follow Mark here are two witnesses to assure us of our both filiation and salvation 1. Our own spirit How our own Spirit what more deceitful than a mans own * Jer. 17.9 heart but stay it is not the carnal heart but theregenerate heart as the word spirit is taken 1 Cor. 2.11 whence * Origines in Loc. Origen The Spirit bears witness not to the Soul but to the Spirit that is the heart regenerated by the Spirit which goes for sence and feeling and finding it self to have Faith indeed and truly to be regenerated by the Spirit is able to say truly with the Apostle I know whom I have believed 2 Tim. 1.12 and I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me Gal. 2.20 see the place Stapleton that subtile Popish Writer would have this witness to be our charity but there is not a syllable for it in the Text and therefore his assertion I reject for false The second witness is the Spirit of God who as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Co-witness steps in and confirms what our own spirit affirms saying it is true thou art a child of God But how shall I know that this testimony is not a delusion but the Spirits truly Thus you may be sure of it saith a worthy Writer Either it is the Spirits or the fleshes perswasion Not the fleshes for that doth not lead us nor adduce us to divine and heavenly things therefore the Spirits and the Spirit doth not lie 〈◊〉 Bellarm. l. 3. de justif c. 9. Thus he Bell armine saith that this testimony of the Spirit begets but a conjectural certitude of our salvation but that is as false as God is true for can any thing be more true and certain than that which is asserted by the God of truth well then here are two Witnesses for you and you know what the Law saith that at the mouth of two Witnesses matters shall be established Deut. 19.15 and therefore why should ye doubt Chrysostom upon this place triumphs as it were saying * Chrysost in Rom. 8.16 to be noted against Bellarmines conjectural Assurance What ambiguity is there then left for us if a Man Angel or Arch-Angel promise a thing a man may happily doubt but sith the supreme essence of God's Spirit who makes us pray promises to them that pray and performs what he promises doth so bear witness within us what room is left for hesitating and doubting to us Labour therefore for this testimony of the Spirit Q. But you will say Qnest How shall we come by it Answ I Answ * Luk. 11.15 Crave it as thus O blessed Spirit bear witness to my Spirit that I am a child of God Venisancte Spiritus Come O holy Spirit and tell my Spirit so that my Spirit may rejoyce in the God of my salvation I being assured of my salvation Men suppine men to be witnesses for them but do you only intreat the Spirit to be a witness for you and he will be willing to do it for you For as Christ saith of the Father The Father himself loveth you John 16.27 so I of the Spirit The Spirit himself who is one with the Father loveth you Therefore go again and again to the Spirit and pray to the same effect saying Holy Spirit speak to my Spirit and speak plain even so plain as that I may know that it is thy voice and not the voice of a stranger for thy sheep do not love to hear the voice of * Joss 10.4 5. Joh. 10.3 strangers Nay come blessed Spirit and call me as it were by my * Rev. 22.17 name as Christ calls his sheep by name saying Christopher John Peter Mary thou art a Child of God O sirs let every one that heareth me this day say so come blessed Spirit come and testifie so and he that shall come will come and will not tarry and when he cometh Assurance cometh for he comes not alone when he cometh but his reward is with him and before him to wit his testimony and his earnest 2 Cor. 5.22 which is the exceeding great reward of our supplications and the merciful compensation of a truly gracious conversation 9. 9 Medium But I have one help more for you and that is you must try your selves daily by some evid ences for Heaven When a Traveller being bent for a certain place and told by signs and tokens which is the way to it as namely there are such Meadows at the one hand which he must pass by such miry places at the other which he must leave and such Mountains before him which he must pass over and he findes it so he is sure that he is in his right way and shall certainly come to the place appointed For saith he when he is past the places spoken of lo there be the meadows the miry places the mountains which I was told of I am past them now a child of God being bound and bent for Heaven is such a Traveller too according to that of the Psalmist Psal 84.6 and * thus rendred in your English meetre Psal 24.6 This is the brood of Travellers in seeking of his grace As Jacob did the Isralite in that time of his race And this Traveller is told in the holy Scriptures and by us Ministers which is the way to Heaven and how he shall know that he is in his way and shall certainly arrive there As for example such sins and waies which are like miry places and meadows must be left on the right and on the left hand and that such and such duties and perfections which are like high and craggy Mountains he must go over whereupon it followeth that when he looketh back into his life and courses and finds it to be so as he was told he must needs be assured that for certain he shall be saved for saith he are not these sins which I have left the miry places which I was told of and these pleasures of sin for a season which I have passed by the pleasant meadows which I was told of and those difficult duties which I have laboured to perform as believing self denyal a spotless walking and a constant and laborious serving of God even day and night the high and craggy mountains which I was fore-shown Beloved it is * Mr. Nichols hath it in his life reported of that holy man Ignatius Jordan whom I formerly mentioned that when he was near his end and one did ask him how he did and could so keep up and maintain his Assurance so constantly even to the end he answered that every day he did try himself by some undeceiving signes and evidences for Heaven that kept it up so died Do you therefore likewise as he did and you may be assured as he was But I know you will be very inquisitive now what those evidences are whereby you are to try your selves so and
delivery is in pain and cryeth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O Lord. woman when her time is near and her pangs begin to come upon her or as a child cryeth as soon as it is born so you before you be new born as thus what will become of our poor souls for they are yet unregenerate and therefore cannot in any wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unlesse extraordinary mercy be shewn them by the God of Heaven or thus as the Egyptians once cryed out when there was not an house in all Egypt where there was not one dead saying We be all dead men Exod. 12.30 33. And there was a great cry in Egypt See the place So let there be a great cry among you in every house and family For I believe that there is scarce an house where there is not one or more unregenerate and dead and in your several chambers 〈…〉 unto which you have according to my premised advice betaken your selves and let your cry be the same that was in Egypt Oâ— we are all dead men we that are unregenerate men for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3.3 Not all the art and wit of man Not all the â—heâ—orick of the eloquent'st Orator Not all the inâ—reaâ—ies of Saints and Angels can therefore or will perswade God to take one that is a drunkard or Whoremaster or Usurer or Lyar or Thief or covetous man and such have been some of us into his Kingdom 〈…〉 even as not all the perswasions of the men of this Country are or will be able to prevail with any one of us to take but one toad or snake into his bosome Thus cry out for anguish 2. Cry out for and to the spirit of Regeneration for by the spirit also a man must be born again according to that famous saying of our Saviour John 3.5 where note that the Spirit doth three things to regenerate souls 1. He convinceth them John 16.8 9. 2. He injects the feed of Regeneration into them according to that of Saint John His seed remains in them 1 John 3.9 3. He delivers them and makes them free 2 Cor. 3.17 helping them to come forth out of the dark womb of nature into his marvelous light that by him as by a * Irenaeus adv haeres bal. l. 3. c. 40. Ladder they may ascend into * John 3.35 Heaven to our Father which is in Heaven so that unto him you must cry and say O blessed spirit of Regeneration Regenerate our souls O our poor souls that they may live O convince them of their unregeneracy O inject the feed of Regeneration into them from above Oh help them to come forth Oh let a new heart be given to us O let us have flexible and tender hearts like the heart of a little child for we also must be like little children Oh come blessed spirit come and help us Oh come quickly come presently and deliver us 〈◊〉 come now whilest we are in this Room waiting for thee as thou comest upon the Apostles in that house wherein they were sitting Acts 3.2 3. O let this be the time of our regeneration that we also may be sure of our Salvation here be earnest and cry mightily Nay if need be and thou canst not be heard in that day cry in the night too and so come to the Spirit at this time as Nicodemus came to Christ in old time even by night and so cry day and night and then it will not be long before thou shalt be delivered being regenerated for as Christ said once Luk. 18.7 8. And shall not God hear his elect which cry unto him day and night though he bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily So I shall not the spirit of God hear his elect which cry unto him day and night I tell you that he will hear them and deliver them speedily For ask and you shall have saith Christ Luk. 11.9 It is no more but ask and have ask therefore the spirit and you shall have * How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11.13 him ask Regeneration of the spirit understand in the manner aforesaid and you shall have it and it will not be long before you shall hear the spirit cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 even most emphatically For therefore to the * Abba from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jun. Tremel in Marc. 14.14 Syriack word Abba is added Father if you shall so cry day and night for the spirit to the Father Beloved there is no crying which the Father of mercies loves better and the Father of lies likes worse than this crying and therefore use it 6. Strive to come forth For as endeavour without God cannot so God without endeavors will not help us See Phil. 2.12 13. and therefore as Christ said once strive to enter so I strive to come out Luk. 13.24 for ye will find a very hard bout before ye will be able to come out therefore I say again strive and strive as other children do when they come to their birth or thus strive as once * Gen. 38.29 Pharez and Zarah in Tamars womb nay as Pharez so strove as that he made a breach and was therefore called Pharez from that breach so do you make a breach as it were and tear away from Natures womb and tear away from your beds of ease and sin and tear away especially from your lusts your pride of life your vile affections your violent passions your vain and filthy conversations your usury your atheism polytheism and abominable epicurism and whatsoever else is contrary to the holy Law of God thus strive to come out I pray you pardon my boldness which I took by this digression which carried me so far in this Sea of matter concerning our Regeneration and be pleased to impute it unto the vehemency of my love which made me thus to forget and to lose my self that you might not lose your selves which God in mercy grant 2. Labour to believe 2 Direct or Medium for so did those holy ones who according to my Text were so assured of their salvation v. 8. and besides if a man do believe and be sure of it that he doth he must needs be assured also that he shall be saved For so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 Mark He * Nay he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life Joh. 3.36 which much more and plainly demonstrates that a believing soul must needs be assured of its salvation because it hath it shall have it saith Christ as if he should say he may be sure of it for the mouth of truth hath spoken it
Believe then in the Lord you that never did yet and you may be sure certain that your shall be saved Here give me leave again to enlarge my self a little upon this most needful Medium whereby you may gain the assurance of your salvation shewing how you must go to work that you may believe 1. Hear a powerful and faith preaching Ministery as much and as often as you may for Faith cometh by hearing the Word being like water which brings forth fruit and especially the fruit of Faith Isa 55.10 John 8.30 * Calvin Inst l. 3. c. 2. s 6. Rom. 10.17 some Divines do therefore call it the Fountain of Faith 2. Be convinced and labour to be convinced 1. Of your unbelief as he Mark 9.23 for therefore it is partly that so many believe not because they will not believe that they believe not therefore why should they labor to believe seeing they believe already say they Beloved go from house to house and ask ho are there any Believers here and they will be ready to stone you saying What do ye make of us do ye think that we are Devils or Infidels we are Christians we are Christians and believe in Christ as well as you and as difficult a task it is for a Minister to convince men of their unbelief as any thing almost I know of A Drunkard a Fornicator a passionate man a swearer a Sabbath-breaker he may soon convince of his sin for to that they will say it is true we are such it is an infirmity we cannot leave but when he comes to deal with men about unbelief telling them that they have no Faith Oh what a do is there oh how do their colours rise they are even ready to fly in his face none will believe him or be convinced that he doth not believe therefore labour to be convinced of unbelief 2. Of Damnation For he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.16 which also is a thing that unbelievers will not be convinced of for tell them of it and they will tell you God forbid for God is merciful and we hope to be saved as well as you and not all the Ministers in England can make men believe otherwise till God give them a sight of their unbelief Then O then they can and will cry out saying Oh we shall be damned and we cannot be saved therefore labour to be convinced of damnation also Quest You will say if it be such a hard thing to be so convinced then what shall we do to be convinced I Ans Pray to the Spirit that you may be convinced by the Spirit for it is his work John 16.8.9 as thus O blessed Spirit convince me of mine unbelief for I must confess I am one that would not hitherto believe that I do not believe O open mine eies that I may see my unbelief I humbly pray thee Do the like for convictions about Damnation 2. Take on and begin to be troubled as that poor man in the Gospel Mark 9.23 24. who so cryed and wept and took on and said Lord help mine unbelief and those Acts 2.37 for else you build without a foundation and then how will your building stand There is a notable place for this in Gal. 3.23 Before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed Mark 1. Before Faith comes we are under the Law that is under the lashes and terrors of the Law especially a little before Faith cometh indeed we are whipt and troubled indeed by that grim Schoolmaster whose name is Law And 2. Before the Law comes we are shut up like Prisoners and therefore must suffer as Prisoners O my Brethren if then you mean to have Faith you must not refuse to be under the lashes of the Law you must be content to be in Prison a while and as Scholars which are grievously whipt grievously to weep because of your unbelief and because of the miseries which shall come upon you if ye believe not For he that believeth not shall be damned saith Christ Mar. 16.16 Mark he shall be damned and what is that you will say Oh! it is to be sentenced to Hell and what is that Oh! it is a place called * Hieron in Matth. 10. Gehenna a word first of all used by Christ afterwards by * Sicque usurpatur in lib. Pirkeaboth admodunt antiquo cap. 1. 5. others also for the place of the damned and compounded of Gee and Hinnom which signifieth a Valley of Hinnom which was a Valley nigh to Jerusalem in which the old Idolatrous Jews were wont to burn their children alive to the honour of the Devil at the sounding of Trumpets and Timbrels and other loud sounding instruments that they might not hear the cry of their poor dying children and for that the place was afterwards used for the receipt of all filthiness as dung carrion and the like and probable it is that our Saviour used this word above all other to signify the miserable burning of unbelievers in that place the pittiful cries of the tormented the barbarous and confused noise of the Tormentors together with the most loathsome filthiness of the place it self Go to now ye Unbelievers I say now as St. * Jam. 5. â— James once to rich men and weep for the miseries that shall come upon you in that woful place called Gehenna nay go and howl together O ye Drunkards and Usurers and Adulterers and Adulteresses and Fornicators and Harlots and Swearers and Lyars and covetous Worldlings and riotous Livers as ye were wont to be merry together some of you so now mourn and weep bitterly together because you have no Faith and because you will and must except you get Faith in Christ lie and fry and burn like the little children of the idolatrous Jews in that woful place of torment thus howl together saying Oh that Valley of Hinnom for so Hell is called and Oh that place of torment where there is such screeching and crying of men women and children that receptacle of all filth and filthy livers Oh it will come for us and for our portion for unbelievers such as we are will be damned Rev. 21.8 I have read of one * Rich. Baxter in his Everl Rest Brumo a famous Preacher in his time that when he was dead and to be buried he cryed out 3 times 1. Accusatus sum 2. Judicatus sum 3. Damnatus sum I am 1. Accused 2. Judg'd 3. Damn'd Whereas both others and himself before that verily thought he would surely be saved so let every one of you as dead and condemned by the * John 3.18 words of Christ now say Oh I am Damned I am Damned I am Damned I thought once that I should be saved assoon as any and would not be otherwise perswaded but that my Soul should be heavened as well as others but now I see that unless infinite mercy do save me
and whereupon the fore mentioned promise was made I mean overcoming for so saith Christ To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Mannah Rev. 2.17 Now if so then you must for the obtaining of them covercome 1. Satan by the blood of the Lamb Rev. 12.11 2. The World by faith 1 John 5.4 3. Your selves ‖ Matt. 16.24 denying your selves in many things which as yet you have not denied your selves in as in meats in sleep in pleasures in the putting on of Apparel c. 4. God himself as Jocob did the Patriarch especially when you beg those joyes Beloved never did * Luk. 16.21 Lazarus so beg crumbs that fell from Dives his table nor ‖ Judg. 4.19 Sisera beg drink of Jael which then gave him milk to drink as that holy man did beg those crumbs of comfort which he wanted and that glorious vision of Jehovah's face which he to see so desired when he said I 'le not leave thee till thou bless me constraining God thereby to bless his wrestling with the * Gen. 32. sight of refulgent beams of the light of his pleased and pleasant countenance which runs parellel with the joys of Heaven and are infinitly sweeter then Jael's milk which she gave Sisera to drink in a Lordly dish yea than all the milk of all the land of Canaan flowing with milk and honey O let your earnestness and importunity match his and let every one of you now say after him Lord I will not leave thee till thou bless me as thou did'st bless him with a glimpse and glance of the light of thy countenance or thus as the Spouse of Christ said to Christ in the * Cant. 2.5 Canticles so say thou to him in thine heart and in thy Closet comfort me oh me also with apples even the sweet apples of they divine Consolations promised from thy most * Expos 3. patrum in Loc. sweet and holy word and stay me with flagons even flagons of love for I am * sagitia amoris istius confixa Theodor. in Loc. sick of love O my love do not O do not deny me thy love O my joy do not withhold from me thy joy Or thus O my dear thou hast said to him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Mannah and wilt thou not give to me that Mannah who come to thee for it's Manducation to be assured of my Salvation O my God thou hast promised it to him that overcometh and loe I desire to overcome and to overcome Satan by thy blood my self by thy love the world by my Faith and thy self by my prayers and for that end am now come to overcome both my self and thee Oh! give me therefore let me have what here I crave even that Mannah which thou hast promised me and that joy unspeakable and full of glory 7. Nay 7 Medidum beg this great Assurance it self and beg it much for it is a gift worth your asking and all pains taking with it they that have it are * In Angeli statum provehit Euseb Euris hom de Epiph. Angelized by the Spirit extatized in the spirit and emparadized in God God being their Assurer who also by this assurance becomes their exceeding great reward As for their life it is the life of Heaven as their joy is the joy of Heaven Heaven being in their hearts their hearts in Heaven Labour therefore dear hearts for this Assurance begging it of God who is both able and willing to give it to those that ask it Ask it therefore and when you ask it do as Achsah Caleb's daughter which wanting springs of water came to her Father lighted off from her Ass and said Give me a blessing for thou hast given me a South-land give me also springs of water Judg. 1.14 answerably whereunto do you also light off from your most eager pursuit after the gains profits emoluments and preferments of this present world and falling down before your heavenly father say Father give me a blessing for thou hast given me these outward things and I want nothing but only the assurance of my Salvation give me therefore springs of water also that is the assurance of mine eternal bliss which is like springs of water yea Fountains of living water springing from that Ocean and Sea of ineffable delights which are in thy blessed self O blessed Father give me both the upper springs and the neither springs as * Judg. 1.14 Caleb did his Daughter The upper springs hereafter in Heaven to wit the joyes of Heaven in Heaven and the neither springs I mean the assurance of Heaven here upon earth I humbly pray thee thus beg and beg as earnestly and ardently as a beggar begs his alms because he needs it so you this assurance because you cannot well live without it I told you of a very holy man * Justice Jourdan a Justice of the Peace how holily he lived to gain his assurance and now let me tell you what once he said to a Visitant that came to see him How is it with you Are you assured now of your Salvation or are you not yet And when the Visitant answered no. He told him were it my case I would go to my Closet and shut my door and never leave begging it of God till I had it bestowed on me by God Beloved this was good Counsel whether the Visitant followed it or no I know not but do you follow it and so go O go and betake your selves to your Closets again upon this account also shut your doors Matth. 6.6 and pray to your heavenly Father which is in secret that he will give you this assurance of your Salvation which will reward you amplie and abundantly for all your paines taking in such a supplication O Souls when once ye are in never come out 〈◊〉 8 till assurance comes in Nay go and tell God so thou that hearest me this day and wantest this assurance Lord I will not go hence till thou give it me for thou hast said Ask it shall be given to you Luk 〈◊〉 9. and do not doubt but perswade thy self for certain that as Caleb Achsah her Father gave his Daughter petitioning him both the * upper-springs Judg. 1.14 and the neither springs which she wanted See Luk. 11.11 12 13. so your heavenly Father in respect of whose tender compassions and bowels of pity the kindest Father's greatest mercy is but harshness in respect of whose incomparably melting and sweetest inclination the most loving Nature of any man living is but morosâ—ty will give you also this by you so begged and petitioned Assurance of your souls salvation 8. 8 Medium Get the Spirits testimony of which we read Rom. 8.16 The Spirit himself bears witness to our Spirits that we are the children of God and if children then heirs that follows v. 17. and therefore this Assurance of Salvation must needs