182 SERMONS upon Serm. XXIV. 3. That our heart, be set to mid our covenant vow: For otherwife we double, and deal unfincerely with God; Heb. 13. 18. We trust we have a goadcanfcience,willing In all things to live honefily. The habit and bent of the heart is for God, and o- bedience to him. 4. That there be fome anfwerable endeavours, and pnrfivance of it is refolnticn and care to pleafe God in all thing', Ads 24. 16. And herein do Iexercife my Pelf, to have al- ways a confcience void of offence toward' God, and towards men. 5. That these endeavour, be uniformly carried on, that our fincerity may be eviden- ced to confcience. For then 'ris matter of Rejoicing, and affurance to us, 2 Cor. 1. 12. This is our rejoicing, the eelüuron, of our confcience, that in fimplìcity, and godly fncerity, we have had our corverfations in the world. r John 3, 19. And hereby we knaw`we are of the trutb, and hall affure our heart, before him. Grace conftantly and felf- denyingly exercifed, bath an evidence in the confcience,and conduceth alfo to give liberty and boldnefs before God. 2. The witnefs of the fpirit. Because this is often mistaken, I (hall the more diftinctly lay it before you. 1 The fpirit layethdown marks in Scripture which may decide thin queflion, whether ye are the children of God, yea or no. As for inftauce, r lobo 3. ro. In this the chit - dren of God are manifelled, and the children of the Devil ; whofoever doth not rigb teoofnefs, is not of God; neither he that loveth not hit brother. And again, Rom.8.14. A, many as are led by the fpirit, are the font of God : So every where in the Scripture, God exprefly telleth us, who (hall go to Heaven, and who (hall go to Hell : and that there is no ocutral and middle eftate, between the Holy and Carnal ; all are of one fort or other. Now if we (hould go no further, the Text would bear a good fence; The fpirit beateth witnefs with our fpirit, when our confcience can witm is our Gace- rity in a courfe of obedience unto God. The fpirits witnefs in Scripture, that this is a found, fo a true evidence; and the Teftimony of confcience confirmed by Scripture ; for whatever is spoken in Scripture , 'tis fuppofed to be the very voice and Testi- mony of the Spirit; as Ads 28. 25. Well fpake the Holy Ghofl by Ifaiab the prophet unto our fathers : fo Heb. 3. 7. t3'herefore as the Holy Ghost faith, To day if ye will hear his voice. So the fpirit fpeaketh or witnefleth to our fpirits 5 namely, in the word; fuppofing what is to be fuppofed, this mutt not be flighted; yet this is not all ;for the context fpeaketh not of a witnefs without but motion within, whereby we are re- ftraired from fin, and inclined to cry, Abba Father. 2. He warketh fuchgraces in us, as are peculiar to Gods children, and evidences of our intereft in the Favour of God ; as when he doth Renew and Sanctify the Soul; and fo many of the choicest Divines take the word witnefs for evidence, or the objective Teftimony ; namely, that the prefence, and dwelling, and working of the Sanctifying Spirit in us, is the Argument and matter of the proof, upon which the whole caule or traverfe dependeth. That it is fo to be taken, is clear in that ex. clufive mark, Rom. 8. 9. But ye are not in the fiejls, but in the fpirit, if fo be thefpirii of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the fpirit of chrilt, he is none of his. And in that politive mark, r John 3. 24 And he that keepeth his commanments dwel- leth in him, and he in him; and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the fpirit which he hark given us; and again, 1 John. 4. 13. Hereby know we, that we dwell in him, and he is us, becaufe he bath given us bis fpirit. That Holy and Charitable fpirit. The gracious operations of his prefence, are the Argument whence we conclude. 3. He helped us to discern this work in our fouls more clearly. Confcience dothits part, to difcover it ; and the fpirit of God doth his part, namely, as he helpeth us to know, and fee that Grace which he giveth and aduateth in us; for he revealeth die things given its of God, Cor. 2. 12. not only in the Gofpel, rho chiefly ; but alto in our hearts. The workman that made a thing, can bell warrant it to the buyer. Fief he Sanl ifreth, and then he certifreth ; fometimes we overlook our Evidences, through the darknefs and confufron that is in our hearts ; Hagar saw not the Fountain that was near her, till God openedher eyes, Gen. 21. 19. There is a mifgiving in the confcience; we cannot fee grace in the midit of weakoefs and imperfeaions. Mary wept for the absence of Chrift, when yet he flood by her, John 20. 14 15, The fpirit dwellethand worketh in their hearts, but they know it not. 4. rie
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