62 / 504
C
A
9. I.
4
9.
Teftimony
of
Confciencerits
efficacy.
-6
of
men, in whom
they are, unto
a
quiet comfortable.aflured repofe
ofthem
-
felves
upon the love and faithfulneffe
of
God:
neither
is
the
fpirituall
confi-
Math.7.25
dence
ofthe
Saints
fhaken, much
leflè
caf
to
the ground,
by
their confliting
Mathao.
t 8.
Ptal.99:1o.
with feares,fcruples,anddoubtful!
áppprehenfions;
feeing
in
all thefe
confli
&s,
z
Cor.1.9.1
they have
the
pledge
of
the
faithfulnefsof
God,
that
they
Pall
be more.
then
2The[
5
"23,
conquerours.T
hough they are
exercïfed
by
them,
they
are not
dejec`
led
with
Cor.toa3.
them:
nor deprived
of
that
comforting affurance and joy which
they
have
in
I1om.8.39.
believing. But
yet
fuppofe,
that
this
be the
condition pra&icallyofmany
Saints
of
God,
&
that
they never
attaine
to
the
Rate
of
the
primitive Chriíti-
pee.
i.
8.
ans,
to
whofe joy and
confolation
in believing
the
HolyGhoft fo plentifully
witneffeth,
nor doe
live up
tothat
full
rate
of
plenty,
which
their
Father
hath
i3eb 6
provided for them
in his Family,
and
fworne
that
he
is abundantly willing,
they
;$
Pallid
enjoy
and
make
ufe
o
f
; what
will hence follow asto
the
bufineffe in
hand,I
profeffe
I know not. Muít
that little
evidence
which
they have
of
their
acceptance with God,
betherefore
neceffarily
built
upon
fuch bottomer
(
or
rather
topps) as
are
vifible
to
them
in hypocrites,
fo
that
upon their
Apo
-
4afie they
muff needs
not
only
trye
and
examine themfelves
but
conclude
to
their
difadvantáge and difconfolation ,
that
they have no
true
faith
?
Credát
Ape&
Secondly,
the
comfortableneffe he tells
uYs
ófthe
teftimony
ofaanans
con-
fcience
concerning
his
uprightneffe with God
depends mainly and
princi-
pally
upon
his
uniforme
and
regular
,walking with
Godg
now
this
being
by
the
neglet1
e
of
theSaints
often interupted
with
many
Haines of'uuworthineff
e,
the
te-
alimony
it
felfe
muff
needs
be
oftenfufpended: now true believers
finding
them
-,
feines
outgon
in
wayes
of
obedience.
by
them,
that impenitently
Apoftatize,
if
from
hence they
m'ufl conclude
them
Hypocrites
,they have
no
evidence
left
for
the
foundneffe
oftheir
owne
Faith,which
their
confciences beare Teflimony
unto,
upon
the fruitfullneffe
of
it,
which is
infer'
lour
by
many
degrees
to
that
ofthem
who
yetfinally
fall
away.
This
is
the
fubftance
of
one long
Se
&ion
pag.
809,
IIo.
But
Firft,here
is
the
fame fuppofall included
as
formerly,
that
the
only
Evidence
of
a true Faith and
acceptance
with
God,
is
the teflimony
of
a mans
confcience
concerning his
regular
&
upright
waling
with
God;
For,
an
obftru
&ion in
this
being fuppofed,
his
comfort and
confolation
is
thought
to
vanifh;
but
that
the
Scripture builds up
our
affurance on
other
foundations
is
evident, and
the
Saints
acknowledge it,as hath been before delivered;Nor
Secondly,
doth the Teftimony
of
a
mans owne confcience
as
it
bath
an
in-
fluence
into
his
confolation, depend
folely
(
nor dóth Mr
Goodwin affirme
it
1ob.35.
10.
fo
to
doe)
on
the
confiant regularity
of
his
walking with God.
It
will
alto wit
-
P1al.97. 5,6.
neffe
what former
experience
it hath had
of
God,
calling
to
mind
its ,tong
in
7-
the
night,
all
the
tokens and
pledges
of
its
fathers love,
all
the
gracious
vi
/ts
112.40.28,29,
of
the
holy
and
bleffed
Spirit
of
grace, all
the
imbracements
of
all
that
C2nt,.3.1,
2.
intimacy and communion it bath formerly been
admitted unto, the
healing
s
s
4,
5
and
recovery
it bath had
of
wounds,
and from
back-Hidings,
with
all
the
fpiri-
42.
6,7,
8,9,t
0,11.
tuall
intercourfe it ever
hadwith God,
to
confirme and
ítrengthen it
felfe
in
Ho1.z.9
the
beginning
of
its
confidence
to
the end.
And'
14.2.8.
Thirdly,
in
the
tettimony
that it doth
give from
its
walking with God,
and
3'
the
fruits
of
Righteoufneffe,
it
is
very farre
-and
remote
from giving
it
only
or
1íeb.3.
t4.
chiefly,
or
indeed at
all,
from thofe
waies,
workes, and fruits
which
are expo-
114.38.3.
fed
to
the
eyes
of
men, and which,
in
others, they who have
that
Teftimony;
'9's3'
may behold.
Jt
refolves
it
felfe
herein in
the
frame,
principles,
and
life
of
the
Revel.3.
I.
hidden
man
of
the
heart, which
lies
open
and naked
to
the
eyes
of
God
,
but
pet.3.4.
is
lodged
in
depths-not
to
be
fathom'd by any
of
the
Sons
of
Men
: There
is
2
cor.2.12.
no