s 94 The fifth Sign PART. II FULL ASSURANCE OF UNDERSTANDING, to the Acknowledgment of the My/?cry ofGod, and ofthe Father, andof aril!. It is reafona- ble to fuppofe, that God would give the greateft Evidence, of thof Things which are greateft, and the Truth of which is of greate!f Im- portance to us : And that we therefore, if we are wife, and a& ra tionally, (hall have the greateft Defire of having full, undoubting, and perfca Affurance of. But it is certain, that fuch an Affurance is not to be attained, by the greater Part of them who live under the Gof- pel, by Arguments fetch'd from ancient Traditions, Hiflories, and Monuments. And if we come to Fa& and Experience, there is not the leaft ?'eafon to fuppofe, that One in an Hundred of thofe who have been f ncere Chriflians, and have had a Heart to fell all for Chrifh, have come by their Conviaion of the Truth of the Gofpel, this Way. If we read over the Hiflories of the many Thoufands that died Martyrs for Chrift, fince the Beginning of the Reformation, and have ehear- fully undergone extreamTortures, in a Confidence of the Truth of the Gofpel, and confider their Circumfrances and Advantages ; how few of them were there, that we can reafonably fuppofe, ever came by their affured Perfwafion, this Way ; or indeed for whom it was poflibie, reafonably to receive fo full and firong an Affurance, from flitch Arguments ! Many of them were weak Women and Children, and the greater Part of them illiterate Ferfces, many of whom had been brought up in popifh Ignorance and Darknefs, and were but newly come out of it, and lived and died in Times, wherein thole Arguments for the Truth of Chriflianity from Antiquity and Hiflory, had been but very imperfealy handled.And indeed,'tis but very lately that thefe Arguments have been let in a clear and convincing Light, oven by learned Men themfelves : And fince it has been done, there never were fewer thorough Believers, among thofe who have been educated in the true Religon : Infidelity never prevailed fo much, in any Age, as in this, wherein thefe Arguments are handled to the =reatefl Advantage. The true Martyrs of Jefus Chriff, are not thofe who have only been firong in Opinion that the Gofpel of Chriff is true, but thole that have fern the Truth of it ; as the very Name of Martyrs or Wit- neffes ( by which they are called in Scripture ) implies. Thofe are very improperly called Witneffes of the Truth of any Thing, who only declare they are very much of Opinion that Inch a Thing is true. Thofe only are proper WitneWes who can, and do teftify that they have fen the Truth of the Thing they affert ; John 3. II, We ,/? rak that we do know, and teftify that we have feen. John 1. 34.. And I law, and bear Record, that this is the Son of God. r John 4. 14. J-Inwe have feen, and do teftify, that the Father feet the Son, to be the Saviour of the World, Mts 22. 14, z S. The God of our Fathers bath. shofen.
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