DISC. xi.1 ORDIN.IRI' 'WITNESS OF THE SPIRI'I,. 283 is a faculty of comparing ourselves with the rule of his word and judging accordingly : The Spirit ofGod by his power, and by his providence,, awakens these holy dis- positions into lively exercise : He assists our enquiring and our judging faculties, helps us to compare our own souls with his word, and thus confirms our own spirits in the belief of this proposition, that we are the children of God. This is the more common and ordinary way and method, whereby God is pleased to give the comforts of adoption to his people. It is the remark of a judicious writer on this subject, " That as on the one hand wicked men are sometimes convinced in their own consciences that they are children of wrath, and further confirmed in this persuasion by that evil spirit who labours from hence to drive and hurry them on to despair ; so, on the other -hand, when the hearts of believers speakpeace to them, telling them that God is their Father, reconciled to them inChrist, and the Holy Spirit saith the same also, then they have perfect peace." That the Spirit of God may thus concur with the in- ward consciousness and testimony of our own spirits in so important a matter as our love to God, and his love to us, is very easy to be supposed, when the apostle speaks of this concurring witness of the Spirit of God to his own consciousness, and his sincere love of his coun- trymen, when he says ; Rom. ix. i. My conscience also bearing me witness in -the Holy Ghost. There is nothing in all this account of things but what is perfectly agreea- ble to the word of God, and to the rational actings of created minds, under the happy influences of the uncre- 'ated Spirit. The third thing proposed was, to give a few advices relating to this ordinary witness of the Spirit of God concurring with our spirits. 1. Satisfy not yourselves with one slight examination, but renew the work frequently, and search whetheryou find the same marks and evidences of adoption remain- ing in you or no. Do not content yourselves to run the whole course of life with one or two solemn examina- tions of your own hearts, when God,first began to work religion in you, but enquire and see whether your prin- ciples of grace abide in the saine brightness, evidence,
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