The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 4
CHAP. IV Arguments to prove this Theſis or Propoſition.
NOw let us advance to the proof of the Theſis.
Queſt. How appears it that God doth ſo ordinarily?
Anſ. 1 By his Promiſes.
2 By his Deſign in bringing under the Spirit of Bondage
3 By the Duties that he expects of his Saints.
4 By the Experiences of his people.
Arg. 1 By his Promiſes which engage him thereunto, John 16 10, 11, 12 the ſame ſpirit that is promiſed to convince of ſin (ſaith Chriſt) ſhall convince of righteouſneſs, and of judgment; Of righteouſneſſe, becauſe I go to the Father; i. e. he ſhall convince poor burthened ſouls that there is a ſufficient righteouſneſs in me to cover the guilt of all their ſins, and this by my Aſcenſion, which declares the full diſcharge of the debt which on the behalf of my Elect I contracted: and becauſe I go to my Father, my admiſſion to my Father gives full aſſurance that I am again received into his favour, and ſo there remains no cauſe of his diſpleaſure againſt mee or mine, that caſt themſelves upon me for righteouſneſſe. Of Judgment; i. e. of the truth and reality of their own graces: as Iſai. 43. 1, 3. Or, Of judgment, becauſe the Prince of this world is judged: i. e. a judgment of abſolution of their perſons and cauſe, which ſhall appear by the contrary ſentence on their accuſer: it ſhall be made appear that God hath condemned him that accuſed you, and kept you in bondage, and ſhall enable you to ſet your feet on his neck, &c.
More clearly Iſai. 61. 1, 2, 3. He gave Chriſt, and annointed and ſent him for that end, to proclaim liberty to the Captives, and the opening of the priſon to them that are bound, and not only to proclaim it by the Word, but to apply it by the Spirit, ver. 3. To appoint to them beauty for aſhes, the oyl of joy for mourning, and the garment of joy for the ſpirit of heavineſs, or the Spirit of Adoption, for the Spirit of Bondage. So Pſal. 126. 5, 6. They that ſow in tears ſhall reap in joy, &c. And Iſai. 57 15. a remarkable Promiſe, I dwell with the contrite and humble ſpirit: wherefore? To revive the ſpirit of the humble, and the heart of the contrite ones: For I will not contend for ever, leſt the ſoul ſhould fail before me, and the ſpirit which I have made, See v. 18, 19. The Spirit that is promiſed by Chriſt is called the Comforter. Why ſo? if not to denote the principall part of his work, the comforting of the hearts of Gods people? John 14. 26.
Arg. 2. The Deſigne of God in troubling the conſcience. Soul-troubles are not brought on us meerly for their owne ſakes, for God afflicts not willingly, nor grieves the Lam. 3. 33.children of men, but they are ordinary Prologues of Comfort and Peace, and therefore ordained to fit us to receive and prize it, Hoſ. 2. 14. I wil bring her into the Wilderneſs, and ſpeak comfortably unto her; [to her heart, Heb.] Into the Wilderneſſe; i. e. a maze and wood of troubles, that ſhe ſhall know no way out of, into ſuch a condition in which a dram of comfort will be dearer then all the world, and then I will ſpeak to her heart, when ſhe is quite out of heart. Gods uſages to his people in this world are like Tragi-Comedies, ſad beginnings divers times, that put all the Spectators into a maze to think what will come of them, that ſo he may come off the more gloriouſly at the laſt, by giving a comfortable cloſe beſide all mens expectations. He ſets off (as Painters do) a light colour by the neighborhood of a dark. He cauſed light at the firſt to ſhine out of darkneſſe; not before it, or 2 Cor. 4. 6without it, but out of it. And as he doth in converſion, ſo in comfort. Firſt darkneſſe in converſion, then light, Ye were darkneſs, Epheſ. 5. 8&c. ſo he doth in the work of conſolation, When I ſit in darkneſſe, the Lord ſhall be a light to me, ſaith the Church, Micah 7. 8. So in the Apoſtles experience. We had the ſentence of death in our ſelves, that we might truſt, not in our ſelves, but in him that raiſeth the dead, 2 Cor. 1. 9. And as Chriſt would not keep Lazarus from dying, when he could have done ſo; but rather choſe to raiſe him from the dead by a miracle: ſo will Chriſt deal with his people, quite bring them to the grave, that then he may get the glory of a kind of miracle, and ſay, Return ye ſons Pſalm 90. 3and daughters of men. Now can we think that God will loſe the glory of his grace, when he ſo aimes at it in thoſe troubles that work it? And ſurely he will do ſo, if his people periſh under them. Thence the Spirit of God teacheth the Saints in darkneſs to urge that as an Argument, Wilt thou ſhew wonders to the dead? &c. What remembrance of thee is there in the grave, where all things are forgotten? Pſalm 88. 10, 11 and 6. 5. q. d. I know thy aim in all theſe dark nights that I undergo, is to make thy glory ſhine the clearer; and is this the way to let a poor ſoul that would fain praiſe thee, to drop into the grave, and (for ought he knowes) into hell, in darkneſſe without the leaſt ſmile from thee? &c.
Arg. 3. The duties God expects of his Saints, which cannot be ſo perfectly and ingenuouſly performed by any, as by an aſſured ſpirit. Indeed, the truth of them may proceed from a ſoul that is not aſſured, but ſuch high and noble meaſures cannot.
1 Love to him again. A man may, and every Saint doth love God by a holy ſympathy, as ſoon as he is regenerated, whether he know it or no; and the demonſtration of that love in the Saints, when they come to diſcerne it, becomes a means of aſſurance to them. As in Antipathies, ſometimes they are ſtrong in nature; and no reaſon can be given for them. Non amo te Sabidi, nec poſſum dicere quare, &c So in ſympathies, founded in the nature of the things. Why doth Iron love the Load-ſtone, and cleave to it, or the needle touched with it point Northward? This I conſtantly affirm, that where the ſoul loves God, Gods love is the cauſe of that love to him; and ſo it is, whether it be manifeſted to his conſcience or no; becauſe every grace is a fruit of Gods eternal love. This I am ſure is held out in that excellent place, 1 John 4. 19. though I ſhall not grant it a fruit thereof only when knowne. 'Tis not ſaid, Becauſe we are aſſured he loved us firſt, but Becauſe he loved us firſt. But yet the love that is without aſſurance, is not ſo ſtrong, ſo rational, ſo active, as that that proceeds from aſſurance, when the love of God is ſhed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghoſt; for this will enable a ſoul to love much, Luke 7. 47. to rejoice in tribulation, Rom. 5. 3, 5 and do many other difficult duties with more vigor and activity.
A young child may truly love the Father, when it is unable to reaſon it ſelfe into the duty of love from experience of the Fathers love; but the love that a growne child ſhews to the father after his experience of many acts of love for many years, is more ſtrong, ſolid, and rational. So when a ſoul can ſay as David, I love the Lord, for, &c. Pſal. 116 1
Now God requires his children ſhould grow up into an ingenuous filial love, upon grounds of thankfulneſſe and reciprocation, Epheſ. 1. 16, 17, 18, 19 He would have them be rooted and grounded in the experimental knowledg of the love of Chriſt, and thence to draw ſtrength to obey him in all things. And therefore it muſt needs be his ordinary way to thoſe Saints from whom he expects this fruit, to give them the Spirit of Adoption to teſtifie this Love to them. And there is a Promiſe, that love of good will to Chriſt, ſhall be ſeconded with manifeſtation of love from Chriſt, Joh. 14. 21.
2 Joy in the Holy Ghoſt, and that alwayes, 1 Theſ. 5. 16 Now although a ſoul may have ſome ſprinklings of joy upon the general hopes which it gathers to it ſelf from general Promiſes, yet it is nothing to that whic… particular aſſurance gives. Now God will have the joy of his Saints full joy, John 15. 11. And good reaſon, for the joy of the Lord is their ſtrength, Nehem. 8. 10. Though God bear ſomtimes with their weakneſs as well as darkneſs.
3 Thankfulneſſe. Indeed there is a thankfulneſſe ariſing from temporal and common mercies, and there is a thankfulneſs for general and comprehenſive Promiſes, and free offers of Chriſt and Ordinances, &c. before Aſſurance. But thankfulneſſe is never ſo large, ſo liberal, as upon aſſurance; then a man can give thanks in all things, and for all things, 2 Theſſ. 5. 18. then he cryes out, What ſhall I render unto the Lord? Pſal. 116. 2, 12. and then his language is full, Bleſſe the Lord O my ſoul, and all that is within me praiſe his holy name, Pſal. 103. 1, 2
4 Sometimes to deny all and ſuffer for him. 'Tis alſo true, a man that ſees not the love of God to him, may go very far upon conſcience of duty, and upon a meer faith of relyance upon general Promiſes, and upon ſecret ſupports of the Spirit, by which he keeps up hope in himſelf, that ſuch Promiſes may be his & upon the neceſſity of that choice which he is put upon, taking that as the ſafer way, which carries him out to adventure himſelfe that way, rather then certainly ruine himſelf by Apoſtaſie. So was that holy man carryed to the ſtake, before he cryed out, He is come, he Glover in Acts and Monum.is come.
But it is very ſeldom that a ſoul will go ſo far meerly upon a faith of relyance, and therefore God ordinarily gives ſuch perſons ſpecial Aſſurances; the Spirit fils their hearts with comfort, joy, and peace, and this will make them far more Heroical in ſuffering, Acts 7. 55, 56. 2 Cor. 1. 4. Guilt of ſin ſaddens a ſuffering to a man. So doth uncertainty of his eſtate for the future; for who will adventure ſoul and body at once, if he judg his condition in a rational account, but a deſperate man? And if Saints in darkneſſe ſuffer much, it is by extraordinary ſupport. But on the other ſide, when a man can look within the vail by aſſurance, and challenge glory; The ſufferings are not worthy the glory that ſhall be revealed, Rom. 8. 18. 2 Cor. 4. ult.
Arg. 4 the experiences of Gods people conſtantly manifeſt this. One while we have David complaining of broken bones, and a watered couch, &c. another while he is all joy and praiſes. Thoſe (Acts 2) whoſe hearts were pricked ſo deeply, what is the iſſue of it? ſee v. 46. They did break bread from houſe to houſe, and eat their meat with gladneſs and ſingleneſs of heart. See what became of the Jailor after his trembling fit, Acts 16. 34 He rejoiced, believing with all his houſe. And certainly, although God may ſave a ſoul, and bring him to heaven hood-winked, yet it is very ſeldom that he doth ſo; but that at one time or another, carrying on his people in conſtant acts of reliance, he gives them a witneſſing and aſſuring ſpirit at the laſt.