wretched estate discovered in the conclusion of the legal Syllogism before mentioned 4 The Effects of this Testimony when it is finished are quite contrary to the former of the Spirit of Bondage 1. Calmnesse and sedation of spirit by the allaying of those boysterous winds of temptation that raised the waves This is contrary to that soul confounding horror that soul-ague soul-quake that I spake of formerly and is called in the Scripture Peace Isai 57. 19 21. and 't is opposed to the horrible confusions that are in a wicked mans awakened conscience ver 20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest therefore the godly mans pacified conscience is like the calmed sea that hath not a wrinkle in its face not a blast to stir any there no wind breathing on it except that of the Spirit of God to excite it to love and thankfulnesse 2. Joy and sweetnesse and self complacency in the heart Which is opposed to that second fruit of the Spirit of Bondage within a man which is before mentioned viz. Soul distressing anguish A man that was before not only a terror but a burthen to himself and was weary of living through his anguish of heart now begins to take pleasure in himself and begins to eat his bread with joy and goes about his businesse rejoycing as 't is said of the Primitive Saints Acts 2. 46. 8 39. This is called Joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. and 1 Thess 1. 6. Of the Holy Ghost because proceeding from this Testimony of the Holy Ghost It is like the content a man takes in viewing a great deal of wealth heaped up together and a man can â—ay This is mine when a Miser doth sibi plaudere applaud himself in the language of the Poet and blesse his soul in the Horace language of the Psalmist Psal 49. 18. such a soul can go through the whole Treasury of the Word and wallow on the Promises as oâ— so many heaps of gold and cry out rejoycing All this is mine Can look abroad among all the providences of God and say All these are mine and look upward to heaven and to crown of glory and an innumerable company of Angels c. and say All this shall be mine too in possession as it is now in Title This is like the tryumph after a peace and expressed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. in some such height of actual assurance of Gods love and his own happinesse Such a soul looks as God promised Davids house should be like the grass springing up by 2 Sam. 23. 4 clear shining after rain 3 Soul supporting hope And this I set against soul-distracting Despair which was reckoned in the former point among the fruits of the Spirit of Bondage This is not that hope which is the ground of justifying dependance upon Christ of which I have spoken before but that which is the daughter of assurance and differs from the other as I told you as Negative and Positive as rational and spiritual differ That hope is the daughter of notional knowledg this of Experimental Experience produceth this hope Rom. 5. 4. This is that that raiseth a man to a certain and patient expectation of and waiting for the things which faith of evidence assures him he hath a title unto and shall certainly enjoy We through the Spirit wait for the hope of Righteousnesse by Faith Where waiting sets out the nature of this hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do look out for and expect with earnestnesse as the mother of Sisera is said to do Judges 5. the hope i. e. the matter of the hope which is Of righteousness by faith which justifying faith assures us of and this is By the Spirit the Spirits testimony is the ground of this hope and his assistance the cause of it This is called the Anchor of the soul that stayes him from being carryed away with waves of despaire upon the rocks of certaine ruine And this is that that is the Helmet of our salvation guards all blowes from our heads all the blowes of temptations Heb. 6. 19 20. 1 Thes 5. 8. CHAP. VIII A Case concerning Absolute Promises and general offers of the the Gospel and conditional Promises in reference to the Spirits Evidence BUt here ariseth another Question Quest Doth the Spirit in its mediate testimony witness from absolute Promises or from Conditional Promises From general Offers or special Marks Ans By Absolute Promises I here understand such as suppose no preceding grace infused into and acted in us to the fulfilling of them as the Promises of the first grace and of the price and purchase of it the bloud of Christ c. which suppose no gracious condition at all in us required to the performance of them If at least these may in a tolerable sense be called Promises By Conditional Promises I meane those which expresse such and such qualifications in us as disposing us to receive the benefit of such a Promise as when Christ is promised John 3. 16 Matth. 5. 4 John 14. 21 to believers comfort to them that mourne acquaintance with God to them that keep his Commandments c. By general offers I mean such Promises in Scripture as tender Christ to every one excluding none by special Marks such characters in Scripture as discover who they be that have received him Next I shall distinguish between a supporting testimony of the Spirit and an assuring testimony of the Spirit 1 The supporting testimony of the Spirit is such a witnesse in a mans heart as in a grievous plunge of temptation keeps him from sinking a plank in a desperate shipwrack that saves him from drowning And it is ordinarily the last refuge of a soul when Satan hath quite conquered Assurance then the Spirit acts that soul by a faith of relyance wherein he doth petere principium in a good sense acts faith as at first in Justification Well saith the soul if I am no Believer if I am no lover of God if I be a Formalist an hypocrite yet there is faith repentance love sincerity for me in Christ and God offers it freely and unconditionately I will stay my self upon those Promises or gracious declarations Thus Absolute Promises may be and are the ground of the Spirits supporting testimony 2 But secondly There is an assuring testimony of the Spirit that that a Christian lives by in calm and clear times and trades by that whereby we are said to know that God dwells in us and we in him 1 John 4. 13. Therein the Holy Ghost is said to come in the Gospel in much Assurance 1 Thess 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a full sail of peace and spiritual satisfaction so that not only all doubtings are removed but all the grounds on which a man doubts are
again 2 Another Affirmative and Adversative But i. e in lieu of it you have received another-guise gift the Spirit of Adoption All these parts shall receive their fuller explication in the following Treatise which I shall marshal under four Propositions or Theses Whereof the first is Theses I. The Spirit of Bondage in Gods Elect ends in a Spirit of Adoption The handling of this point will afford us these main heads of Discourse 1 What Adoption is 2 What is the work of the Spirit of Adoption 3 How this Thesis is to be understood 4 How the truth of it appears 5 Why the Spirit doth in such persons so work 6 Certain other Questions and the use of the whole Concerning the first that falls in occasionally in this Chapter Quest 1. What is Adoption Ans Adoption is to be looked on under a double respect 1 Active 2 Passive whereby it hath relation 1 To its Causes 2 To its Subject So it is 1 An Act of Grace as it is the work of God Adopting 2 A gracious Priviledg as it is the state of man Adopted We shall joyn both together and describe it as a priviledg of ours but depending upon its causes Thus Adoption is a gracious priviledge whereby the Elect of God and they only are out of the special grace and good will of God the Father made his children through Jesus Christ and entituled with him to the joint inheritance of all the priviledges belonging to the sons of God both here and hereafter 1 The general nature of it is a gracious Priviledge And so the Scripture speaks of it every where 1 John 3. 1. Two special Notes set it out a note of Attention Behold and another importing Admiration What manner of love is this c. The word is in the Orignal In what soil doth this strange plant grow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In quo solo natus est talis amor If David thought it so great an honour and priviledg to be the Kings Son in Law 1 Sam. 18. 18 23. if it were noted as a special act of self-denial in Moses to reject that offered relation of being an adopted Son to Pharaohs daughter Heb. 11. 24 which imports it was such a priviledg as scarce any but a Moses would have refused certainly it must be a priviledg of an high nature to be made a Son or Daughter to God Almighty And this must needs be a gracious priviledge seeing the picture of it is so full of glory Rom. 9 4. 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a special Right Authority Joh. 1. 12. 2 This the more appears because it is appropriated to a very few the subjects of it are Gods Elect and they only Ephes 1. 5 He hath predestinated us to the Adoption of children And those Elect are not actually so till they become actual Believers John 1. 12. To as many as received him i e. believed in his name he gave power c. and needs must it be so for by nature we are children of wrath as well as others Ephes 2. 2 And we are the children of the first Adam till we are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 2. 3 The Causes of it are 1 Principal 2 Less principal 1 The principal cause is God the Father the Fountain of this relation His is the power of adopting Sons 'T was the usual act of the Father thus to adopt No child can adopt a father because it is an honour and the Superiour is not honoured by the Inferior but the Inferiour by the Superior Ephes 1. 3 5. compared So 1 John 3. 1 What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God The vouchsafement of it is from him to us 2 The lesse principal is either 1 That that inwardly moved him which the Schools call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that as followes is his meer grace and good will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ephes 1. 5. and this Chapter from ver 3 to 14. is a perfect common place upon it Having predestinated us to Adoption according to the good pleasure of his wil and therefore he will have that grace of his alone glorified thereby ver 6. And indeed what else could move him we being poor forlorn condemned creatures the seed of a Traitor and cast out in our nativity to the contempt of our persons c. as is described Ezek 16. 3 4 2 The outward procuring cause called also by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Jesus Christ which followes next in the description Through Jesus Christ Now Christ hath a special influence upon this work two wayes 1. As the purchaser of it unto us For he redeemed us that wee might receive the Adoption Gal. 4. 5. of sons We were not capable of this Adoption till redeemed unto it for wee were by nature the subjects nay the slaves to another Prince who ruleth effectually in the children Ephes 2. 2. of disobedience nay we were condemned by the justice of God and so til our lives and liberties were thus purchased were not capable of any inheritance our very beings and estates were legally forfeited and but by Christs purchase wee had never beene capable of inheriting any thing but Hel Ephes 1. 7 11. 1. Pet. 1. 3 4. 2. As the deriver of it upon us He being the head of all the Adopted family from whom the priviledg of the blood and right of inheritance is derived as a streame from the fountain upon us God first Adopting Christ in him us For our priviledg doth not flow properly from the natural relation of Christ to God the Father but from the moral assumed relation that which Christ received from him when he undertook to bring many children to glory for the priviledges of Christs natural relation to the Father cannot be communicated therefore he is called Gods only begotten Sonne And this is the blasphemy of the Familists both old and new that the Godhead dwelleth in the Saints as it doth in Christ whence it will follow contrary to scripture that the Saints also are the natural Sonnes of God This is that that I would say God hath annointed Christ as the second Adam and the head of his Church with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes bestowed upon him the graces of Justification Sanctification and all priviledges belonging to them in an eminent manner and so made him the first born son of his grace by Adoption Psal 89. 26 27. I will make him my first born This filiation is not that natural relation to God for he was never made the natural Son of God and in that respect seeing he had no brethren he could not properly be a first born It must therefore be meant of a primogeniture by Adoption and because primogeniture carries a right of Authority with it among Princes therefore it followes Higher then the Kings of the earth I 'll give him power over all the
thorow fear or temptation as at other times moving it to conceale the Devils counsell but out of distraction and oppression of spirit Now if this same soul find it selfe in the same condition before God when it sets to prayer it may lay the blame hereof on the greatnesse of its burthen and content it selfe in the assurance of as kind an acceptance of its sighs and groans as if they were drawn out in long prayers But if the straightnesse be not towards men or other imployments but only in duties to God-ward then enquire after farther causes whereof take these following 2. The admission of some late grievous sinne that yet is unrepented of Guilt is a tongue-tying thing When the man in the Gospel was taken without a wedding garment the Text sayes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was speechlesse Mat. 22. 12. his mouth was stopped with a gagge Great sins are great gaggs And 't is not only so with the unregenerate but with the Saints also See it in Davids example Psalm 51. 14 15. Deliver me saith he from blouds O Lord then my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousnesse Open my mouth c. Davids lips had a padlock upon them guilt had locked them up He dared not speak to God whom he had so grievously offended And no wonder if Saints dare not speak where they are sure not to speed if they be dumb when they know God is deaf David knew well enough that sinnes make Gods ear heavy as he informes us Psalm 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart God will not hear my prayer and the Prophet Isaiah tells us no lesse Isai 59. 1 2. The Spirit of prayer also will be grieved and depart from us if we defile his lodging he is a pure an holy Spirit Eph. 4. 30. In this case the counsel of Zophar to Job 11. 13 14. is very good If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thy hands towards God If iniquity be in thy hand put it far away c. So shalt thou lift up thy face confidently c. Search out the sinne and remove it by renewed repentance and the fresh application of the bloud of Christ by faith which is the fountain of Evangelical repentance and then try again the Spirit of Grace that enables thee to mourne will bee a Spirit of Supplication too Zech. 12. 10. 3. Sometimes Gods glory is the cause of thy restaints of spirit God intending to teach thee that all thy enlargements are from him alone We often pray in the strength of natural parts or gifts at the best and it may be we idolize these last in our selves and others Now God may in his wisedome leave us to straightenednesse of spirit in prayer to make us lesse depending upon those helps And this he will do to choose at such a time when afflictions are heavy upon us because that is a time if any be when it may be supposed necessity will enlarge parts and gifts to the utmost Afflictions are usually incitements and occasions of enlargement in prayer God makes account that at that time he shall hear from his people Hos 5. 15. and in our straits commonly we give God many faire words are rhetorical more then ordinary flatter with our lips Psalm 78. 36. A Scholar at the Vniversity that seldome writes and it may be if he do oftner then ordinary yet writes curtell'd letters to his friends at other times yet against Quarter-day when hee needs his pension will be sure not to fayle of a large letter and a bill of expences annexed Hence oftentimes the people of God are very fondly conceited of afflictions and under deadnesse of spirit are too apt to wish them out of a conceit that when they come they are able to make great use of them to quicken their hearts to prayer But the Lord chasteneth their foolish expectations divers times by stopping their mouths under those very troubles whence they hoped for great improvements and enlargements hereby teaching them that the Spirit of supplication as well as the Spirit of sanctification bloweth where and when he listeth John 3. 8. This case whenever it befalls any as we may ghesse when it doth so by our former valuation of gifts and conceits of improving afflictions c. calls upon such persons to give God the glory of his own peculiar attribute the preparer of the heart and the Spirit of its own office the Spirit of Supplication and call for and rely on divine assistance meerly in that work 4. Sometimes misapprehensions of God may be the cause of straightnesse in duty Thoughts that God is our enemy c. And then we deale with God as we do with our best friends many times in an humour we have a conceit that they have done us a discourtesie or are fallen out with us it may be upon slight reports or other as slender evidence and then our stomacks presently swell so bigge that we cannot so much as speak to them Pride and discontent will so swell a mans stomack like spleen winds up to a mans mouth that he cannot speak except to belch out the language of discontent and passion Sometimes we conceive God so offended at us that he casts away our prayer Lam. 3. 8. And where a man hath little hope to speed he will have very little heart to speak whereas hope to prevaile is the most fluent fountain of Rhetorick that can bee thus want of Faith makes the voyce of prayer stick in the teeth as we use to say The Spirit of Adoption only is the Spirit of Supplication and a man cannot pray so much to the purpose as when he can call God Father Then we cry 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom 8. 15. When David was in that grievous trouble Psalm 116. What lets his tongue loose in prayer I believed saith he therefore I spake v. 10. Friends prayer is the child of Faith not Fancy not the voyce of Invention but Affection begotten not in the brain of an Oratour but in the heart of a child A child is very copious and fluent in expression commonly when he complains to a Father but will lye still and cry it out in a sullen mood and say never a word if a stranger aske what ayles it The cure in this case is Look over all your evidences remember dayes past and the years of the right hand of the most high thy songs in the night and his mercy and lovingkindnesse in the day Call to mind promises of everlasting love in and notwithstanding the heaviest afflictions apply them and labor to urge them Challenge God upon old acquaintance as Christ My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Mat. 27. 46. O Lord how comes it to passe now that I have lost my acquaintance with thee Lord return and visit me with thy ancient loving kindnesses Psal 25. 6. 2 After discovery and removal of the impediments and obstructions aforesaid Study your own case distinctly and clearly