Precious Faith Considered, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
Of the top and higheſt ſtature of Faith, the Believers Aſſurance of his good eſtate of Pardon and Salvation. That this Aſſurance is attainable, many ways demonſtrated.
HAving paſſed over the Believers Experiment touching the Scripture; I ſhall now proceed to another touching his own Eſtate. He may certainly know, foreign, as Dionyſius ſpeaks, That it is well with him, That he is in a good ſtate of Pardon and Salvation. This is apex fidei, the top and higheſt ſtature of Faith; a Priviledg which tranſcends Earth, and antedates Heaven to us. Here are thoſe three things, Lumen, Laetitia, & Pax, Light, Joy, and Peace, which (as the Schoolman Halenſis ſaith) render the experiment of Grace in the Soul truly certain. Here are Coeleſtial Beams, unſpeakable Joys, admirable Serenities, Sabbaths of Reſt, Seas of Sweetneſs, and Beatitudes too great for the tongue of Men and Angels to expreſs. Before the Believer walked only with the ſingle ſtaff of Recumbency and Reſignation; but now he hath bands and troops of Comfort following after him from the Promiſes: His darling Soul is now richly provided for to all Eternity; Eternal Beanty is in his Eye, Infinite Goodneſs at hand for his Embraces; the lines are fallen in a kind of Paradiſe; his Portion is no leſs than God himſelf; all his Bleſſings are dipt in Love: The World may brand him, but the Spirit ſeals; In the midſt of ſweeping Judgments he is ſtill one of Gods Jewels; and as ſoon as Death diſſolves him, Heaven receives him.
Touching this great Experiment, I ſhall firſt prove, That it is attainable by a Believer; and then ſhew in what ways it is to be attained. The Romaniſts hold, That no Man without ſpecial Revelation can be certain of his Pardon and Salvation; not with a certainty of Faith,Bellar. de Juſlif. lib. 3. which is infallible, but only with a certainty of Hope which is conjectural. The Promiſes indeed are ſure, ſay they, but our Diſpoſitions are uncertain: The Promiſes run Conditionally, If they return to thee with all their heart, 2 Chron. 6.38. and who can be ſure that he doth ſo? Who can ſay, I have made my heart clean? ſaith the Wiſe-man, Prov. 20.9. Who can underſtand his errors? ſaith David, Pſal. 19.12. Some Scriptures put a peradventure upon Remiſſion, Who can tell if God will turn and repent? Jon. 3.9. Repent, if perhaps the thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee, Act. 8.22. And the reaſon is, becauſe of the uncertainty of our Diſpoſitions: Faith is not Faith unleſs it lean on the Divine Word; and no Word ſaith, Such or ſuch an one hath true Faith and Repentance, or is truly pardoned; Happy is the man that feareth always, Prov. 28.14. The heart of man is deceitful above all things, who can know it? Jer. 17.9. Aſſurance if vouchſafed, would but puſſ up Pride, and open a door to Licentiouſneſs. Thus the Pontiſicians. Their Divinity in this great Point is much like the Philoſophy of the old Scepticks, thoſe Patrons of all Uncertainty; who uſed to ſay, foreign, Reaſon againſt Reaſon puts all Propoſitions in aequilibrio; the Balance hangs even without Declenſion, this or that way, after all debates imaginable; ſtill foreign, perhaps it is ſo, perhaps not: It may be they do ſee and hear, it may be not; at leaſt they doubt, whether they do it diſtinctly or no. After the ſame ſort the Romaniſts do what they can to perſwade Believers out of their Spiritual ſenſe, out of which Aſſurance ariſeth. It may be (will they ſay) thou repenteſt and believeſt, it may be not; or if thou doſt them, it may be not ſicut oportet, in ſuch a manner as they ought to be done. Hence the Council of Trent Can. 9… calls the certainty of Remiſſion, vain and remote from all Piety. This is that Doctrine of theirs which Luther calls, Monſtrum dubitationis, the monſter of doubting; and withal aſſerts, That if they erred only in this, it were a juſt eauſe for us to ſeparate from ſuch an Infidel-Church. Learned Pareus ſtiles it, Deſperationis oſſicina, the ſhop of deſperation. Adding moreover, That it is Antichriſts proper work to weaken the Faith and Hope of Chriſtians. Indeed this Doctrine doth diſpirit and emaſculate Religion, turn Faith and Hope into meer Meteors, and ſet the Conſciences of Men a-fluctuating in perpetual doubts and labyrinths. But let us ſee what they ſay for it, firſt diſtinguiſhing between the certainty of Faith, and the certainty of Hope; they allow the latter to Believers: And what manner of Hope is this? Is it a fallible conjectural Hope only? ſuch a Spiders web may be found in an Hypocrite, who hath no lot or part in this matter: Or is it a true Divine Hope ſutable to a real Believer? This even the School-man Durandus will confeſs to be ſuch, That non poteſt non evenire, it cannot but come to paſs, this will not make aſhamed, Rom. 5.5. by diſappointing the Soul where it lodgeth. It is the Believers anchor, pure and ſtedfaſt, Heb. 6.19. Such as will never leave him to the courteſie of a wave or rock, for it enters in within the Veil, and is faſtned in Heaven. Faith and Hope, which they here vainly diſtinguiſh, are coupled ſo together in a Believer, that Hope cannot fluctuate unleſs Faith do ſo; neither is Faith certain without an Hope congruous thereunto. Faith is the Hypoſtaſis or Subſiſtence of things hoped for, ſaith the Apoſtle, Heb 11.1. And Hope (as an Ancient hath it) is foreign, The very Blood of Faith. They ſay indeed, That the Promiſes are ſure and infallible; but withal, they put ſuch an uncertainty upon our Diſpoſitions, as to evacuate the very drift and ſcope of the Promiſes; which is, That Believers might have ſtrong conſolation, Heb. 6.18. Streaming out from thoſe two immutable Things, The Word and Oath of God who cannot lie. But if the Believer muſt ſtill be in doubt whether he have true Faith and Repentance; O how weak muſt his Comforts be, and how cold the Promiſes! He doth as it were but Tantalize at the pure fountain of Joy and Conſolation. It's true, the Promiſes are Conditional; But are not thoſe Conditions found in true Believers? May they not know that they turn unto God with all their heart, that is, ſeriouſly and ſincerely? Remiſſion and Salvation hang not on the degree of Faith and Repentance; but on the truth thereof: They cannot ſay, their Heart is clean with a ſinleſs Sanctity; but they may, that it is ſo with a true Integrity, ſuch as hath all the Promiſes entailed on it. A true Believer (ſaith St. Auſtin) may ſay, Sanctus ſum, I am holy; and to ſay ſo, is not Pride but Gratitude: They cannot underſtand all the errors lying in the deep of the Heart; but they may the Graces brought in there by a new Creation. That J…m. 3. Who can tell if God will turn? Non tam dubitantis quam bene ſperantis eſt; It ſpeaks not ſo much doubting as hoping, that God would avert the imminent Judgment. That Acts 8. Perhaps thy thoughts may be forgiven, puts not a ſcruple on Gods Mercy towards Penitents; but upon Simons Repentance, whether he would truly repent or not. Happy is the man that feareth always, ſaith the Wiſeman; Not he that feareth with a ſervile Fear, for the Spirit of Bondage makes not happy; but with a filial: And that well conſiſts with Aſſurance; for we may rejoice with trembling, as the Pſalmiſt hath it, Pſal. 2.11. Nay, it is advanced thereby; For it fears the Lord and his Goodneſs. The heart of man is deceitful, even the Believer's, ſo far as it is leavened with the reliques of Sin; but as it is renewed with Principles of Grace, it is a true heart, as the Apoſtle calls it, Heb. 10.22. and ſo may paſs a true judgment on its own eſtate: Though it cannot know all that is in its own abyſs, yet it may know the general frame and byas of it ſelf; and thereby diſcover its Sincerity. Hence the Apoſtle ſaith, If our hearts condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God, 1 John 3.21. If natural Conſcience be a thouſand witneſſes, inlightned is ten thouſand. Faith (ſay the Romaniſts) leans on the Word; and there is no Word That ſuch or ſuch an one hath true Faith and Repentance, or that his ſins are pardoned and remitted: Unto which I anſwer, As to that, That no Word ſaith, that ſuch an one hath true Faith and Repentance; it is to be conſidered, That when one Propoſition ſtands upon the Word, and another upon natural light or experience; The Concluſion is de Fide. When in the 6. General Council the Fathers proceeded againſt the Monothelites by this Argument:
Whoſoever is true God and true Man bath two Wills: But Chriſt is true God and true Man; Ergo he hath two Wills. The Major ſtood on the Light of Nature, and the Minor only on the Word; yet the Concluſion was de Fide. And when the Believer thus communes with his own heart in a practical Syllogiſm:
Whoſoever believs and repents bath his Sins pardoned: But I believe and repent; Ergo I have my Sins pardoned. The Major ſtands on the Word, and the Minor on Experience; but the Concluſion is de Fide. If a Concluſion drawn from two Propoſitions, one ſtanding on the Word, and another on other Evidence, be not de Fide, What will the Romaniſts do for their darling the Popes Supremacy? To prove that ſuch or ſuch a Pope, ſuppoſe Gregory or Innocent were Supream in the Church, They muſt argue thus:
Whoever is Peters Succeſſor is Supream in the Church; But Gregory or Innocent were Peters Succeſſors: Ergo, They were Supream in the Church.
In which Argument, though they would fain ſet up the Major upon Scripture, yet the Minor ſtands only on Election. No Scripture ſaith, That Peters Succeſſor muſt be a Gregory or an Innocent; nevertheleſs they would have the Concluſion de fide. But if a Concluſion drawn from ſuch Propoſitions be de fide, then may the Believer, according to the practical Syllogiſm abovementioned, conclude in Faith, That his ſins are pardoned, though no Word tell him, That he hath true Faith and Repentance. It ſuffices, that Experience tells him ſo. But as a further anſwer: Neither is the Word altogether wanting herein; for it ſets out Faith and Repentance by infallible marks and characters, as common touchſtones to try them by to the end of the World: And where thoſe marks and characters are, it pronounces thoſe Graces to be of the right ſtamp, and virtually tells Believers as much; and they being irradiated with the Holy Spirit, which ſhines upon both Scriptures and Evidences, may receive the ſaying, and conſidently ſay, as St. John doth, foreign, We know that we know him. This is the Faith, and this the Repentance marked out in Scripture.
Again, as to that, That no Word ſaith, That ſuch or ſuch an one in particular hath his ſins pardoned. The anſwer is eaſie, Univerſals include Particulars: That 1 Joh. 4.3. Every ſpirit that confeſſeth not that Chriſt is come in the fleſh, is not of God, condemns the Mar…ionites as much as if they had been named. That 1 Tim. 4.3, forbidding to marry, condemns the Euſtathians as much as if they had been named. That Threatning, Curſed is every one that continueth not in all things, being general, ſpeaks Wrath to every Tranſgreſſor as ſoon as he is ſuch. And ſo that Promiſe, Whoſoever believeth ſhall not periſh, but have eternal life, being general, ſpeaks Pardon and Salvation to every Believer as ſoon as he is ſuch; All that believe are juſtified, Act. 13.39. No ſooner doth this or that man believe, but the Promiſe ſpeaks to him, Thy ſins are forgiven thee; God ſaith to him, I am thy ſalvation. It may be he doth not underſtand it at firſt: However here is a ſure ground-work for him to believe that it is ſo; and ſo accordingly he doth, as ſoon as Aſſurance comes in to him.
Moreover the Romaniſts urge, That the Doctrine of Aſſurance puffs up Pride, and opens a gap to Licentiouſneſs. Unto which my anſwer is a flat Denial: If our Saviour had thought, that Aſſurance would make men like Devils in Pride, or Beaſts in Licentiouſneſs, he would never have ſaid, as he did to the Paralytick, Thy ſins be forgiven thee, Mat. 9.2. Had they told us, That ſuch a Worm as Pride would breed out of the Doctrines of Merit and Supererogatory Works, it might eaſily have been believed; but that it ſhould drop from ſuch an Honeycomb of Free-Grace, as the Doctrine of Aſſurance is, is not reaſonably to be imagined. Here's nothing of Merit, nothing of our own, all is pure meer Grace; the Believers Faith and Repentance is of Grace, and the Aſſurance of Pardon and Salvation is Grace upon Grace, Sealing-Grace upon Sanctifying: And whatever perverſe abuſe may be made of theſe, the natural tendency thereof is not to Pride; for a man after ſuch Graces to forget the great Fountain, and ſet up an Idol of Self-excellency, is extreamly unreaſonable. Juſt as if he ſhould ſay, Now I am in the boſom of Grace, but I would be caſt out, and be held afar off; Now I have the warm Beams of Gods Favour, but I would fain be in the Dark again; Who would argue thus? Will it not be much more proper, in an humble admiration to ſay as David did, Who am I? and what is my houſe, that thou haſt brought me hitherto? 2 Sam. 7.18. Thy Love, O God, firſt made me a Veſſel of Faith, and then filled me with the Oyl of Holy Joy; What am I to be ſuch a Receiver? All that I am is too ſmall a return; nothing of ſelf may remain for an Idol. Had they ſaid, That Licentiouſneſs might have been fathered on the Sale of Pardons and Indulgences, it had been veryright; Theſe made Germany and other parts groan with all manner of wickedneſs: But to lay it at the door of Aſſurance, is abominable. Machiavel was out in his Politicks, when he would have Princes Rule by Fear; but he adviſed ſo, becauſe he knew well enough, That following his Rules they could not be Loved, and therefore he would perſwade them, that it was better to be feared. The true Obedience (for I look not on that which a man is haled unto as ſuch) ſprings out of Love, for that fulfils the Law; and our Love ſprings out of Gods, for We love him, becauſe he firſt loved us, 1 Job. 4.19. And the more his Love is revealed, the more ours is inflamed towards Obedience. In Heaven the bleſſed Angels, who ſee Gods Face in Glory, are moſt intent upon the doing of his Will; on Earth holy men, who taſte of his favour, walk the more accurately for it. The joyful ſound of Pardon being in the Conſcience makes the holy Walk eaſie, and a fair proſpect of Heaven, ſweetens every ſtep. Obedience ſtands no-where ſo ſure as in the Circle of Love, which from Gods Love, as the firſt Point, is drawn through ours round about into it ſelf. Gods Love coming down in Aſſurance, and ours returning in Obedience; his being inflammative to ours, and ours reſignative to him: in ſuch circulations of Love their is no room for Licentiouſneſs. It's true Saints after ſuch Pleonaſmes of Love may fall foully; but do they fall becauſe aſſured? Do they turn Enemies to God, becauſe they know themſelves Friends? Can the Light of Gods Countenance diſpoſe them to Works of Darkneſs? May the choice Influences of Heaven make them earthly and ſenſual? Will the Prodigal once returned, run away the ſooner from his Fathers Houſe, becauſe of the Kiſs, and Robe, and Ring, and Fatted Calf freely beſtowed upon him? Such things as theſe do involve many Paradoxes and Repugnancies in them; and withal caſt dirt upon Heaven, and blaſpheme the Witneſſing Spirit: and therefore are juſtly abominable to the Saints, who experience the contrary in their own Hearts.
Having thus far gone through the Enemies Camp, I come now to lay down my Theſis to be proved, viz. That a Believer may be certainly and infallibly aſſured of his Pardon and Salvation; I ſay a Believer may be aſſured: an Unbeliever while ſuch is not a ſubject capable of Aſſurance; he hath Plague-Sores and Tokens of Wrath upon him, but as yet never a Beam of Grace or Love: the Juſtice and Holineſs of God cannot ſuffer him to be ſhined on; none of the Promiſes can ſpeak kindly or comfortably to him; his ſtony Heart cannot receive the Seal and Impreſs of the Holy Spirit. Hence the Apoſtle ſaith, After ye believed, ye were ſealed with the Holy Spirit of Promiſe, Epheſ. 1.13. after, and not before. Firſt, there muſt be a new Creature, and then a new Name. Firſt, Gods Image is printed on the Heart, and then his Love. I ſay, a Believer may be aſſured, but not that all Believers are ſo. A man may be a Babe in Chriſt and not know it: a Child of Light, and yet walking in darkneſs. A Believer may live in crepuſculo, in the twilight or mixt condition of Hope and Fear; and ſo, though ſure of Heaven, not in his own ſenſe aſſured of it: I mean not that he may be aſſured by an Angel or Voice from Heaven or extraordinary Revelation: This the Adverſaries will admit, but in an ordinary way, in the diligent uſe of ſuch Helps and Means as are common to all Believers. Thus the Apoſtle ſpeaks in common to them all, Theſe things have I written to you that believe; that ye may know that ye have eternal Life, 1 John 5.13. He doth not ſay, ſome may know it in an extraordinary way, but ſpeaks of it as knowable by Believers in common: I mean not that he hath this Aſſurance always or in every point of time; perpetual Serenity is not here below: Earth is not as Heaven; the Sun may be eclipſed, the Seal of the Spirit may be clouded, Evidences may be blurred and hardly legible: It may be God in Sovereignty withdraws, or Satan in envy buffets, or the Believer lets down his Spiritual Watch, or a due eſtimate is not ſet on Heavenly Comforts, or there is ſome great Trauſgreſſion, which as an accurſed thing, cauſes the Lord to depart. In ſuch caſes, though there be no interciſion of Juſtification, yet there is an interruption of Conſolation. Theſe Things premiſed, I proceed to prove the Point, viz. That a Believer may attain Aſſurance of Pardon and Salvation.
In the firſt Place the Names and Titles given unto Faith in Scripture are remarkable. 'Tis called foreign, The ſubſiſtence of things hoped for; Glory and Salvation are hoped for by us; but Faith maks them as certain, as if they were preſent to us. The Hebrews have a Van converſivum, which turns the Future into the Preter-tenſe; ſuch a thing is Faith which preſentiates future Things to the Believer, That ye may know that ye have eternal life, ſaith John: It is not foreign, ye ſhall have it, but foreign, ye have it in praeſenti, it already ſubſiſts in your Faith. 'Tis called foreign, the evidence of things not ſeen: Eternal Life cannot be ſeen by corruptible Eyes, but Faith doth ſo point out and demonſtrate it, as if it were viſible or ſenſible; We know that we have paſſed from Death to Life, 1 John 3.14. As if the Apoſtle had ſaid, We are indeed in the very Borders of Heaven, and we know it as it were ſenſibly, as we do our paſſage from one Place to another. 'Tis ſet out by foreign, a ſtrong perſwaſion or conſidence; and foreign, a liberty or holy boldneſs with God. The Apoſtle mentions both, In whom we have boldneſs and acceſs with confidence by the Faith of him, Epheſ. 3.12. Acceſs to God imports that we are reconciled to him; but acceſs with boldneſs and confidence imports that we know it alſo: Otherwiſe it would not be Faith, as the Apoſtle ſtiles it, but meer raſhneſs and preſumption; if we ſhould do ſo upon Peradventures, Eſther-like, not knowing, whether the golden Scepter would be held out to us or not. Nay, 'tis ſtiled foreign, a full Aſſurance, carrying out the Soul with full Sails to the good things in the Promiſe. It is well obſerved by the acute Dr. Arrowſmith, That in Scripture mention is made of a triple Plerophory, a Plerophory of Knowledg, Col. 2.2. a Plerophory of Faith, Heb. 10.22. and a Plerophory of Hope, Heb. 6.11. The Genius of each ſhews forth it ſelf in the Believers Practical Syllogiſm:
Whoſoever believeth ſhall be ſaved;
But I believe:
Ergo, I ſhall be ſaved.
In the Major we have a Plerophory of Knowledg: In the Minor a Plerophory of Faith; And in the Concluſion flowing from the Premiſes, a Plerophory of Hope.
In the next place ſome Commands in the Goſpel clearly import that Aſſurance is attainable; there God would have us To work out our Salvation, Phil. 2.12. To make our calling and election ſure, 2 Pet. 1.10. To add to our Faith virtue, one Grace upon another, and one degree of Grace upon another, That we may have an abundant entrance into the Kingdom of Jeſus Chriſt, 2 Pet. 1.5, & 11. To walk by the Rule of the New Creature, that peace may be upon us, Galat. 6.16. To prove our own ſtate, whether we be in the Faith, whether Chriſt be in us or not, 2 Corinth. 13.5. To prove our own work, that we may have rejoycing in our ſelves, and not in another, Gal. 6.4. If theſe things may be done Aſſurance is attainable; if they cannot, to what purpoſe are theſe Precepts? how vain and impoſſible are they? In that queſtion, Whether we may perfectly fulfil the Moral Law; the Pontificians urge thus for the Affirmative; If we cannot fulfil it, the Law is impoſſible and void,De Juſtif. lib. 4. cap. 13. Si praecepta eſſent impoſſibilia, neminem obligarent, ac per hoc praecepta non eſſent praecepta, ſaith Bellarmine, If the Commands were impoſſible, they would oblige none, and ſo would become no Commands. But in the Point of Aſſurance we may with much better reaſon ſay, if we cannot fulfill the Commands concerning it, they are then impoſſible and vain; the Law is an exact Rule of Righteouſneſs, a Copy of the pure Law engraven on Mans Heart at firſt, in the ſtate of Innecency, unto which it was attemperated. It was not at all impoſſible, and that it is ſo now is only from Mans Apoſtacy: And withal, the very foreign, the impoſſibility of the Law is admirably uſeful to drive us in a deep ſence of our Impotence, to Chriſt the Complement of it, that through his holy Spirit we may in a way of ſincere though imperfect Obedience at laſt arrive at perfect Sanctity in Heaven. But if ſuch Commands as are purely Evangelical be impoſſible, what can be ſaid to it? what tolerable anſwer made? Were theſe at all accommodated to a ſtate of Innocency? Was not their Original ſcope to raiſe up fallen Man to Salvation? If the Commands of believing and repenting were impoſſible, what room would there be for Salvation? And if the Commands of proving and enſuring our ſtate of Grace be impoſſible, what room is left for the Joys of Faith, or the Sealings of the holy Spirit, or the Suavities of a good Conſcience? And there being no ſecond Chriſt or Goſpel to fly to, whither doth this Impoſſibility drive but into the black gulf of Deſpair? Wherefore, as we would avoid ſuch doleful conſequences, we muſt conclude thoſe Precepts practicable, and ſo Aſſurance poſſible: And as a ſure ſeal thereof we have the ſweet experience of Saints in all Ages. Holy Job, though God multiplied his Wounds, and his Friends raked in them by a very ſharp charge of Hypocriſie, knew his own Integrity, and would not let it go, Job 27.5. And which reacheth beyond his preſent ſtate of Grace, as ſure of future Glory, he breaks out, I know that my Redeemer liveth; and maugre all the deſtructive worms, In my fleſh and with theſe very eyes I ſhall ſee God, Job 19.25, 26. O how certain was his Faith! I know; How appropriative? My Redeemer liveth; and how ſharpſighted? he could look through the duſt to Immortality. David knew the truth of his Grace, and proved it to himſelf by infallible Marks; I have kept the ways of the Lord, I have not wickedly departed from my God; I did not put away his ſtatutes from me, I kept my ſelf from mine iniquity, Pſal. 18.21, 22, & 23. ver. And for future Happineſs, he ſaith without ſcruple, That at his waking in the Reſurrection he ſhould be ſatisfied with Gods likeneſs, Pſal. 17.15. St. Paul ſpeaks as one full ſure of his preſent ſtate and future hope, I have fought a good ſight, I have finiſhed my courſe, I have kept the faith, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteouſneſs, 2 Tim. 4.7, 8. The Martyr Agatha, having her Breaſts cruelly cut off for Religion, told the Perſecutor, That yet ſhe had two Breaſts remaining, ſuch as he could not touch, the one of Faith, and the other of Hope; which afforded her great Comfort in her Torments. Caſpar Olevian a German Divine, being asked by one, Whether he were certain of his Salvation? anſwered juſt at the brink of death, Certiſſimus, I am moſt ſure of it. Mr. Bolton being near death expreſſed himſelf thus, My whole heart is filled with joy, I feel nothing within but Chriſt. Mr. Hieron ſaid, His Soul was full of joy, as if be had ſeen Heaven open to receive him. Such Paradiſes of Joy, Sabbatiſines of Spirit, and Prepoſſeſſions of Glory have the Saints found in their way to Heaven.
Again, there being an infallible Connexion between truth of Grace and Pardon, and alſo between Perſeverance in Grace and Salvation, a Believer may be aſſured of the truth of his Graces, and ſo of his Pardon; and again he may be aſſured of his Perſeverance in Grace, and ſo of his Salvation: Theſe two demonſtrated will make good the Point. Firſt I ſay, A Believer may be aſſured of the truth of his Graces, and ſo of his Pardon, which cannot but be where thoſe are. And for the truth of Grace a double Teſtimony may be vouched, one from Conſcience, the other from the holy Spirit; the Apoſtle mentions both; The ſpirit it ſelf beareth witneſs with our ſpirit, Rom. 8.16. foreign, it co-witneſſeth with ours, and in the mouth of two ſuch Witneſſes there muſt needs be eſtabliſhment: Hence St. Chryſoſtome on theſe words breaks out, foreign? What ſcruple can remain after ſuch a Teſtimony? I ſhall begin with the teſtimony of Conſcience. Conſcience is a ſpy in our boſom, which marks every thing; a ſpiritual Eccho, which returns our actions, and makes them ſound again after they are paſt and gone from us: By it the Soul turns its eyes in ward, and becomes a Speculum or Looking-glaſs to it ſelf, repreſenting to it ſelf its own acts: By it it bends back the beams of general Truths, and applys them to Particulars. That Righteouſneſs and Virtue ſhould be followed is an univerſal Truth, but Conſcience can reflect it back upon us and bids us do ſo in particular; and if we indeed do it, Conſcience will ſay Euge, this or that is well done by us. The Teſtimony of Conſcience was of great repute among Pagans; Plato calls it his Daemon, and Menander a God, foreign, ſaith he, Conſcience is a God to Mortals. And Seneca, Deus in humano corpore hoſpitans, God dwelling in an humane body. Hence came Pythagoras's foreign, or ſelf-reverence. And Sextius his parly with himſelf every night, what Vice he had in the day reſiſted, and Virtue promoted. And the Satyriſts complaint touching the neglect of the reflexive faculty, Ʋt nemo in ſeſe tentat deſcendere, nemo, few or none would deſcend into themſelves. Among Chriſtians the Teſtimony of Conſeience muſt needs be ſacred; their Conſciences not lying, as the Pagans, in their blood or natural pollution, but being purified by the precious Blood and Spirit of Chriſt; their lamps of Reaſon not lying as the others in the damp and darkneſs of the fall, but brought forth and newlighted at the Scripture, and Sun of Righteouſneſs ſhining therein as in its orb. Conſcience in a Believer is, as St.Bernard hath it, Purum Religionis ſpeculum, a pure glaſs of Religion: And as another, Major pars clavium, the greateſt key in the Church; ſuch an excellent Witneſs may well ſpeak in this Point. In David it ſpeaks thus, O Lord, I have walked in my integrity, Pſal. 26.1. that is, in the exerciſe of Faith, Love, Obedience, and other Graces, which as ſo many Pearls make up Sincerity. In Hezekiah it ſpeaks much after the ſame manner, Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before thee in truth, and with a perfect heart, Iſa. 38.3. And it is the more to be noted, becauſe Conſcience ſaith ſo in a way of appeal even to God himſelf; and by a right foreign, holds up the truth of its Graces to ſo pure a Sun. This is ſuch a Teſtimony as St. Paul joys and glories in, 2 Cor. 1.12. Eſt quidam modus in Conſcientia gloriandi, ut noveris fidem tuam eſſe ſinceram, ſpem tuam certam, caritatem tuam ſine ſimulatione, ſaith St: Auſtin; There is a kind of glorying in conſcience, when thou knoweſt thy Faith ſound, Hope certain, and Love undiſſembled. A Man that repents, believes and loves, may by the pulſe of Conſcience, know that he doth ſo. True, ſaith Bellarmine, he may know that he doth them, but not that he doth them ſicut oportet, as he ought to do them. Unto which I anſwer; Conſcience according to its Light and Line of Principles can bear Witneſs to Integrity; natural Conſcience to natural Integrity, and renewed Conſcience to gracious Integrity. An inſtance of the former we have in Abimelech, whoſe Conſcience told him, That he meant not to take away another mans Wiſe, Gen. 20.5. and of the latter in St. Paul, whoſe Conſcience told him, That his Converſation was in ſimplicity and godly ſincerity, 2 Cor. 1.12. Conſcience, which Witneſſes Integrity, muſt look beyond the meer matter of Acts into the modus; for therein, Integrity,eſpecially ſuch as is gracious, conſiſts more than in the Acts themſelves. Unleſs a man know that he repents, believes, and loves ſicut oportet, he cannot know his own Sincerity; and if he know his Sincerity, he knows that he repents, believes, and loves aright, A Believer converſes much between Scripture and Conſcience, fetching his Notions from the one, and his Evidences from the other. In the Word he ſees the Characters of Grace, and in the Conſcience the ſtate of his Soul. True Repentance mourns over ſin as ſin, hates it as the greateſt evil, and caſts it away as an accurſed thing, ſaith the Word; and ſuch is thy Repentance, ſaith Conſcience. True Faith prizes Chriſt, overcomes the World and works by Love, ſaith the Word; and ſuch a Faith is thine, ſaith Conſcience. True Love is inflamed from Gods, ſweetly acquieſces in him, and obedientially reſignes to him, ſaith the Word; and ſuch a Love is thine, ſaith Conſcience. Interroga cortuum, Ask thy heart, If Love be there, ſaith St. Auſtin: Ask again, If Faith and Repentance be there, thou haſt an Oracle within, that can tell thee, what thou loveſt moſt, truſteſt in moſt, and grieveſt for moſt; that can ſhew thee thy Uprightneſs, witneſs the Truth of thy Graces, and feaſt thee with Divine Comforts, ſuch as paſs underſtanding. It was a great Comfort to the Nobleman, when his Servants met him, and told him, Thy Son liveth, John 4.51. But oh! What is it to the Believer when ſuch an one as Conſcience comes and ſaith, Thy Faith liveth, or thy Love burneth towards God, or thy Repentance is pure godly forrow? Then the Oyl of Joy is upon every Grace, and the Cup of Conſolations runneth over: Conſcience becomes a banquetting-houſe, and Aſſurance, as Latimer calls it, is the Sweet-meats. We have heard one Witneſs, but the Supream, who drops all the Suavities, and dictates all the comfortable words in conſcience is the Holy Spirit: The Spirit it ſelf beareth witneſs with our ſpirit, that we are the children of God, ſaith the Apoſtle, Rom. 8.16. foreign, not the Gifts or Graces, but the very Spirit it ſelf beareth witneſs; & that not only out wardly in the Word, but in wardly in and with our ſpirit; and its Teſtimony is That we are the children of God: And the import of that Teſtimony, over and above the title of Sonſhip, is, That our Faith, which makes us his children, Gal. 3.26, is true; and our Love and other Graces, which manifeſt us ſuch, are ſo alſo. And what a Teſtimony is this? To call it dubious, or opinionative, or conjectural is blaſphemy. Cornelius a Lapide, as one under a neceſſity, confeſſes this Teſtimony certain in it ſelf; but as a Salvo to the Doctrine of doubting, adds, That it is not certain to us. But this is to forget the Apoſtles words, That the Spirit witneſſeth it in and with our ſpirit; and withal abſurdly to ſay, That the Spirit indeed witneſſeth, but would not be believed; or rather, That it witneſſeth, and witneſſeth not, becauſe an unheard Teſtimony is as none. Bellarmine ſaith, The Spirit witneſſeth not by an expreſs word, but by an Experiment of internal peace and ſuavity, which begets but a conjectural certainty. I anſwer, It's true, that it is not by an expreſs word; but, as Learned Dr. Ward well obſerves, The Queſtion is not de modo Teſtandi, but de Re. It is certain, there is ſuch a Teſtimony, and that proceeding from the Spirit of Truth muſt be infallible; and being made to our ſpirit muſt be known to us, and ſo beget a true certainty in our hearts. Nevertheleſs, to illuſtrate this Point, I ſhall a little conſider the Modus of it: The Spirit bears witneſs to ours, partly by an application of the Promiſes to the heart, partly by an irradiation of the Graces there: Theſe two make up the ſealing of the Spirit of Promiſe given after believing, Epheſ. 1.13.
The Spirit applies the Promiſes to the Heart, that is, one part of the Seal. As the ſpirit of bondage applies threatnings, and thereby makes a kind of Hell in Conſcience, ſo the Spirit of Adoption applies Promiſes, and by it makes a kind of Heaven there. The ſame Spirit, which endited the Promiſes of Pardon, and put them into Scripture; Seals and in a way of appropropriation puts them upon the Heart; as if it ſhould ſay; This and that Promiſe is thine; like that in the Prophet, Speak to her heart, that her iniquity is pardoned, Iſa. 40.2. Now, when the Promiſes come ſo cloſe and pour out their ſweetneſs into the heart, the Believer may not gueſs only, but know, that true Faith and Repentance are there. God and his Promiſe ſpeak peace only to Saints, and not a comfortable Word to impenitent ſinners. I have read of one, who apoſtatized from his profeſſion, and on his ſick-bed began to apply the Promiſes to himſelf; but alas! after a little ſeeming eaſe, he cried out in deſpair, That the Plaiſter would not ſtick. God only can make it do ſo; and he makes it do ſo only to penitent Believers; and they may conclude the Truth of their Graces, when the Goſpel and its Promiſes come to them in the Holy Ghoſt and in much Aſſurance, as the Expreſſion is, 1 Theſſal. 1.5.
Again, as another part of he Seal, The Holy Spirit irradiates the Graces in the Heart: The ſame Spirit which formed them there at firſt, comes and owns them as its own off-ſpring, bringing in ſuch a Divine light, and making ſuch an efficacious repreſentation thereof, that the Believers Conſcience may, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh in another caſe, Rom. 9.1, Bear witneſs in the Holy Ghoſt, and ſay, This is ſound Repentance indeed, and that is Love undiſſembled, and the other is Faith unfeigned; and ſo of other Graces in the new Creature. Theſe Graces carry in themſelves a kind of heavenly light rendring them viſible: But when the Spirit comes, it puts ſuch a gloſs and oriency on them, that the Believer may know them to be freely given to him of God, that this and that Grace are ſo given, and ſuch and ſuch are the ſure marks of the truth thereof. Such a Teſtimony as this, made learned Rivet at his dying hour break forth into theſe words, Expecto, credo, perſevero, dimoveri nequeo, Dei Spiritus meo ſpiritui teſtatur me eſſe ex filiis ſuis; O amorem ineffabilem! I expect, believe, perſevere, and cannot be moved, Gods Spirit witneſſeth to mine, That I am one of his Children; Oh ineffable Love! This anointing is truth and no lye, as St. John tells us, 1 Joh. 2.27. It manifeſts its teſtimony and it ſelf together. The Believer cannot doubt who the Witneſs is, or what he ſpeaketh; both are plain and ſatisfactory. Our Saviour Chriſt, ſpeaking of the Spirit of Truth, tells his Diſciples, Ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, Joh. 14.17. If the Spirit do but paſs by and drop in an holy motion into the heart, he may be known in it; much more when he dwells and witneſſes there.Cul. White-ſtone. The eloquent Culverwell compares him to the Sun; The Sun (ſaith he) by its glorious Beams does Paraphraſe and Comment upon its own glittering Eſſence; and the Spirit Diſplays himſelf to the Soul, and gives a full Manifeſtation of his Preſence: And a man may ſooner take a Glow-worm for the Sun, than an experienced Chriſtian can take a falſe Deluſion for the Light of the Spirit.
We have heard the two Witneſſes, the Holy Spirit by an application of Promiſes and irradiation of Graces witneſſing to the Conſcience, and the Conſcience ecchoing and reſounding that Teſtimony to the Believer. And hence it appears, That he may be aſſured of the truth of his Graces, and ſo of his Pardon.
It remains to treat of the ſecond thing, that is, That he may be aſſured of his perſeverance in Grace, and ſo of his Salvation. He knows, That his Graces are true, and withal, That they are foreign, things having or containing Salvation. Heaven buds, and Eternal Life begins in them, He that believeth hath everlaſting life, Joh. 5.24. He hath it in the firſt-fruits and irrevocable earneſt of it. The Seed of God in him, will grow up into Immortality; the Well of living Water will ſpring up into everlaſting Life. Only it may be alledged, That theſe Graces may be loſt: Unto which I anſwer, Abſtractively & in their meer creature-eſſence they may; but in their dependance they cannot. Their Standing, if on mans Will only, might fail; but their Foundation on the Covenant of Grace cannot. The Believer may not only ſee his own Graces, but beyond them, that Eternal Election which is the great Fountain thereof. Reflecting on the true Graces in his heart, he may ſay, Here is the Faith of Gods Elect, and, Here is the Love and Patience of Gods Elect. Spiritual Bleſſings are given according to Election, Eph. 1.3.4; and I have thoſe Bleſſings in me. Effectual Vocation hangs on Predeſtination, as the higheſt Link in the Chain of Grace, Rom. 8.30; and I am ſo called. This made St. Bernard, Epſt. 10.7.ſpeaking of effectual Vocation, ſay, Ad ortum ſolis juſtitiae Sacramentum abſconditum à ſeculis de praedeſtinatis beatificandis emergere quodammodo incipit ex abyſſo aeternitatis; When the Sun of Righteouſneſs riſes upon the Heart in an effectual Call, the ſecret myſtery of Praedeſtination hid from Ages, breaks forth out of the abyſſe of Eternity. Here the Great Counſel of Eternal Love, which lay in Gods Boſom, ſhews forth it ſelf to the Believer through the Lattice of his Graces. Hence he may conclude on good grounds, That his Graces ſhall never fail, ſo long as the Foundation of God ſtandeth ſure in Election. Continual ſupplies of Grace from the Fountain will keep his Lamp from going out. Its obſervable, that when God expreſſes his freſh Mercies to his People, he doth it thus; I will yet chuſe Iſrael, Iſa. 14.1. Election is from all Eternity, but it buds and bloſſoms in time in freſh ſupplies of Grace; as if he choſe them again: When the Saints are droo…, and as it were dying away; Election will give another viſit, and make them live a ſecond time. So unſpeakable are the comforts of this Point, that, as I have read, one under the ſweet ſenſe of Electing Love, was for ſome days taken off from all the joys of Nature; and in an holy extaſie cried out, Laudetur Dominus, Laudetur Dominus, as if he had been in Heaven already, bearing a part in the Church Triumphant.
Again, The Believer looks not to his Graces only, but to the indwelling Spirit. Faith, and Love, and Obedience cannot fail in his Heart, whilſt the Spirit of Grace is there; and there it will always be, becauſe it is an abiding Ʋnction, perpetually chearing every grace, and a well of water ſpringing up into everlaſting life, Continua irrigatio coeleſtem in illis aeternitatem fovet, ſaith a judicious Divine on the place, a continual irrigation cheriſhes an heavenly eternity in them. Upon this account the Spirit is called the earneſt of our Inheritance, not for a time, but until the redemption of the Church be compleated, Eph. 1.14; that is, till the whole Sum be paid in Glory. The Earneſt going along with the Believer to Heaven, his Graces cannot poſſibly fail by the way. Our Saviour told his Diſciples, and in them all Believers, That the Spirit ſhould abide with them for ever, Joh. 14.16. And two things will make it good to them, I mean, their Union with him, and his Interceſſion for them. Their Union with him will do it, they being myſtical parts and pieces of him; the Holy Fourt will enliven them and their Graces; Becauſe I live, ye ſhall live alſo, ſaith our Saviour, Joh. 14.19. The Members cannot dye, as long as there is life in the Head. But may not the Union ceaſe? No, by no means; God himſelf hath eſtabliſhed it; thus the Apoſtle, Now he which ſtabliſheth us with you in Chriſt, and hath anointed us, is God; who hath alſo ſealed us, and given us the earneſt of the Spirit in our hearts, 2 Cor. 1.21, 22. Believers are eſtabliſhed in Chriſt, and to aſſure them of it the holy Spirit is an Unction, a Seal and an Earneſt in their Hearts. This eſtabliſhment of Believers ſeems to me exemplified in Chriſts Humane Nature, that once aſſumed into the Word by an Hypoſtatical Ʋnion was never ſeparated from it, & thoſe once taken into Chriſt by a Myſtical Ʋnion are never parted from him; the Apoſtle hints both to us, The God of Peace who brought again from the dead the Lord Jeſus, make you perfect, Heb. 13.20, 21. That God who would loſe nothing of Chriſts Humane Nature; no, not in the grave, will perfect Believers as Myſtical parts of him, never ſuffering their Graces to ſee corruption in an utter decay, nor leaving their Souls in the hell of final Apoſtacy. Beſides, Chriſts Interceſſion ratifies it; he in his ſolemn Prayer. on Earth, which as Arminius himſelf grants was the Canon and Pattern of his Interceſſion in Heaven, prays to his Father for all Believers, That they may be kept from evil, Joh. 17.15. If they are not kept, Chriſts Interceſſion ceaſes or becomes powerleſs: Neither of which can be; Ceaſe it cannot, becauſe be ever lives to make Interceſſion; Become powerleſs it cannot, becauſe he is a Prieſt after the power of an endleſs life; what he interceeds for ſhall be done. I will pray the Father, ſaith our Saviour, and what follows? The Comforter ſhall come and abide with you for ever, Joh. 14.16. As long as Chriſt pleads at the right hand of Power it muſt be ſo. This made St. Paul break out into that gallant Triumph, foreign, I am perſwaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things preſent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature; No, not our own Wills unleſs more than Creatures. ſhall be able to ſeparate us from the love of God in Chriſt, Rom. 8.38, 39. from Gods Love to us, or ours to him. foreign, we over-overcome all things in our way to Heaven; our Graces cannot fail below, as long as Chriſt is pleading above on our behalf. Moreover, the Believer looks not only to his Graces, but to the Promiſes, in which God is pleaſed to bind himſelf, that they ſhall be kept alive to the end. St. Paul praying for the Theſſalonians, That their whole ſpirit and ſoul and body might be perſerved blameleſs unto the coming of Chriſt; immediately adds a ſweet Promiſe, Faithful is he that calleth you, who alſo will do it, 1 Theſ. 5.23, 24. Believers and their Graces are taken into Gods own hand; And where can they be ſafer? But may they not be plucked from thence? No, None ſhall pluck them out of mine or my Fathers hand, ſaith our Saviour, Joh. 10.28, 29. But may they not of themſelves fall out of it? No, though they fall out, yet they ſhall not be utterly caſt down, for the Lord upholdeth them with his hand, Pſal. 37.24. But will he always do ſo? Yes, He will confirm them unto the end, 1 Cor. 1.8. And how will he do it? He will put his fear in their hearts, that they ſhall not depart from him, Jer. 32.40. He will put his Spirit into them, and cauſe them to walk in his ſtatutes, Ezek. 36.27. And what though their Fear and other Graces be defective, and want filling up; yet He which did begin the good work in them, foreign, will perform it until the day of Chriſt, Phil. 1.6. And what if temptations and fiery darts fly about on all ſides, they are in garriſon in the power of God, 1 Pet. 1.5. and there ſhall be a way to eſcape, 1 Cor. 10.13. In ſuch Promiſes as theſe every way ſecuring the Believers ſtate of Grace, the Covenant of Grace lifts up it ſelf in a tranſcendent excellency above that of Works, which had no Promiſe of Perſeverance annexed to it. Shall we now ſay, That all theſe Promiſes are Conditional, if we will perſevere, and not otherwiſe? Is not this to turn the Covenant of Grace into that of Works, and a ſure ſtate in Chriſt into a lubricous Adamical one? Is it not to evacuate all thoſe glorious and magnificent Promiſes touching Perſeverance, as if God in them ſpoke only in ſuch cold Language as this, I will preſerve you from all evils and dangers, only for that greateſt of all, which is in your own hearts and wills. I will not undertake: or in ſuch contradictory terms as theſe; if you perſevere, I will make you perſevere; as if Perſeverance could be the condition of it ſelf? After theſe Promiſes ſo interpreted Believers are but where they were before; before theſe Promiſes it would have been true, that if Believers perſevere and continue in Grace, they do ſo; and after them ſo interpreted, What have they more? What do they contribute to Believers, when the main ſtreſs of Perſeverance is laid on Mans Will, and not on Gods Grace? But this obiter. The experienced Believer knows better how to uſe Promiſes, and from them communes with his own Heart; Hath God promiſed Perſeverance, and will he not do it? is not his Covenant foreign an Everlaſting Covenant, and are not his Mercies ſure Mercies? Can his Faithfulneſs fail, or his words of Grace fall to the ground? Shall I truſt him for Pardon and Salvation, and not for Perſeverance? Will he give me Heaven, and ſhall I faint by the way? It cannot be; He will guide me with his counſel, and then receive me to glory. Till I come there I ſhall be ſupported by his hand, and ſupplied with his Spirit; Goodneſs and Mercy ſhall follow me all the days of my life. In ſuch ſort may the Believer be aſſured of his Perſeverance in Grace, and ſo of his Salvation.
Again, the Believer may gather his Pardon and Salvation from that peace and joy which he finds in his own heart. There is a kind of Peace and Joy ſpringing out of Moral Virtues, which becauſe of their Congruity to Reaſon leave a ſerenity on the Soul where they are lodged: Mens ſibi conſcia recti is a great matter; a good Conſcience is murus aheneus, a wall of braſs to the owner. Seneca ſaith, Res ſevera eſt verum gaudium, True joy is in the ſevere proſecution of Virtue. Hierocles tells us, That the pleaſure of the Virtuous foreign, imitates the joy of the gods. And it was a Point of ancient Philoſophy, foreign, Virtue is ſufficient to Happineſs. But the Peace and Joy in believing is of an higher nature: Thoſe in the Moraliſt come but from the face of Reaſon ſmiling on the Congruity which is in Moral Virtues to it ſelf; there is nothing of Grace or Chriſt in them: But theſe in the Believer come from the reconciled face of God ſhining upon the Heart in a Mediator. Thoſe in the Moraliſt exceed not their own ſphere of Reaſon; but theſe in the Believer paſs all underſtanding, Phil. 4.7. and are full of glory, 1 Pet. 1.8. Heaven comes down in them, and puts a pure ſerenity on the Heart: The Believer now dwells in Paradiſe; the light of Gods Countenance ſhining as a clear Sun; Chriſt as a Tree of Life dropping down Pardons and Graces; the holy Spirit being as a perpetual ſpring of Virtues and Comforts; the fragrant Promiſes breathing out the odors of Love and Mercy; the ſweet voice of Peace and Joy uttered from Heaven, ecchoing and making melody in Conſcience: Nothing here but green paſtures and ſtill waters, and placid Heavens; not a cloud from the Law to darken the light, not an ach in Conſcience to break the reſt, not a ſpot of unremitted ſin to ſtain the ſerenity. Oh what manner of Peace and Joy is here! A Stranger, a Pagan Philoſopher intermeddles not with them. Theſe are to be found in the Raptures of a Cyprian, or in the Conſolations of an Auſtin or Bernard. In ſuch a ſtate as this, what ſhould the Believer do? May he not break out in the proper Idiom of Faith, My Lord and my God? May he not ſinely conclude, My ſins are forgiven me? Nay, Ought he not to do ſo, and with David, call upon all that is within him, to bleſs the Lord for it? After ſuch hanſels of Heaven and Glory, ſhould he yet doubt and ſay, I cannot enter, when he is there already in the beginnings and firſt-fruits thereof? Nothing is more unreaſonable. He knows in himſelf, by the Graces and Comforts in his own heart, That he hath a part in Heaven and Salvation.
In the laſt place, The Nature of the Sacraments, which are Seals of the Covenant, evinces this Truth. In the Goſpel we have Gods Hand, but in the Sacraments his Seal alſo. In the Goſpel, Pardon and Salvation are ſet forth in general Promiſes; but in the Sacraments, they are Sealed up to this and that man in particular. Circumciſion is called, The Seal of Righteouſneſs, Rom. 4.11; and by the Hebrew Doctors, The Seal of the holy God: And Baptiſm, which ſucceeds, and as Evangelical tranſcends it, muſt be as much and more. So Sealing Pardon and Salvation to Believers, that there follows the anſwer of a good Conſcience towards God, 1 Pet. 3.21; or ſuch a Conſcience, as can with an holy conſidence interrogate God himſelf in ſome ſuch terms as theſe; Did not Chriſt purchaſe Pardon and Salvation for me? Have I not a ſhare and intereſt in them? Yes aſſuredly, there is no doubt of it. The Paſsover figured out Chriſt the true Lamb, who was reaſted in the Fire of his Fathers Wrath to take away Sin; and the ſprinkling of the Blood on the Door-poſts, pointed out the Application of Chriſts Blood to the Conſciences of Believers in particular. The Lords Supper, which roſe out of the Aſhes of the Paſchal Supper, and took its very Materials from thence, doth eminently Seal Chriſt with all his Benefits unto the Believer. Our Saviour delivering it to his Diſciples, ſaid, This is my body which is given for you; this is my blood which is ſhed for you, Luk. 22.19, 20. Why for you, but to ſignifie the particular Application of his Paſſion to them? By the Elements of Bread and Wine, as by turf and twig, God gives the Believer livery and ſeiſin of Chriſt; as if he ſaid to him expreſly, Chriſt is thing, Pardon and Salvation are thine, thou haſt my Seal for it, and mayſt be as ſure of it, as of the Bread and Wine in thine Hand and Mouth. Bellarmine himſelf confeſſes,De effect. Sacram. l. 1. c. 8. That Sacraments were inſtituted, Ʋt nos certos reddant remiſſionis & gratie, To make us certain of Pardon and Grace. Only he adds, 'Tis only a moral certainty, not an infallible one. But how frivolous is this? What can make an Infallible certainty, if Gods Seal cannot do it? Among all Nations Seals are great Confirmatives. When Darius, but a man, Signed the Decree, though of Iniquity, it was unalterable by the Law of the Medes and Perſians, Dan. 6.12. And what the Great God Seals in the Sacrament, in a way of Grace and Mercy, muſt much more be ſo, by the Law of his own Truth and Faithfulneſs. The Jews looking on the Rainbow, bleſs God who remembers his Covenant, and is faithful in his Promiſes, as being ſure that the World ſhall not be drowned again: Much more may the Believer, looking on the Bread and Wine, do ſo, as ſure of Pardon and Salvation in and through Chriſt. But you will ſay, Gods Seal indeed is ſure, but our Diſpoſition is uncertain; and how can we know that we are worthy Receivers? I anſwer, Very well; The worthineſs required, is not that of condignity, but that of congruity. The leaſt Grace, if true, though but a bruiſed reed and ſmoaking flax, amounts to a capacity. May we not know, That we truly hunger and thirſt after Chriſt, when we inwardly feel a pinching and preſſing neceſſity of him, equal to, or rather more than any want in Nature? May we not find, That our Faith in God is right, when it aſſimilates us to his Holineſs, as well as reſts in his Grace, and puts forth Obedience to his Commands, as well as Affiance towards his Promiſes? May we not ſay, That we love him indeed, when the main ſtream of our hearts runs towards him, when at leaſt in endeavour we obey him in every Command, ſeek him in every Ordinance, glorifie him in every Condition, and prize him in every Saint? Hath he not bid us welcom to the Sacrament? Hath he not anointed us with freſh Oyl of Grace and Joy whilſt we have ſat at his Table? Have we not been clothed with Power againſt our Corruptions? Have not our Hearts been enlarged and refreſhed from the Preſence of God there? How many melting and raviſhing Proſpects of a Crucified Chriſt have we there enjoyed? And what beams of Heaven and Eternity have broke in upon us in the very Duty? Theſe things to Believers, who have the exerciſe of their ſpiritual Senſes, are ſo obvious, that they may eaſily and ſurely conclude, That God hath indeed welcomed them to his Table, and there Sealed Pardon and Salvation to them. In this rich eſtate a Believer may bid all Scruples be gone, and in an holy manner ſay to his Soul, Soul, take thy eaſe, thou haſt much goods laid up for eternity. Thou art now ſecure of Pardon and Salvation. The Holy Spirit hath Sealed them to thy Heart, and the Sacraments to thy very Senſe, and Conſcience witneſſes to both as True and Infallible, and what can be more? Nothing remains, but to keep thy ſelf in the Love of God, till he take thee up to the pure bliſs above.