Chap. 2. Sea. 4· 1.Loolung unto '3Jtfus. Book IV. thefe he gives adHiinct witnefs of his 0wn,. which is his immediate work, is i.n a way of peculiarity and tranfcendency called the w:mefj of the Sptrtt. -- - , As It ts w;th the ·motions of the Spirit, m1ny.a time the Spmt exwes a man to fuc~1 or. fuch duues, by laying his hand immediately upon the heart, and thereby tnchmng 1t 10 obey t~ole motions. fo in this cafe when a poor foul tits m darknefs, and fees no hgbt, fomeumes noltonsdirea. upon af~dden it is (as it were) taken up into t~le third Heaven; ~nd this is in fu~h away, for a. comfor· that though the fpirit of a man really beheve tt, and IS tmmedtately calmed by tt, yet It :~~~ ~~~~mg =~~~11=10~ .. . . .. . . There is a Tetlim()ny of the Sptrtt, whtch fomeumes the Spmt may fuggeil: and refitfie 10 the fanctified confcience, with a fecret, ll:ill, heart·ravilhing voyce, thus, or in the like manner Thou art the child of God l thou art in the number of tho(e that }hall be ft~ved; .thoufoalt inherit everlafting life: and that as certainly and com(onably, as i~ that Angel from Heaven lhould fay to thee, as he did to Daniel, greatly beloved.- Mtghty and remarkable was the work of the Spirit this wa)' upon the heart of that noble Mar– tyr, Robert Glover, upon thefir!l tight and. reprefenration of the flake, w~en he qy– ed, he;. come, he i< come. Such an tmmedtate fprmgmg of the Spmt was m the heart of Mafier Pecocks, who after many days of exrreameft horrour, profeffed, The JOY which hefelt wa< incridib/e. Such an itnmediate work was upon the heart ofMiftris Bretrergh, who afcer the return of her beloved, fuddenly cryedout, How wonderful! how wonder– ful! ho1v wonderful ~re thy mercies 0 Lord ! 0 the joys, the joys, the joys that nO!V I f<el in myfo~<l! we fed and acknowledge by dayly experience, that Satan doth immediately in– ject, and !hall not the bleffed Spirit afcer his holy and heavenly manner immediately alfo fuggeft fometimes ? As there is in the eye, lumen inmttum, a certain inbred light, tO make the eye fee Rlltbtrford on lights and colours without; and as there is in the ear, aer intern M, acertain inbred Joh.t2.p.Jco, found and air, to make it difcern the founds that are without; fo is there in a gracious . heart, a new nature, an habitual in!linCl:,of Heaven to difcern the confolations of God's Spirit, immediately teftifying that we are the fons of God; there are fome fecret and une>:preffible lineaments of the Fathers countenance in this child, that the renewed foul at firft blu!h knows and owns it. But for fear of miftakes, in this cafe obferve we thefe Rules. I. That alth!lugh the Spirit may immediately teftifie without any ellprefs or formal application ofa word, yet he never te!hfies but according to the Word. If a man that never felt fin a burrhen, that throws away all duties of Religion, that never Prays, Reads, Hears, or Meditates, !hall fay thac he is filled with joy, peace, and the affurance of God's Word, it is certain the holy Spirit is not the Author of this, becaufe the pro– mife of peace belongs to none of this ftamp; fee Matth. I H 28. !fa. 57. r 5· Mal. 5-3,4, 5,6,7,8. 2. That ordinarily the Spirit brings in his teftimony either in duty, or after duty. 1have[een hu ways, and !will hefll him; I will/cad him ~lfo, andrejfore.comforts to him Ifa. S7·t8,t9• 11nd to hu mourners; I create rhe frmt of the lrps, peace, peace to him that u f.rr off, and to him that u near, faith the Lord, and /will heal him. I know there ;may be a cafe of grievous temptations, and at fuch a time the Spirit of God may come in by a fudden irradiation, and chear the foul wonderfully, though it knows ·not how ; yet ufuaily the Spirit brings in his t~ftimony eithex: in duty, or not long after duty. . . 3. That fuch teil:tmomes of the Sptm beget only an actual afTurance during the pre– fent exigency, or in order to fome prelent deiign that God is working thereby· thefe are ~xtraordinary d~inries, that God will not have us feed conftamly upon; a'gleam of hghr xn a dark wmters night, when a man cannot coail: the Country, and dif– ctrn his way by thof~ marks whic? direct him at other times; or. as a lightning from a thunder-cloud, thn comes JUll: m the moment when a mants ftepping into a pit that :vould fwallow him ·up; now a Traveller will I)Ot depend always up– on fuch gmdes , but rather he will choofe to travcl by day , and learn out fuch way-marks as may be !landing a!Turances tO him that he is in the way. And therdore - -- 2. The Spirit wirnefT<th mediateJy; and that either without, or with argumen!ation. But both from the Word. I, Without argum<mation, and that is when the Spirit applies fome fuitable word to the foul, and without more ado enables the foul to clofe with that fuitable word. As . for inftance thou art burrhened for tin, and thou haft prayed earnell:ly H h h :1 - · for
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