116 DireEionsforgetting and keeping you effeftively terrifyingto you that you are the child Áf God. All Gods children have theSpirit of Adop Lion ( For becaufe they are ions, therefore hath God felt the Spirit of his Son into their hearts, whereby they cry Abby Father, Gal. 4. 6. ) But all Gods children havenot Affurance of their Adopti- on ; therefore the Spirit of Adoption doth not al- waies affure thofe of their Adoption in whom it abi- deth. It is alwayes a witnefs bearer oftheir Adopti- on : But that is only objeáivelyby his Graces-and operations in them , as a Land -mark is a witnefs whofe Land it is whereit ftandeth : or asyour íheep. mark witneffethwhich be your íheep ; or rather as a fenfible Soul witneffeth a living Creature, or a rational Soul witneffeth that we are Men : But effi- ciently it doth not alwayes witnefs : as a Land-mark or Sheep-mark is not alway difcerned and a bruit knows not itfelf to be a bruit : and a man is not alwaies a&ually knowing his own humanity, nor can know it at all in the Womb; in Infancy , in Diftra&ion, in anEpilepfe , Apoplexie or the like difeafe, which depriveth him ofthe ufe of reafon. Befides, its no doubt, but theApoftle had tome re- fpee to the eminent gift of, the Spirit, for Tongues, Prophecies, Miracles and the like, which was proper to that age ; though fillas including the Spirit of Holinefs. You fee then that you need not be alwayes in dif quiet when you want Affurance . Forelle how dif quiet a life fhould molt Chriftians live ! I (hall flew you more anon,that all a mans comforts depend not fo on his Affurance, but that he may live a comfort- able life without it ; Trouble ofmind may be over. come;
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