8 INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY. [SERM. 1. or evidence. Nor will it create any confusion to use these words promiscuously in this discourse, while we distinguish them from the thing witnessed, (which, in the original, is also wapivp,a) and is translated the record, ver.- 10, 11. Now if we enquire what is that testimony to christi- anity, or that inward witness that every believer has in himself, let us consider what that record is which God has testified concerning his Son Christ Jesus. That you will find in the context, ver. 11, 12. This is the record, or thing witnessed, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son; he that hath the Sonof God hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. He then that believes on the Son of God hath the witness, or testimony to christianity, in himself, for he bath within him the thing testified. He bath eternal life in himself, he bath this eternal life already begun, and it shall be carried on and fulfilled in the days of eternity. By believing in Christ, we have a glorious testimony, or witness, within ourselves, that Christ is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, and the author of eternal life; that his person is divine, that his doctrine is true, for eternal life is begun in us. We shall make this more fully appear, by considering what is eternal life, and shewing how far it is found in every believer, 'and how it becomes a witness of chris- tianity in his heart. Eternal life consists in happiness and holiness; it is made up of these two, and there is such a necessary con- nection between them, that they run into one another; but, for order-sake, I shall distinguish them thus. The happiness of eternal life consists in the pardon of sin, in the special favour of God, and in the pleasure that arises from the regular operation of all our powers and passions. Now these three things are, in some measure, foundwith every soul that believes in Christ. The happiness of eternal life consists, I. In thepardon of sin; thence arises peace of consci- ence. This is a part of heaven; the perfection of this peace belongs to the heavenly state. Our pardon is com- plete on earth, but the senseof this pardon is not complete znd free from all doubts, or at least from all danger of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=