10 .Anfw. !!!!,eft. .Anfw. The Churches Marriage. fay_t o me what needs the witne£fe of the fpirit? is . not the word enough ? if Chrill: declare" himfelfe ' fo farre that in plaine tearmes hee is willing to match with us, what need the fpeciall witneife of the Ho y Ghoft? Ianfwer,there is very great need of it, becaufe theWord_ofit felfe is not able to comfort, and quickerrand releeve us, it is not able to beget in us p~~(, and joy, and righteoufneffe, but it is even Ii)(e a dead letter, it is a cold dead thing, able to <;foe nothing with the heart of man without -the · Spirit,this we find by experience,the cleareft argu– ments~and the moft comfortable that the fcripture ufeth·to comfort a man in diftreffe that bath his Confcience troubled with the apprehe.Qfton ofhis fin, and ofGods wrath, they are all nothing till it pleafe God to fend his owne Spirit tobeare wit– netfe tG>a mans fpirit. Youwillfay,whatis this witnelfe of the Spirit~ - I anfwer-, it is a.certaine divine expreffion of Chrit1: to the foule, whereby a man is fecretly af– fured withoutany argument or reafon, that he is , · his falvation: fqr y{)u muft know, that there are indeed two things beftdes that confirme this ·truth to us , that is, the ground wee bave in the j Word, and the effed:s and fruits offaJld:ification, but both thefe doe it by way of argument; ! for when a man argueth thus, I fee this generall i propofition, :AU tlrat helitve /ha!( befaved, but I i am one that believe, therefore I am one that am , c.~t~ined under the gencrall pardon> this I far, i. ': :.. ... "', 7 lS ~ .. -.,._. ....... ~ .. - ... . ·~ f· ~~.
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