Abundance of honest holy souls,1 do live in the fervent love of God, and in hatred of sin, and in sincere obedience, in justice and charity to all men, and in heavenly desires and delights; who yet cannot well dispute for their Religion; nor yet do they need to fly to believe as the Church believeth, though they know not what or why, nor what the Church is: But they have that Spirit within them, which is the living witness and Advocate of Christ, and the seal of God, and the earnest of their salvation; not a mere pretence that the Spirit persuadeth them, and they know not by what evidence; nor yet that they count it most pious to believe strongliest, without evidence, when they least know why: but they have the spirit of Renovation and Adoption, turning the very bent of their hearts and lives from the world to God, and from earth to heaven, and from carnality to spirituality, and from sin to holiness. And this fully assureth them, that Christ, who hath actually saved them, is their Saviour, and that he who maketh good all his undertaking, is no deceiver, and that God would not sanctify his people in the world by a blasphemy, a deceit and lie, and that Christ who hath performed his promise in this, which is his earnest, will perform the rest. And withal the very love to God, and Holiness, and Heaven, which is thus made their new nature by the Spirit of Christ, will hold fast in the hour ⟨p. 350⟩of temptation, when reasoning otherwise is too weak. O what a blessed advantage have the sanctified against all temptations to unbelief: And how lamentably are ungodly Sensualists disadvantaged, who have deprived themselves of this inherent testimony. If two men were born blind, and one of them had been cured, and had been showed the Candle-light and twilight, how easy is it for him to believe his Physician, if he promise also to show him the Sun? in comparison of what it is to the other who never saw the light?
Abundance of honest holy souls,1 do live in the fervent love of God, and in hatred of sin, and in sincere obedience, in justice and charity to all men, and in heavenly desires and delights; who yet cannot well dispute for their Religion; nor yet do they need to flie to believe as the Church believeth, though they know not what or why, nor what the Church is: But they have that Spirit within them, which is the living witness and Advocate of Christ, and the seal of God, and the earnest of their salvation; not a meer pretense that the Spirit perswadeth them, and they know not by what evidence; nor yet that they count it most pious to believe strongliest, without evidence, when they least know why: but they have the spirit of Renovation and Adoption, turning the very bent of their hearts and lives from the world to God, and from earth to heaven, and from carnality to spirituality, and from sin to holiness. And this fully assureth them, that Christ, who hath actually saved them, is their Saviour, and that he who maketh good all his undertaking, is no deceiver, and that God would not sanctifie his people in the world by a blasphemy, a deceit and lie, and that Christ who hath performed his promise in this, which is his earnest, will perform the rest. And withall the very love to God, and Holiness, and Heaven, which is thus made their new nature by the Spirit of Christ, will hold fast in the hour ⟨p. 350⟩of temptation, when reasoning otherwise is too weak. O what a blessed advantage have the sanctified against all temptations to unbelief: And how lamentably are ungodly Sensualists disadvantaged, who have deprived themselves of this inherent testimony. If two men were born blinde, and one of them had been cured, and had been shewed the Candle-light and twilight, how easie is it for him to believe his Physician, if he promise also to shew him the Sun? in comparison of what it is to the other who never saw the light?
- 1O magna vis veritatis! quae contra hominum ingenia, calliditatem, sole tiam, contraque fictas omnium insid•as facile see per se ipsam defendat▪ Cicer p•o Cael•.O magna vis veritatis! quae contra hominum ingenia, calliditatem, sole tiam, contraque fictas omnium insid•as facile se per se ipsam defendat▪ Cicer p•o Cael•.
