The Nature and Necejftty ofRegeneration: doubts and fears, for it is the witncfs of God himfelf. Now Ii.1ch a witnefs as this i<> a Chriftian·may have, and therefore it is pofftblc, and it ncccfi3rily follows alfo t hat he may have a ft1ll affi.Jrance beyond all doubts and fears; nor is this poffible by '~~y of Revelation, as a fpccial vriviledge indulged only to fomc few, and them the choiceft of God's Servants, for in 2 Pet. I. t o. the Apoftle exhorts all Chriftians, 111 give diligence to make theit callings aud eleflions Jure, whiCh he would never do were it an impoffibility, and could not be obtained Witli our diligence ; fo in 2 On.. . 1 3· )· Examine your ftlves, fays the ApofHe, whether- )'Ou be in the faith, prove your febes, know you mt that 'Jefu-5 Chrift is in you, except you be rcprobattJ ? Reprobation ill i.his place by the way cloth not ftand oppofed to the Decree of Elcd:on, as if none were Elcttcd but thofe th:1t were already aanally in Chrift, but it frands oppofed to Approbation, for God cloth not approve ofany in whom Chrill: is no t formed :, now, fays the Apoftlc, fince you know this, try :md prove your felves whether Chrift be in you: Bno: it were a va in thing to put a Chrift ian upon Self-ex:tmination and Trial, if there were no ordinary means to attain to the knowledge of it, but he mull: expect and depend upon fame extr:Iordinary Revelation from Heaven, a thing that is never but rarely given unto fome few. It is trne, among Chriftians fame may not have this Afii.Irance at all, and none have it at all times. As i11 a Walk that is Shaded with Trees, and checkercd with Light and Shadow, fame tracks and paths in it are dark, and others arc Sun-lhinc: Such is ulhally the Life of the moll A!li1re<l Chriftian,fometimcs he walks in the light of God's COUJlt~nancc, and rejoices in the -fi11iles of his Favour, and at other times he walks in darknefs, and can fee no "light:, he ,11eps out of the bright manifeftations of God's Love, into the nmbrages of fad and crt>ndy apprehenfions concerning his prefent ftate of Grace Why i~ is and his futu r e ftatc of Glory ; fa that fame Chriftians never have any fu\1 Alfuth r1 1ln' ranee at J!l, and no Chriilian hath this full Anltrance at all times. Now this incfome IM~~·t quality of Afihrance proceeds from a double caufe. :::iT:~%:~; Firlt, SomctimcJ ftom the ftu and variom D ifpm[ations of the Spirit who is arbitrllf"j /J:vn1or. in hh· workings, who U rhat Wind that blowcrh when and where he plea[eth. Fa~ the 1 • . Treafnres as well of Comfort as of Grace are i!l his Hand. As the Sun difpofeth lk4rifto{ to the Soul its Summer and Winter Days according to its approaches to, or recelfes thr.;r~~ro:u from i t. :f!;;r:~; Secondly? So_metir~u~ it arifeth from n~w conr~ailed guilt rha_t blot.s ?u~ evidences, anJ • Spirr: . nukcs them d/elltble ttll1t be taken off agam. It IS frequent With Chnft1ans when they 2. have done (irffn\ly or hypocritically in one particular infbncc, then they begin tO BJ rttt_(rn quefl:ion all their fincerity, and upon the prevalency of one corruption, to doubt of ofthuw-. - the truth of all their Graces. We do not therefore affirm thJt there is in all, or 'j/!}'~if. !nay be in an~ at a ll times t~ i ~ full A~l1.rancc, hut in ~om.e ther.e is, . ~nd in all there · IS groond for It, and a polftbll !ty by dillgcncc to attam It; g1ve diltgence to make 2 • your Callings and ElcCl"ions fure, that's the firft thing. Signs of Secondly, The marks and figm of our Reteneration t"n rvhich thr Scripture aboundJ, are Gram:rnth of tlu mfelvcJ t"nfufficient to raife Jts to a full aj[urance wiJjthout the uftimony of the Holy Spjrjr G.. ,~ the T•· of God. This I donbt not bnt appears very clear to thofe who have taken pains to fl~m~nJ_D{ fcarch out their fpiritual Efrate by marks and figns; if the Spirit comes not in to ~a:.·r:S~:~rkfati sfie them, by his own witnefs they may foon rnn themfclves to a lofs, and at th~ ;<~jfi1rtm.e. end fct down as donbtful and perplexed ~s when they fir.Il: begun: As for inftancc 1 ' if a gracious Soul lhonld call into qucftion the Truth and Sincerity of his LO\re to God, and (hould begin to examine himfelf, how Chall I know whether I do indeed love God? Why the Scripture tell s me, by kcepine; his Commandments, by obeying him finccrely; yea, but the fincerity of our Obedience is as difficult to be known as the Sincerity of our Love, and how tball I know whether my Obedience be finccre? ..Now .herc, tho' many fi gns might be given as evidences of this, yet ftill the donl~t-i ng Soul v·:ill be driving of it felf from one fign to another, and never find fauffaCtioll in any of them, unlefs the Spirit of God comes in by its undeniable witncfs to filcncc all its ObjcR-iom, and to refolvc all its Doubts by a• kind of peremptory and difcnHivc voice thn it is fo, otherwifc there is no end of looking after figns, for they will fi i}lleavc the Soul full of perplexities:, unlefs the Spirit of God comes in as f fiaisFactory VVitnefs, we may run from one fign to another fign to enq1rire after Grace whether it be there and there, and when all is done, we may be as much at a lofs concern ing that fign as we were at firlt concerning the Grace which we cnq11ired after. And there arc two rea fans why figns of Grace without the teft imony o~ tl1e Spirit cannot work in us a full and abfolutc Afi'uraoce. Flrft,
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