PART III. of gracaoua Ajethons. i 15 thefe Things, and their being affe6ted by them, and being the,:Foun- dation of their A ffe&ion, and Hope of an Intereft in them.. On the contrary, they firft imagine they are interefted, and then are highly affeCted with that, and then can own thefe Things to be excellent. So that the fudden and extraordinary Way of the Scriptures coming to their Mind, is plainly the firft Foundationof the whole ; which is a clear Evidence of the wretched Delufion they are. under. The firft Comfort of many Perfons,Eand what they call their Con- verfion, is afterthis Manner : After Awakening and Terrors, fome comfortable fweet Promife comes fuddenly and wonderfully to their Minds ; and the Manner of its coming makes 'em conclude it comes from God to them: And this is the very Thing that is all the Founda- tion of their Faith, and Hope, and Comfort : From hence they take their firft Encouragement to truft in God and in,Chrift, becaufe they think that God, by fome Scripture fo brought, has now already re- vealed to 'em that he loves 'em, and has already promifed them eter- nal Life : Which is very abfurd ; for every one of common Know- ledge of the Principles of Religion, knows that it is God's Manner to reveal his Love to Men, and their Intereft in the Promifes, after they have believed, and not before ; becaufe they must firft believe, before they have any Intereft in the Promifes to be revealed. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of Truth, and not of Lies : He don't bring Scriptures to Men's Minds to reveal to them that they have an Inte- reft in God's Favour and Promifes, when they have none, having not yet believed : Which would be the Cafe, if God's bringing Texts of Scripture to Men's Minds to reveal to them that their Sins were for- given, or that it was God's Pleafure to give them the Kingdom, or any Thingof that Nature, went before, and was the Foundation of their firft Faith. There is no Promife of the Covenant of Grace be- longs to any Man, 'till he has firft believed in Chrift; for 'tis by Faith alone that we become interefted in Chrift, and the Promifes of the new Covenant made in him : And therefore whatever Spirit applies the Promifes of that Covenant to a. Perfon who has not firft believed, as being already his, muff be a lying Spirit; and that Faith which is firft built on fuch an Application of Promifes, is built upon a Lie. God's Manner is not to bring comfortable Texts of Scripture to give Men Affurance of his Love, and that they (hall be happy, before they have had a Faith of Dependance 1-. And if theScripture which comes to -t Mr. Stoddard, in his Guide to Chrift, p. 8. Pays, that " fome- ' times Men, after they have been in Trouble a while, have " fome Promifes come to 'em, with a great deal ofRefreíhing; cc and they hope God has accepted them:'', .Aadiay , that I 2 " In
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