The Saints Spiritual fl rengtb. workes of the Law or elfe by faith Preached, that is, if you have the Spirit, then tell mee how came you by it, when, and by what meanes came bee firft into the heart. But here all the queilion is , how a man may e j. r: know whether the Spirit be come into the heart in the right manner or no. To this I anfwer,that this you muff know, that eirlfw. the onely meanes to receive the Spirit into the heart, the right conveyance of the Spirit into the heart, is by the Word purely preached, when it comes in the evidence of the Spirit purely, with- out the mixture of any thing of mans with it : and further you fhall know , whether you have recei- ved the Spirit by the preaching ofthe Word , by there two things.; by the antecedent, and by the confequent. Firft,you fhall know it by that which went be- fore: if the Spirit hath beene wrought by the Word, then there will bee a deepe humiliation wrought in the foule for finne , and then Chrift and the Spirit comes into the heart , and begins to cheere up the dejeted foule , and ftrengthens the inward man, and then thereupon there will be a thorow change wrought in the whole man, and it muff needs be fo; becaufe the nature of the Spi- rit is, firft to pull downe what mans corruptions bath built; and then to lay downe the foundation of the fpirìtuali building,humilitie;and then after to reare the buildirxg of grace in the foule; as for example, if you would know whether the plants V 2 receive 144
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