DireBions for a 1ve/l grotmded Faith. A8s l6. tS. Eleel:, illumiu.Hing tht:ir minds, opening and quickning their hearts, prevailing with, changing, and refolving tht:ir wills, rhus writing Gods Word, and imprinting his Image by his Word upon their J h 6 , 6 hearts; making it powerful to conquer and call: out their fhongen, fweetefi, dearefi fins; and bring.. v n 141 ~ in~ ~hem r,o the fi:1ving ~~ow~cdgc, love ~nd obedience of God i? ]efus Ch~ifi, 7· The farile holy Spmr affifttth the fanCbhed m the cxerCife of thisgrace, to the mcreafe of tr, by bldTit~g --and con. curring with the means appointed by him to that end : And hdpeth them to ufe thofe means, per.. form their duties, conquer temptations, oppofitions and difficulties, and fo contumeth and preferverh them to the end. 8. The f:1.1ne Spirit helpeth believers in the excrcife of grace to ftel it and di[ccrn the fincnity of it in themfelves, in thar meafure as they are meet for, and in theft fea[ons when it is titteH for them. 9· The f1me Spirit helpeth them hereupon to condude that they are jufiitied and reconciled to God, and have right to all the benefl!s of his Covenant. 10. Alfo he alfifieth rhem actually to rejoyce in the difccrning of this Conclution. t"or though Reafon of it felf may do fame– thing in thefe ads,. yet fo averfe is man to all that is holy, and fo many are the difficulties and ,hindLrancts in the way> that to the effectual performance, the help of the Spirit of God is nc– celf")'· 9. S· By this enumeration of the Spirits operations, you may (ce the errors of many detected, and many common QtieClions anfwered. 1. You may fee their blindnefs that prettnd the Spirit within tlmn again(\: Scripture, !l·liniflry, or the ufe of Gods appointed meanr: when the fame Spirit firjl in– dited the Scripture, and maktth it the lnfirument to illuminate and fandifie our fouls: Gods_ Image is I. Primarily in JeJus Chrifi his Son : z, Derivatively) by his Spirit imprinted perfed:ly in the ho– ly Scriptures: 3· And by the Scripture, or the holy Doctrine of it, inllrumcntally imprdfed on the foul. So that the Image of God in Chrijl, is rhe Caufe of his Image in his holy w.,.d or Dollrint, and his Image: in hisTVord, is the Caufe of his lmage on the heart. So a King may hue his Image, 1· Naturally on his Son, who is like his Father: z, Exprcffively, in his Lawr, which exprefs his Wif– dom, Clemency and ]uitice: 3· And effellively on his Subjdls and Servant!, who are by hisLaws re– d.uced to a Conformity to his mind. As a man may firfr cut his Arms or Image on his fial) and then by that feal imprint it on the wax; and though it be perftllly cut on the feat, it may be imptrfcO/y printed on the W<lX; fo Gods Image is natural) perfeti in his Son, and Regularly or txpreffiveiy ptrJea on thefeal of his holy Doctrine and Laws, but imperfollly on his fubjells according to their reception of it in their feveral degrees. 9· 6. Therefore it is eafie to difcern their error, that tell men the Light or Spiril within them is their Rule, and a perfeli R~tle, yea) and that it is thus ~n aU men in the world; when Gods Word and experience flatly contradict it, telling us that In(idelt and enemiu of God, and all the ungodly are in Darf{nefr, and not in the Light; and that all that fj>cak not accoH\iug to this Word, (the Law and Tetlimony ) have No Light in them, and therefore no perftll Ligbt to be their Rule. lfa. 8. 20. The Minillry is Cent ro bring rhe1,11 from darknefs to Light: Therefore they had nor a fufficient Light in them befOre: Afrs 26. 17, 1 S. fYo to them that put dark!ttfr for light, and light for dark,..ntji: Ifa. 5 . 2 o. telling rhe children of darknefs and the haters of the Light, that they have a perfc{i Light and Rule within tbem, when God fatrh, 'fhey b,;ve 110 Lzgbt m them. See 1 John z. 5· 4, 6,7,8. Ht I hat [t~ith he i1 in the Light aJtdbateth bi1 brother) is in darJtnefs even tiU now, 1 John 2· 9, 10, 1I· The Light within a wick.ed man, i.s ~ark_nefs and bJi!'dneji, and therefore not his Rule. Matrh. 6. 23· Ephef. 5· 8. Even the Ltght rbar IS m godly men, IS the k,_nowlcdgc of the Rule, and not tbe Rule it feif at all, nor ever called fo by God: Our Rt~le is perfect; our k,:towledge is imperfect: for Paul himfelf faith, 1¥e I?.J1oW in part: But when that which i1 perfe[t ir come, then tbat wbich i1 i;t pJrJ, jhaU be done away: Now we {et througb aglafi d"kjy---1 Cor. 13· 9, 10, 12. The Gojpel ubid tu them that are lojf, being blindedby Satan, 2 Cor. 4· 3 1 4· · §· 7· There is an admirable m1fearchable concurrence of the Spirit, and hi1 appointed mea;u, and the will of man, in the procreation of the new creatme, and in all the exerciles o(grace, as there is ofMale and Female in natural generation; and of the Earth, the Sun, the Rain, the in– duthy of the Gardiner; and the feminal venue of Life and fptcification, in the produCtion of Planrs with their flowers and fruits. And as wife as it would be, to fay, It is not the Male, but the Fe– male, or the Female but the Male that generateth; or to fay, It is not the Eartb, but t.he Sun, or not. the Sun, but the Roin, or not the Rain) but the feminat Vertue, that caufeth Plams wnh flowers and Fruits: So wife is it to fay, It is not the Spirit) but the fVord and Means, or it ~s not the Tf"ord and ·Means, but the Spirit, or it is not the Reafun, and TYiU and induftryof man, but the Spirit: Or if we have not wifdom enough to affign to each caufe, its proper intercft in the effect, (hat therefore we iliould feparate what Godhath conjQyned, or deny the truth of the caufati~n, becaufe we com~rehend not the manne1· and influence, this is but to chooft: to be befooled by Pnde, rather than contdS that God is wifer than we. . . 9· 8. 2. You may hqe difcern alfo, how the Spirit aJfurtth and comforttth believers: and how pal· pably they err, that think the Spirit comforteth> or affureth us of our falvauon without the ufe of ItS ·Evidencing grace. The ten things mentioned, 9· 4· is all that the Spirit dmh herein. But to ex~ pcct his Comforts without any meafure of difcerning his graces, which can only rationally prove our •ight to the bleffings of the Promife, this is ro expect that he lhould comfort a Rl tional Creature no! as Rational, but darkly caufe him to rejoyce he knowerh not why : and that he fl10uld make no uft •f faith to our comfort : For f•ith reflcth underllandingl)' upon the Promife, and cxpecterh the per· fOrrnance of it to thofe that it is made to, and not to others. Indeed there is a common encour~ge~ men< and <omfort, whi<h all men> even the worfl may rake from the univerfal conditional Prom1fed, . w
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