The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

And there are two things which greatly promote this sin: The one is a conceit that all their apprehensions are the Spirits dictates, or the effect ⟨p. 13⟩of its illumination. And the works and teachings of the spirit, are not to be contradicted, or suspected, but to be honoured. Therefore they think that it is a resisting of the spirit, to resist their judgment: And they are persuaded that their apprehensions are caused by the spirit, partly because they had no such thing whilst they lived in wickedness, but it came in either with their change or shortly after: And therefore they think that the same light which showed them their sinful state, doth show them also all these principles: And partly because they find themselves as deeply •ffected with these misapprehensions, as with other which are sound and right; therefore they are confident that they come from the same spirit: And specially when these thoughts come in upon the reading of the Scripture, or in meditation, or after earnest prayer to God, to teach them by his spirit and lead them into the truth, and not to suffer them to err; and when they find that they have good ends and meanings, and a desire to know the truth; all th•s persuadeth them that it is the spirit from whom their thoughts proceed; when yet it may be no such thing.

And there are two things which greatly promote this sin: The one is a conceit that all their apprehensions are the Spirits dictat•s, or the effect ⟨p. 13⟩of its illumination. And the works and teachings of the spirit, are not to be contradicted, or suspected, but to be honoured. Therefore they think that it is a resisting of the spirit, to resist their judgment: And they are perswaded that their apprehensions are caused by the spirit, partly because they had no such thing whilest they lived in wickedness, but it came in either with their change or shortly after: And therefore they think that the same light which shewed them their sinful state, doth shew them also all these principles: And partly because they find themselves as deeply •ffected with these misapprehensions, as with other which are sound and right; therefore they are confident that they come from the same spirit: And specially when these thoughts come in upon the reading of the Scripture, or in meditation, or after earnest prayer to God, to teach them by his spirit and lead them into the truth, and not to suffer them to err; and when they find that they have good ends and meanings, and a desire to know the truth; all ths perswadeth them that it is the spirit from whom their thoughts proceed; when yet it may be no such thing.