The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Certain Hindrances of getting Aſſurance of our Adoption, removed.
Queſt. BUt how ſhall I get the teſtimony of the Spirit, and thereby be aſſured of my Juſtification and Adoption?
Anſw. 1. There are divers Hindrances to be temoved, and then divers Directions to be followed. Hinderances are
1 A ſecret murmuring frame of ſpirit againſt Gods preſent diſpenſations towards thee; as if God dealt very hardly, and contrary to his wonted courſe with thee. As if God had ſet thee up as the only mark of his diſpleaſure; which diſcontent is ſecretly augmented by the enjoyments and attainments of others. Such and ſuch have attained ſuch and ſuch comforts, and walk cheerfully, but God keeps me in the dark, like them that art dead long ago. And then, (as the children of Iſrael in the wilderneſs) the ſoul many times quarrels at God for doing what he hath done, and wiſhes any change, even to what it was, or the worſt that can be, Would God (ſay they) we had dyed in Egypt; nay, would God we were out of the world, any way rather then to be thus toſſed up and down in theſe tempeſts of ſpirit, to be made Satans Tennis-bals, the gazing ſtocks of the world, and a terrour to our ſelves, &c.
Friend, who ever thou art, that art in this frame of ſpirit; know, the Holy Spirit wil not be wrought to ſmile on thy heart by theſe means. Such a dogged, ſullen frame of ſpirit will but procure thee the more laſhes, and continue thee the longer in the wilderneſs. Iſraels murmurings kept them forty years in the wilderneſſe: hereby they vexed Gods holy Spirit, Iſai. 63. 10 and ſo doſt thou, and thou maiſt expect a proportionable dealing at Gods hands.
2 A kind of delight in complaining againſt thy ſelf, and taking Satans part many times in bearing falſe witneſs againſt thy own ſoul. Sometimes a kind of ſinful humility, ſometimes an apprehenſion of eaſe, in venting the cauſes of their trouble, and ſometimes a deſigne of provoking others to humor them in applying thoſe corraſives and terrors to them which they think are their portion; makes many perſons liberal in charging themſelves in this ſort. And ſomtimes (Satan helping them) they are apt to lay more load upon themſelves then indeed belongs to them, aggravating their ſins beyond meaſure, and condemning themſelves for the vileſt creatures upon the face of the earth. And (by conſtant uſe) I know not what kind of pleaſure, grows out of ſuch libelling themſelves, and they are never ſo well, as when they are in that tune. I grant, a ſerious, moderate, and diſcreet complaining of our ſins, and wants, to ſuch from whoſe advice and prayers we may expect good, and for this reaſon, that we may get their advice, and prayers, they knowing our condition particularly, and being thereby enabled to help us, by ſuch a through knowledge of our caſe; is not onelyonly lawfull, and expedient, but neceſſary. But to be always, in ſeaſon, and out of ſeaſon, urging theſe indictments againſt ones ſelfe, and meerly for this reaſon, that we may put from our ſelves thoſe comfortable truths which are indeavoured to be faſtened upon us, doth but more indiſpoſe us to peace and ſatisfaction of ſpirit, and teach Satan an art of troubling us everlaſtingly with our own liking and approbation. Take this for a certain rule. That ſoul that will not open to the Spirit of Adoption, till he can find no matter of complaint againſt himſelfe, may go mourning all his days, and thank himſelf for it.
3. An unthankful denyal of the works of Gods ſanctifying ſpirit in the heart. Which are the material ground of all regular aſſurance from the Spirit of Adoption; or (at leaſt) mitigating, qualifying, and extenuating them. This ordinarily accompanies the former. A ſoul that delights it ſelf in picking quarrels againſt its own peace, will not bee eaſily brought to own any good concerning it ſelf. Tell a man in this frame, Sir, you are one of Gods called ones, for you have had experience of a gracious change upon your heart. You now hate ſin, & count it your greateſt burthen, which once you loved and judged it your greateſt comfort; you have an unſatisfiable longing after Chriſt, not only in his merits, but in his graces, and the communication of his holineſſe, and all the World will not ſatisfy you without him; you have an heart perfectly broken off from all your old company, and all your delight is in the Saints that are upon earth, and them that excell in vertue: you have a tender heart, that is deeply affected with every known ſinne, &c. O ſir, (will ſuch a perſon often-times ſay) I find no ſuch things in me, and if there were, I fear it is all in hypocriſie. Friend, you do well in fearing hypocriſie: but you do not well in not owning what God hath wrought in you for fear of hypocriſie. Indeed it is not good to boaſt of the good that is in us, when wee have temptations from the approbation of others, to glory in it; neither is it good to deny what is in us when we have a call thereunto by thoſe who are ſent by God to examine our eſtate; which they can never do, nor can they know how to deal with us, if we deal not plainly in confeſſing what we know and find in our ſelves.
And it falls out too often that ſuch denyalls (as I ſaid before) are the fruit of unthankfulneſſe, which oftentimes cauſeth us to overlook, and (in a kind of comparative way) to deny what we have received, becauſe we have not as much as we would have. As it falls out in the covetous men of the world (and there is a ſinful ſpiritual covetouſneſſe too) that are ever complaining they have no money, no bread to put in their mouths, &c. whereas indeed they mean, they have not ſo much as they would have. This is an unthankful denyal of Gods providence towards them, in beſtowing on them what they have. And thou maiſt judg the like of thy ſelf in this caſe. Saint Paul was of another temper, Rom. 7. he makes many ſad complaints of himſelf, I am carnal ſold under ſin; in me there dwelleth no good thing; how to perform that that is good I find not; when I would do good, evil is preſent with me; I ſee a Law in my members warring againſt the Law of my mind, &c. O wretched man that I am, &c. yet ſtill he mixeth acknowledgments of the grace that he hath received, I am carnal (ſaith he) ſold under ſin; yet (ſaith he) I bleſſe God my judgment goes with the Law, I think it holy juſt and good; whence though I am over-byaſſed many times unto evil, yet I allow it not; I would do better then I do, and I hate the evil that I am captived unto. In me there dwelleth no good thing; but mark the Epanorthoſis, or correction of himſelf, as if he had ſpoken a word too large; What ſaid I? there is no good dwelling in me? let me not be miſtaken, I mean, in my fleſh, (for ſo much the foreign, ver. 18. will bear) for though I have no power to do, yet I have ſome good in my ſpiritual part, I can will that that is good, and that will foreign, is alwayes at hand; I have good wiſhes and deſires in readineſſe upon all occaſions. I do not the good that I ought to do, yet I would do it, I delight in the Law of God in the inward man. Sin lawes it, and lords it in my members, but I have another Law in my mind, ſo that with my mind, i. e. in my judgment, and reſolved bent of will, I ſerve the Law of God; and there is a ſpecial Emphaſis in that Pronoune, [my ſelf,] that followes, ver 25. foreign, I [my ſelfe] ſerve the Law of God, that is, even I, though I complain ſo againſt my ſelf, yet muſt needs ſay ſo much for my ſelf, to the praiſe of God, I thank God through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord.
Here is an excellent example for thee that ſitteſt in darkneſſe, and art ever complaining againſt and defying thy ſelf; do not deny the grace of God, that is not ſo much a denyal of thy ſelf, as Gods goodneſſe, and the Spirit of Grace. If thou witneſſe againſt the Spirit, doſt thou think the Spirit will witneſſe for thee? Thou denyeſt the Spirit, the very medium by which he would teſtifie to thy good condition.
Take notice alſo of the peeviſhneſſe of thy ſpirit. Thou haſt long wooed Chriſt to accept of thee, and be married to thee, and Chriſt hath ſent thee Love-tokens by his Spirit to aſſure thee that he owns himſelf to be thy busband. Now Chriſt expects the duties of a wife from thee, now thou queſtioneſt whether thou art married or no, and not only queſtioneſt, but peremptorily denyeſt all his Love-tokens, or at leaſt extenuateſt them and ſetteſt light by them. Think what a ſin this is. No wonder now if the Spirit, that Meſſenger that brought them, take offence at ſuch dealing, and refuſe to teſtifie to thee, who art reſolved to queſtion his teſtimony, bee it never ſo cleare.
4. An unwarrantable thruſting off thoſe Promiſes and comfortable truths which God in the Miniſtry of the Word or otherwiſe brings home to our condition, and ſnatching greedily at all the terrible places of Scripture and denunciations of wrath as our portion. I have knowne thoſe that have thruſt away with both hands all that might make for their comfort, as that that belongs not to them. O the curſed pride of our hearts! When will men leave preſcribing to the infinite wiſe God? When people pleaſe themſelves in their ſins, then they will hear no Miniſter except he ſing a curſed requiem to their ſpirits, preach pleaſing things, and cry, Peace, peace. And when the ſoul is under trouble for ſin, then God muſt denounce judgments in every Sermon, ſpeak to them in thunders and lightning from Mount Sinai, anſwer them cut of the whirlewind, or elſe they will not hear him. Believe it, no ſoul receiveth good by the Word, but that ſoul that thinks every Word of the Lord good; and labours, as it is proper to its condition, to apply it. Satan in times of unregeneracy hath an Art to make the Word unfruitful, by cauſing a mans heart to ſtand looſe from the Law, to rub off the eating, corroding plaiſter, and ſay, This concernes ſuch an one, and ſuch an one, but not me. And after our converſion, he keeps the Word from faſtning comfort to the ſoul, and aſſuring the heart by a like Artifice. True, theſe are comfortable truths, and concern ſuch and ſuch, but not me. This was the Pſalmiſts caſe in deſertion, and is thine in the preſent darkneſſe: My ſore ran in the night, my ſoul refuſed to be comforted, Pſal. 77. 2.
Indeed friends, if you refuſe to receive comfort when the Spirit offers it, no wonder if when you would have it, the Spirit refuſe to offer it. None of Gods offers are refuſed by the creature gratis. God will ſtand upon other termes when we come to his ſhop after wee have once refuſed a good bargain once offered.
5 A groundleſſe ſurmiſing of an irrecoverableneſſe in our condition from ſuch and ſuch threatnings of Scripture as concerne us not. This followes from the former; When a ſoul is willing to hear all Thunder and Cannon ſhot from the Word, ordinarily the divel hath two or three places of Scripture from whence he playes thick upon the ſoul. Thoſe are two places in the Hebrews, 6. 4, 5, 6. and 10. 26, 27, 28, 29. And one in the ſecond of Peter 2. 20, 21. In the ambiguity of ſome dark phraſes in thoſe Texts of Scripture, doth Satan perplex the ſoul, and this is a ſtrong hold that he will not preſently ſurrender. Thus he perſwades them, that every neglect of duty, every vain thought or wicked action after illumination, and the work of conviction, utterly, and totally excludeth them from repentance or pardon; and therefore it is in vain to endeavour their comfort, who have ſinned againſt the Holy Ghoſt that ſhould comfort them, and that unpardonably, and irrecoverably.
I have ſpoken to this already in the ſecond point, and ſhall again hereafter. And therfore it ſhall ſuffice at preſent to warn you of this rub which Satan laies in the way of your peace, and to intreat you to take no heed to it, when it is obtruded to barre you from laying hold of the promiſes of mercy and pardon, which are proclaimed unto you. For take this for a certain rule, God never intends any terrours of Scripture, as bugbears to affright any ſinner from Chriſt who earneſtly deſires him, (the ſevereſt ſcorpions of the Law are intended only to drive us to Chriſt, Gal. 3. 24.) much leſſe doth he intend that any of them ſhould conclude any ſoul under an apprehended impoſſibility of pardon; for then he would be chargeable with all thoſe deſperate concluſions which men uſually draw from ſuch premiſes. But he always encourageth the greateſt ſinners to beleeve, and (ſuppoſing that) to take comfort from the boundleſneſſe of his mercy in pardoning all maner of ſinnes. Iſay 55. 7. and 1. 18.
How frequently doth he (for their ſakes) diſplay his bowels of tender mercies, as if he foreſaw that the greateſt difficulty of his work would lie in perſwading them of thoſe?