There can be but two senses in which this proposition can be taken First It must either be meant thus That the Lord Christ must not be applyed for comforting of Souls too much that is not applyed to comfort the Soul in his necessity with two great a confidence Now there it crosses the precious heavenly light that shines from the Sun of righteousness the Lord Christ in regard it is the great command that the Soul ought to receive him whole with all his priviledges propounded to the Soul with a full assurance of faith And so Abrahams faith is commended that he did not doubt at all Rom. 4.18 19 20. Or Secondly the application of the Lord Christ for comforting the Soul too much must be meant thus That he may be applyed too confidently to the Soul with too large a comprehension of the infinite riches of all excellencies that are treasured up for the Soul in the Lord Jesus Now to apply the Lord Jesus for comfort too much this way doth also directly oppose the Scripture 1. It is commonly the frequent prayer of the Apostle for the Saints that they might have the fullest comprehension of Jesus Christ to their Souls Eph. 1.17 18. He prays that their understandings may be enlightned that they may know what is the hope of his calling that is that they might know the glorious things that they are called to in Jesus Christ So Eph. 3.18 He would have them know the exceeding riches of his grace to them that believe He would have them comprehend the dimensions of the love of Christ to them 2. It is the desire of Jesus Christ that all his people might have fulness of joy John 15.11 These things have I spoken unto you that your joy might be full That 's also the Apostles prayer Rom. 15.13 The God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost 3. It is according to the degree wherein the Soul comprehends the excellency treasured up in Jesus Christ for his Soul that it partaketh of the excellency of Christ and is changed into the the likeness of Christ 1 John 3.2 So that it is a principle of darkness that clearly contradicts the word of truth to say the Soul must not apply the Lord Jesus too much that is with too large a comprehension of the priviledges of Jesus Christ to his Soul But there are two things to be opened about this for the clearing of it 1. Though Jesus Christ cannot be applyed for comforting the Soul too much be the Soul in what condition it can be yet the Lord Christ may be looked into for comforting a Soul too much That is when Souls look upon Jesus Christ for comfort without receiving him as he is tendered by God to the Soul Though Christ be the object of all true comfort to the Soul yet it is Christ as he is in Union with the Soul for it is not the goodness of an object simply and absolutely considered that doth send down strength and life into the heart in beholding of it but it is the goodness of an object appropriated to its self 2. Jesus Christ may be applyed by others for comforting their Souls too much I mean to affirm to any particular Soul that the Lord Jesus with his glorious priviledges is his this is applying Jesus Christ for comforting them too much the reason is plain in regard it is out of Gods way Though these two Cautions are to be observed yet it is a principle of darkness that is necessary to be removed before there can be a certain evidence of the Souls Union with Christ There is one Principle of darkness more and that is this That a Soul must discern his peculiar right to Principle of Darkness and interest in the particular promise before he believe it is the will of God to receive his particular Soul into Union with Christ The meaning of the Soul is this that he must behold some promise pass'd over to him by Jesus Christ before he can believe it is the will of God to receive him into Union with Christ This principle being so cunningly forged in Hell that it is scarce discerned from a principle of light we shall endeavour to help you to discern it to be a principle of darkness I find three foundations upon which this principle is built 1. That it cannot possibly be lawfull for every Soul to believe that it is the will of God to take him into union with Christ For saith the Soul then the greatest part of the world should be put upon it to believe a lie 2. That it must be through a Souls right to some promise that he cometh to have a right to Jesus Christ Now this is a false foundation because there can be no interest nor right the Soul can have to one promise of God before the Soul is bound to believe that the Lord will receive his soul into Union with Christ 1. In regard the first promise is Jesus Christ himself and the very primary object of faith is Jesus Christ himself This you shall observe Gen. 3.15 The first promise that was given to Adam was that the seed of the woman should break the serpents head which is nothing but a promise of Jesus Christ 2. When the promise was first renewed to Abraham it was in these words In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed What is that seed It is Jesus Christ Gal. 3.16 So the Apostles in their preaching laid Jesus Christ as the first object of faith Believe in the Lord Jesus 3. A third foundation of this principle is this That only those promises that are made unto holy qualiqualities in sanctified Souls are assuring promises or promises that can assure unto a Souls faith that the Lord will receive him into union with Christ Saith the Soul there are inviting promises and assuring promises now inviting promises speak so general as none can discern his union from thence but the promises to the graces they in a manner particularize Souls Now hence the Soul concludeth thus it must of necessity be a necessary precedent before a Souls assurance that God will take him into union with Christ that he see some holy quality in his own spirit to which the Lord hath made some such promise Now observe the gross darkness and blindness in conceiving inviting promises not to be able to give assurance to a Souls faith of union with Christ It will appear in two or three things 1. Then the Soul must conceive that those promises that the Lord propounds in the inviting of the Soul to Christ may not be believed with a fulness of confidence and assurance Now 1. Thence the Soul must conceive that some portions of the word of God have not sufficient authority to be believed undoubtedly by the Soul Now what an high indignity is offered to God in entertaining such a thought that any
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
A TREATISE OF THE Souls Vnion WITH CHRIST Wherein is Declared What this Vnion with Jesus Christ is And many False Grounds of Vnion Discovered In which these Two weighty Quest are largely handled viz. I. How Souls do attain the first certain infallible Evidence of their Vnion with Christ II. 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 their Evidence of Vnion with Christ received is really from God and not a Diabolical Enthusiasm or Inspiration or a Delusion from the Devils Translation of himself into Angelical Glory By J. L. Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 London Printed for J. Hancock at the Three Bibles in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil 1680. The Contents The occasion of the words and opening of them Doct That the purpose and intetns of God in discovering the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ unto the Sons of men is that he might gather together their Souls into union with Jesus Christ that by vertue of their union they might be one with the Father as he and Christ are one p. 5. Three Questions answered Quest What is this union with Jesus Christ What is it to be one with Jesus Christ Answered 1 Negative 2 Affirmatively p. 6. Quest 2. How can the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ bring the Soul into union with him Answered 1 Negatively 2 Affirmatively p. 9. Quest 3. Why the Lord intends by the revelation of the Gospel to bring Souls into union with Jesus Christ Two premises and 4 answers p. 14. Use 1. Of information in 9 particulars p. 19. Use 2. By way of admonition p. 23. Wherein three great miscarriages of Souls in attending upon Gospel Ordinances are opened Quest Is union with Christ the first intent of God in revealing Gospel truths Doth not the Lord require there should first be a mortifying of corruption a drawing the heart from sin that there should first be a mortifying of corruption a drawing the Heart from sin that there should be a cutting off from the old stock that it might be magnified into the New Vine Jesus Christ Two Premises the Answer p. 24. Use 3. Of Examination Whether we be united to Jesus Christ Four things to urge the necessity of knowing it p. 29 This great Question propounded Quest How shall I know whether I be united to Christ or no Or what is it that may evidence the Souls Vnion Answ 1. Negatively The Souls Vnion with Christ cannot be evidenced these ways 1. Not from any work of the Spirit of God that is effected in or upon the Soul p. 32. 2. Not by any thing inherent in the Soul p. 34. 3. Not by any thing done or effected by the Soul or that can be effected and done p. 38. 4. Not from the outward Revelation of the nature and manner of the union of the Soul with Christ cleared in Three particulars p. 45. Some Questions Answered before the Affirmative Answer Quest 1. Whether all those Evidences from something thus inherent in themselves and done them by the Spirit of God be rotten and unsound and no Evidences p. 47. Answered 1. Negatively 1. They are no Evidences of Faith p. 49. 2. They are no Evidences of Knowledge p. 49. Answ 2. Affirmatively those may be improperly called Evidences are Evidences of Opinion p. 50. Five things to be noted about Evidences of Opinion Quest 2. Why doth the Scripture propound the Souls obedience unto God and its love unto God as Signs and Evidences of the Souls union with Christ p. 56. Quest 3. To what purpose are all the Promises made to Qualities inherent in Souls and to the workings of the Spirit of grace in hearts seeing union with Christ cannot be evidenced from it Answered p. 60. Quest 4 Are not the Promises made to Faith and believing as believing that through Faith only a Man can claim right to the Promises Answered p. 66. The use of conditional Promises opened in Four particulars p. 69. Answ 2. The affirmative Answer How a Soul may know his Vnion with the Lord Jesus Four Premises p. 71. The Question must be concerning assurance of Faith and not of knowledge It divideth it self into two Questions 1. How Souls do obtain the first certain infallible Evidence of their union with Christ 2. By what means 3. In what manner Quest From whence do Souls obtain infallible Evidences ef their Vnion with Christ Answ There is but one only proper ground substantially and that is the Lords own free promise cleared in Three particulars p. 80. Quest But it is not from the sight of a Condition to which the Lord hath made some Promise of Christ that a Soul receiveth the infallible evidence of his Vnion p. 82. Vnder what notion the Promises that seem to be made to Conditions are to be understood in 5. particulars p. 87. Two things to clear those Texts that seem to make the Promise run upon Conidition opened in many particulars p. 91. Quest But doth not the Lord reveal first these Graces that he describes his own People by to be in such Souls and then through the sight of them clear to Souls that he hath given them the Lord Christ out of his own good will alone through the Promise from p. 96. to 105. Quest How can the Lords absolute Promise be the ground from whence the Soul can have the first infallible evidence of his Vnion seeing there is no absolute Promise of God wherein he discovers his own will to accept any one particular Soul into Vnion with the Lord Christ Answer p. 105. Quest 2. By what means doth a Soul receive the infallible evidence of his Vnion Four Premises the positive Answer p. 113. 118. Three joynt concurring Causes and what they are p. 119. That the Spirit of God is the principal most immediate cause of the Promises evidencing to the Soul his Vnion with Christ p. 123. Cleared in 4. particulars Quest 3. In what manner doth a Soul receive the first infallible evidence of his Vnion with Christ 5. Premises p. 130. The Positive Answer in opening Five Effects that the Spirit of God doth produce in every Soul to whom it doth manifest his Vnion with Christ from the Promise 1. The Spirits Illumination 2. The Spirits Irradiation of the Gospel to the Soul 3. The Spirits conviction of the Conscience 4. The Spirits excitation 5. The Spirits Attestation or Witness unto the Soul p. 132. 1. The Spirits Illumination p. 133. This consists 1. In the infusion of greater degrees of Divine light into the Soul 2. In the removal of all Impediments these are of Two sorts I. Principles of Darkness of which there are 8. opened in many particulars p. 136. to 178. II. Dark Distempers Six of them opened p. 178. to 233. 2. The spirit
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
near God he calls for a days-man There is no days-man between us that he might lay his hand upon us both that is there is no mediator to mediate between God and me to bring me near to him till Jesus Christ become a days-man between God and the Soul that by vertue of his mediation there is an union made up God and the Soul stand at enmity there is an high wall of partition built up between God and the Soul Now because the Lord from eternity determined to bring some souls into union with himself therefore for the accomplishing his own will he intends the Gospel instrumentally to draw souls into union with the Lord Jesus for the perfecting union with him self Reas 2. The Lord doth it That he might communicate of his own glorious excellencies into souls Now without this union with the Lord Christ there can be no communications of those excellencies into souls though there may be some influences into souls without this yet not in that glorious way of communicating himself whereby the Lord intends to make himself admired 1. Without this union there can be no communication of the Lords life and image unto souls That is no communicating of the divine dispositions of his own understanding and will into the understanding and wills of his people that they should live a sutable life to his life 2. Without this union there can be no communication of the love of God unto their souls There may be influences of God into souls without union but no influences of love without union and that in two respects 1. In regard the displeasure of Justice is only removed through the union of Souls with Christ And before offended Justice is appeased there can be nothing but wrath in the bosom of God against souls 2. In regard the Adoption is onely purchased by the Lord Christ All the love that the Lord communicates unto any soul is fatherly love the love of Adoption Now adoption comes onely by Christ who purchased Adoption for us I mean materially though originally it comes from God 3. Without this union there can be no communication of any mercy Mercy is love respecting an object as miserable Now man as made miserable by Sin cannot expect the least dram of mercy from God but by a Mediator such a Mediator as shall satisfie Justice Now without union with Christ there is no vertue of Mediation conveyed into the soul and thence none of the mercy of God is conveyed into the soul 4. Without this union there could be no full communication of the Lord unto Souls Though indeed the Lord might glorifie himself in communicating some degrees of his excellency in some way as making himself glorious in Justice and though outward mercies be communicated by the influences of his power in protection and of his wisdom and providence in ordering things 5. There could be no everlasting communication of God without union Were it not for the union of Souls with Christ the sentence past upon souls in the loyns of Adam would be a sentence of death upon them Now the Lord intends to have eternal glory by the eternal communication of himself unto the souls of his Saints and therefore he intends to draw them into union with Christ This the Lord intends in two respects 1. In regard the communication of Gods excellencies are essential unto him It is as natural unto God to be pouring out of his excellencies into souls as it is natural for the Sun to infuse beams of light upon the creatures 2. In regard it is the highest delight and contentment of God to be communicating of himself unto his creatures The Lord takes greatest pleasure in pouring forth his own fulness into the bosoms of empty souls in two respects First in regard the communication of his excellencies unto souls is the manifestation of his own glory The excellency of God is made known by communicating of it to others Then the excellency of his holiness appears when it is poured into souls Then love and grace appear when it is fixed upon the soul of a worthless worm Secondly this communicating of himself is the highest delight and contentment of God in regard it is the pouring forth of himself into his own beloved objects It is so Essential to God to communicate of himself that he takes contentment in it be it to what creature soever be it to an enemy the Lord delights in the act of it in regard he attains his own highest end that ever his eye of intention was fixed upon which is the manifestation of his own glory Much more the Lord takes delight in communicating himself to the souls of his Saints in regard those are chosen to that end Now where there is an object beloved there is always delight in doing good to such an object Therefore the Lord draws souls into union with Jesus Christ that they may be sutable subjects to communicate himself to Reas 3. The Lord intends to draw souls into union with the Lord Christ by revealing the truths of the Gospel because he hath purposed and determined to make the mystical body of Christ the object of his own delight and contentment to all eternity 1. The Lord takes pleasure in dwelling among them and manifesting himself to them 2 Cor. 6.16 It is the priviledge of the Saints to have God dwell among them here much more does the Lord intend to dwell among them to eternity 2. The Lord intends they should be his delight in having sweet familiarity and precious converse with them That converse properly consists in two things First in the Lords opening and revealing to their souls all the secrets of his ways and works that ever were manifested in the world and that in their intended issue and effects That manifestation of the beams of his own glory that shined in all his ways is a kind of familiar talk with the souls of his Saints Secondly it consists in the Lords being among them familiarly without terrifying or affrighting them Then Job shall have his desire Chap. 9.34 Let not his face terrifie me c. 3. That their souls might have perfect communion with him constant communion without interruption and intermission Now when there is a sutableness of the object for the perfection of love then there is a sutableness for the perfection of delight it being nothing but love in rest or love injoying the beloved object Reas 4. The Lord intends this by the Gospel to bring souls into union in regard he intends to manifest the glory of the incomprehensible riches of his own love in and through their souls Isa 43.7 Bring forth my Sons and Daughters that I have created for my glory Now the Lord accounts the manifestation of the riches of his love and compassion to poor worthless man to be one of the most precious bright shining beams of his own glory Therefore when Moses desired his glory to pass before him he proclaimed his name the Lord
man cannot walk nor move neither can a dead soul without union with Jesus Christ either walk or move in the least measure So that there cannot be the least step set from one corruption while the soul remains without union I deny not but the Lord may cause the branches of sin to be cut off and the acts of sin to be suspended through the terrours and horrours of the law and fear of the wrath of God but the habit of sin remains the same still and the enmity works as strongly in the bosom against Jesus Christ as before though it doth not appear so much Therefore it is impossible there should be a departing from sin till the soul be brought into union with Jesus Christ much less that it should be acting any holiness or performing any spiritual duty whatsoever Now in regard the Lord requires the soul at the same moment that he receives the Gospel to depart from all iniquity and requires all spiritual duties in their perfection therefore the Lord requires the means to be performed by the soul to yield obedience to the great command that is the receiving Jesus Christ into union 4. There are no degrees tending to the perfection of the union of the soul with Christ nor nothing that can in its own nature tend in an orderly way to the procuring of that union of the soul with Christ I deny not but the Lord may according to his own pleasure use and imploy many things as antecedents going before this union but after the effecting of all these things in the heart that thou conceivest tend in order to union with Jesus Christ the soul is no nearer union than it was before any of these things were effected in the heart The reason is plain there is no medium between union and separation and disjunction The nearest point the soul can stand at is enmity Now all that can be effected in the heart before compleating union takes not away the enmity The soul moralized or civilized humbled and brought to prayer is still an enemy There is but terminus à quo and ad quem the term from which and the term to which without any medium or middle State Nay there is no degree of the union but a soul passeth from a State of enmity to perfect union in one instant in one moment That soul that this moment was an enemy at an infinite distance from God the next moment the Lord coming in by an inevitable light into the understanding and irresistable power into the will is as compleatly united to Christ as any soul in heaven Vse III. The third use is by way of examination to see if the precious Gospel truths have had their effects upon our hearts And to this end search into your hearts to see whether you be united to Jesus Christ Either you are united to Christ or you are not united Either you are sinking in the depths of sin or you are upon the rock Christ and all depends upon the knowing of this Consider these three of four things I. What a cursed stupidity and blockishness 't is not to know whether Jesus Christ be united to thee or at a distance from thee Would we not think that man a block that knows not whether he be alive or dead II. Consider how cursedly thou dost despise the Lord Christ Wilt thou ride an hundred miles to make sure of an earthly estate and shall the great treasure of heaven stand open to thee and either 't is thine or 't is not thine and thou knowest not III. Consider how wretchedly thy soul destroys the vertue of all Gospel Ordinances by disregarding this search While thy soul perseveres carelesly not regarding nor examining whether Jesus Christ be one with thee impossible it is that any of the most powerful Gospel Ordinances should ever convey the least benefit into thy Soul And that in two respects 1. In that thou makest thy self an unsutable subject for every Gospel Ordinance Ordinances have but two ends either to allure thy soul into union or else to seal that union and let thy soul enjoy that blessed fruit thereof Now whilst thou never mindest whether Christ be one with thee or no thou art unsutable for every Ordinance of that kind 2. Thou preventest the efficacy of every Gospel Ordinance upon thy soul What concernment is it of to thy soul when the most precious arguments of love are set forth by the mouth of a messenger of God when thou mindest it not First it prevents the efficacy of all Gospel Ordinances in regard there can be no sense of the want of union while thy soul neglects the search Till the prodigal came to consider he was from his fathers house where there was bread enough he had no desire to return but was content to feed upon husks Secondly there can be no sense of the Lords choosing thy soul into union Though the sense of the want of union be of absolute necessity to every soul before Gospel Ordinances take effect yet this is not sufficient some think there must be a sense of the Lords choosing of the soul before the soul can close in union with Christ and till then there can never be a consent of the will Now how can there be a sense of the Lords choosing thee into union when thou mindest not whether thou beest already united to Christ or no IV. Consider how wrongfully thou usurpest the name of a Christian to thy self when thou regardest not whether union between Christ and thy Soul be made up The name of a Christian at least presupposeth an union of peace then it presupposeth a time when it was made up and if such an union be not made up thou dost wrongfully usurp that holy name to thy self But here may be a Question propounded by the Soul Quest How shall I know whether I be united to Christ or no Or what is it that may evidence the souls union I shall first premise two or three things and then give an answer to the question Premise 1. First I shall premise That the union between the Lord Christ and the Soul may be invisible to the Soul it self Though the marriage knot may be knit yet the soul may not be able to discern it The rational soul is united to the body of a poor infant in the womb while it is a poor Embrio yet the rational soul knows it not through the weakness of the organs by which it should work Thus it may be with the soul It may be begotten to the Lord Christ by his spirit and yet the soul being but a babe in Christ through the imperfection of knowledge may not be able to discern himself united to Christ Premise 2. Secondly I must premise That there may be a true and real union between Christ and the soul and yet the soul may discern many disorders and sad miscarriages in it self when the union was effected or produced in that soul The Apostles themselves at their
first embracing of Christ had strange conceits of a temporal kingdom of Christ and yet no question the union between Christ and their souls was real only through want of clearness of light many disorderly affections were in them which were set in order afterwards Premise 3. Thirdly I must premise also That there is a vast difference to be observed between arguments or confirming signs of union with Christ and evidences of union with Christ Those properly are called evidences that do in their proper nature discover union whenever they are present So that when such things are present the soul cannot question his union with Christ And those cannot properly be called evidences that are not able to clear up union with Christ whenever they are present in the soul Now of that nature are many holy dispositions and holy qualities in the soul that may be present in the soul and not able to clear up the souls union yet these are evidences that may and do clear unquestionably whenever the Lord discovers them The Question you ask is a great question The question is how we shall know our union with Christ That is how we may attain evidences of union our union either being dark or doubtful or else never had clear evidences You that have it do not ask how you shall have it confirmed more and more but how you shall have evidences of your union Now I shall answer First Negatively how you may not Secondly Affirmatively how you may Neg. First negatively how you may not in three or four things Ans 1. First the souls union with Christ cannot be evidenced from any work of the spirit of God that is effected in or upon the soul That is neither by his Illumination Humiliation or Reformation Neither by a restraining work from sin or preventing work of sin or alluring work from sin that the spirit of God hath effected upon the soul All these works are too weak to clear up union to the soul and that upon three grounds 1. In regard all the works of the Spirit upon the Soul that do go before Union may be and are wrought upon Souls that never obtain Union with the Lord Christ As Humiliation sorrow for Sin restraint from Sin some kind of turning the Heart away from Sin some kind of love to the Ordinances of God All those that go before the very instant wherein the Soul is United to Christ may be effected in many Souls that never obtain Union Nay they may be and appear greater in many Souls that never obtained Union than in Souls that attain unto Union with Christ And in regard those works of the Spirit upon Souls are common to Souls that are not United as well as to Souls United thence they are no Evidences of a Souls Union Whatever must evidence Union to a Soul must be proper and peculiar to Souls United that it may be properly said that no Souls that are not compleatly United to Christ can have such a work upon their Hearts Now no such work goes before immediate union but may be common to a Soul never United to Christ For Conviction of Sin and Sorrow for Sin I might instance in Judas In reformation and desire to Ordinances we need go no further than a Wretched Herod Mark 6.20 He heard John Baptist gladly and reformed many things For a Souls Mourning after God apparently we may see it in Esau A Soul out of the sense of want of Union may Mourn most bitterly Now in regard of rhe Commonality of the works to Souls not United as well as unto Souls United they can be no Evidences of Union 2. In regard these works of the Spirit upon the Soul can yield no Divine Witness or Testimony unto the poor doubting Soul Indeed all the works of God Originally are Divine Works and Works of Divine Power yet they have no Power to yield a Divine Testimony Now nothing can be a sufficient ground for the Soul to believe its Union with Christ unless it be a Divine ground The proper object of all Divine Faith must be a Divine ground If it be a Fallible Ground it is a Fallible Faith if an uncertain Ground it is an uncertain Faith if a Humane Ground it is a Humane Faith Now in case upon those grounds as the sight of such works of the Spirit of God the Soul should believe its Union with Christ it should not believe it with a Divine Faith because there is no Divine ground to believe it upon 3. In regard there is no promise of Union with Jesus Christ made by God unto Souls that have these works of the Spirit of God upon them That is no promise to the Soul that is Burdened with Sin or the like I mean thus the Lord doth not engage in any of these promises to Souls that had such and such Works of the Spirit of God upon them that those he would bring into Union and none but those That is because my Soul is burdened with Sin or because the Spirit of God hath now convinced my Soul in this or that manner that therefore I have right to such and such a promise No these Promises are made to Souls in reference to Union with Christ that by Union with Jesus Christ I might have right to these Promises and to the effecting those Qualifications in the Soul too Ans 2. Secondly we cannot evidence our Union by any thing inherent in the Soul That is not by any gracious Quality Habit Inclination or Disposition that is infused from God into the Soul The Graces of the Spirit Communicated to the Soul and dwelling in it are as insufficient to manifest and evidence this interest in Christ as the workings of the Spirit upon the Soul I mean all holy Dispositions and Inclinations that are Communicated to any Soul And that upon these grounds I. In regard of the neer similitude and likeness of Counterfeit Qualities and Graces to all those Holy Qualities and Graces and Habits that can be discovered in a Soul The Devil hath his Artists at work as well as the Spirit of God is at work and there is no precious Jewel of Grace the Spirit frames in the Soul but the Devils Artists can Counterseit a Jewel of as neer Similitude as possible only to delude poor Souls Yea there is such a neerness of likeness in those false Dispositions to those True Precious Holy Qualities as the imperfect sight of the Soul cannot possibly discern the difference when the Union of the Soul is dark As to instance in Poverty of Spirit which is an emptiness of the Soul of all Confidence in it self being nothing in its own eyes Mark what a neer Counterfeit the Devils Artists can make cursed Pride of Spirit so as it can scarce be discerned nay so neer as the Soul commonly mistakes A Soul is convinced of Sin and moved to accept of the Lord Christ tendred Now comes the Devil What such a Cursed Wretch as thou art receive the Lord
Christ tendred The Lord Christ is of Holy Pure Undefiled eyes purer than to behold Iniquity Canst think the Lord will accept of such a forlorn Soul as thine that hath so cursedly Rebelled against him O no saith the Soul I dare not conceive God will look upon me who am such a Cursed Wretch Alas poor Soul thou thinkest this to be Poverty of Spirit when indeed it is Cursed Pride Thou wouldest have some ground of Confidence in thy self that the Lord should accept of thee and thou thinkest it great Humility in thy self like another Peter what Jesus Christ Wash my Feet Now what neer likeness is here between this Pride of Spirit and Poverty of Spirit All the difference is here that the Soul that is truly poor desires never to have any thing in himself to rest upon The Soul hath no hope of ever having any thing as it is in itself and alas this difference is hardly discerned Thus also if you go to Sincerity of Obedience Saith the Soul though I do fail in my purposes yet I hope my Heart is sincere towards God in all that I do and that is given as another evidence of the Souls Union I say it is true but the question is how we shall discern it from the meer working of Ignorance Sincerity is a single eye to the Will of God and to his Honour and Glory in what thou dost but according to the Souls Judgment a Soul acted meerly by the principle of Ignorance may have a single eye at Gods Glory Rom. 10.2 3. The Jews had a Zeal for God but not according to knowledge and so they went about to establish their own Righteousness Hence the Soul will say I think I have Sincerity of heart but I do not certainly know I may be deceived Thus in these chief things there is such a neerness that we can scarce discern the Jewel from the Counterfeit II. In regard those holy Dispositions Inclinations and Habits of Grace do properly proceed from some kind of evidence of a Souls Union and according to the clearness of the Souls evidence of Union so do these Graces increase and according as the Souls Union is eclipsed so do they decrease To begin with that which most promises seem to be made to that is to Mourners Whence does true Mourning for Sin in the Soul proceed Is it not from a sight of the Lord Christ Yea from some sight of the Souls propriety in Christ at least thus far from some sight of probable interest in Christ Is it not from thence the Soul beholds first the cursed nature of Sin Indeed the horridness of the nature of Sin never appears but in the precious glass of the Lords Bowels of Mercy to poor Loveless Souls III. In regard the right nature and truth of those Holy Qualities or Habits of Grace in the Soul cannot be discerned but from the sight of the Union of the Soul with Christ And that in these respects 1. In regard there is not a full conformity in those Holy Qualities inherent in thy Heart to the rule of the Word that doth command those Holy Qualities Should I begin at the lowest which is Sincerity of heart in the Souls Obedience unto God The Soul can seldom I might say never see a Conformity in his Obedience to the rule of the word The rule is in Eph. 6.5 6. it is spoken concerning Servants but it holdeth in every duty Servants be Obedient to them that are your Masters according to the Flesh with fear and Trembling in singleness of your Heart as unto Christ not with eye-Service as men-pleasers but as the Servants of Christ doing the Will of God from the Heart True Sincerity in Obedience to any command it is a singleness of Heart unto Jesus Christ a single eye that is having respect to nothing but Christ alone The species of all the vision of that eye with which he respects the duty being taken from Jesus Christ alone Now how far short shall a Soul see it self of a conformity to the rule When can the soul say his heart was single to Christ in prayer or in any Ordinance Now in regard the soul may behold at all times so great a difference in the holy qualities inherent in his heart to the rule that it ought to be brought to a full conformity to those holy qualities in the heart cannot evidence unto the soul the truth of its union with Christ The truth of them cannot appear in themselves without a sight of the souls union in regard of the imperfection of the souls sight to discern the depths of his own heart Any knowing soul judgeth it self to be far unable to search the depths of his own heart Jer. 17 9. The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it Thence it is the soul hath never sufficient evidence of the truth of any holy quality in himself from the quality it self to answer all the objections of a carnal heart because that remains unanswered the heart is deceitful 2. In regard the truth of those holy qualities appear only as they do proceed from faith Therefore unless the soul discerns and knows them to be fruits of faith it cannot conclude them to be holy qualities Hebr. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God Now he that discerns faith discerns union with Christ therefore it must needs be that there is a sight of union before a sight of the truth of those holy qualities Answ 3. The third negative answer is this That the union of the soul with Christ cannot be evidenced by any thing done or effected by the soul or that can be effected and done Whether we look upon works internal or works external whether we look upon the inward moving of the affections to to God or whether we look upon the expressions of those affections that is the breaking out of those affections into prayer and constant intercessions with God into reading and hearing and attending upon ordinances into holiness expressed in the conversation by none of these can the union with Jesus Christ be cleared and evidenced Yet for the right understanding of this these three things are to be considered 1. I do not mean that no work of the soul either inward or outward done by the soul is an evidence of the souls union with Christ Though no work of the soul be able to clear the union and evidence it yet the work may be an evidence in it self The inward act of Faith is an infallible evidence of the souls union where the soul is able to understand that act of Faith to be of the right nature the word of God requires Faith to be in the Soul 2. I do not mean neither in this conclusion that the union of the soul with Christ may be evidenced without the souls beholding any work either inward or outward in it self For infallibly and necessarily in the souls beholding its union with the Lord Christ it does
behold some workings in its spirit also some holy act in and upon Jesus Christ At the same time the soul beholds its union with Jesus Christ it beholds its receiving Jesus Christ which is an act of Faith 3. The meaning of the conclusion is this That no works either inward or outward performed by the soul have sufficient light in themselves to manifest themselves unto the soul nor from themselves and their own nature to manifest the union of the soul with Christ Though there is an inward act of soul that is an inseparable evidence of the souls union which is the act of Faith yet that act of Faith in it self considered as is is the meer act and work of the soul hath not sufficient light in it self to discover it self to the soul that it is the inseparable act of the souls union Likewise is every work of the soul inward or outward of the same nature The works of the soul may be works of light and yet the beams of light shine so dimly forth as they cannot discover their own nature to the soul they cannot discover themselves to be those works that the Scripture holds forth to be the infallible consequence of the souls union with Christ And that the works of the soul have not sufficient light in themselves to discover union will appear in divers respects 1. Because all the works of the soul united to Christ may be present in the soul when the union of the soul with Christ is obscure and dark The act of Faith that is the most eminent effect of the souls union with Christ may be very strong in the soul when the soul may be yet dark A clear instance will be given in Mat. 27.46 by the Captain of our Salvation who believed when he hung upon the Cross and exercised Faith in God as appears in those words My God yet the union between Jesus Christ and God the Father as Mediator was dark that made him cry out My God My God why hast thou forsaken me The hypostatical union was firm and as firm as now it is in heaven but the manifestation of that union was obscure when the Lord Christ did bear the greatest burden of the consequence of sin that was possible in bearing the sense of the absence of God from him for a season 2. It appears in regard the union between Christ and the soul is only passive The union is compleat between Jesus Christ and the soul before any one act goes forth from the soul unto Christ It is impossible there should be the least motion of the soul towards the perfecting or compleating of the union between Christ and the soul unless we could conceive there may be motions in dead persons that there may be action where there is no life Now the union being passive there may be a manifestation of the union between Jesus Christ and the soul at the same time at the same moment that the union between Christ and the soul is compleated I do not say it is ordinary but I say there may be a sight of the Lord Christ coming down into the heart in that instant and moment wherein Jesus Christ does take actual possession of the heart and unite it unto himself Now in case the union of the soul should be so evidenced with Christ then should all works either inward or outward in the soul be excluded from having any interest in the manifestation of that union 3. In regard the same kind of works that do arise properly from the union of the soul with Christ though not peculiarly may arise from other principles where there is no union There are three false originals of such outward works 1. God himself may be the Original of such works in some souls though not by vertue of union nor in relation unto union That is though the Lord convey not any influences that are the proper influences peculiar unto union nor though the Lord does not convey those influences into the soul from whence those outward works proceed to bring the soul into union with Jesus Christ Prayer and revealing the truths of God and reading of them and all outward works of a soul may be produced by God in the soul only in relation to other souls that are already united to himself The Lord may convey large streams of gifts and inward affections unto some souls and excite them to the imploying of all those gifts in all outward works of his own worship only in respect to the good of his own peoples souls when the Lord intends not any benefit to the soul that partakes of those gifts Thus the Lord dealt with Cyrus Isa 45.1 and Chap. 44.28 Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus he is my shepherd and shall perform all my pleasure even saying to Jerusalem thou shalt be built and to the Temple thy foundation shall he laid The Lord did convey strength to Cyrus to carry him on in a glorious work of reforming his worship and to build the Temple when the Lord intended no good to Cyrus I mean so as to bring his soul into union with Christ Thus God furnished John with Zeal against Idolatry for the good of his peoples souls and it redounded little to the good of his soul For ought we know Judas was furnished with as good gifts as the rest of the Apostles and seemed to pray with as much earnestness and publish the truths of Christ with as much Zeal as any of the Apostles whereas none of those gifts that Judas had were conveyed by vertue of the union of his soul with Christ nor were given with an intent to bring his soul into union 2. A second false original of such works is the souls own principle of self Self ends self lusts self intendments may be like the spring that may set all the wheels of the affections on work and produce all those outward expressions in the work of God Certainly it was one of the chief intendments in the Pharisees in all their works of holiness and strictness in their conversation that they might advance themselves outwardly and to eternity and thought to tie God to give them heaven for it 3. The third false original of works that properly flow from union is from the Devil himself The workings of prayer of hearing of meditating or forsaking sin in the conversation may come from the Devil himself he taking his opportunity to sail with the wind and row with the tide He seeing the Affections work towards duties of holiness he presses with all his might to the performance of them that he might weary out the soul with them or else cause the confidence of the soul to be placed in them and the soul to promise it self happiness by them Certainly the Zeal of Paul that he had for God and the law of God was acted by the Devil himself And Saul that was so Zealous to offer sacrifice before he went to battle it was from the Devil Those souls
opinion Perfection of conformity to Scripture rule is the command and injunction that lies upon every soul Now these evidences of opinion being attained and yet the soul falls short of Scripture rules thence it necessarily follows that no soul may or ought to content it self with those evidences III. You must note That the seeking after and walking by these evidences of opinion only do expose the soul to the want of all props supports and comforts in the greatest necessities of the soul These evidences are like the little Brook the Prophet Elisha sat down by when he went from Jezebel that ran only in the beginning of the famin and after was dry Or rather they are like Jonah's Gourd Jonah 4.6 of which the poor man was exceeding glad for a night and felt the shadow of it but when the Sun arose a worm struck the Gourd and Jonah was exposed to the heat of the Sun Thus may the evidences of the soul from inherent qualities and the working of those qualities be like a precious Gourd for a season where the soul may have refreshments but if the Sun gets to the mid heavens and there come any scorching heat then do they vanish like Jonah's Gourd and the soul is exposed to a comfortless hopeless condition for eternity There are four great necessities of the soul when it hath the greatest need of evidences and in all these the evidence of opinion fails the soul 1 When any Sin in the heinousness of its guilt and the dreadfulness of its merit and desert is charged upon the conscience When Sin comes once to be thus charged it causeth all the evidences of opinion to vanish and perish and leaves the soul comfortless As it was with David Psal 51.3 he cries out My sin is ever before me Or as it was with poor Job Chap. 13.26 27 Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me possess the iniquities of my youth Now when the soul is either in Jobs case or Davids case that any iniquity comes thus before the soul then is a soul in great necessity of union with Christ When a debt comes to be charged upon a person and the Bayliff comes to arrest him then there is necessity of some bayl now conscience comes to arrest the soul and offers to carry it into hell and now do those evidences of opinion from the souls graces leave the soul hopeless and helpless The thing is evident when conscience is thus charging an iniquity upon the soul it becomes Witness and Advocate and Judg It witnesseth the fact to be done it pleads the fact condemnation and pronounceth the sentence 2. The second great necessity is when some strong master corruption leads the soul captive and even keeps the poor distressed soul in chains You must know though the reigning power of sin be destroyed in souls united to Christ Rom. 6.14 yet the tyranizing power of sin is not destroyed Though sin cannot have the Throne of the will to sit there as Lord Commander yet it will be always striving for the Throne then is the soul in great straights and knows not what to do without evidence of union with Christ that he knows he shall be conqueror over such a corruption Now in this condition the inherent qualities of the soul and the works of sanctification leave the soul helpless and comfortless now the eye of the soul is upon corruption and it is hard for him at that time to discern grace 3. Another great exigency of the soul for the evidence of his union is when the influences of the quickning spirit are suspended from the soul When not only a state of deadness is grown upon the heart but as with those Psal 80.4 God seems to be angry with their prayers and comes not in That the soul begins to complain as in Lament 3.44 that the Lord shuts out his prayers or complain as Job Chap. 23.8 9. Behold I go forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him c. Then is the soul in great extremity that now unless there be some grounds of evidence of union the soul begins to be hopeless and altogether comfortless And alas when the soul is brought to this exigency then doth its evidence of opinion from its own grace fail and the soul questions whether it ever drew a right conclusion 4. The fourth extremity is When the Lord delivers the soul to the buffetings of Satan for a season When Satan begins to use all his policy to shake the foundations of the soul to make his hope and faith to shake when the Devil chargeth his Cannons against the soul and letteth loose all temptations at once blasphemous thoughts come into the heart questioning whether there be a God or no and the soul can meddle with nothing but one blasphemous thought or other comes upon the soul and it knows not from whence they come And when Satan is thus buffeting the soul then a mans inherent graces and the workings of them that he saw before do now fail the soul in regard Satan in this case first strikes at the strongest hold he strikes at the foundation he strikes at union with Christ 4. There is a fourth note about evidences of opinion That the souls cleaving unto them doth make the certainty of the truth of God increase and diminish according to the increasing and diminishing of the workings of his soul and of the influence of the spirit of God upon his heart Experience it self teacheth us that while our souls take our evidences from those qualifications so long as we find the spirit of God working lively in our hearts our hopes are lively and our confidence firm and no sooner these cease again but our confidence and our hope fail then the Soul questions again whether Jesus Christ be tendred to his Soul in particular whereas before he had some confidence of it 5. There is a fifth note about these evidences of opinion and that is this That the cleaving unto those evidences of opinion doth make the whole life and comfort of the soul depend only upon sense When the soul trusts to those alone he trusts only the eye of sense both in seeing his happiness for the present and for eternity Now from thence First The fulness of the souls consolation is prevented The soul as it were shuts the great window which is the evidence of grace in the promise unto the soul and only opens the small crevis of sense and experience Now needs must the fulness of light in the house be prevented when the greatest window is shut voluntarily And much more is the comfort of the soul prevented when the great window of comfort is shut Secondly The constancy of consolation is prevented The soul may both see the Lords will to be unchangeable towards him in taking him into union and may see the command of God to his soul to believe that his union and receive the promise of God to take his soul
or precious habit of love to Jesus Christ in the soul is an effect of the Covenant of Grace it self Now that the Covenant should be made to that which is the proper effect of the Covenant of Grace it self no man can conceive And that demonstration is sufficient to clear all other promises of this nature So if you examine the promise made to fear Psal 34.7 8. The Angels of the Lord pitch their tents about them that fear him It is taken for a promise but it is only the priviledge of the Saints So likewise look to all the promises of obedience Deut. 5.10 The Lord reserves mercy for a thousand generations of them that love him and keep his commandments There is a large promise that seems to be made to obedience But no soul understanding the absolute decree of God from eternity can conceive the obedience of any soul should be the motive that should move God to shew mercy to the soul or body or that God should bind himself to his own people yielding obedience to him to become a debtor to their posterity in respect of their obedience for then the mercies their posterity should enjoy should owe their immediate being and the glory of their being to their immediate ancestors and not to God as the immediate cause of the being of their mercies Therefore these are only declarations of the priviledges of the people of God and all these promises are only manifestations of his goodness to them for the manifestation of the riches of his Grace for refreshing their spirits and for the causing them to be precious in the esteem of others 3. If those promises that seeem to be made to qualities in the soul as unto conditions be not thus then they are only descriptions of the persons of those that God doth interest in the glorious priviledges of Christ by the special peculiar Graces that God communicates to them Or else 4. They are discoveries of the means through which God doth convey those priviledges of Christ and of the Covenant of Grace unto persons Of this nature is that promise which seems to be made to a condition Isa 57.17 Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit This that seems to be a promise made to a soul indued by the Spirit of God with the Grace of Humility it is but either a description of those persons whom the Lord doth interest in his own special favour out of the riches of his own Grace alone Or else it is a precious Cordial given to a poor drooping Spirit as considered in an estate of penury and poverty as one contrite and ready to give up himself Of this nature are all those promises made to believing and repenting He that believeth and repenteth shall be saved The promise of salvation is not made unto faith as a special grace of God in the soul nor to the person indued with that grace But the thing it self properly is no promise but rather a description of the means through which the Lord makes his people partakers of the special priviledg he conveys through Christ and of the persons he communicates them to by their qualities 5. Those words of God that seem to be promises made unto conditions if none of the four former things contain them then they are descriptions given by the Holy Ghost of the way the Lord requires and inables his people to walk in while he communicates of his own free mercy to them Of this nature is that place so mistaken Ezek 36.27 28 29 30 which is the greatest place conceived to be of weight to prove promises to be made to conditions saith the Lord I will do these and these things for you I will bring you into your Land and make you dwell quietly and safely in your Land and I will save you from your Vncleanness c. But v. 37. Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the House of Israel to do it for them Generally the soul conceives here is the promise and the condition of the promise The promise to be the multitude of Mercies And the condition to be the seeking of the face of God But the meaning of the Holy Ghost is nothing else but to describe the way the Lord requires his people to walk in whilst they are in expectation to receive those precious mercies freely promised by God for them Likewise that in 1 Kings 8 47 48. Solomon prays for his people If they bethink themselves in the Land whither they were carried Captives and repent and make Supplication c. Now saith the Soul here is both the promise and the condition of the promise The condition is seeking Gods face humbling themselves for their Sins turning to God with all their hearts And then there is the promise that God will deliver them but they must observe these conditions else God binds not himself to give deliverance Now the true meaning of the Holy Ghost is only this Solomon in praying here at the dedication of his Temple the Typical House of God beseecheth the Lord that the prayers of all his people made towards that Temple that is towards Jesus Christ typified by that Temple and according to the will of God that they might be all acceptable to God Therefore observe Solomon in praying doth only describe the frame of spirit in Gods people when they come to pray which is an humble frame a turning frame from their Sins Neither doth God make the promises in either of both those places to depend upon any of these duties named not so much as prayer it self Therefore for the clearing these Texts I pray consider these things which may be useful for us for the right understanding the Covenant of grace and the nature of it I. That the duties here required by God from his people are the way wherein it is his will his people should walk in receiving mercies They are not precedent in order of time before the Lords intituling the soul to the whole Covenant of grace and every promise contained in it no nor so much as in order of nature That is that it must be presupposed that the soul have performed such and such duties before it can be presupposed the Lord to have interested the soul in every promise of the Covenant of grace And that will appear in these two things First that the act of the Lords will alone before and without any act of the will of man concurring doth fully intitle the soul to every promise of the Covenant of grace Otherwise it should be conceived that there should be some good will in man towards God before there be any good will in God towards man And so some act of good will from man to God should not flow from the acts of Gods good will to the soul Secondly in regard the
I shall desire to clear from divers particulars 1. In regard the immediate ground of the certainty of the promise or of the Covenant of Grace unto the Soul can be nothing else but the gift of God Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 4.16 It is of faith that it might be by grace to the end that the promise might be sure to all the seed And that the immediate ground of the certainty of the promise must be gift alone appears in two things First In regard the foundation of all must be Grace Eph. 1.6 7. That we might be to the glory of his Grace Therefore in Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my Covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord There 's the absolute promise What is the end That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith the Lord. This is strange one would think that they should be ashamed and consounded when God is pacified and reveals himself to be pacified But here is the mystery of it The Lord lays Grace as the foundation of all his ways towards them purposely that the glory of all that God communicates to Souls might be to himself alone Secondly In regard there can be nothing else the object of faith There are but two things that can be grounds of certainty It must be either Grace in God or Grace in the Soul Either the love of God or the effects of the love of God in the Soul Now the effects of the love of God in the Soul are things seen ad therefore not the objects of Faith Heb. 11.1 2. The discovery of the absolute will of God must be the only ground of assurance in regard faith can discern no certainty of Gods differencing one soul from another but what the Word of God reveals Now the Word of God reveals no other ground of the Lords differencing one soul from another but only his own will Rom. 9.12.18 3. In regard the sight of the certainty of the souls right of receiving Christ into union with himself doth wholly depend upon a sight of the certainty of the Lords will to recieve the soul into union with Christ Though the Spirit of God hath secretly allured the heart from those dark Visions of Christ to embrace him truly so as there is a real union between Christ and the soul yet the soul cannot judg aright of his receiving the Lord Christ so tendred to be given to his soul till he sees that he did receive the Lord Christ upon the right ground 4. In that it is the souls duty to receive the gifts of God in that order wherein the Lord manifests his giving of his gifts Now the order wherein the Lord propounds his gifts is first the gift of the Lord Christ and then the gift of all graces as the adjunct of the gift of the Lord Christ And thence the Lord invites the soul and commands the soul first in order to receive Christ that so it might partake of all the graces of Christ and all those dispositions of Holiness the soul longs for 5. In that the Lord judgeth it sufficient for assuring the Wavering Trembling soul of a poor sinner fearing the indignation of God against him for his sin You shall read Gen. 3.15 That all the promise that God gave to Adam when out of question the poor man was in great distress was only this That the Seed of the Woman should break the Serpents Head A meer discovery of his absolute free will without respect to any thing in souls themselves that he would deliver solely by a way devised by his own Wisdom by a Mediatour by taking upon him the humane nature and conquering the powers of Hell that did then hold poor souls captive Could Adam have received no evidence nor no assurance of the Lords accepting his soul into union with himself again in Christ from that promise the soul of Adam had been left altogether comfortless there being no description given by God of any graces that his own spirit did communicate to the souls of such that he had accepted into union with himself 6. In regard the patterns holden forth in Scripture of such as have received their union with Christ received the evidence of their union from the Lords absolute promise from the discovery of his will alone to do good unto their souls In Gen. 15.6 7 8 compared with Rom. 4.18 19. you shall see Abraham the Father of all believers he received the evidence of the Lords blessing him in Christ which is all one with taking into union with Christ only by the discovery of the Lords absolute will towards him Another pattern you see Isa 6.5 6 7 In the sense of his own wretchedness crying out Wo is me I am undone c. A Seraphim flew unto him having a live coal in his hand which he took off the Altar and laid it upon his mouth you must conceive it was done in a Vision and said loe this hath touched thy lips and thine Iniquity is taken away and thy Sin purged Here is an absolute promise of the Lords free love to Isaiah It gives him no Characters at all but tells him his Iniquity is taken away and this satisfied the soul of Isaiah as you may see v. 8. by his readiness to obey the command of God here I am send me And the case is every way parallel only this particularizeth the person of Isaiah whereas other promises are holden forth generally but yet every particular soul is as fully included and the promise is as absolutely spoken to every soul receiving it as it was unto Isaiah And it is the light of the Spirit that shines forth in the promise that doth put as much particularity and doth as much particularize the promise to any one soul as this promise was particularized to Isaiah in a Vision So that it is from the Lords absolute will alone that the soul receives a full ground of his union with Christ That 's the first branch of the 5th Conclusion The second branch of the fifth Conclusion was That it was not the discovery of the graces of the scrupulous soul doubtful of his union that did thus evidence unto the soul his union Now the discovery of graces in the soul still dark in his union cannot be in order the first ground from whence the soul doth receive the evidence of his union Though at the very same instant the soul may by the discovering of those graces see his union and conclude his union from the sight of those graces yet in order of nature this is not the immediate ground that gives the certainty to the soul And that will appear I. In regard the gift of the Lord Christ cannot be first received of a soul by Faith as a soul is gratious or by the soul being considered under the notion of a soul that
doth go before the actings of any other holy quality in those Souls Faith being the first habit in order of nature though not in time that 's infused into any Soul It doth also in order of nature work and manifest it self in acting before any other habit whatsoever And therefore the acting of Faith in that particular application of the absolute promise must be before there be a manifestation of any other holy quality to be in the Soul And thence in regard this particular way in applying these absolute promises is without any holy quality in Souls there can be no other word but only the Lords absolute promise to be the ground from whence this faith can arise This is generally granted of all And from thence take notice of these two things 1. That the absolute general promise of God that is holden forth as made unto the people and Church of God alone that is a particular ground of the Souls first confidence or adherence unto Jesus Christ 2. That the general absolute promise of God doth speak particularly to every Soul who attains any right or interest in it Secondly I shall answer affirmatively That it is a particular ground of Faith of assurance or a particular evidence to assure a Souls Faith that he is united unto Jesus Christ And that I shall open in two Conclusions Conclu 1. The absolute promise is sufficient to reveal to a Souls Faith a certainty of his Union in regard there is an equivalency in the absolute promise of God that runs to all Souls to any particular promise that could be made Paul manifested as full a certainty of his acceptance into Union with Christ to be holden forth to him in the absolute promise as if he had had a particular word from heaven saying thou Paul shalt be accepted into union with Christ In 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation What is that That Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners Here is as far off a remote promise as can be That Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners What then Of whom I am chief As if he should have said The Lord Christ came to save me where he makes Christ sent into the world particularly to save his Soul And certainly the same promise were able to give the Soul that particular certainty that Paul did receive did the same light appear from the promise as did to Paul But that there is such an equivalency in what the absolute promise can give to testifie union to what a particular promise gives appear in two things 1. In the latitude or largeness and extensiveness of the promise it self The promises that are of absolute mercies and are declared to be the absolute will of God concerning his peoples Souls they are all propounded as indefinite propositions that is without any certain bounds In that promise Christ came into the World to save Sinners there is no bounds set to it neither this kind of Sinner or that kind of Sinner such as are thus and thus rebellious but Sinners So Mark 16.15 Go Preach the Gospel to every creature Preach the Gospel What is that Preach the glad tydings of Salvation It is as much as if Jesus Christ should have said Go and tell every Soul my Father is willing to accept their rebellious souls into union with my self And unless this be receive tendered the Gospel is not Preached Exclude the declaring of Gods will to every particular Soul to receive him into Union with the Lord Christ and you exclude the Preaching of the Gospel And that 's the reason the Angel Luke 2.10 when he brings the glad tidings of Jesus Christ saith I bring glad tidings To whom To such a Nation or People No I bring glad tidings to all people There is no other bounds set but the World it self If a man comes under the notion of a creature he comes under the notion of the promise he cannot say but it is the will of God to receive his Soul into Union if he will embrace the Lord Christ 2. It appears in regard of the expresness of the command to every Soul particularly to apply the promise 1 John 3.23 This is the command of God that ye believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ And again this is the Word of God that ye believe in the name of Jesus Christ Now believing can contain but two things Either a giving credit to the truth of what the promise holds forth And surely this cannot be meant for the Devils themselves believe as much Or else a receiving unto their particular Souls what the Lord there tenders in Christ Jesus and if you observe it the Scripture phrase generally holds forth believing in this sence Thence it is that believing and receiving in Scripture are put both for one 1 John 1.12 Now that the extent of this command of believing reaches thus far to a particular application of those absolute promises to themselves will be cleared by two particulars 1. In regard all unbelief and the fruits of it is vertually and eminently forbidden in this command of believing When any positive duty is enjoyned by God the contrary must needs be forbidden by the same law vertually and all the evil consequences of whatever is contrary to the duty enjoyned Now believing being enjoyned virtually unbelief and all the fruits of unbelief are forbidden The fruits of unbelief is doubting and so all doubting of the Lords will to fulfill his promise of accepting the soul into union with the Lord Jesus that 's content and willing to receive Christ into Union with him all this doubting of the will of God is there forbidden vertually in regard it is contrary to the duty commanded because it proceeds from the root unbelief which is directly contrary unto faith 2. In regard the strength of Faith must needs be the extent of the command The Soul is to give credit to the Lord as a thing unquestionably certain that the Lord is willing to receive his poor loveless Soul into Union with the Lord Christ So that in effect the Lord doth in that command to the Soul to believe enjoyn the Soul to receive fulness of assurance from the very promise that the Lord is willing to receive his Soul into union with the Lord Christ Yet do not mistake me I do not say the command is of such an extent that it doth expresly command every one to believe that he is one in Christ for then the promise should command him to believe a lye in regard the greatest number are at enmity But the extent of the command is to assure the Soul of the Lords willingness to receive him into union with Jesus Christ if he be willing to receive him And this the Lord enjoyns the most rebellious wretches wherever the Gospel comes the first command to such rebellious Souls is to believe that God is willing to receive their rebellious Souls into union
neither binds it self in order nor degree nor is expressed to the life of it in the soul when he doth assure to the Souls faith his union with Christ yet the Spirit keeps its constant order in respect of the effects it doth produce in the Soul to whose faith it doth assure his union with Christ from the promise The effects of the spirit are such in every Soul in this work that they have such a near relation to the assurance it self that the soul receives from the promise that those effects are altogether unspeakable from that evidence of assurance If those effects perish or decay the certainty and assurance the soul hath from the promise perish and decay And if those effects do but live in the soul the evidence the soul hath from the promise is maintained they live together and die together Now these effects that the Spirit of God doth produce in every soul to whom it doth manifest his union with Christ from the promise in some measure or degree are these five in the opening of which you shall receive the positive answer to this great question First The Spirits Illumination Secondly The Spirits Irradiation of the Gospel to the Soul Thirdly The Spirits conviction of the Conscience in the Soul Fourthly The Spirits excitation or stirring up the habits of faith infused into the Soul Fifthly The Spirits Attestation or witness unto the Soul the Spirits passing the determination finally upon the Souls whole estate These five kinds of effects are produced by the spirit from the promise that the soul is united to the Lord Jesus First The manner in which this Spirit works is by the Illumination of the soul The spirits Illumination You shall read Eph. 1.18 That the Apostle praying that the Ephesians might understand the hope of their Calling that is the great things hoped for in their calling and the glorious priviledges that they are called out to hope and wait for his prayer is that they might have the spirit of wisdom and revelation To what end That the eyes of their understanding being enlightned they might know what is the hope of their calling Observe it The very first spiritual work of the spirit of God to this end is for spiritual enlightning of the soul Now the work of the spirit in enlightning consists in three things First In the infusion of greater degree of divine light into the soul Secondly In the removal of all impediments from the eye of the soul or from the understanding of the soul that should prevent the souls seeing or discerning the divine light infused Thirdly In the quickening or stirring up or puting into act and exercise the habits of divine light that the spirit of God hath infused First this Illumination is an infusion of greater degrees of divine light into the soul Infusion of greater degrees of divine light The soul sits altogether in darkness untill the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ shines into it in some measure Eph. 5.8 Now though there be some habitual divine light infused by the spirit of God into the understanding of every soul that is united to Jesus Christ yet there is after union a continual increase of that divine light And therefore you shall see Eph. 1.18 The Apostle prays that the eyes of their understanding might be enlightned Now if you read the whole Chapter you shall see they were Saints that were enlightned already So that this work of the spirits enlightening is the strengthening of the poor weak feeble pur-blind eye of the soul and as we partake of this divine light so we grow up unto the perfect day till we be like Jesus Christ himself in whom is light and no darkness at all The Second thing wherein this work consists is the removal of all impediments that do hinder the exercise of this divine light Removal of impediments of spiritual sight that is infused into the soul By this spiritual light infused the sight of the eye may be strengthened and yet through some distempered humours a film may grow over the eyes that it is able to discern no object some waterish humour or some mote or dust may prevent the seeing of the eye There may be some films of corruption and of distempers many malignant humours as I may say and rheumes that may gather together in the soul and prevent that sight we haâ—◠〈◊〉 from the spirit And therefore it is the next work of the spirit after the infusion of greater degrees of divine light to pluck out of the souls eye all the motes to take off all the films that might hinder the souls spiritual sight Though at first we have received a faculty of seeing we are like the blind man that Christ cured he saw men walking like trees we see the promise afar off There are two sorts of these hellish fogs or mists or beams that the Devil chiefly labours to keep in the souls spiritual eye to prevent the soul from a right use of the divine spiritual light received And both these must be removed by the spirit of God before there can be assurance in the soul by the promise that he is united to Jesus Christ There is first the hellish mist of the principles of darkness Secondly the hellish mist of the darkness of corruption First There is the hellish mist of the principles of darkness These are like the rheumes that distill from the brain into the eyes whereby the sight is prevented Mist of the principles of darkness And the hellish mists of darkness of corruption are like the distemper of Melancholly or Choler that have their original from the Liver and so fume into the souls eyes and prevent his sight Or rather the first is like to a false coloured glass that makes all things look of the same colour It were worth the while to consider of these principles of darkness I shall name but some of the chief of them The first principle of darkness is That the Lord Christ is tendered to no souls but such as truly see Principle of darkness and are truly sensible of their want of Christ Saith the soul I see there is a fulness in the Lord Jesus tendred but saith the soul it is only to such as have a sight of their want of Christ and groan heavily under that want and I know not whether ever I had a sense of my want of Christ alas I have a blockish heart I am an ignorant wretch I have a blind understanding I dare not trust my deceitfull heart I fear I never had a true fight of the want of Christ and therefore I dare not believe least I should presume that Christ is tendered unto me This is a main principle of darkness and that it is so I shall make appear briefly in two things 1. Thy conceving the Lord Christ is tendred only to those that see the want of Christ must suppose either a true spiritual
the union Between the act and the object there must be a Similarity a kind of likeness and neer Similitude and Relation 2. Jesus Christ considered in his personal excellency in his precious Beauty and Glory is rather the object of Love than the object of Faith that is the object of Assiance and Dependance Christ is not properly to be depended upon as he is Holy but as he is appointed by God as a Rock to lay the hope of Salvation upon that is as a Mediator and Saviour II. It appears it is a Principle of Darkness In regard the most special access of Souls unto Christ is as he is a Saviour unto souls The most pressing arguments that are prest upon souls to constrain them to come to Jesus Christ are that they might come for Salvation You shall see it in that Declaration of the Commission of the Apostles themselves 2 Cor. 5.19 20. Now we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead be ye Reconciled to God As if he should say thus God hath appointed his Gospel that we should go out to poor rebels to invite them to come and accept of propositions of peace And you see the reason of this v. 21 For 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 is that we might have the righteousness that God doth convey through him And in Heb. 7.25 you shall see what is held forth to be the office of Jesus Christ now in heaven He is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them I pray observe it here is the lowest act of faith expressed coming to God by Christ and you see the coming is for Salvation 3. Christ considered as a Saviour is primarily sutable unto souls Christ in his personal excellency is sutable unto Angels and Angels will count it their glory to have him their Head and be married to him as a Spouse But it is only as he is considered as a Saviour that he is primarily sutable unto Souls here below in regard the first thing that is necessary for such Souls is Salvation And thence you shall see it is the name that God puts upon him his name shall be called Jesus a Saviour and the reason is why For he shall save his people from their sins Mat. 1.21 So that it appears this is another principle of darkness to perswade souls not to come to Jesus Christ for Salvation Yet there are two things to be observed here 1. That many excellencies that are contained in the person of Jesus Christ by vertue of the hypostatical union of the humane nature with the second person in the Trinity may have efficacy upon a soul to allure him to come God may let the beams of his beauty so shine forth as may ravish the heart in his coming and though primarily the Souls faith is established upon him as a Saviour yet his love may at the same time close with all the excellencies of Jesus Christ 2. The love of the personal excellency of Jesus Christ is an infallible consequence of the Souls coming to Christ and flows and proceeds from the Souls receiving the Lord Christ as a Saviour though there be no such true love before coming to Jesus Christ for Salvation The fifth Principle of Darkness is That there must be a proportion between the Souls sorrow for sin Principle of darkness and sin it self before it may apply the promise of Jesus Christ Saith the Soul it is common among Divines to lay down this principle That a Soul must drink so many buckets full of the tears of repentance as he hath drank of the stoln waters of sin And to this purpose saith the soul you shall see that great sinners had always great sorrow Those that were the murderers of Christ Act. 2.36 37. were pricked at the heart they were much wounded before they had a promise applyed to to them So it is observed saith the Soul that Paul that was formerly Saul being a notorious sinner a blasphemer a murderer of the Saints he was filled with abundance of sorrow before God applyed comfort to him Act. 9. compared with Rom. 7.11 Sin taking occasion by the commandment deceived me and by it slew me So Luke 7.36 37 The woman that was a great sinner and called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sinner the woman that was a sinner Say Divines every one is a sinner but this woman is called a sinner by way of eminency passing the ordinary degree of sin now this woman had great sorrow v. 38. before she received any word of pardon from Christ she wept and washed his feet with her tears As she drank in buckets full of sin so she wept buckets full of tears Now that this is a principle of darkness I shall make it clear thus 1. That there is an impossibility that there should be any proportion between a souls sorrow for sin and a souls sin Every iniquity is a transgression that hath a kind of infiniteness in regard of the object against whom it is committed which is against the infinite God Now the sorrow of the soul can never rise thus high because it can never be so sutable to the will of God as the other was directly contrary to his will So that you must understand the meaning of all Divines to be this as some of them distinguish it not that there should be an Arithmetical proportion but a Geometrical proportion between sin and sorrow That is not that there should be a proportionable sorrow to sin but the greater sorrow where there have been the greatest sins 2. It appears In that the Lord hath left himself to his liberty in the afflicting Consciences for sin before and in and after Conversion God is a free agent and according to his own pleasure he fills one soul with greater degrees of honour and terrour and lets him lie longer under woe and anguish before he give him any quiet of spirit He strikes one soul to death with the keen arrow of compunction shoots at the heart of him whereas he lets another sinner be set upon the rock higher than himself some souls God doth prick their hearts with a needle and others he puts a sword to them like a Chyrurgion that lanceth one sore above another and yet brings both to a perfect cure You read of nothing in Lydia but only the Lord opened her heart And Paul was struck with trembling and astonishment You read of nothing in the Jaylor but crying out what to do to be saved being in fear of perishing and presently God gives him joy in believing and calms his spirit 3. In regard there is no command nor injunction from God that a soul should attain the least degree of sorrow for sin before he should dare to apply the Lord Jesus and
receive him tendered to his poor rebellious worthless soul The first command that God lays upon every rebel is to accept of a Mediator God in order of nature first enjoyns the soul to receive Jesus Christ tendered before the doing any thing whatsoever before the sending up one sigh to God or breathing out one petition in regard the Lord commands all poor sinners at enmity with him to come near to him only through a Mediator and no coming by a Mediator till they apply the Mediator to be a Mediator And therefore it is said in 1 John 3.23 It is the command of God that ye believe in the Lord Jesus whom he hath sent And so again John 6.29 This is the work of God that ye believe on whom he hath sent As if there were no other work of God but this But the meaning is that this is the prime principal work without which all other are but works of darkness 4. In regard the Lord takes no pleasure nor delight in the person of any sinner most dejected and plunged into the deepest gulf of sorrow for his sin before he applys the Lord Jesus tendered to his soul more than he did in that soul before there was any of that sorrow Do not mistake me I do not say that the Lord does as much abhor a sinner that is now forbearing the acts of his enmity against God and is faln to cry after God as much as the acts of sin before gradually But yet I say there is as true an abhorrence in the bosom of God of all those prayers mournings and tears as there was of those acts of sin the difference is only in degree Saith he Tit. 1.15 To the impure all things are impure whilst the mind and conscience is defiled And who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean whilest the soul is altogether unclean it is impossible a clean desire and motion or a clean tear can come from thence So that now the soul is looked upon as an enemy as a Rebel a Traitor to the Crown of the Lords glory whilst he remains a refuser of the Lord Jesus tendered though he be brought to great degrees of mourning 5. In regard the nearest proportion of sorrow that can be attained unto for sin must proceed from applying the Lord Jesus tendered The soul can never discern what the degree or the heinousness of his sin was till he beholds the Lord Jesus accepting his poor despicable rebellious loveless soul Therefore it is worthy your observation that the same woman that is called the sinner by way of emphasis and eminency Luke 7.37 drank deeply of the cup of sorrow whose tears flowed forth in abundance that she could wash the feet of Jesus Christ This womans sorrow did not proceed from a sight of her sin before her applying the Lord Jesus tendered but from a sight of the Lord Jesus accepting such a despicable desperate sinner as she was The depths of sorrow were never broken up in her heart till she saw the arm of the Lord Jesus reached out to embrace her poor despicable soul You shall see it plain if you compare v. 37 38. with v. 47 48. The whole discourse between Jesus Christ and the Pharisees concerning her is worth our observation for the explaining of it when Jesus sees this woman come and wash his feet he knew the Pharisees hearts rose against her because she was a sinner Now Jesus put forth a parable or similitude Simon saith he there were two debtors the one ought five hundred pence and the other fifty and when they had nothing to pay the creditor frâ—nkly forgave them both Tell me therefore which of them will love him most Simon answered and said I suppose he to whom he forgave most saith he thou hast rightly judged Now observe it when Jesus Christ had opened to the Pharisees this parable it amounts to this The cause of her mourning is from the sense of the Lords forgiving her for she loved much And he said unto her thy sins are forgiven This he opens to be the cause of her sorrow that she saw Jesus Christ had exercised compassion to her She saw the love of Christ so infinite so unspeakable his compassions so incomprehensible that though she had been such a desperate wretch that Satan had had his Throne in her heart though she had been the Ring-leader of sinners in a City yet he was ready to wash her forlorn soul and make her clean and this made her she knew not how to express her love but she wept So that the cause of her tears was not so much the sense of her sin but the having so much forgiven her So it is observed of Peter when he could deny Christ thrice and forswear him and not Weep when Christ looks upon him his Heart melts and he Weeps bitterly What Peter dost deny me what me that left the Throne of my Glory to stand here before the Judgment Seat saith the look of Christ to the Conception of Peter this melts his Heart The sixth Principle of Darkness is this Principle of darkness That it is very Dangerous for any soul to apply to himself the Lord Jesus too soon It is commonly illustrated by this Similitude If a Chirurgeon applies some healing Salve to a dangerous sore before the Corrosives have had their proper effects if he doth not by Corrosives first eat out all the dead Flesh and by Tents ransack the Wound to the very bottom though the Wound be skinned over it will Fester and Ranckle again and that to the danger of the Patients Life Likewise faith the soul it is thus in regard of the Wound of Sin If any spiritual Physician should apply the Lord Jesus too soon to the soul to heal the souls Wounds before the Corrosive of Terrour and Fear and Horrour have had their proper effects upon the soul it may be dangerous to the Destruction of the soul Or thus saith the soul there may be nutritive nourishment to several Patients that may be destructive to some sick Bodies in regard there ought first to be some Purgations before there be a sutableness to the giving such Cordial Potions Likewise if the pretious Cordials of Comfort that are in the Bosom of Jesus Christ should be applyed to the soul before there hath been the bitter Pill of Terrour of Sorrow and Anguish and Horrour for his Sin given they may be rather destructive to the soul So that this is very dangerous saith the soul to apply the Lord Jesus too soon This Principle of Darkness hath commonly three Grounds or three Foundations upon which it stands and the soul conceives a three-fold Foundation is not easily shaken and therefore conceiveth the Principle to be very firm I. It is built upon this ground That all Divines generally have concluded that it is dangerous to apply Comfort to afflicted Consciences too soon and that it is destructive to give Comfort before the soul be fitted for it
Principle of Darkness there is first something to be premised First that the soul understand what is meant by comfort Secondly What is meant by applying comfort to the soul By comfort is meant only that strength and that Life and Refreshment that a soul receiveth from the apprehension of the good of any object And to apply the Lord Jesus for comfort the soul is to receive the Lord Jesus with all his Glorious Priviledges that are sutable for the Poor Needy Despicable Loveless soul according as God the Father tenders him to the soul To speak more plainly to receive the Lord Jesus as he is offered freely to be given by God to the Poor Despicable soul to make up a League and Amity and Love between the Father and the soul to break in sunder those Chains wherewith the soul was clogged by Sin to everlasting Destruction and in a word for the perfecting of the souls Happiness both here and for Eternity Now I shall answer directly to that first Foundation upon which this first Principle of Darkness is built And I say it is impossible that the applying of the Lord Jesus for the comforting of the soul should make the soul in danger to miscarry through Presumption but rather the contrary it is the greatest preservative against Presumption And that will appear in three or four particulars I. In regard the more the comforts of the soul are enlarged through the application of Christ the more clear is that cursed Root of Self-Confidence rooted out of the Heart The Comforts of Jesus Christs in their own nature do empty the soul of it self and all Self-Confidence in regard it removes the soul from all imaginary dependance upon its self either for Comfort here or for Mercy and Happiness to Eternity The souls perfect nothingness in it self is only by beholding the Lord Jesus as the Father hath given him to the soul Therefore it is said in 1 John 3.2 3. We know not yet what we shall be but then we shall be like him for we shall know him as he is And Eph. 3.19 The Apostle prays that they may comprehend with all Saints what is the Height and Bredth and Length and Depth of the Love of God which passeth knowledge That is to know this to their own souls And what is the end of all That they may be filled with the fulness of God This fulness of God can be wrought by nothing but by the full comprehension of Jesus Christ and all his Comforts II. In regard it raiseth the souls thoughts of Jesus Christ in a transcendent manner and fills the Heart with a high estimation of him When the soul applies most incomprehensively the Lord Jesus in all his Priviledges for the refreshing of his soul then doth the soul see most largly into the Incomprehensive Gulf of the excellency of Jesus Christ and when the soul seeth Jesus Christ most clearly as altogether incomprehensible then is the Heart filled with the highest thoughts that can be of Jesus Christ III. The application of the Lord Jesus for the comforting of the soul in the largest manner that can be doth beget a more precious fear in the heart than all the Terrours Sights and Visions of the Indignation of God against the soul for Sin can possibly beget All the Reason that can be given why it should endanger the soul to Presume is only this that the applying Christ in two large a measure in his comforts should make the soul without fear Now the soul is never so filled with Holy Fear as when it hath the largest comprehension of Jesus Christ The Reason is plain The larger comprehension the soul hath of Jesus Christ the more natural is the love to Jesus Christ Now love is extended upon Jesus Christ when it rests upon him or fetcheth in Joy through beleiving And according as love is extended so is fear extended Love and Fear go hand in hand you cannot divide them a man of large love is a man of large fear The reason is plain The more dear any object is to the soul the more a man feareth to lose it IIII. When the Lord Christ is applied most for Comfort then doth a Holy Jealousie rise high in the heart When Love rises high Jealousie rises high Jealousie is compounded of Love and Anger or Love and Hatred Where Love runs out largely in Zeal there is a Zeal of Hatred against all that should deprive us of it Put a Fearful man and a Jealous man together to Watch over a Beloved object and you need not fear their Sleeping Thus Fear and Jealosie meeting together in the soul will make it Watchful least there should be the least outgoing of the Heart from Jesus Christ Secondly Neither can it dry up the Repenting or Penitent Tears too soon It is as impossible that the Springs of Godly Sorrow should be sealed up by the application of the Lord Jesus in the largest measure for the comforting of the soul as it is impossible it should make the soul Presume The Foundation of this Principle of Darkness is laid upon a two-fold mistake First that the discerning eye of the soul whereby Sin should be discerned should be closed up with the sight of the apprehension of large comfort from Jesus Christ Secondly that the sight or apprehension of a defect of comfort in the Lord Jesus for his soul for the present should be the Original of true Godly Sorrow and so that Godly Sorrow should Perish when the comforts of the Lord Jesus sutable to his needy soul appear Now it is apparent that the eye of the soul whereby he may see his own Wretchedness Merit and Desert is more clear by the sight of enlarged comfort from Jesus Christ I. The eye of the soul receiveth more Divine light to discover Sin in the nature of it by how much in a greater degree the soul apprehends enlarged comforts through the application of the Lord Jesus This is that precious eye-salve spoken of Rev. 3. that Christ inviteth souls to come and buy of him That 's the reason Mary wept so much and washed the feet of Jesus Christ with her tears Christ tells you it was because she loved much And what was the cause of that love but only the apprehension of the glorious priviledges to her in Jesus Christ 2. The apprehension of a defect of comfort in the Lord Christ sutable to the Soul for the present cannot be a spring or head from whence the stream of Godly sorrow flows Godly sorrow must arise from the clearest most spiritual sin Now you see the clearest discerning of sin in a Spiritual manner doth arise from the clear discerning of those enlarged comforts through the application of the Lord Jesus And indeed as those increase so doth Godly sorrow increase The greatest comforted Soul is the greatest mourning Soul Now you see the foundation is too weak to bear up this principle and also that it will appear to be a principle of darkness
faith the one believes in a rational way by his judgment when the other have confused motions towards God without judgment Now for the further clearing of this distemper of spirit 1. Saith the soul through this rash distemper prevailing in his heart those to whom the promises of God are intended to be made good God draws them to embrace them but I do not find that God draws me or giveth me power therefore I am none to whom this promise is made The principle is true but the conclusion is drawn rashly from it 1. The soul commonly draws this conclusion without weighing what the drawings of God are and what the secret power infused into the soul to receive those promises tendered to it is I have heard a soul draw this conclusion from this principle but when asked what are the drawings of God in the soul to inable it to embrace Jesus Christ tendered in the promise the soul knows not Ask it didst ever find the Lord making thy heart willing to receive the Lord Jesus to be one with thy soul and to make up an union with the father for thee O yes saith the soul I confess my soul longs for that I cannot but say I am willing And yet in the mean time through the distemper of rashness draws this conclusion that he is none of the number of those to whom the promise is made because God does not draw him 2. Suppose there was not this willingness yet the conclusion is rashly drawn from the principle in regard there is no time that God hath limited or prescribed to himself wherein he will draw the hearts of those that he intends the promises for 3. The souls ground is false in regard the Scripture determines not that the Lord always acts those inward habitual drawings of his when he hath once actually drawn 2. Say some souls through this rash distemper that those God intends good to he will not suffer them to grow worse and worse under the means and to decay in their affections and grow more corrupt But saith the soul I grow worse and worse under the means more corrupt and my affections decay and therefore I am afraid the Lord never intends to do good to me Now I pray observe but thine own rashness in not weighing and trying and searching all things to search whether indeed thou beest grown worse and worse under the means or no and to see in what degree thou art grown more corrupt and whether it be such a degree as the Scripture evidenceth God lets not those that he intends good to in Christ to fall into sin or no. Here should have been a great many things weighed before thou hadst drawn that conclusion I. Thou shouldest have weighed whether thine heart be grown more corrupt or no. Divers things things are considerable there 1. Though thou judgest thy self more corrupt yet thou mayst not truly have more corruption than thou hadst A soul is to distinguish between corruptions that are effectively so and those that are formally so It may be thou mayst see corruptions formally in thy soul more than before whereas thou mayst not be more corrupt effectively I mean thus thou mayst find more motions unto sin and wickedness than before and yet not those motions prevail to sin effectively that is to deprave and corrupt thy soul Though indeed interpretatively and according to the strict law of God those stirrings of corruption may be called sin yet they cannot properly be called corruption and thou canst not be said to be more and more corrupt for then they grow corruptions when the heart is inclined to them 2. Thou mayst judge thy self to have more corruption and yet there may not be more corruption neither First God may have cast more light into thy soul than before when thou didst judge thy self not to be so full of corruption Now through light every iniquity hath a greater weight upon the spirit than it had formerly Now the more weight it hath upon the spirit the more it is taken notice of And through more light there is a clearer discovery of the duty that the Lord requireth of the soul and of the nature and spirituality of the duty Now the more exquisitly the soul discerns the duty God requireth at his hand the more abominable he seeth his own heart Secondly if there be not more light it may be there is a greater tenderness of spirit infused into thee than formerly So that thou feelest corruptions more because the burden of them is more spiritually upon thy heart than before and so they appear to be the greater to thee 3. Corruptions may appear more when they are not more in regard there may be many occasions offered to draw forth inherent corruption into exercise There might be as many legions of iniquity in thy heart formerly though they did not appear because they had not the same occasion 4. Satan may be suffered by God to endeavour to draw out corruption for the discovery of corruption and the mortifying of it The Lord may suffer Satan contrary to his intentions to war against his own kingdom in thy heart in drawing out all his power to stir thy corruptions that thou mayst go to heaven for power to slay them So that if all these things were well considered it may be the heart would not be found to be more corrupt II. Suppose the heart should be grown more corrupt under means for a season Suppose the root of sin should get some sap and bud and sprout again and send forth its branches more plentifully and bring forth more fruit yet it were to be weighed before a soul draws such a conclusion whether sin may not revive again and grow more lively for a time even in those who are near to the heart of God to whom God intends all the good in the promises tendered by Christ III. It would be also considered whether the Scripture warrants the drawing such a conclusion from a real sense of growing worse and worse It would be considered whether the Lord be not tendered to at that time that thou mightest receive such influences of grace from him as might prevent thy soul from still growing worse and worse IV. It would be considered whether the soul can find that such a degree of declension as it is now fallen into be such a one as the Lord Christ hath excluded all that fall into it from receiving himself in the Covenant of Free Grace If I should follow up this rashness of the soul further I might open that the souls real declension in affections that were formerly may not be a sufficient ground to conclude that the soul is grown worse and worse 1. It would be considered whether affections did work in the Lords own orderly way through the following of the judgment in closing with the truth propounded in Christ It may be the novelty of the truths affected thy heart as being new things and it was not from the dictate
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
believing sain would I receive the Lord Jesus tendered but alas I have such a cursed deceitfull heart that I dare not least my heart delude me 5. When the Jealousie over the heart prevails so much as the Soul spends all his thoughts in finding out the uprightness of his heart in closing before the soul venture upon an actual closing with the Lord Jesus as tendered When a Soul through this Jealousie sets porcing and gazing upon the many windings and turnings of his own spirit and calling to remembrance how wretchedly his heart deluded him formerly and hereupon concludes with himself that he may not close till he can see the uprightness of his heart in closing with the Lord Jesus And so thereupon afterwards spends all his prayers and pours out all his desires to God for uprightness for integrity of heart in closing and in the mean time forbearing that actual closing that the Lord requires without the least delay from every Soul Thus you see also how this Jealousie comes to work in a sinfull way and becomes a sinfull Distemper And indeed when 〈◊〉 cometh thus work it exceedingly darkens the Soul and prevents its discerning what the promise holds forth 1. In regard Jealousie prevents the souls gazing upon the absolute promise that is tendered to the soul Now the soul must needs be kept from discerning what the promise holds forth when it is kept from so much as looking into the promise for though there be habitual divine light in the promise yet that 's not usefull till it be drawn out into exercise Habitual divine light in the understanding is like the eye when it is asleep or like the eye when it is shut It is the exercise of that that makes the soul discern any thing that the Lord discovers in the promises And then it is the very gazing upon the promise that draws out that divine light formerly received in exercise also 2. This Distemper of Jealousie maintains perpetual fear in the soul of its false applying of the promise of the Lord Jesus Fear is always the companion of Jealousie the more fearful the soul is the more jealous and the more jealous the soul is the more fearful and those fears are like a thick fog or mist that darkens the divine light received So that by this means the soul is kept from discerning any of those beams of divine light in any clearness that the promise of God holds forth and thereby the soul is kept from discerning his union with the Lord Jesus that might be discerned from the promises Now this jealousie over the heart it self must be healed before the soul can receive clear satisfaction to it self of its union with Christ Two ways the spirit of God usually heals this 1. The spirit presseth with all urgency upon the soul the present immediate necessity of his yielding obedience to the command of God without any pretence whatever of any delay and deferring Commonly upon these distempers of Jealousie prevailing the soul denies not the Lord Jesus tendered only conceiveth himself to have sufficient ground to delay and defer a while till he see clearly a more sutable uprightness in his heart to close Now the spirit comes upon the soul and presses it upon his heart to be his duty immediately without the least delay Hereby the soul begins to be drawn to adventure to believe though it be with trembling lest his wretched heart should deceive him 2. The spirit discovers to the soul the independency of his own interest in the promise upon any act of his own considered in himself The spirit clears to the soul the Lords engagement of himself as well to make the heart faithful and true and upright in receiving the Lord Jesus tendered as to give the Lord Jesus to the soul that would receive him The spirit it may be brings such a promise as that Jer. 31.33 I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people and reveals to the soul from thence the Lords engagement of himself to put in faithfulness into the deceitful hypocritical heart whereby the close shall be in truth and sincerity notwithstanding all the wretched wickedness of his own heart striving to deceive him The Fifth Dark Distemper is The souls measuring and judging its self too too much by other Christians Dark Distemper by the graces and excellencies that shine forth in other souls We shall open it to you how far it is lawful for a soul thus to measure himself by other Christians and by the rule of their graces And then how this distemper comes to prevail and how it works It must be concluded that there is a lawfulness in a souls measuring himself by the rule and line of the graces of other Christians to try his own heart and way by comparing his own heart way by the heart way of other Christians as far as he can discern There are seven or eight particular acts that are not only lawful for a soul in this case but the soul is bound to them 1. Every soul allured towards the Lord Jesus ought with the greatest diligence and circumspection that is possible to have a full prospect a full view into the hearts and lives of other Christians The Lord hath intended from eternity to propose the whole number of Saints like so many glorious heavenly Stars set in the lower region of the earth from whence the beams of his own excellency may shine forth They are set like so many Suns in the Firmament for all the World to gaze upon according to Prov. 4.18 The righteous is like the Sun that shineth more and more untill the perfect day Yea further The precious beams of the Lords own glory are appointed to shine forth through their light So that every soul neglects the beholding of the glory of God himself in the precious glasses that he hath appointed for his people to see the reflection of his glory in when they neglect to make a diligent search into the hearts of all Christians within view 2. Every soul ought in the view that he takes of the hearts and lives of Saints and their graces to have a reflection upon his heart and life and his own grace Every soul ought to look upon these Saints as we look upon glasses that we may discern our own faces 3. Every Christian ought to compare his own graces with the graces he discerns in all Christians within his view First they ought to measure the graces themselves Secondly the expressions of those graces in their duties First they ought to measure the graces themselves even the inward habits of grace so far as they can discern them in others 1. They ought to compare the strength of their own graces with the strength and vigor of those graces they discern in other Christians 2. They ought to compare the strength of their own graces with the graces of
others in the fruit and increase of it When any Christian flourisheth like a Tree planted by the waters side that brings forth his fruit in due season every Christian ought to compare the growth of his own grace to the growth of the grace of such a Christian 3. They ought to compare the time of growth of the grace of such a Christian with the time that their grace hath had to grow 4. To compare the means of growth of grace A soul discerning any grace exercised in any Christian ought to consider what means he hath had to grow to that eminency in such a grace whether have I had the same means whether hath the means been as effectual upon my heart as upon such a Christian 5. To compare the liveliness and activity of all those graces constantly with the liveliness and activity of their own Secondly they ought to compare the expressions of their own graces in way of duty to God with the expressions of the graces of others First in the quantity of the duties Secondly in the quality of the duties First in the quantity of the duties in the number and bulk of them God sometimes stands much upon quantity of duty to his people Therefore upon a Souls discerning some Christians to be much in duty it may be to spend much time in prayer they ought to compare themselves and their own duties with the duties of others Only these two rules are to be observed in it First to observe whether the duties of any such Christians be not extended too far that they do not place the opinion of all good in duty that they do not bound and stint God to such a length in duty Now duties may be extended too far there may be excess in performing duties of prayer 1. When ordinary duties are performed in excess by a soul without an extraordinary occasion 2. When duties are extended beyond the souls ability and opportunity Ability and opportunity are constant limitations set to all the duties God requires Secondly this rule also must be observed That a soul does keep a right proportion in all his measuring of his own duties by others duties 1. Every soul upon discerning any Christian to excell in the quantity of duty ought to compare his own ability with others ability According as the Lord giveth so he requireth to whom much is given from him he expects much Luke 12.48 Though the duty of one Christian should not be so much in quantity as the duty of another yet it may be as much considering the souls ability every way for the duty that he performeth 2. The soul must always look to proportion the occasion It must see upon what occasion such a Christian is so much exercised in duties and see whether the same occasion be his souls In time of temptation or in time of violent corruption or in time of much inward bitterness of soul it ought to exercise the quantity of duties more than at another time If occasions come in extraordinary the Lord requires extraordinary duties As in 2 Cor. 12.7 8 when Paul was urged with an extraordinary temptation a thorn prickt him in the flesh then Paul falls upon extraordinary duty he prayed thrice that is often So in Act. 12 when Peter was in prison and likely to be brought to execution the Church went to prayer without ceasing 2. The soul must always proportion his own opportunity to the opportunity of those he discerns to be much in duty Opportunity is a talent as well as any thing else and the Lord expects the improvement of that talent as well as other talents where the Lord gives opportunity for duty he requireth much duty 4. The soul also is to proportion its necessity Now the necessities of souls are various One needs a great deal of food to maintain the life of his soul and another may be maintained with less 5. There must be a proportion held in the spiritual engagements and obligations wherein a soul stands engaged to God 1. The proportion must be observed in the souls reception of the spirit of adoption from God The more fully the spirit of adoption is come down into the heart the more neerly is the heart engaged to duty and to greater multiplication of duty in regard by the receit of the holy spirit of adoption there is greater ability conveyed into the soul for the duty 2. The soul must hold proportion in his revelations of the truth of God to the soul The more clear beams of divine light of truth the Lord communicates to any soul the more deeply is that soul engaged to God unto duty 3. The soul must proportion the engagement of the Lords making his person more conspicuous to the world The more conspicuously the Lord sets up any soul to be gazed upon by the world the more doth the Lord engage the soul to all kind of duty 4. They must proportion the degree of communion that God vouchsafeth to take the soul into with himself Gradually according to the degree of communion the soul hath with God so are the souls engagements to the multiplication of duty That 's the first branch of this way of measuring The soul must measure the quantity of his duties Secondly The soul must also measure and compare the quality of his own duties with the quality of the duties he perceiveth to be performed by others It is not the bulk only God accepts but it is the manner the spirituality the exactness and exquisitness of the performing those duties that the Lord especially looks at The Israelites seldom failed in the bulk of the duty the Lord required they gave him his Oxen and Lambs and He Goats and Sheep and the like but they failed in the spirituality of those duties of worship that the Lord required and therefore the Lord called those obblations vain oblations So that though the quantity of a souls duty should hold proportion with the quantity of the duty of others yet he must look whether the quality will hold proportion whether the spirituality of the duty will proportion with their duty whether there be as much inward adoration before God as much inward self abasement of spirit as much strength in pursuing after Communion with God Neither is it sufficient for the quality of duties to hold proportion with the quality of the duties of some other Christians but all the former rules also must be observed as far as they can be applied to this Where the Lord hath furnished with more inward ability and inward strength there he looks for the duty to excell in quality as well as quantity Thus you have the third act of the soul opened which is the comparing of his own graces with the graces it discerns in the hearts and lives of other Christians Fourthly The soul may from comparing himself with other Christians and his graces and his duties with theirs endeavour to convict himself of all the evil that can be found out
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
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
be one with them After Christ was gone into heaven and had left pleading with undone sinners with his own blessed lips you see Eph. 4.11 12. he sends out others in his own room such as might be Embassadors representing his own person to beseech and pray undone sinners to accept of reconciliation with the father through their union with him 2. By revealing that the Lord Christ took care to furnish such as he sent forth to allure undone sinners into union with him with a sutable spirit for that work Therefore before Jesus Christ would go to his father John 20.22 he goes to his Disciples and giveth them a Commission to allure souls into union with himself and when he had given them the Commission he breathed on them and said Receive ye the holy spirit 3. By revealing the Lords assimilating those whom he betrusts to reveal himself to lost sinners Not only in furnishing them with abilities of the spirit but also in conforming them in their very dispositions unto his own likeness he conveyed his own bowels of mercy and pitty and compassion into them that their bowels might yearn towards the gathering lost sinners into communion with him as the bowels of Jesus Christ himself yearned This you shall see Eph. 1.8 That Paul tells them he longed after them all in the bowels of Jesus Christ That is I longed after your perfection in union and communion with Christ in the bowels that Jesus Christ hath infused into me as some interpret it But indeed the interpretation may rather be of Jesus Christ in the same bowels that Jesus Christ longed after souls in the same kind of pitty and compassion that Jesus Christ had working in his bosom towards undone sinners 4. By revealing the Lord Jesus chusing out some desperate sinners on purpose to be as patterns of love before the eyes of other lost sinners that he would take into union with himself This is declared by the spirit 1 Tim. 1.15 16. to be the end of God to shew mercy to that blasphemer that persecuter that injurious one to Jesus Christ that he might shew forth a pattern to other sinners that should hereafter believe on him 5. By revealing the Lord Christ to have improved all his interest in those that are his own to engage them to help forward the work in gathering lost sinners into union with him As in John 21.15 16 17. when Jesus Christ was to leave the earth and would engage Peter to do some great thing for him he engaged him to reveal himself to poor miserable souls that 's under the term or notion here of feeding his Lambs and Sheep IV. For the evidencing the willingness of the Lord Christ to accept into union every loveless sinner that will embrace him the spirit reveals the absolute engagement of Christ by his own joy and by his own glory that is supernatural to embrace every loveless sinner that is willing to entertain him The Lord Christ considered as head to a mystical body may be said to be imperfect till all sinners that shall ever belong to him be gathered in And Jesus Christ even wants his Joy and Glory that he shall enjoy as a Mediator so long as there is but one lost sinner belonging to that mystical body to be gathered in Therefore it is impossible for Jesus Christ to reject one sinner that shall embrace him unless he will reject himself There is a third beam of divine light and that is Third beam of divine light The insatiable longing and thirsting of the Lord Jesus to embrace every soul into union that would be united to him The spirit is leading the soul from one degree of satisfaction to his faith to another till at last he cometh to give a full ground of satisfaction to the soul to make his union with Christ appear that faith hath ground not only of confidence but of triumph Now the spirit doth evidence this unto the soul for his satisfaction two ways First The spirit reveals the grounds from whence the longings of Jesus Christ after union with the soul do proceed Secondly The spirit reveals the expression of those longings of Jesus Christ by himself First The spirit reveals the ground whence those longings proceed 1. The spirit evidenceth the near alliance and precious relations that Jesus Christ accounts himself to have unto all those lost Sinners that long after union with him or that ever shall be brought into union with him 1. The Spirit reveals that the Lord Christ accounts all those lost Souls his Brethren Therefore Christ in John 20.17 when he sends Mary to tell the blessed news of his resurrection to his Disciples saith he Go tell my brethren that I ascend unto my father and your father to my God and your God Go tell my brethren That is those that are joynt adopted ones by my father as my brethren the joynt beloved ones as I am beloved of the father as Mediator Now from hence the spirit manifests that the soul of Christ cannot but long after union with all those souls that will embrace him into union 2. The spirit reveals that the Lord Christ accounts all those that shall embrace him to be as his Spouse as those that are to be married to him Jesus Christ hath infinite longings after himself and his own glory and then Eph. 2.28 He that loveth his wife loveth himself therefore Jesus Christ doth but love himself and his own glory in desiring the union of souls with himself and therefore his longings cannot be less than infinite and incomprehensible 3. The spirit evidenceth that Jesus Christ accounts all souls that shall embrace him as his own members without which he is not compleat as Mediator The fulness of Christ mysticall is the Church and he accounts not himself perfect till all his mysticall body be gathered to him Now hence the spirit manifests infinite longings in the bosom of Jesus Christ after every soul that would be one with him as he longs after his own good 4. The spirit reveals that the Lord Christ accounts every soul that will embrace him to be a part of his own glory Christ accounts not his own glory to be full till all those lost souls that ever shall embrace him be perfectly and compleatly joyned to him Now hence the spirit manifests that there cannot but be infinite longings in the bosom of Jesus Christ after the union of such souls with himself as would have union with him or are willing to embrace him seeing he cannot but infinitely long after the perfection of his own glory And seeing he cannot long after his own glory in the perection of it but he must long after the union of every lost soul that will embrace him into union with himself 2. The spirit also remembers the soul of those dreadful sufferings of Jesus Christ for all those souls that ever shall embrace him Now from thence the spirit evidenceth three ways that there cannot but be such longings of
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
and the same essence and so the same essential glory with himself should take upon him that frail vile despicable nature of Man 2. In regard the Father deprived himself for a season of his highest delight his most infinite contentment for the effecting those Gospel mercies The Fathers delight is in Communion and the higher degree of Communion the higher is the delight of God Therefore it is said Prov. 8.31 That he delights in the habitable parts of the Earth and with the Sons of Men that is because there are Creatures capable of Communion with God there are empty Vessels that he may be pouring out of his transcendent fulness into Now God deprived himself of his own highest delight in withdrawing the communications of himself from that his dearly beloved Son that he was forced to complain My God my God why hast thou forsaken me 3. It cost the Father the very death yea the accursed death of the most dearly beloved of his Soul the Lord Jesus He delivered him up to death for us saith the Apostle Yea it cost the Father the suffering the execution of his full wrath and indignation upon the dearly beloved of his Soul Secondly It must be opened that the Father was at the highest cost and charge in effecting that mercy for Souls that shall embrace the Lord Christ tendered on purpose to make it the surer to Souls apprehensions to give them the fuller security of all that the Gospel discovers This will appear in three things I. In regard there was no absolute necessity in respect of God himself to effect that which the Gospel discovers for Souls embracing Christ in that way at such high cost and charge to himself That will appear in two things 1. In regard there was a fulness of power in the Lords mercy to give absolute pardon unto sinners irrespectively to satisfaction The Lord being the high Soveraign of Heaven and Earth whose sole incommunicable property is that his will is the original of all Law the original of the being of all goodness he hath an absolute power in his own mercy to have given an absolute pardon to every transgression committed against his own Law The Lords Will being the only rule that he walks by and that Will of his being altogether independent hath a power within it self to have given an absolute pardon to every transgression against his Will 2. In regard the Lord in the effecting of the love and mercy that the Gospel discovers to Souls did not proceed according to the exactest rule of Justice Do not mistake me I mean not according to the height and rigor of Justice as Justice which of necessity must have been had the Lord been bound to his Justice to proceed that way That appears in two things First The highest exact rule of Justice admits of no surety in capital Crimes It requires the individual person to be the sufferer of the evil threatned for the breach of the Law that was the transgressor of the Law The voice of exact Justice was only in this wise The Soul that sinneth shall die without any admission of any Surety Now it is apparent that the Lord himself in the bringing about or effecting the Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers unto Souls he propounds this way to admit of a Surety Those that were the offenders of Justice were not sufferers under Justice but another steps in and bears the stroke of Justice that in regard of his own personal transgression was not guilty of the breach of the Law or of the Offence against Justice Secondly Were it possible for exact Justice to admit a Surety yet not possible for exact Justice to find out a Surety working still as Justice Justice never looks further than the Transgressor himself to exact Justice upon unless it be to lay the merit and desert of the transgressor in some degree upon all that have dependance upon him Never came a thought into Justice as Justice of remitting the least degree of punishment of the Transgressor yet you see in the way that he proceeds he casts about in his own thoughts to find out one sufficient to bear all the burden of wrath and indignation that is due to Transgressors themselves The Lord in his design of glorifying his Justice in effecting Love and Mercy for Souls discovered in the Gospel he proceeds only according to Love it self yea according to nothing else but Love in respect of Souls it being an act of simple absolute pure Love to impute the transgression of the poor guilty Spirit to the spotless Lamb the Lord Jesus as if he had been to have pardoned those Transgressors and to have delivered them clearly from Sin without the imputation of those Transgressions to another Therefore observe the whole Work of Salvation though contrived by the infinite Wisdom of God that Mercy and Justice might meet together and kiss each other it is attributed to Love alone Eph. 2.5 By Grace or Love ye are saved So Tit. 3.4 5. Not by Works of Righteousness which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us Still the whole Work is attributed to the Fathers Love 2. There was no absolute necessity of Gods being at that cost and charge to procure Love and Mercy for Souls that would embrace him in respect of the Souls themselves that were to be partakers of it That will appear in two things 1. In regard Souls partaking of that Love and Mercy that the Gospel discovers were not the Objects of that Love and Mercy primarily by that cost and charge that the Lord was at in the Death of Christ to effect that Love and Mercy If you observe the whole Current of the Scripture it runs thus God so loved the World that he gave Christ To us a Child is born to us a Son is given So that Christ being a Gift of Love unto the Soul it could not be that they should be made objects of Love primarily by that Gift that is originally in the first place Christ was therefore given because they were first beloved not they beloved because Christ given seeing the Love of God was fixed upon all its peculiar objects that ever it should be fixed upon in that Gift and then Christ himself came forth as a Gift of that fixed Love it could not be that they should be primarily made objects of Love by the Lords effecting that Love and Mercy for them through his great Cost of giving the dearly beloved of his Soul for them 2. Those Souls that shall embrace Christ tendered in the Gospel were the Objects of that Gospel-Love and Mercy discovered in order of nature before the Lords intention to effect that Gospel-Love and Mercy for them by that his own cost in giving his own Son The Lord Christ is discovered as the Means by which God brings about the conveyance of his Love unto his beloved ones and the End is discovered in the Gospel to be the Glory of his own Love
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
be rendred thus forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and in purifying he will not purifie or in absolving will not absolve not mentioning either wicked ones or guilty ones or any person whatever For indeed it seems to be a kind of contradiction should the words run thus The Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and will by no means clear the guilty therefore I shall hold to the words as they may be most nearly rendred that is forgiving sin and cleansing from sin he will not cleanse visiting the Iniquitie of the Fathers upon the Children And then if you observe this title of the Lords Honour is only thus much That he is the Lord forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin and upon whom he will visiting the Iniquities of the Fathers upon the Children including thus much that the Lord doth and will exercise his Mercy his Grace his long-suffering and his abundant goodness unto Souls only upon the motions of his own will upon no other ground but because he will and to no other persons upon no other respect but only to those whom himself freely will And then that includes the last Beam of the Gospel-light after all the other formerly discovered which indeed is the very Mystery of the Gospel it self and that is that all those Gospel-dispensations are only to those persons whom the Lord will and upon no other ground but the Lords Will though they be so tendered to every loveless Soul in general that will embrace him So that thus now you see the first thing cleared That all Gospel-discoveries are at least virtually included in the Lords own Name Secondly It must be cleared That the Soul may behold by believing the Credit and Honour of this blessed Name of God engaged for his security and for the fuller assurance of the Soul of all that the Gospel discovers to it This may be opened two wayes 1. In general 2. More particularly discovering the particular security the Soul may have against all fears and scruples that is possible for the Soul to apprehend in its security First In general it appears That the Soul may behold the Credit of the Lords Name engaged for his security and assurance in regard there is nothing that the Gospel discovers unto Souls but the same is included in the blessed Name of God Two things follow from hence 1. The Soul may be assured that there is an impossibility of the Lords changing that his ever blessed Name The Word is gone out of the mouth of God that that 's his Name for ever and that is his Memorial to all Generations Thence the Soul may assure it self that though Heaven and Earth pass away and melt like wax yet not one Title of what the Gospel discovers can possibly fall to the ground seeing it is impossible that the highest Majesty of Heaven and Earth can change 2. From thence the Soul may conclude That thete is a Necessity for the blessed God to deny himself and to trample under his feet his dearest Glory if the least Title of whatever the Gospel reveals should fail seeing all is included in his Name for ever Secondly The Soul may behold through believing the Credit of the Lords Name to be engaged for his security of what the Gospel discovers in particular against all fears and scruples 1. The Credit and Honour of the Lords Name is engaged That there can be no depth of misery so deep as relief and succour should not be in Christ for the poor perishing sinking Soul That 's the very first Title of the Lords Honour that concurs to make up his Name He is merciful that is he hath bowels of mercy for Souls in the depth of the greatest misery Thence the Soul may conclude that the honour of that blessed Title of the Lords Name must fail that Link in the Golden Chain must be cut asunder should the most unspeakable depth of misery that ever Soul was plunged in be a case hopeless or helpless 2. The Credit and Honour of the Lords ever blessed Mame is engaged that there may be a free receiving of the most loveless Soul into love and favour that hath nothing but what is abominable to the blessed pure eyes of God within him You see the second Title of his Honour is The Lord Gracious that is receiving into favour freely undeserving wretches undesired wretches without respect to any thing in them So that when the poor scrupulous Soul shall begin to fear that there is not ground enough in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for him to roll himself into that blessed open bosom of the Lords love in Christ with a confidence of the willingness of the Lord to accept his loveless Soul into favour then he may behold the Credit and Honour of his Name to be engaged for the Souls security to assure it that the most forlorn Soul that is nothing else but Sin that can do nothing else but sin may be freely admitted into that bosom of his love to be an object of all favour and all kindness whatsoever 3. The Credit and Honour of the Lords blessed Name is engaged for the bearing with the most crooked Soul in his crookedness for a season and his waiting to receive the most crooked Soul into favour and love The Name of the Lord you see is Long-suffering that is he that bears long before he executes any wrath Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure Souls of what the Gospel reveals in three particulars 1. To secure the Sinner of acceptance into favour that hath most desperately and rebelliously for a long time neglected Grace and Mercy 2. Hence the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged for the continuance of his Favour towards the most crooked perverse heart notwithstanding his crookedness So that the Gospel reveals an impossibility for Sin or all the Powers of Hell to force the Soul from the blessed bosom of the Lords love in Christ where it hath once taken up its rest 4. The Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the empty Soul of all fulness of Grace and Mercy that is sutable to his necessity to be contained in the bosom of God in Christ for the Soul embracing him The Gospel saith Eph. 3.8 there is unsearchable riches in Christ and the Lord calls his Name Abundant in goodness what is the difference between these two Riches is nothing but goodness or good things considered as they are in abundance and you see the Lords Name is called Abundant in goodness So that here the Credit of the Lords Name is engaged to secure the Soul against all that can possibly be objected in regard of his own emptiness poverty and nothingness So that 1. In case the Soul fears it hath no strength to yield obedience to what the Lord commands and thereupon begins to fear that all the Gospel discovers to him shall be made of no effect presently through believing the Soul may behold not only that the Gospel hath
any further than the spirit concurs with the Light Revealed Now 1. The spirit causeth the soul to be filled with a Holy Complacency in beholding the Pretious Divine Light that the Gospel Reveals 2. The spirit moves an insatiable Thirst in the soul after the continuance of that Pretious Divine Light shining from the Gospel into his Poor Obscure Heart 3. The spirit melts the Heart by the beholding that Light that the spirit puts into it so as the Heart is made most pretiously Tender and Pliable and Flexible to the Blessed Will of God in every thing 2. The Spirit impels constrains the Soul to believing strongly The Lord rules in the heart of believers by the Royal Scepter of his Word but not as the Word is barely revealed unto a Soul in the letter of it but as the Word is brought into the heart by his own Spirit And therefore when the Spirit sways not the Scepter of the Word in their hearts the word looseth its Imperial Royal Authority that it hath over the Soul and so the Soul lies not under so strong an Obligation to any Duty as it doth when the Spirit brings the Word to the heart 3. The third Act is the inabling the soul powerfully to believe According to that in Phil. 2.13 By him we receive both to will and to do that is both the disposition and the Act of the Disposition both an inward bent of Spirit to believe and power also to act that Disposition This is that mighty Power that works in those that believe Eph. 1.19 So that the Soul that could only Believe waveringly that it was the Lords will to receive his despicable loveless Soul into union with the Lord Jesus shall by the powerful ability of the Spirit infused into the Soul by the Spirit be able to receive it fixedly to believe it undoubtedly unquestionably without the least inconstancy for the present that the blessed God of Love will out of his own free love accept his despicable loveless Soul into the nearest union with the Lord Jesus and himself through him That is the exciting work of the Spirit There is now the fifth and last work of the spirit unto souls for that end to be opened which is the spirits Attestation to the soul The Spirits Attestation that is to say his Witnessing unto the soul that it shall be certainly Infallibly in its Cleaving to Lord Jesus admitted into Union and Communion with him It is the good pleasure of the Lord not only to shew the immutability of his Counsel concerning believing souls and the infallibility of their acceptance into Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in their souls cleaving to him but it is also the good pleasure of the Lord to shew more than Sufficiency the Unchangableness of his Counsel to such souls According to that Pretious place Hebr. 6.17 The Lord willing more abundantly to shew the Immutability of his Councel Ex Abundanti as Beza Translates the Original The Lord having a Pretious good will to shew in a way more and beyond what was necessary to believing souls the Impossibility of their souls failing of Union and Communion with the Lord Jesus in their cleaving to him he doth therefore now add his Blessed Spirit to be the Comforter of Believing souls not only in a Degree that is necessary for them for which end all those four former Effects of the spirit upon souls were appointed but the Lord appoints the Spirit to be a Comforter beyond what is necessary And therefore after the Spirit hath given to Believing souls a clear Evidence of their Acceptance into Union with the Lord Jesus so as thereby the spirit had filled their souls with strong Consolation Yet the Lord appoints the Spirit to add a higher work which is its Attestation This Attestation of the Spirit is that you shall find Eph. 1.13 In whom also after that ye Believed ye were Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise Or as the Word may be rendered In whom Believing ye were Sealed which Imports the neer Conjunction of these two Blessed works of the Spirit or the immediate following of the Spirits Attestation upon the Spirits Excitation of their Souls to Believing And this work of the Spirit is that you find also in 2 Cor. 1.21 22. Now he that Establisheth us with you in Christ and hath Annointed us is God who hath also Sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our Hearts And this you shall find also Eph. 4.30 Grieve not the Spirit of God by which you are Sealed unto the day of Redemption And so Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth Witness with our Spirit thaâ— we are the Children of God Now least any should question whether the Spirit doth thus work in a Witnessing way it would be necessary to clear the Interpretation of most of those places from some other Glosses that are Frequently put upon them It is true say some the Scripture speaks of the Sealing work of the Spirit unto Souls but the meaning of the Spirit of Truth is only that by Graces and Holy Dispositions that the Spirit Communicates unto Believing Souls it doth confirm Souls in the certainty of their Acceptance into Union with Christ So that by the receiving of the Spirit by Beliveâ—s spoken of in the Scripture of Truth is only meant Believers receiving the Precious Working of the Spirit in their Hearts in Holy Habits and Dipsositions For Answer I must acknowledge that by the Spirit is frequently meant in Scripture the Holy Dispositions infused by the Sanctifying Spirit into Believing Souls And I must acknowledge also that the Graces or Holy Habits infused by the Spirit in Believing Souls are spoken of as Witnesses unto Souls of their Union with Christ And indeed it is questionless that an effect may Witness its own proper cause And the Scripture speaks expresly that the works of God are Witness of God Act. 14.17 And so Christs works were Witnesses of his Godhead John 5.36 Yet this is not that which is primarily intended in the former Scriptures by the Spirits Sealing the Believing Soul which may appear to you by two or three Reasons I. In regard the Spirits Sealing the Believing Soul is declared to follow the Souls act of Believing in order of Nature As in Eph. 1.13 In whom after ye Believed ye were Sealed Or In whom ye Believing were Sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise Now all the Pretious Holy Habits that the Sanctifying Spirit Infuses into any Soul are in order of Nature Infused before there is any Believing act in the Soul Though the Believing act in a Believing Soul may be Contemporary that is at one and the same time yet the Infusing of all the Holy Habits and Dispositions into the Soul must be conceived to have a precedency in order of Nature before there can be a Believing act I confess some and those learned ones too have imagined that the Sanctifying Spirit should work as an external
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
Union and Communion with the Father through Christ The Soul doth not only possess Union and Communion but hath the knowledge of it the sweet and comfort of it and that 's the fruition of Union and Communion Now the Union of Souls with the Father through Christ is the most proper object of all the Devils envie and malice 5. The very first-born power of his malice works against the Believers evidence of his Union in regard Believers through their enjoyment of that evidence of their Union with Christ do hold forth the most orient brightness of the Lords grace love in Christ Now the Lords peculiar delight being in receiving the honour of his love from poor despicable worms thence the Devils malice works infinitely against the Souls receiving evidence of his union with the Lord Jesus because it works infinitely against the Lords receiving his own intended glory Secondly I must premise That all the most profound policy subtilty and craft of all the Princes and Rulers of the Region of darkness is employed in that most cursed insinuation to a believing Soul that the evidence of his Union with Christ received either to faith or sense is but a diabolical delusion The policies of Hell all concur together in its strength in this temptation or insinuation to a believing soul that his evidence is but a delusion I. In regard by the Devils prevailing in this temptation he leads the Soul in the most extricable labyrinth that there is no possibility by all the diligence the soul can use to evade or escape and find the way out The Soul once passing a Sentence against his own evidence that it is nothing but a fancy or a hellish delusion he is lost in a wood as it were of fear and perplexity of questions and scruples he is then caught indeed in the Devils thicket in the bryars that are of Hells own planting There is nothing then left to clear the Souls way I mean if the actual evidence of that Souls Union be suspended until a renewed actual evidence of the same Spirit comes to the Soul There is no way left for the Soul wherein it is possible for it to make a tryal of his own estate The Soul can make no proof from the light of his own Grace that light must be supposed to have been discovered to the Soul in its union received that being rejected no other light can manifest Grace to be in the Soul II. In regard the prevailing in this temptation grieves the very Comforter himself it wearies the Spirit of the Lord whose Office is thus To reveal to the Lord its acceptance into union with Christ it causeth the Soul to make a direct opposition against the blessed Comforter So that now in the Devils prevailing in this insinuation he noâ— only leaves the Soul in a most inextricable labyrinth but provokes the blessed Spirit of the Lord to withdraw himself and to withhold all renewed beams of light from that believing Soul 3. In regard the prevailing of that temptation would bereave the Soul at least of the fruition and benefit of all that 's past over to the Soul in Christ If that temptation take hold upon the Spirit that the Soul draws that conclusion that his evidence is a delusion then all the boldness and freedom of access to the Throne of Grace for supply is vanished in a moment In a word by the prevailing of this the Devil in a manner snatches the believing Soul from among the number of the Friends of the Almighty and sets him among the poor strangers by the prevailing of this he snatches the believing Soul from among the Vessels of honour I mean in the Souls apprehension and in regard of the Souls enjoyment and places it among the Vessels of dishonour it makes the the Soul disclaim all interest right and title to any mercy and love 4. In regard the prevailing of this insinuation with the believing Soul doth reduce or bring back the believing Soul and make it liable and subject to the power and force of all other cursed insinuations from the Devil The prevailing of this suggestion brings the Soul under the force of all those temptations that his Soul was formerly delivered from all the temptations grounded upon the Souls unworthiness all that were grounded upon the Souls long continuance in sin Pre. 3. Thirdly Every believing Soul that hath received the evidence of his union to faith and sense must expect all the rage power and strength that Satan can afford to be employed against the Soul to darken and obscure that evidence 1. All the powet of Hell is employed to suggest false reasonings carnal sensual arguments into the mind of that believing soul 2. All the power in the corrupted Conscience of that believing Soul is and will be employed to accomplish that design to perswade the believing Soul that the evidence of his union received is but a diabolical delusion His power in the corrupted Conscience will be employed to edifie and stir it up to bring in false Accusations against the believing Soul 3. His whole power and strength will be employed in stirring up passions and disordered tumultuous affections in that believing Soul Any believing of fear and terror the Devil will foment and nourish and by his mighty power over those passions and affections make such a confusion and tumult as if the Soul and Hell were to come together immediately The Devil will employ his power over the affections themselves and his power upon the humours of the Body through which those passions and affections work The Devil upon the very suggestion that the Souls evidence of his union is a delusion will exercise his power so upon the humours of the Body as to dispose the Body to a timerous trembling it may be almost every joynt shaking upon the imagination it may be deluded and then nourish and augment by bringing in renewed accusation upon accusation against a believing Soul So that all the false reasonings of the mind and the false accusation of the conscience hath a more power upon the Soul in regard of the disposition of the body and the working of the affections Fourthly I must premise That all the utmost power and possibility of corruption that remains in a true Believer are ready to comply with and second the Devil in the exercise of his malice policie and power against the believing soul to receive that cursed suggestion of Hell that his evidence of his union received is but a delusion Wretched Man in his first transgression joyned a cursed amity with the Devil himself and ever since Mans Heart hath set at the Devils Councel Table joyning all the strength of its policie and power with that infernal Spirit to maintain his tyranny over the poor Soul that whatever Hell-bred design the Devil acts against the believing Soul the Heart doth immediately comply with that hellish design And though indeed Mans corrupt heart be ready to comply with every motion and
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
through a clear evidence hath begotten such a precious confidence in the Soul The believing Soul ought to say concerning that his confidence as Job said concerning his Job 27.5 I will not remove my integrity from me I will not let go this my confidence till I have proved and examined the evidence of my union with the Lord Jesus from whence this confidence did arise This also may appear in two things 1. In regard the diminishing of this confidence in the believing soul before the trial of the evidence of his union with Christ received is an infinite injury to the sweetest Comforter the blessed Spirit who through the manifestation unto the Soul that he is united to the Lord Jesus establisheth the Soul in that pretious confidence The rejecting of that confidence so wrought by the blessed Spirit is a slighting of the spirit in his most precious Office and a disparagement of the very witness of that blessed Spirit 2. It is a most sinful unconstancy and fickleness to reject any thing received before clear demonstration of the errour of the soul in receiving It is contrary to the order rhat the Lord requires should be in all the motions of the soul which is that they should be subject to the power of holy sanctified reason So that this confidence before trial ought to be maintained in its full strength in case such a confidence was begotten by an evidence formerly received that he is actually united to the Lord Jesus Quest But here is a question then by the way would be opened But will the Soul say wherefore then are the commands given by God to prove and examine our selves whether we be in the saith and so consequently to examine the evidence of our union with Christ if we must not be dubious and anxious whether the evidence of our union with Christ received be true or no before we proceed ro the trial and examination of them Answ 1. For answer to this question by the way briefly I answer first that these Commands of Souls examining themselves whether they be in the faith are given universally to all Souls on purpose that deluded souls by the trying and proving themselves might discover their own delusions and discern their lying confidence of their acceptance into union with the Lord Jesus 2. These commands are given on purpose to believing souls to maintain the life of the confidence of the Lords will to admit them into union with Christ and the confidence that they are admitted into union with the Lord Jesus These commands are occasions to Souls truly united to the Lord Jesus to review over the grounds of their confidence of the Lords will to admit them into union with Christ and of the Lords actual admission of them into union Now the more the Soul views the ground of his confidence the more it views that blessed word of God that reveals the Lords will to admit even his Soul into union with the Lord Jesus in case he accepts it and by the Souls gazing upon that blessed word it discerns more of the truth and certainty infallibility and unchangeableness of that word and the more frequently and fully the Soul discerns that the stronger is its confidence in the will of the Lord that he will admit even that his Soul into union with the Lord Jesus and thence there is more occasion for the blessed Spirit to irradiate rhe souls believing act to enable the soul to see and feel it self to believe aright by which means the actual confidence of the souls admission with Christ lives and is maintained in its strength 3. These commands are given that there might be more preparedness against all assaults that are made from Hell against those souls Through this examination believing souls have their confidence maintained in its life and strength and so are fortified against temptation because it discerns clearly the foundation upon which his own confidence stands 4. The Lord gives these commands on purpose to draw forth into exercise all manner of holy dispositions in the believing soul This is done by the renewed view of that light that doth evidence unto the souls faith or unto the souls sense its union with the Lord Jesus Thenâ—… is the pretious subjection of the Heart to the will of God in all things acted then is the correspondent love of the soul answerable to the Lords love to the soul drawn out in its strength then are all the thirstings after near communion with God in Christ acted Pre. 3. Thirdly a third thing to be premised is this That there are many sinful distempers incident to believing souls in the times when they are doubtful of the truth of the evidences of their union with Christ which whenever they do prevail in any soul during their prevalency they do incapacitate those souls for a just trial and true examination of the evidences of their union There are especially four of those sinful distempers incident unto believing souls at such a time 1. There is an impatiency and frowardness of spirit under the obscurity of that truth of their evidence of union with the Lord Jesus incident to every believing soul Indeed our spirits are naturally impatient under every burden but when any Arrows from the Almighty are shot into the Conscience or any Arrow from Hell stick fast there I mean any doubtfulness any terrors and fears of the fulness of their conceived evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus then are their spirits in a superlative manner prone to fret and vex and fume by the prevailing of unruly passion Thus David under the doubtfulness of the Lords fulfilling a promise made to him breaks out into most dreadful impatience in 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul So in Psal 116.11 I said in my haste all men are liars So Psal 31.22 I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine Eyes So the holy man Job Chap. 3.3 and Chap. 6.8 9. Now during the prevalency of this distemper of impatiency and frowardness of spirit under doubting the truth of their evidence their spirits are made uncable of a just trial and examination of the truth of the evidence of their union with the Lord Jesus There are two ways how this sinful distemper doth incapacitate souls for the just examination of the evidence of their union 1. It doth prevent a serious deliberate view of the evidences of their union with Christ that they have received by drawing out the intentions of their Spirits to look upon the grounds of their fears of the falseness of the evidence of their Union When any passion prevails in any Spirit it draws out the whole strength of the Soul that way Now the intention of the soul being drawn out to look upon the object of his fears the grounds of his doubts and the matter of the suspition of the falseness of his union by this the soul is made unsuitable to take any right deliberate
cursed dispositions in his own heart more abased thoughts of himself as he is in himself more distrustful of himself and his own heart being less confident in himself and in the strength of the power of holiness as yet communicated to him And thus those very falls or slips of that believing soul shall tend to their last end to make the soul partaker of more holiness causing the soul to hang more intire with a more precious constant dependance upon the Lord Jesus for the constant influences of the sanctified spirit and so shall exalt the name of God more in that heart and so shall cause the soul to grow more into a conformity to that mystical Head of his the Lord Jesus and so through that conformity to his Head and that mystical glory of Christ the glory of the Father shall be exalted Thus likewise you must consider again that the communication of God himself unto believing souls are secret invisible and insensible and also they are visible and sensible Now those communicarions of God himself unto the believing soul that are visible and sensible those do commonly immediately tend to the accomplishment of the believing souls glory that is to the perfection of the likeness of Jesus Christ in the soul and so consequently it tends also to the perfecting of Christs mystical glory and to the manifestation of the Fathers glory But those communications of God unto a believing soul that are invisible secret and insensible those commonly do tend only mediately to the accomplishment of those fore named blessed ends So that hence also you may collect that whenever any communication of God unto a believing soul doth demonstrate it self to come from God when it is sensible communication then it doth immediately tend to the accomplishment of these three ends This then being considered and it being apparent that all the dealings of God with believing souls are for the accomplishment of those his three blessed intendments from before the foundation of the world was laid then it must be through discerning of one of those three intendments of God effected in the soul that the believing soul must prove that such a beam of light as discovers to him his union with Christ did proceed from God himself Now we shall begin with the highest and so proceed to the lowest All are yours and ye are Christs and Christ is Gods that is for God And from thence we may conclude that the prime and principal reason taken from the effects of a souls union with Christ where by it may be proved that souls evidence proceeds from God is this that the beam of heavenly light that shines into the soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus doth exalt and magnifie the name of God in the hearts Gods exaltation of himself in the Believers heart was the great design of God from all eternity it was as it were the Alpha and Omega as I may so speak the very beginning and end of the Lords intention only his intention reached further to exalt himself through believing souls before all other Therefore then may the soul prove infallibly the light that discovered to his soul his union with Christ to proceed from God himself when it effects the prime intendment of God from eternity to the believing Soul when it erects a higher Throne from the Majesty of Heaven in its heart when it fills the heart with higher lowder more zealous acclamations of praise and honour and glory and worship to be given for ever to yonder God that the light carries the stamp and impression of Heaven upon it when it begins the work of Heaven in a believing way here then it is an earnest of Heaven when it implys the Soul in the work that it is destinated to from Eternity Pro. 19.6 God hath made all things for himself that is for the manifestation of his own transcendent glory so for the magnifying of his ever blessed name Now when the light that discovers to the soul its union do thus effect Gods general his ultimate end in the believing Soul the Soul may certainly conclude this beam of light did descend down from the Father of Lights Now there are four or five acts in the believing Soul wherein it exalts the name of God 1. Then the Soul exalts the name of God when it is filled with such sensible apprehensions of such transcendent brightness of glory shining sorth from God as the Soul is utterly unable to conceive of or apprehend Now this first act of that believing Soul to exalt God in his heart is the certain and infallible effect of every beam of light that proceeds from God to discover to his Soul his union with the Lord Jesus Indeed every act of the Lords mercy and goodness towards believing Souls is a Precious Christal Glass wherein believing Souls do see an incomprehensibleness of the beauty glory and unspeakable perfection of God and therefore much more unconceivable glory do the believing Soul apprehend in such an high act of the Lords mercy and love as is the discovery of his precious eternal love to the believing Soul through Christ This you shall see apparent in David upon the Lords discovering of his promises made unto his Soul in Christ and made unto his House also in 2 Sam. 7.18 19 20 21. Then went King David in and sat before the Lord then that is after the Prophet had declared the precious promise to his Soul in Christ and he said who am I O Lord God and what is my House that thou hast brought me hitherto Thou art Great O Lord God there is none like thee neither is there any God besides thee ver 22. Mark what sensible high apprehensions of a transcendent glory in God dwelt in Davids heart upon the discovery of such precious promises made to him and his House likewise upon a smaller mercy comparatively though indeed typifying the same mercy upon the deliverance of the Israelites from the hands of Pharoah and drowning their cruel Task-masters in the Red Sea the hearts of the Saints were filled with high apprehensions of the glory of God Exod. 15.11 Who is like unto thee O Lord yea they repeat their admiration twice as if they could not admire him enough who is like unto thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders you may behold the same workings of the believing heart 1. John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that me should be called the Sons of God There are three or four special beams of the glory of Heaven that a Believer apprehends as unspeakable unconceivable incomprehensible when a beam of light shines from God to discover to the Soul its union with Christ 1. There is then such a glorious brightness of the presence of God appears to the believing Soul as it stands amazed to behold it When the Lord lets such a beam of light shine into the dark Soul that it sees the Lords will
necessary infallible effect of a true beam of light shining from the father of lights into the believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus Indeed there is a necessity of such a discovery to a believing Soul of its union with Jesus Christ preceeding the sweetest act of subjection of himself wholly at the foot of God 1. In regard then when such a light shines into the soul to discover its union with Christ the soul apprehends an infinite disproportion between that which he ows to God and his ability and capacity to pay to him He apprehends Men and Angels are never sufficient to render to the Lord according to his benefits bestowed upon his loveless soul 2 It appears to that soul while there is such a discovery of that his union with Christ to be an infinite injury to the Majesty of Heaven that a thought of his heart should not be subject to his blessed will The heart saith within it self so sweetly hath the Lord passed over himself and all his fulness to this empty loveless soul of mine that it were such an accursed requital as might incense the Lord to be incomplacable should my heart be withheld from giving one subjection to him that thence the soul is constrained by an irresistble power by ineffable bands of love to yield all precious subjection to the blessed will of God V. The fifth and last act that must concurr together with all the Four former to the exaltation of the Name of God is the souls taking up a full acquiescense or rest and contentment in God alone It is an infinite unspeakable injury to the Majesty of Heaven that one desire one inclination in the heart should be a Vagrant to wander hither and thither to seek for its satisfaction out of God Now this precious God-exalting act in the believing soul is necessarily certainly and infallibly produced by a true beam of light shining from Heaven into any believing soul to discover its union with the Lord Jesus Thus you shall observe it was in David Psal 63.3 4 5. Thy loving kindness is better than life My Soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness It should be contentment enough for him to enjoy his love only Thus these Five acts which concur together to the exalting of the Lords blessed Name are all the necessary and certain effects of a true beam of light shining from Heaven into the believing soul to discover to it its union with the Lord Jesus So that whatever Soul is partaker of such a blessed beam of the light of Heaven as do truly discover from God to him his union with the Lord Jesus he hath these pretious God-exalting acts necessarily produced in his soul whereby that light that shines into his Soul discovers it self to have its original from God There is a second branch of this great end of God from eternity from whence a Soul that conceives he hath received satisfying evidences of his union with Christ may gather another evidence of his union and that is the exaltation of God through those believing souls This is that you read of Eph. 1.4 5. He hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the World that we should be holy having predestinated us unto the adoption of Children through Jesus Christ to himself to the praise of the glory of his grace That is to the end that his glorious love in Jesus Christ might be made manifest through us to give praise to the Lord to declare the excellency of God to publish and tell abroad the glory of God Now the very end unto which God predestinated believing Souls was to the glory of his love to the end they should be like Silver Trumpets to sound aloud and proclaim his glory So that then this being the great end of God from eternity in his love to believing souls that they might be like so many Golden Pillars whereupon the Lord might write the glorious excellency of his love in great Characters that others might read it thence of necessity this must be the effect and consequence in some degree of the Lords Communications of love unto believing souls all the workings of his love necessarily tending in order to their ultimate end So that then a second reason from whence the Soul may demonstrate to himself that the light that himself hath received to discover to him his union with Jesus Christ is really from God is this that the pretious light that shined into his dark soul to reveal to him his union with Christ did necessarily and certainly effect the exaltation of God through him Now that exaltation of God consists only in this in the Souls declaring or manifesting the brightness and perfection of those excellencies to be in God that God hath revealed to be in him in his pretious word But herein we must descend down into particulars First God is exalted through the Soul when the brightness the lustre the perfection that the Lord discovers in that his love in Christ to unlovely sinners is manifested through the believing soul and made conspicuous before others by the believing soul Thence it is you shall observe in Psal 50.23 saith God who so offereth praise glorifieth me Now the offering praise is nothing else taken strictly but a sincere humble declaration of the glorious workings of the Lords love and mercy to poor despicable worms it is but a publishing the glorious works of God and speaking of the excellency and perfection of God Thence in Isa 43.7 The Sons and Daughters of God are said to be Created for the Lords glory which they accomplish by shewing forth his praise v. 21. It is by making manifest what the excellencies of God in himself are Now then God is exalted in a believing soul when the excellency and glory of the Lords love in Christ revealed to Sinners is made manifest through the Soul This is done Three ways 1. When the Soul doth give a real practical testimony to the fulness and perfection of that love of God in Christ to an unlovely Sinner Now this the believing soul doth practically declare in Four or Five things First By rejoycing fully and gloriously in that love When the Heart can rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory in that love of God that is in Christ then is the blessed Name of God exalted through the soul in regard the soul then declares practically and gives a real testimony to other believing souls and to the World too that the blessed God of Heaven is true that his love is according to what he declared in his blessed word that his love to unlovely sinners contains all kind of happiness contentment glory and excellency that is desirable by a believing soul so far as is suitable for him Secondly When the Soul can despise and disregard all kind of difficulty whatsoever for the enjoyment of the sweet fruit and working of that love of God that is in Christ Thence it is that
name of God might be exalted through believing souls by holding forth the glorious freedom of that riches of love that is in Christ Jesus Now we shall shew you that this exaltation of God in this manifestation of the perfection of freedom of his love in Christ to unlovely sinners is the necessary inseparable infallible effect of a true beam of light shining from Heaven into any dark heart to reveal to that soul his union with the Lord Jesus This must be opened by shewing you those three acts of believing souls whereby they do thus manifest the glorious freedom of the Lords love to the exaltation of God through them that these three acts are necessarily and certainly produced in souls by discerning a beam of light from Heaven to discover to them their union with Jesus Christ First That sensible and free acknowledgement of the souls abhorred vileness even when the tender of the Lords love in Jesus Christ is made to it yea when the Lord grasps it in the everlasting arm of his love that was in Christ even this sensible and free acknowledgement of the souls most cursed wickedness is the necessary effect of a souls receiving a light from Heaven to evidence its union with the Lord Jesus Christ this you may see 1 Tim. 1.14 Paul tells us that he was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious yet to me the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant not only abundant having more than a fulness of love but exceeding abundant abounding in the most superlative degree in the most inconceivable manner So the third and fourth Chapters to the Romans seem to be written for that very purpose in a great measure to prove nothing but vileness to have been in those souls whom the Lord accepted into the Bosom of his love in Christ Thus the Apostle endeavours to draw forth free acknowledgments of their abhorred vileness while he is remembring them of the riches of the Lords love in Christ to them We shall make it appear in some particulars that the free sensible acknowledgement of the souls abhorred wickedness when the Lord tenders his love in Christ is the necessary effect of receiving a beam of light from Heaven to discover to the soul his union 1. In regard there is an actual view of the most accursed wretchedness of the soul by the power of a beam of light that shines from Heaven to discover to a soul his union with Christ Any beam of true light that shines into a soul is but a discovery of the Gospel message in its clearness extent and latitude it is but an opening and expounding clearly and satisfyingly to the souls capacity the message of glad tydings that Christ sent to poor despicable sinners now that glad tydings is nothing else but the message of reconciliation to every soul that will accept it and thence it cannot be but the same light must present to the souls view the sight of his enmity and opposition of heart it can not be but at the same moment when the soul apprehends his own reconciliation to God in Christ he must apprehend his own enmity formerly to God in Christ Thence it is that in Ezek. 36.31 In the Prophets foretelling the blessed Covenant of Grace that should be established between God and Souls he doth also prophecy that those with whom the Covenant of Grace should be established they shall remember their own evil ways and doings that were not good and shall loath themselves in their own sight for their iniquities and abominations Now any beam of precious light from Heaven thus necessarily presenting to the soul an actual view of its own abhorred vileness thence it cannot but dispose that believing soul for sensible and free acknowledgement of that unspeakable vileness of his when the tender of that love came to him 2. In regard every beam of light enables the soul to comprehend his sinfulness and most accursed wickedness more largely and fully it causeth him to behold the height and depth and length and breath of his own wickedness according to the glory of God apprehended against whom the soul have sinned so are the souls apprehensions or comprehensions of the height of his own vileness now the glory of the light never shines so clearly and transparently upon any soul as it does when such a beam of light comes from the spirit of light and manifestation to discover the glorious riches of love in Christ to the dispicable unlovely soul admitting the loveless worthless soul into the nearest union so that thence there can never be such full comprehensions of his own sinfulness as there is in the very moment when such a beam of light shines from Heaven upon the soul 3. In regard the affections are all drawn forth to work in their strength against the souls sinfulness by such a beam of light shining forth That manifestation of the riches of the Lords love begets answerable correspondent workings of love in the soul towards God again now those workings of love in the soul towards God draws forth the workings of all the other affections against the souls sinfulness Love and Hatred works towards their contrary objects in like degree In the very same measure that the actings of love are drawn out towards God in the same measure is the hatred of the soul the loathing and abhorring of the sinful disposition drawn out This David declares Psal 119.103 That upon his tasting the sweetness of the Lords words which were the actings of love in the soul of David to the word of God he hates every false way ver 104. and vain thoughts ver 13. His love and hatred wrought equally alike towards their object his love to the Law of God made him hate whatever was contrary to it Now the love of the soul towards God is drawn out in its superlative degree of acting by that clear discovery from Heaven that Jesus Christ and the Soul are one and thence likewise all the affections cannnot but work in their highest degree against all the sinfulness of the Soul both hatred of the sinful disposition sorrow and melting and breaking of heart in remembrance of it anger displeasure and indignation against it fear and dread of those iniquities having power over it Now thence it cannot be but the same beam of light discovering to the Soul his union with Christ should necessarily produce sensible and free acknowledgement of the Souls abhorred vileness seeing it fills the heart with the working of strong affection against his own sinfulness apprehended 4. In regard there are constant actings of faith in the believing Soul while the glory of such a beam of light from Heaven shines into the Soul There are such renewed operations of saith continues while that light shines into a Soul that discovers his union with Christ that there seems during the continuation of that light into the Soul to be but one extended drawn forth act of faith Now seeing there are those constant
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
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
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