389. Peden faïtiì to be íhined on ; none of the Promifes cart fpeak kindly or comfortably to him ; his flony Heart cannot receive the Seal and Imprefs of the Holy Spirit. Hence the Apoftle faith , After ye believed, ye were f Baled with the .Holy Spirit of Promife, Epbef. i. Y 3. after, and not before. Firíl, there mull be a new Creature, and then a new Name. Firft, Gods Image is printed on the Heart, and then his Love. Ì fay, a Believer may be affured, but not that all Believers are fo. A man may be a Babe in Chritl and riot know it : a Child of Ligbt, and yet walking in darknef c. A Believer may live in crepufeulo, in the twilight or mixt condi- tion of Hope and Fear; and fo, though fore of Heaven, not in his own fenfe affured of it : I mean not that he may be affured by an An- gel or Voice from Heaven or extraordinary Revelation : This the Adverfaries will admit, but in an ordinary way, in the diligent life of fuch Helps and Means as are common to ail Believers. Thus the Apoftle fpeaks in com- mon to them all, Theft things have I written to you that believe ; that ye may know that ye have eternal Life, i John 5.13. He Both not fay, force may know it in an extraordinary way, but fpeaks of it as knowable by Believers in common : I mean not that he hath this Affu- rance always or in every point of time ; perpe- tual Serenity is not here below : Earth is not as Heaven ; the Sun may be eclipfed, the Seal of the Spirit may be clouded, Evidences may be blurred and hardly legible : It may be God in
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=