The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 10
CHAP. X. Excitation and encouragement to labour for the experience of this work.
IN the next place how effectually ſhould this ſtirre up all of us that are converted by way of a Spirit of Bondage, to labour after a Spirit of Adoption, in its witneſſing act.
1. You ſee that the Spirit of Adoption is attainable, and eſpecially by you of all other men. You are under the qualification of thoſe to whom he doth eſpecially belong. See Iſa. 61. 1, 2, 3. To you is the word of this ſalvation ſent. Chriſt was annointed with the Oyl of gladneſſe for your ſakes.
Are not your hearts broken, are not you mourners in Sion, are not you the ſubjects of a ſpirit of heavineſſe, a wrinkled, a contracted ſpirit, as the Word ſignifies, a Spirit even grown old and wrinkled with grief? Here then is a word of encouragement for you, let it not fall to the ground.
What ſtriving is there for places when they fall in the Univerſities under ſuch and ſuch qualifications, how doth every one within the qualifications beſtirre himſelf for his intereſt? And will you (being in ſuch a capacity) loſe the priviledge of that capacity?
2 The Spirit of Adoption in its aſſuring act is a precious mercy. Friends, do you count it a great matter to be aſſured of ſuch a temporal inheritance? Will you think it worth your time to ſearch Deeds, and Records, and Offices to confirm a title to your ſelves and your heirs; and is it worth no pains to aſſure your immortal ſouls of an eternal inheritance? When a Merchant adventures a ſhip to the ſea, if he adventure much in the Veſſel, how doth he hye him to the Aſſurance Office, that if he can he may be no loſer by his Adventure, what ever chance befal him? O Friends, you are every day lanching forth into the Ocean of eternity, your Fraught is your precious ſouls, that are more worth then all the world. The Spirit keeps an Aſſurance Office, hye you to the Spirit, and never leave till you have aſſured your preſent Adventure.
1. I am aſſured of this; Without the witneſſe of the Spirit, that you are the children of God, no ſoul here deliberately dares to dye. Poſſibly a Roman Valour may carry men on upon deſperate dangers, when the temptations of honour, &c. are preſent, to put out of their minds the thoughts of an adventured eternity with the hopes of the preſent life. Thoſe Parents that ſacrificed their children to Moloch, could not have endured the cryes of their dear little ones, roaſted alive in the Arms of the curſed Idol, had not the Drummes and other loud Inſtruments drowned the noiſe. And truly no man can deliberately ſacrifice his ſoul to Satan, or adventure his ſoul neer the borders of hell, whiles his ears are open to the fearful yellings & ſcriechings of damned ſpirits; and therefore Satan makes a terrible din in their eares, jingles the fine things of this world, and makes ſuch a noiſe with them, that he leads them firſt into a fools Paradiſe, and from thence into utter darkneſſe.
Friends, Did ſuch thoughts as theſe poſſeſſe any of you now and then, Here I crawle up and down in the world, a poor worm of two or three cubits long, and after a few minutes more be ſpent (it may be this night) this hour the foot of death may tread me into the earth; I carry a Jewel in this earthly Cabinet, that is more worth then all the world. If Satan lay hands on it, I am infinitely miſerable to all eternity; and whether (if I dye this night) the divels may not come to fetch away my ſoul I know not. O if I could dye into another world once, and have hopes to live again and recover my condition, if it proved worſe then my expectation, I might adventure one of thoſe lives upon an uncertainty; but when as I muſt dye into eternity, that my Sun muſt ſet and never riſe again; that what is ſaid of a war is more true of death; that in it, non licet bis errare; that (though the tree that is cut down through the ſent of water, may grow again, yet) when a man dyes, he cannot live again in this world, Job 14, 9, 10. 14but muſt meaſure out either wo or happineſſe by the minutes of eternity. O what is it worth to have the Spirit of God teſtifie, that we are his children, new born to the Inheritance of the Saints in light? O how precious a mercy is it to have the zeal and earneſt of that Spirit to aſſure it beyond Queſtion.
2. I am aſſured of this alſo, that without the witneſſe of the Spirit you cannot ſo fully have your hearts untyed from wordly encombrances. It is true indeed, that a ſoul that hears of the excellency of Chriſt, and the glory of thoſe things that are within the Vail, may be convinced by the Spirit of God, to adventure all that he hath for them; but 'tis ſtill with fear, leſt he ſhould miſcarry in the loſſe of both. As a Merchant that is fully aſſured that there is Merchandiſe in the Indies that is more precious then thoſe Engliſh Commodities that he adventures for it, may be drawn to put his whole eſtate in hazard, that he may make a voyage thither: but ſtill there are miſgiving and diſtracting cares attend this adventure. O (ſaith he) I have put all I have into ſuch a bottom, indeed if it return ſafe, I may be a hundredfold gainer; but ſea and Pirates may rob me of all my hopes, and then I am loſt both in my preſent eſtate, and future expectations. So a man to whom the Goſpel is preached, upon the preſenting Chriſt as infinitely precious to the ſoul, may be brought to deny himſelf, and forſake all to follow Chriſt, out of hopes to enjoy him, but 'tis with much fear. True (ſaith he) if I get Chriſt, I am an infinite gainer. But if Satan cheat me, or if Chriſt will not entertain me, then I am of all men moſt miſerable, I have loſt all my comforts, my portion of this life, and eternity too. And therefore till the ſoul be ſure of Chriſt, it ever caſts an eye backward as Lots wife on Sodom; though Grace check thoſe fears, and keeps the ſoul on in its courſe yet ſtill I ſay, it meets with many temptations to think upon its adventure (eſpecially if Chriſt frown a while) and to wiſh that it were to do again, and many ſad ſtr…glings of ſpirit it hath with theſe temptations. 'Tis an hard thing for a poor ſoul to adventure all the world, and have nothing in hand for it, but only to expect its returnes hereafter. What ſayes the worldling? A bird in the hand is worth two in the buſh; and that Cardinal, Give me my part in Paris, and take who will my part in Paradiſe? And as ſome ſay now, as well as in the Apoſtles time, Let us eat and drink, for to morrow we ſhall dye, 1 Cor. 15. 32and after death we know not where we ſhall fare better. But a man that gets the witneſſe of the Spirit, is like one that adventures for a preſent Commodity, a Commodity in hand, a thouſand times beyond his price; or hath the earneſt of his bargain put into his hand, & is certainly aſſured of the faithful delivery of the whole at an appointed time. He never looks back upon his bargain ſo as to be tempted to repent it, but rather as rejoycing that for ſo little he hath gotten ſo much. See how the Apoſtle triumphs in this, Phil. 3. 7, 8. and 2 Cor. 4. 17. and thoſe Saints, Heb. 11. 9, 26, 35, and 10. 34.
3 I am aſſured alſo that you cannot be aſſured of your ſtate of Adoption, but by the Spirit of God. The Arguments from which carnal men draw their evidences for Gods love, how weak, how fallacious are they?
God l…ts me thrive (ſaith one) therefore he loves me. Ah fool, ſo doth the Grazier fat his beaſt for the day of ſlaughter.
My conſcience never troubles me, ſaith another. O mad man, 'twere thy happineſſe if it did. No more doth the man in a Lethargy complain of pain, and yet he is the nearer to death for it.
But I live under the Goſpel, and go to Church &c. Thou ſhalt lye the deeper in hell for that, if it prevail not with thee to converſion.
But I pay every one his due. So did many millions that are now in hel, Heathens and Phariſees.
But God is merciful, and I hope will have mercy on me at the laſt. Though he be ſo, he hath damned many millions in hell already, that had as much confidence in his mercy as thou.
But I am not ſuch or ſuch a ſinner. So ſaid the Phariſee, Luke 18. 11. and yet was unjuſtified. The Angels ſinned but once, and that (it is likely) in thought, and are in hel; and many thouſands are there, that have ſinned far leſſe then thou.
But Chriſt hath dyed for all men, and ſo I have a ſhare in his bloud. O deſperate Deluſion! Doth not Scripture ſay, He laid down his life for his ſheep? and are all his ſheep? are not the moſt of men goats, and ſhall be ſet at his left hand? Might not all the damned in hel have hoped for heaven upon that ground as well as thou? And are they not diſappointed?
But I have gifts more then ordinary. I can pray and expound Scripture, and convert and build up others. And yet thou maiſt be like ſounding braſs or a tinkling Cymbal, 1 Cor. 13. 1, 2.
Thoſe that are converted, they ſeek Aſſurance in unlikely wayes too till they receive the Spirit of Adoption.
One reſolutely chears up his heart, and (as it were) enforceth himſelfe to take comfort, and to be at peace in the aſſurance of his good condition) without following God in Duties and Ordinances for it.
Another begins to idolize his Duties, &c. and now ſure (ſaith he) my eſtate is good, for I hear attentively, pray affectionately, ſhed tears over my ſins abundantly, &c.
Another reaſons himſelf into this perſwaſion, fetching from the Word ſuch and ſuch grounds which he perſwades himſelf ſuites his condition, and thence concludes all wel. And you ſhall ſee hereafter how fallible theſe are.
3 The longer you go without the Spirits teſtimony, the more difficultly will you obtaine it: the more will your hearts be inſtructed in Satans Sophiſtry to elude Arguments of comfort (if you be ſuch as look towards God;) the more experience wil you have of your own hearts deceitfulneſſe; ſo-that you will deal with them as we ordinarily do with common lyars, hardly be perſwaded to believe their Teſtimony, when they ſpeak the truth concerning you.
If you be ſuch as neglect both grace and aſſurance, know that the more difficultly will you bring your ſelves to accept of grace, the longer you delay it; the heart will be hardned by the deceitfulneſſe of ſin, Heb. 3. 13. The Spirit grived, &c. And if you get grace, a thouſand to one if you get the witneſſe of the Spirit to teſtifie that you have it. Though God give ſuch men grace as put it off to the laſt, yet it were too great an encouragement to others to delay in like manner, if he ſhould ordinarily let them know it. 'Tis no eaſie matter at any time to get it, much more difficult when delayed: Many ſouls for many years together eat no pleaſant bread, and when they drink mingle their drink with weeping, their ſleep departeth from them, and all the comforts of their lives are overcaſt with a ſad cloud of darkneſs, they go from ſea to ſea, to wait on the Ordinances, riſe many a night to pray when others ſleep, chaſten their ſouls with faſting, and go heavily all the day long; and this, (as I ſaid) for divers years together, and this in the flower of their years and ſtrength and yet with much ado can get little more then ſome flaſhes of comfort now and then, ſome gleams of light (as I told you before) to ſave them at a deſperate pinch; and after long exerciſe in a doubtful medly of hope and fear, a ſad twilight of ſorrowes and ſupports, at laſt recover this teſtimony in and to their hearts, that they are the children of God. And therefore 'tis not to be thought, that perſons who out of wilfulneſſe or ſpiritual ſloath put off the procuring this bleſſed certainty to themſelves till old age or the approaches of death, ſhould ſuddenly leap out of a certain damnable eſtate, into an aſſured certainty of ſalvation. Sure the ſtream of Promiſes in the Word is leaſt favourable to ſuch perſons, and it is a thing moſt righteous in the eyes of reaſon it ſelf, that God ſhould be as ſlow in giving, as they are in ſeeking this aſſuring teſtimony.