Chap.~.Se~.4 Looking unto fef~~t, Booid V.Part.V 89r · ufually theSpirit brings in his tellimony either in dutie,or not long after dutie. 3 • That fuch tdl:imonyes of the Spirit beget only an actu J! alfurance during the prefent exigency, or in order to fome prefent defigne that God is working thereby ; thefe are extraordinary dainties,that God willn?t have ~s feed conftantly upon; a gleame of light in a dark wmters mght, when a man cannot coaft the country, and difcerne his way by thofe marks wllich direct him at other times; or as a lightning from a thunder- cloud, that comes juft in the moment when a man is ftepping into a pit that would [wallow him up; now a traveller will not depend alwayesupon fuch guides, but rather he will choofe to travel by day and learne put fuch way-marks as may be ftanding 'alfurances t'o him that he is in the way. And there-: fore.- 2. The Spirit witnelfeth mediately : and that either without · or with argumentation, But both from the Word. ' r. Without argumentation, and that is when the Spirit ap• plyes fome fuitable word to the foul, and without more ado enables the foul to dofe with that fuitable word. As for in- . fiance, thou art burthened for £in, and thou haft prayed earneftly for pardon offin, and even then a fecret whifper ofthe Spirit cafts that word into thy heart, I will heale thy back.: flydings, and love thee freely, or fuch a voyce as that, come unto me all ye that Hof. '4·4; labour, and are hMvJ laden, ane\ I will give you reft. Now this is Mat.u,48, a direct teftimony ; only I dare not leave it without a caution.-·Some can relate extraordinary palfages of providenc~ attending the coming in of fuch and fuch a word; as that they did not know there was any fuch Scripture, nor did they know where it was, and yet in opening the book, it was the very firft place their eye was caft upon; or they wanted a book, and in the ufe of fome other meanes unexpectedly a word was fpoken or remembred, fo pat to the cafe,as if it had been a very melf;ge from heaven: certainly the s_pi_rits_hinting in of_words thus! is very obfervable; yet a bare giVIng 10 ofa word ts no warrant that it comes from the Spirit, unlelfe the foul come up to fome end. which the Word it felfe poynteth at; there mull not enly be a word, but a clofing with the word, an improving of the word for the ends it aymetb at, as1quickning, comforting, fupporting, X X XX X 2 ad:ing,
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