The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 2 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. A Queſtion concerning the mediate and immediate Teſtimony of the Spirit.
HOw doth the Spirit teſtifie our Adoption? (For although divers godly Divines are of a different judgement in the point of immediate evidence; yet I cannot be perſwaded, but that there is ſomething in the work of the Spirits teſtimony, which may deſerve to be ſo expreſſed.
Anſ. Two wayes:
1 Immediately.
2 Mediately.
I. Immediately: wherein the Spirit acts as in illumination and infuſion of good motions into us by his ſecret influence upon the heart, quieting and calming all thoſe waves of diſtruſt and diffidence concerning its condition, by his own immediate power, without the preſent application of any Scripture grounds to convince a mans reaſon that his teſtimony is true. I ſhall parallel it with the motions of the Spirit thus; As the Spirit many times excites a man to ſuch or ſuch a duty by laying his hand immediately upon the heart, and therewithal a kind of ſecret force and power, inclining the heart to obey thoſe motions; and as it many times opens the heart to ſuch and ſuch ſpiritual impreſſions by a phyſical injection of holy motions into it, and warming the heart to receive them: ſo in this caſe when a poor ſoul ſits in darkneſſe and ſees no light, ſometimes upon a ſudden a light from heaven compaſſeth it about, and it is, it knowes not how, in a moment (as it were) taken up into the third heaven, its fears are baniſhed by a ſoft whiſper from the Spirit of God in the heart, Thy ſins are forgiven thee; and this is in ſuch a way, that though the ſpirit of a man really believes it, and is immediately calmed by it, yet it cannot tell how it comes to paſſe.
And ſo it is ſometimes in overcoming temptations, a ſoule ſome other times is enabled to knock them to the ground by a ſcriptum eſt, (as Chriſt did Matth. 4.) but ſometimes it is ſtirred up to decline them, and abhorre them, by a ſecret riſing of the ſpirit againſt them, and to club them downe by meere force, ſetting the bent of the will and affections againſt them, without any preſent direct recourſe of the ſoule to the written word. And of this kinde, is that worke of the Spirit, ſtirring up in us ſighes and groans in prayer, that cannot bee uttered; whereas at other times it furniſheth us with abundant matter of prayer from the promiſes, and other ſtraines of Scripture, uſeful thereunto.
And thus (as I ſaid) in conveying the evidences of Gods love, the Spirit can, and ſurely oftentimes doth alter the whole frame of a mans Spirit by a ſecret irradiation of comfort, a man cannot tell how: for as there is a kind of ſpiritual inſtinct in the ſoul by which it doth the things that are pleaſing to God, after converſion, though many times it knowes not the principles upon which it acts: ſo is there a ſecret and ſpiritual faculty in the divine nature that is infuſed unto us, by which when the Spirit ſpeakes peace to the ſoule, it cloſeth with it without any reaſoning or recourſe to evidences, as at other times. As (ſaith a learned man) there is in the eye, lumen innatum, Rutherf. on Jo. 12. p. 100.and in the eare, aer internus, a certaine imbred light, to make the eye ſee lights and colours without: and a ſound and air in the eare within, to make it diſcerne the ſounds that are without; ſo is there grace, a new nature, and habitual inſtinct of heaven to diſcerne the conſolation of Gods ſpirit, immediately teſtifying that wee are the ſons of God. There are ſome ſecret and unexpreſſible lineaments of the Fathers countenance in this child, that the renewed ſoul at firſt bluſh, knowes, and ownes it. But for the underſtanding of this, you muſt obſerve with mee theſe few particulars for explication of this ſecret of experimentall godlineſſe.
1. That although the Spirit may teſtifie this immediately, without any expreſſe and formall application of a word; yet he never teſtifies but according to the word, i. e. to ſubjects capable thereof, and in ſuch wayes as they are diſcovered to be capable by the word: ſo that the Lords ſpeaking peace to the ſoul, being in the Scripture bound up to perſons under certain qualifications, the Spirit never ſpeaks peace, but where thoſe qualities are real, though not alwaies viſible in the ſoule. As for example, if a man that feels not ſin a burden heavyer then all the world, that throwes away all duties of religion, never prayes, reads, heares, meditates, nay goes on in ſome ſinful way without remorſe, be filled with joy and peace, and aſſurance of Gods love; 'tis certaine the Holy ſpirit is not the Author of this, becauſe the promiſe of peace, belongs to none of this ſtamp, Matth. 11. 28. Iſa. 57. 15, 16. Matth. 5. 3, 4. 8. &c. Undoubtedly this aſſurance is from the ſpirit of errour, a falſe light to lead into a bogg.
2. That (ordinarily) hee thus teſtifies either in or after waiting upon God in ſome duty or other, as in praying, meditation, hearing, receiving the Sacraments. By which teſtimony God ſeals to the dutifull attendance upon him in ſuch waies, Iſa. 57. 19. and 56. 7.
Or 3. In ſuch great and grievous temptations, and darkneſſe of ſpirit, wherein a man by the cunning of Satan, hath ſo intangled all thoſe evidences of grace and ſanctification which hee might draw aſſurance from, with ſophiſtical evaſions, that they will not faſten any thing of comfort upon him. Then when a man cannot untie thoſe knots, by which Satan hath entangled his ſpirit, ſomtimes the ſpirit of God by ſuch a ſudden irradiation puts a ſoule upon an inartificial and illogicall way of ſolution, enabling him to hold to his claime of Chriſt, by a kind of reſolute confidence, though hee bee not able to prove it ſound at preſent, or anſwer Satans ſophiſtry to the contrary; as Alexander, when hee could not untie the Gordian knot, hewed it aſunder with his ſword: And as that holy Martyr, that anſwered all the Romiſh Doctours Sophiſtry, by a fixed reſolution of dying for Chriſt, though ſhee could not diſpute for him.
Now wee muſt take notice withall.
4. That ſuch teſtimonies of the Spirit do beget but an actual aſſurance during the preſent exigency, or in order to ſome preſent deſigne that God is working thereby. Theſe are extraordinary dainties, that God will not have us feed conſtantly upon. A gleam Rutherf. ubi ſuprà.of light (as one calls it) in a dark night, when a man cannot coaſt the Country, and diſeern his way by thoſe marks which direct him at other times; perhaps lightning from a thunder-cloud, that comes juſt in the moment, when a man is ſtepping into a pit that would ſwallow him up, or to diſcover a cottage which he may turne into, till the ſtorme bee over, &c. Now a Traveller wil not depend alwaies upon ſuch a guide, but if hee can, will learne out ſuch way-marks for his conſtant direction, as may bee ſtanding aſſurances to him that hee is in the way; and rather chooſe to travel by day, when hee may ſee them diſtinctly. Thus though Gods Spirit divers times takes this courſe, to ſhine peace into our hearts upon unuſual occaſions immediately, viz▪ after extraordinary ſeeking God in duty, under the immediate violence of ſome deſperate temptation (in which caſes God hath ſometimes condeſcended even to a kind of miracle; as when he preſerved the glaſſe from breaking, which the troubled and almoſt deſpairing Gentlewoman threw againſt the ground, making its breaking to pieces, and her owne Mrs. Honymooddamnation a like certaine) or at the houre of death, eſpecially Martyrdome; yet to take theſe for ordinary preſidents, and look for them conſtantly, without endeavouring by ſtanding evidences, to make out an habitual aſſurance to our ſoules of our calling and election, is a bold and preſumptuous tempting of God. And therefore,
5 It is a fearful error of the Antinomians, which teacheth us to reject the graces of ſanctification from being grounds of our aſſurance; whiles they tell us, that they are all deceiving evidences, becauſe that were to light a candle to the ſun, (they mean to the immediate teſtimony of the Spirit.) For certainly the teſtimony of the Spirit, cannot bee without the indwelling of the Spirit, and is accompanied alwaies with the leading of the Spirit. See the connexion of theſe two in verſ. 14. 15 of this chapter, compared. Rom. 8. 14, 15 compared.And, wee know that hee dwelleth in us, and we in him, becauſe wee have received of his Spirit, 1 John 4. 13. And John 14. 16, 17 Chriſt promiſeth them the Comforter: but how ſhall wee know him, might they ſay? ſeeing the world (as you tel us) knows him not. He ſhal (ſaith our Savior) dwel in you. The in-dwelling therfore of the Spirit, is an evidence of the truth and reality of the aſſurance that we have from the Spirit: Hence are all thoſe marks and ſignes that the Scripture every where holds out, called fruits of the Spirit, Gal. 5. 22. ſo that though the Spirit teſtifie immediately, yet it ſubmits the trial of his own teſtimony to his works; Nor is this any diſhonour to the Spirit, to be tryed by his works, ſeeing our Saviour Chriſt was content to ſubmit the trial of his Godhead to the evidences of his works. John 14. 11.
But more of this in the ſecond way of the Spirits teſtimonie, which is,
II. Mediately, and that is twofold,
1 Without Argumentation.
2 With Argumentation.
but both from the Word.
1 Without Argumentation: The Spirit ſometimes applies the word to the ſoule, and enables the ſoule to cloſe with it for comfort in ſome particular promiſe of Scripture; wherein God ſpeaks ſo patt to its caſe, that it takes that word as a meſſage from heaven, and reſts in it, upon the very firſt apprehenſion of it: And ſuch is the peace that a ſoul gets from thoſe promiſes that either expreſſe not any condition, or elſe ſuch a condition as the ſoul preſently apprehends it ſelf under: as ſuppoſe, thou art burthened for ſome ſin, haſt prayed earneſtly for pardon againſt it; ſuppoſe it a ſin of backſliding, and whiles thou art praying for pardon, or waiting upon God in his word, a ſecret whiſper of the Spirit caſts into thy heart, Hoſ. 4 14. I will heale thy backſlidings, and love thee freely; or ſuppoſe that Matth. 11. 28. Come to mee all yee that are heavy laden, and I wil give you reſt, &c. This is a direct teſtimony, and muſt be underſtood under the former limitations of immediate evidence.
2. With Argumentation, when he teſtifies the truth of thy ſonſhip by grace, when he applies conditional promiſes, and upon ſearch enables thee to apply the conditions of them. This is the uſuall way for getting habitual aſſurance, a reflected teſtimony from our owne graces, which are the love-tokens of Chriſt to us, and diſcover that love even when, as to preſent influence, hee is abſent from us.
And thus doth the Spirit (properly) witneſſe with our ſpirits, as followes in the next verſe. In the other two hee witneſſeth Rom. 8. 16.to our ſpirits; in this properly, with our ſpirits. And there is as much difference between theſe, as between the aſſurance that Jacob had of his Son Joſeps life, from the Word of his ſonnes, and from the Chariots that hee had ſent for him, Gen. 45. 26, 27, 28, when they only told him ſo, hee was (indeed) overjoyed, but was alſo even in a fainting condition through the ſtrugling of fear with joy, as the diſciples at Chriſts reſurrection, Luk. 24. 41. But when he ſaw the wagons, then hee was fully ſatisfied.
So the immediate and direct Teſtimony of the Spirit (though ſometimes when the Spirit gives a man to believe it, it may drowne all doubts and feares, yet) in a time of temptation, when a ſoule begins to queſtion whether all its former refreſhments from the Spirit were not dreames and deluſions; it is never ſo fully ſatisfied, as when it evidently ſees and ownes the tokens of Gods love in its owne heart, the fruits of her marriage with Chriſt, and feels the child of grace leaping in the womb: then ſaith the ſoule, ſure I am married to Chriſt, for hee doth not drink waters out of any ciſterne but his owne, and the ſeed of true grace cannot poſſibly bee the iſſue of an unlawfull bed.