SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 271 sonable soul is its own discerner by the help of the body, (while it is in it,) and so witnesseth our humanity effectivelyas well as ob- jectively, (but first in order objectively, and next effectively ) so doth the Spirit effectively discover itself to the soul, by illuminat- ing us to discern it, and exciting us to search, and giving us that spiritual taste and feeling of its workings, and so of its presence, . by which it is best known. But still it witnesseth objectively, first, and its effective witnessing is but the causing us to discern its objective witness. Or (to speak more plainly) the Spirit witness- es first and principally, by giving us those graces and workings which are our marks; and then, secondly, by helping us to find and feel those workings or marks in ourselves ; and then, lastly, by raising, comforts in the soul upon that discovery. Take heed therefore of expecting any such inward witness of the Spirit, as some expect, via. a discovery of your adoption directly, without . first discovering the signs of it within you, as ifby an inward voice . he should say to you, ' Thou art a child of God, and thy sins are pardoned.' This that I described to you, is the true witness of the Spirit. This mistake is so dangerous, that I had thought to have made it . a peculiar direction by itself, to warn you of it; and now I have gone so far I will despatch it here. Two dangerous consequents, I find, do follow this unwarrantable expectation of the first immediate efficientrevelation that we are adopted. 1. Some poor souls have languished in doubting and trouble of mind almost all their days, in expectation of such akind of witness as the Spirit useth not to give ; when in the meantime they have sufficient means of comfort, and knew not how to improve them; yea, they had the true witness of the Spirit in his inhabitation and holy workings, and did not know it ; but run as Samuel did to Eli, not knowing the voice of God ; and look for the Spirit's testimony when they had it, as the Jews for Elias and the Messias. 2. Others do more dangerously err,"by taking the strong conceit of their own fantasy for the witness of the Spirit; as soon as they do but entertain the opinion that it must be such a witness of the Spirit, without the use of marks, that must assure men of their adoption, presently they are confident that they have the witness in themselves. It is scarce likely to be God's Spirit that is'so ready upon the mere change of an opinion. The devil useth to do as much to cherish presumption, as to destroy true faith and assurance. It is a shrewd sign that our persuasions of our truth of grace is a delusion, when we find the devil a friend to it, and help- ing it on. And it is a probable sign it is a good persuasion, when we find the devil an enemy to it, and still troubling us and endeav- oring. our disquiet.
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