Nor do we hereby intend an Enthusiastical assurance; or such a testification of the love of God to the Soul, as excludes any reference to his external revelation and exercise of our own enlightened reason and judgment thereupon; or wherein these are of no use, nor have subservience thereto: But as in the other parts of the divine communication, his external revelation hath the place of an instrument, whereby he effects the work inwardly done upon the mind and heart, and of a rule or measure whereby we are to judg of it; so we are to account it is, as to this part of it also; that is, he inwardly testifies and manifests the same thing which is virtually contained in his Gospel-revelation, ⟨p. 104⟩considered in that reference and aspect which it hath on the present state of the Soul. For that outward Revelation must needs be understood to signify diversly to particular persons, as their state may be divers; As when it says,1 The things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, God hath prepared for them that love him. To a person that doth indeed truly love God, it virtually says, all these things are prepared for thee: To one that doth not love God, it can only be understood to say, all these things may be thine, i. e. if thou shalt love him; If thou do not, thou hast no part in them; but in as much as a conditional promise, when the condition is performed, is equivalent to an absolute; These words do as truly import this sense to one that loves God [these things are thine], as if they were directed to it in particular: As truly, I say, supposing the person do truly love God, but not so clearly or with that evidence. For this Truth, (supposing it a Truth), I do sincerely love God, is not so evident as this, That such preparation is made for them that do: For this is expressly contained in the Word of God; The other is not so, but to be collected only by self-inspection, and observation of the bent and tenor of my spirit and way Godward; yet however the evidence of truth admits of degrees, Truth it self doth not. All things that are true, are equally true. And therefore, when it is said, so great things are prepared for them that love God; It is as truly said, they ⟨p. 105⟩are prepared for this man who loves God, as this or that particular lover of God is contained in the general notion of a lover of him.
Nor do we hereby intend an Enthusiastical assurance; or such a testification of the love of God to the Soul, as excludes any reference to his external revelation and exercise of our own enlightened reason and judgment thereupon; or wherein these are of no use, nor have subservience thereto: But as in the other parts of the divine communication, his external revelation hath the place of an instrument, whereby he effects the work inwardly done upon the mind and heart, and of a rule or measure whereby we are to judg of it; so we are to account it is, as to this part of it also; that is, he inwardly testifies and manifests the same thing which is virtually contained in his Gospel-revelation, ⟨p. 104⟩considered in that reference and aspect which it hath on the present state of the Soul. For that outward Revelation must needs be understood to signifie diversly to particular persons, as their state may be divers; As when it says,1 The things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entred into the heart of man, God hath prepared for them that love him. To a person that doth indeed truly love God, it virtually says, all these things are prepared for thee: To one that doth not love God, it can only be understood to say, all these things may be thine, i. e. if thou shalt love him; If thou do not, thou hast no part in them; but in as much as a conditional promise, when the condition is performed, is equivalent to an absolute; These words do as truly import this sense to one that loves God [these things are thine], as if they were directed to it in particular: As truly, I say, supposing the person do truly love God, but not so clearly or with that evidence. For this Truth, (supposing it a Truth), I do sincerely love God, is not so evident as this, That such preparation is made for them that do: For this is expresly contained in the Word of God; The other is not so, but to be collected only by self-inspection, and observation of the bent and tenor of my spirit and way Godward; yet however the evidence of truth admits of degrees, Truth it self doth not. All things that are true, are equally true. And therefore, when it is said, so great things are prepared for them that love God; It is as truly said, they ⟨p. 105⟩are prepared for this man who loves God, as this or that particular lover of God is contained in the general notion of a lover of him.
- 11 Cor. 2. 9.
