The Life of Faith. 513 by the perfwafions oftheir own imaginations. But in Scri- pture, the word witnefs is oft taken for [evidence] or an ob- je8ive teffimony And the Spirits being a witnefs, and being a (cal, an earneff, apledge, a white !lone, a new name, &c. are all of the like fignification t And the meaning is, By this we know that weare tbe cbildren of God, or that be abideth in us, by the Spirit which bebathgiven us, t john 3. no. 24. & 4. 13. And if any one have not the Spirit of Chriff, the fame is none of bit, Rom. 8.9. As if he thould fay, have you the Spirit ofChrilf, or have younot ? ifyou have, that isa feel, an earneff,a pledge ofGods Love, and of your heavenly inheritance, and a certain evidence or witnefs that you arc his children, Gal. 4.6. He that loveth God, as his Father in Chriti, and is fanditied to God, bath the Spirit. Shaw this Love, and this Sanilification, and you produce the true witnefs that you arc the heirs of life. Holinefs, and Heavenlinefs, and Love, is the winters, feel and earneff ; and not chiefly an inwardperfwafton that we arc Gods children. 2. Yet this much more the Spirit doth ; when it bath fan- !lifted us, and given us the witnefs or evidence in our felves, (a John S. ro, ar.) He all() helpeth us to fee' and know that grace which he giveth and at`,}uatcth in us. 3. And alto to conclude from that evidence, that we are Gods children ; And alfo to feel the inward comfort of that eonclufion. But all this hedoth by theft means in a difcurfive' or rational way, and by blefling loch rcafoning to our com- fort. 4. Alto he comforteth the foul in another way, ddtine$ front the way ofcoucludingfromevidence ; and that is by exciting the Love ofGodandbis Araifes in us, which arc of themfclves de- lighting alls : But of this anon. Dirct$. so. Take heedof Heretical Seducers, who ufe to in troubled waters, and -to fall in with fuck perplexed eon- fciences, to perfwade them that all the caufe of their trouble it their opinions, and unfound Religion, andnot in them ; and that the only way tocomfort, is to chango their Religion, and to come over unto them. No perfon fitter for a Q;aker, a Papitl, or any Sectary, to work upon, than a troubled enind,For fuck arc like the ignorant T t t Country
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