1 2ecfattW fan. Fifthly, Faith is the firft-born of all graces, and leads the van to all the refi, it is the mo- ther-grace, and as it were teems out all o- ther graces ; and no wonder, for it unites us to Chrifi, out of whole fulnefi we receive grace for grace, and into whole image we are changed from glory to glory as by the fpirit of the Lord, but affurance follows after faith and all other graces. This will be evident, if we confider the manner how affurance is produced ; it is not an Enthufafm, a voice, an internal locuti- on, fpeakingto the hest fome fuch words as thefe, thou art in Gods favour, or thy fins are forgiven or thou art a fon of God ; no, it is in another way, the holy fpirit doth fo irra- diate the heart in its refleaions , and all the pretious graces lodging there, that it plainly appears, that the grace of God is there of a truth ; as it was with the blind man in the Gofpel, when his eyes were opened he could look abroad in the world and fay, here's the earth, and there's the fea , and yonder's the Sun, Moon and Stars, fenfibly pointing from one creature to another : fo it is with the be- liever, when he is irradiated by the holy fpi- rit, he can look into his own heart and expe- rimentally fay, this is the pretious faith, and that is the love in incorruption, and the other is the meeknef of znifdom and fo go over all the parts of the new creature formed within him , or at leaf over fuch , or fo many of them as may affure him that he is in a flate of grace. This is the way of affurance, tint there 143
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=