had fuch a gift, and that made unto him with fuch alfurance"' this.'~"~ t It is thepro– mifeofourSaviour, who toputhunoutofalldoubt, he tcllshtm tt}l>a!l be jo, Thote Jl 1 alt be] with me in Paradife. \Vhence obfervc, r· Obfcrv. That Salvation may b· made {itre to a man.Jfyou would needs know the means (how•O· ever it was true in this TJ,ief) it is not by any immediltC fuggelhon, or revelatiOn ; Chrill: is now in heaven, and the holy Ghofl works not by cnthuliafmcs or dreames; • The t~j[urllnce cfour{.1lvatiundepends not upon rcvelrttion, btt; en tbe promifes ofthe 6rfpel : Fid:lium 'ir~tt there then mull: we fearch and fee, and if our hearts be rightly qualified, thence. may f.<eel• non hi– we draw that fulncfs of perfwaGon with Abraham, who Jfa-;g<red not at Gods promifes """ •eve!""': beinu fully perfu•aded, that what he had promtfed hetMs abi~to perform, Rom J,. 21. '"·/'d ~om•U• Thi~ do{\rine we have confirmed by David, Pfal. 35· 3· S'!J unto myJwf, f. am rhy ~~i;;' v.rn· Jalvarion. By Peter, in the 2 Pet. I. to Mak!; your elcEfion jure. By J'au!, m the 1 Rem 4· >e,>'. Cor. 9 . 26. 1 therefore fo run, not as uncertamly. From all whtch we may argue, Da.. P·•l. "· J· 1tid would never pray for that which could not be; nor would Peter charge us with a 2 Per: '· '~· duty which flood not in pcffibilit'y to be performed; nor would l'Aul fcrvc God at ran1 Co• 9 2 • dome uncertam whether he fhould obtam any goo.i, or prevent any nufchtef; no, but a;one that was Jitre, that by fo doing he fhould attain evcrlafling life, and without fo doing he could not avoid eternal death. We may then be fure, if conditions rightly concur·and fceing this is a point we would be all glad to know,that we arc fc:re to bef"- 'IJed I fuall beg others help, Gods affill:ance, and your patience, till we have opened C>nt. 1 • 7 . the'windows, and given you a light of the lodging where fecurcly our fouls may rejl at 1100/l·d•y. Some lay the order thus, that to alfure us of heaven, we mull: be alfured of Chrifl:; and to alfme ,us of Chrifl,wc mull be alfured of faith; and to alfure us of faith, we mull be alfured of repentance; and to alfure us of repentance, we nmft be alfured of amend· ment oflife: · · Others tells us of more evidences, and we fhall reduce them to thefe heads; The eefh– mony of ottrfpirits, ~tnd the tejlimony of Gods Spirit : It is not our fpirit alone, nor Gods Spirit alone. makes thts Certificate, but bothcon~urrmg;and thus Paul tells us,Rom.S. Rom· a. , 6 , 1 6. The Spmt it (tlf bt~~rerh rr>teneJTe wah our fpmt, thm we are the ch,/drm ofGod. . 1. Our firfl: alfurance then is the ecflimon)' <fonr fpirit, and this witnelfcth two w'ayes B 1 Inward tokens, Y ) Outward fruits. • Inward tuk!;ns arc certain fpccial graces of God imprinted in the fpirit of a man, as John S· 10 • godlyforr•••, deftre ofpardon, /ove ofri,ghteoufn,JTe, fauh in Chrifl, for he rhaf be!ievcrh on the Son of God, hath the t•i(rtef[e in him{elf, faith the Apofl:le. . Otmvardfmits arc all good deeds, holy duties, new obedience, and hmby we ar~ fctrnhat wekJioW him,ifwe keep his Comm.mdmenrs,r Joh.2.J. To fay then we are fure of , J,ohn 1, J heaven, and to live a life fitter for devils, what a fond faying is this? no, if we have a true tell:imony, we mull be of good lives: it is our hu!ineffe, and jt<jfice, and mercY! and truth, that will be our belt alfurance: and fo the Apoll:le alfures us; If ye do theje things )'C jiM!! ncwr fn/1. See mQre of this in Media, ScJf.trial. Se{\. 8 2. Our fecond and bell alfurance is the tejlimany ofG'ods Spirit,which fometimes may 2 Ptt 1 Jo.; fuggefl: and tcflifie to the fan{\ifi ed confcience'thus, or in the like manner, Thou jiJa!t be faved, Thou }halt be] with me in l'aradife. But h~re I mull fatisfie two doubts : Firfl:, by what m'""' the Spirit of God gives thts parttcular alfurance? Secondly hawaman may dtfc'ern betwixt tht HjJitr.<''"•f this Spmt, and the illufton ofSatan, who is the fpirit of lies ? , . To the firfl: we fay, the mea"' is either by an immediate rcvchtion, or qy a particu. lar application of the promifcs in the Gofpel, in form of an expcrimc~ral fyllogilnie: a~, Who(ocvcr believes on the Son jha/1 be favcd. But I bdic'\c on the Son; Th,rcfore I John 3 3~. fhall be faved. 'The m•Jor is ScriptYre,, the minor is confirmed by our fait~, which if! have, I may fay 1behcve: True, flefh and blood ccrnnoe fay thir. it is the operation of 'the ,holy Ghofl; but if the work be wrought, and [feel this faith "Cithin tHy foul, what need I doubt out this alfumption is true, 1believe on the Son? Yet I hear fome .complam,. they have neithedight n~r fenfe of f1 ith: and thus.it is often with Gods dearefl:~htldren: the Sun that tn a clear sky difcov~rs an:\ man\fell:s, it felf, may fomettmcs wtth clouds be overcaft and darkened; and faith, that tn tlic calmneCs of a Chrill:ian courfc fh~ne.s, and fh~ws it fclf clearly to the fan{\ified heart, may fometimes in the da:np of fprntual defertion, or dalknclf~ of temptation, lie hid and obfcurcd : there Nnrt2 b
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