Evidence for Heaven, Preface
THE PREFACE.
Christian Reader.
ASsurance, well-grounded assurance of the Love of God, and a mans own salvation, is a thing much to be desired and laboured for, by all that have immortall souls; But a thing industriously sought after by few, and attained by fewer. The most people in the world trouble their heads little about it, and their hearts lesse; know not what it is, nor how to go to worke to attain it, some think it is impossible to attain it; others seek not after it, some desire it, but cannot acquire it, others enjoy it, but do not impart it, hence it comes to passe, that few reap the comfort of it, I think it not amisse therefore, to speake somewhat of it, seeing it is a thing without which, we can neither live, nor di… with sound comfort in our souls, much l…sse tr…umph over d…ath, the King of terrours: I shall here in the first place premise three thing…, or lay dow… three conclusions and for brevity sake, I will only name them; the first is this.
The first. That there are some, that are chosen to salvation, predestinate, Con 1.elect. o… dained to eternal life, beloved with an everlasting love, vessels of mercy prepared unto glory, before the world began, and kept by the mighty power of God unto salvation; and all these, shall be certainly saved and glorified.
Con. 2.The Second. That it is possible for a Child of God in this life, to attain some good assurance, and true evidence, that he is of this number.
The third. That it is the duty of every Christian to labour for assurance of the Love of God, Con. 3.and his own salvation.
But here the great question will be, How shall I do this?Quest. How shall I go to work to attain this precious jewel of assurance which you speak of?
Answ:This question, the ensuing discourse tends to the resolution of, therefore I will here only, lay down some rules to be followed, by every one that desires to attain some good assurance, or Evidence for Heaven, while he is here.
First. He that would obtain this precious jewel and invaluable treasure of good assurance,Rule. 1▪ must ask it, he must ask it of him, who hath said, ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. Joh. 16.2…He that purchased Heaven for us, purchased the Evidences of Heaven also, but he doth not alwayes commit them to the heirs custody: Christ doth not alwayes deliver the Evidence, and the …nowledg of it, with the right and title to Heaven: Nay, he doth many times withhold the Evidence of Heaven from those, to whom he gives rig…t and title to Heaven, for speciall reasons: therefore for this, Christ must be sought unto, injuired of, as the Scripture speaks. A plain Jacob by much wrestling with God, may obtain some good evidence of his favour, as well as an eloquent Orator, or a learned Clark: Therefore if thou wouldest obtain some good Evidence for Heaven, and a happy eternity, then go to God with the Language of Abraham, Gen. 15.8. when God had told Abraham, he would give the land of Canaan to his posterity, Abraham beleeved God, he beleeved Gods promise should be made good, yet desires to be further confirmed in this, and therefore saith, Lord, God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? So say thou to the Lord, respecting that land above, of which Canaan was a type, Lord, God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? Say to God, as Tamar said to Judah, Give me a pledg of thy promise, untill thou performest it, say to God, as Rahab said to the spies, Give me a true token; give me the earnest of the Spirit,Iosh. 2.12. give me some grace that may assurs me of glory, and open my eyes to see this grace bestowed on me, give me the blessing of Joseph, who was able to say, I feare God; give me the blessing of Paul, who was able to say, I know whom I have beleeved. and put th…se promises in suit, Isai. 32.17. Joh. 14.20.
Secondly,The second Rule. He that would get this precious jewel of assurance, must seek it, he must seek it, where it is to be found, and as it is to be sough… after.
1. He must seek it, where it is to be found, seek it in Iesus Christ, and Vnion with him, and seek Iesus Christ, and the demonstrations of Vnion with him▪ in the Word of God, in all the Ordinance of God, and duties of a Christian, and in the Work of God, in, and upon himself. He that will conclude according to truth about his spirituall and eternall estate, must diligently try himself, and his graces by the truth (to wit) the Word of God, which is the only true touchstone we have to try our selves by, The heart is deceitfull above all things, Jer. 17.9.and despeperately wicked, Who can know it? There is nothing in the world that sooner deceives us, or so much abuses us, as our own hearts, they are not to be consulted with nor trusted to, without the Word, but tried by it; therefore search the Scriptures, and search thy self.
If we go to the Creatu…e for assurance, and go from Creature to Creature for it, as the Bee goes from flower to flower, the Creatures may all reply in the language of Job ▪ and say, it is not in me, Iob 28.14, 15.neither is it to be found in me, it cannot be gotten for gold, neither shall silver be weighed for the price thereof. Honour may say it is not in me, neither is it to be found in me; and riches may say, it is not in me, neither is it to be found in me; gifts may say, it is not in me; and learning may say, it is not in me, neither is it to be found in me; and thus may all the Creatures reply. But where then is assurance to be found? and where is the place thereof, seeing it is hid from the eyes …f the most, and kept close from many of Gods Iewels? The world sayes, we have heard of the fame thereof, but know not what it is; Gods People say, we thirst after it, but know not where to find it; Thou that thus complainest, go to the word, and it will tell thee in the Word, and in the wildernesse, assurance is usually found, go thou to the Word to seek it,Cant. 1.8. follow the counsell of Christ, thou that long…st after assurance, but knowest not where to find it. Go thy wayes forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids, beside th… sheepherds tents; Frequent the Word preached, read the Word Printed; Seek for Evidenc… in grace, and not in gifts, in renewing grace, not in morall grace, seek it in the nar…ow way; These are the paths wherein the flock of Christ have gone before us, and which they have trodden out unto us; follow their foot steps, if thou wouldest attain assurance, go not in untroden paths to seek it, it is a pearl that is not to be found in every place, seek it therefore where it is to be found: This is the first branch of the second Rule.
2. The second is this, He that would get assurance must seek it as it is to be sought after;In the use of all means. He must seek it according to the Scripture directory, that is, diligently, orderly, humbly, perseveringly.
First, He must seek it diligently, Give diligence to make your calling and election sure, 2 Pet. 1.10.saith the Text: He that would get assurance must seek it diligently and industriously, he must seek it, as Solomon teaches us to seek wisdoms and understanding; seek for it, as for silver, and search for it, as for hid treasure; It is treasure, which lies hid, and lies deep in the Bowels is the Scripture, and he that will obtain it must dive deep for it, and dive with his eyes open, as the Indians are said to do for pearl, he must labour for it industriously, as labourers do in silver-mines.
Secondly, He must seek it orderly, he must follow the vein; He must not begin where God begins, but where God ends; he must not begin at the root to fi…d the branch, but by the branch discry the roote, my meaning is, he must not begin with Gods decree in predestination, which is the root of salvation; But with regeneration and justification, which are branches issuing out of this root, other wayes he may destroy the tree ere he is aware, I mean himself, and all hope of Heaven and salvation, as I have known some do, and fall into utter desperation; The truth is, he that will not beleeve, untill he read God's decree in Heaven, must never look for any assurance of Heaven here, nor fruition of it hereafter; If you will not beleeve, you shall not be established, Isa. 7.9.saith the Text; He that will reach to Heaven by Jacobs Ladder, must begin at the lowest step; this is the Scripture way to get assurance; Christs directory prescribes it, when Iesus Christ would instruct Nicodemus about his spirituall and eternall estate, he did not send him to Heaven, to read the records of the celestiall court, but sent him to read himself over, to search his own heart and life, to consider whether he were regenerate and born again, Iohn 3.whether he were ingrafted into Christ, and made a new Creature, yea, or nay; Christ directs him to the effect to find out the cause, not to the cause to find out the effect, which teaches us, that he that would get some good Evidence of the Love of God and his own salvation, must begin at home with the workings of God, in and upon himself, he must consider what work the Spirit of God hath done in him, what sight of sinne, what sense of sinne, what sorrow for sinne, what l…athing and forsaking of sinne, he hath wrought in him, what grace or desire of grace, or prizing of grace, the Spirit of God hath wrought in him; The Father himself Loveth you, saith Christ. But how shall that appeare? Why the next words tell us,Ioh. 16.27.29. Ye have loved me, and beleeved, &c. The Father himself loved you, because ye have loved m…, and beleeved that I came out from God: It is as if Christ had said, your faith to me, working by love to me, demonstrates it; for Christ doth not here make our Faith, or our love the cause of Gods love to us, but the discoverer of it: And the Apostle tells us, That whom God did foreknow he also did predestinate, to be conformed to the Image of his Sonne, and ver. 30. saith,Rom. 8. that whom he did predestinate, them he also called (to wit) inwardly and effectually, according to his purpose, by giving them saving grace; and whom he thus calleth, them he also justifieth ▪ and whom he justifieth, them he also glorifieth; And here the Apostle followeth the example of his Lord and Master, leading us to the cause by the effects, and to the end by the meanes, hence it is evident, That he that would get assurance of his Election, must seek it in the workings of God, in, and upon himself; he must consider, how his justification i… evidenced by his sanctification, and his election by both. Sanctification is Gods work in us, justification is Gods work upon us, both together are certain pledges of his good will towards us
In the third place, He that would seek assurance, as it is to be sought after, must seek it humbly, with feare and trembling, the Scripture calls upon us so to do, Work out your own salvation with feare and trembling, Phil. 2.1…a seeker of assurance, must seek humbly upon his knees, and he must seek tremblingly, with a holy feare and jealousie, least he should mistake and miscarry; for though it be possible for a Child of God to know his estate, yet it is very difficult.
Fourthly, He must seek perseveringly, he must never give over asking untill he receive, never give over seeking untill he find what he seeketh; He must follow the example of the Spouse seeking her Beloved, inquire of the watchmen, the Ministers of the Gospel, where, and how to find, what he seeketh; and followeth Christ by earnest prayer, as the woman of Canaan did, untill he obtaine his suit, and he must not rest satisfied with the beginnings thereof but still labour for increase. The Scripture speaks of assurance and full assurance of hope aHeb. 6.11.of assurance and sull assuranc… of faith bHeb. 10.22.of the riches of full assurance▪ of understanding cCol. 2.2.and of great boldnesse in the faith, d1 Tim. 3.13.to be attained in this life; and this the Apostle prayed for▪ for the Ephesians, eEph. 1.18.and laboured to beget in the Colossians, as appears by the forecited place, and this the Scripture exhorts all Christians to labour for, f2 Pet. 1.10.11.and saith, That he that doth these things shall never fall, but an entrance shall be ministred unto him abundantly, into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, which one would think were argument enough to perswade any Immortall soul to seek after it. Thus of the second rule propounded for the getting of assurance▪
Rule 3.The third is this, He that would get assurance of the Love of God, must work by the help of the Spirit of God, who searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God as the Scripture saith, g1 Cor. 2.10.And beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God; Ro… 8.16.the Word cannot without the Spirit; the Spirit will not▪ without the Word assure us o… eternall happinesse; therefore he that would get assurance must work by the help of the Spirit, he must try himself and his graces by the Word, through the help of the Spirit.
In the fourth place,Rule 4. He that would get assurance must carefully avoid all the hinderances thereof, in the generall he must shun and avoid all sinne, more especially these sinnes. Ignorance, Atheisme, Prophannesse and Hypocrisie, Vnbelief and Impenitency, Erronious Opinions, Presumption and Desperation, neglect of the meanes of Grace, formall Vse of them, and Rebellion against them, strangnesse with God, and Iesus Christ.
Fifthly, He that would get assurance,Rule 5. must labour for all those qualifications and graces which may render him capable …f it, and which God usually imparts this blessing to; First, he must become a new Bottle, I mean a new Creature, for assurance is new wine, and Christ will not put it into an old Bottle, for it would burst the Bottle, Labour therefore for grace, trush of grace, every renewing grace; But more especially these graces, Knowledg, Faith, Sincerity, Heart-humility, Contritition accompanied with Convertion and new Obedience:A true beleever only is capable of assurance. Assurance will not dwell in an Ignorant, Vnbelieving, Hypocriticall Heart, therefore he that would attain it must labour for those graces which are contrary to these vices; God dwels as a reviver in the heart of the humble and contrite sinner, He revives the spirit of the humble, Isa. 57.15.66, 2.and the heart of the contrite ones; Iesus Christ puts the strongest wine in broken Bottles, I do not say into old, but into broken Bottles, he binds up the broken hearted; He therefore that would get assurance, must labour for an humble and broken heart A wise father will not assure a prodigall and disobedient Child of his inheritance, while he continueth such, no more will our Heavenly Father; He therefore that would get assurance of inheritance with the Saints in light, must come home to his Heavenly Father with a submissive and obedient heart,Labour to do thy duty. with a heart obedient unto all his Heavenly Fathers Will. It is not every one that hath truth of grace, that attains assurance, but he that hat… truth of grace and strength of grace, true faith and strong faith: Therefore in the second place, labour for strength of grace, strength of faith and every other grace; It is not every one that hath truth of grace and strength of grace, that attains to assurance, but he that hath grace and knows that he hath it: Therefore if thou wouldest attain assurance, labour to know the grace of God in thee. In the third place; Labour to know that thou ha… grace, that thou hast a true justifying faith, that thou hast sincerity, &c. Grace in Gods Children, is many times hidden from themselves, and that is the reason why they reap so little comfort of it, so little evidence by i…; they do not know that they have received an earnest penny of God; they do not know Gods ingagements of himself unto them; Therefore if thou wouldest get assurance, try and prove all thy graces, whether they be true and reall, Evangelical and renewing, yea, or nay, especially these graces, Faith, Lov… ▪ Repentance, Obedience, Poverty of Spirit, Sincerity, &c. that thou maist know thou hast truth of saving grace, such grace as is crowned with glory, and pray to God for sens… of grace, Fourthly, Get Righteousnesse, Evangelicall Righteousnesse, Righteousnesse of Iustification, and Righteousnesse of Sanctification; Assurance is an effect of Righteousnesse, though not an inseparable concomitant of it. The work of Righteousnesse shall be peace, Isa. 32.17.and the effect of Rrighteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever; Labour therefore to get Christs Merit for thy Iustification, and Christs Spirit for thy Sanctification. Fifthly, Labour to beleeve, as if there were no law to condemn thee, and to live, as if there were no Christ to save the…; Labour to beleeve stedfastly, and walk exactly with God and Man; When Stephen beheld the glory of God▪ The Text saith,Act. 7.55. He looked up stedfastly into Heaven, and it's certain, that though a weak faith may bring a man to Heaven and glory, yet it will not bring a man to behold the glory of God, whilst he is here below, it will not bring him to the riches of full assurance; therefore if thou wouldest attain this, labour for a strong and stedfast Faith,Hab. 12.14. joyned with a holy life.Mat. 5.8. These qualifications he must labour for that desires assurance.
Sixtly, he that would get assurance,Rule. 6. must deny himself in point of finne, and in point of righteousnesse; First, he must deny himself in point of sinne, he must not spare a right hand, nor a right eye, but if it offend, cut it off, pluck it out, as Christ speaks; he must deny himself in his darling finne, he must not allow himself in any one known finne, nor in the omission of any one known duty towards God or towards man; want in this, is that which Satan usually makes his great battering Ingen to overthrow, (if it were possible,) the Faith and Hope of Gods Elect, and that whereby he hinders them from getting or keeping this rich jewell of Evidence. Allowance of sinne and assurance cannot stand together, they are as contrary as fire and water, the one will out the other: Therefore he that would get assurance, must deny himself in point of sinne.
Secondly, He must deny himself in point of righteousnesse, he must renounce all his own righteousnesse, in point of justification before God, and count them all losse, and drosse, and dung, and build upon a sure Foundation, viz. the Rock Christ. He that would attain to the assurance that Paul had, must renounce himself, and rely on Christ, as Paul did, he must refer God wholly to Christ for satisfaction, and himself wholly to Christ for righteousnesse.
Rule 7.Again, he that would get assurance, must live for it; He must apply himself to do the Will of God in every thing, he must act and exercise all his graces, and labour to grow and increase in grace still;2 Pet. 1.5, 6, 7.3.18. he must add grace to grace, and one degree of grace to another, as the Scripture exhorts and commands us to do; single grace is not assuring grace, neither is not growing grace, assuring grace; that grace which is assuring, is consociate and growing, and some wayes acting. Therefore let thy knowledg run down in practise, this is the way to get assurance; this is to lay a good foundation against the time of need; Luk. 6.47, 48.this is to be a wise builder for eternity, as Christ saith; this is the way to get assurance for ever, to get assurance, which no rain of temptation, nor floods of affliction, nor winds of misapplyed Scripture, shall ever be able to overthrow.
In the next plac…, He that would get assurance of his safe and happy condition,Rule 8. must labour to grow into familiarity, and intimate acquaintance with Iesus Christ, who was in the bosome of his Father, when his Decree concerning el…ction was made, and was an agent in it, that so by him, as by a bosome friend, he may be made acquainted with the privy-counsells of Heaven, and bosome-secrets of God: Iesus Christ who is wisdome it self, will not impart himself and the secrets of God and Heaven to strangers, but reserves himself in such matters for intimate friends, therefore if thou wouldest know and be assured, that thy name is written in Heaven, be much with Christ, be intimate with Christ,1 Can. 13. lodg him all night between thy breasts, as the Spouse speaks, and he will be a bundle of mirthe unto thee, he will be unto thee, as Jonathan was unto David, a discoveror of his Fathers intentions; If thou desirest assurance, delight thy self in Christ, and he will give it thee in due time, and he will further say unto thee, as Jonathan did to David. Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee: All things that I have heard of my Father, I will make known unto thee, and ye shall know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
Finally, He that would get assurance of the Love of God and his own salvation, must p…ay earnestly for the witnessing Spirit, and pray for the witnesse of the Spirit; pray that th… Spirit of God may beare witnesse with his spirit that he is beloved of God, and chosen to salvation through Iesus Christ: This, and nothing lesse then this, will satisfie conscience in point of assurance; when no voice without thee can do it, this voice within thee will do it.
Thus … for the rules to be followed, for th… getting of assurance, I would now add some Motives to perswade the Reader to seek after it, but I feare I should be too tedious, only let me tell thee, That assurance is a thing of incomparable worth, a thing which no man knoweth, but he that hath is, a thing that no man prizeth so much, as he that wants it; in a word, it is a thing of such incomparabl… worth, that a man cannot buy it at too deare a rate: Could a man but know its goodnesse, and taste its sweetnesse, he would think no labour too much to attain it, no sinne too sweet to part with for it, no sufferings too much to preserve it, no care and industry too much to increase it; for it is (indeed) next grace, the most precious and delectable love token, that we can possible receive from Iesus Christ the Bridegroom of our souls, in his bodily absen…e. And if this will not perswade thee, Reader, to seek after it, I leave thee to him to perswade, who perswaded Japhet to dwell in the tents of Shem; what God hath bin pleased to impart unto …e on this Subject, I have commited to writing, more than this, I dare not do, for going out of my sphere, and lesse then this, I could not do, least I should be blamed of my H…avenly Father, for hiding my Talent in a napkin, and burying divine love in a dunghill; if ever this little draught of Evidence, which I penned for my own use, and hope to leave to my Children for theirs, should by any providence come abroad to publique view, my desire and hope is. That this little draught of Evidence may (through Gods Blessing) be helpfull to some of Christs Lambs, to some poor souls, which thirst after assurance on Scriptures-grounds, and in…ite others of profounder judgments, and greater abilities, to search th… Scriptures, by them to make discovery of the way to get this precious and invaluable Iewell of sound assurance. If thou findest any thing of God in the ensuing Evidence, or gettest any good by … bless God for it, give him the glory of it: This is the desire of
Thy Friend that wishes the Blessing of assurance to all that are in Christ Iesus our Lord.