Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

As touching Promises made to Grace, such as are fulfilled in this life, Faith also experiments them to be Divine. In the Scripture the Believer meets with Promises of Pardon to such as repent and believe; of comfort to the mourner, of filling to the hungry and thirsty, of the Divine secret to them that fear God, of increase of Grace to the improver; and many more of the same nature. To experiment these the Believer by perusing the Scripture, and his own Heart, doth two things; first, He clears it up to himself, that the Graces in his Heart, to which such Promises are made, are true, through the irradiating Spirit vouchsafed to him. He may discover them to be such by Scriptural Marks, he may find that his Faith purifies and works by Love; That his Repentance and Mourning are chiefly for Sin; That his Hunger and Thirst are humble and industrious in the use of means, That his Fear is of God and his Goodness in a filial way; That his improving of Talents is in a way of dependence and holy diligence; and so certainly knows that these Graces in his Heart are real things. This foundation being first laid, then he proceeds to a second review of his Heart, and there he may find how Pardons have sensibly broke in upon ⟨p. 349⟩him in a way of Repenting and Believing, or how the Sheaves of Joy and Comfort have followed his Tears, or how Satisfactions Manna-like have dropped down on his hungry Soul, or how Divine illuminations have come in and Crowned his Holy Fear, or how Talents have multiplied in the faithful using and actuating of them: And the Experiment thereupon will be complete, every Grace sooner or later being in some good measure answered by the Promises, which let out their sweetness to it as God hath ordained them to do. Thus the Believer sensibly enters the Land of Promise, and eats of the Fruit thereof, lifting up his Soul in The high Praises of him, who gave the Promises in the Scripture and fulfils them in the Heart.

As touching Promises made to Grace, such as are fulfilled in this life, Faith also experiments them to be Divine. In the Scripture the Believer meets with Promises of Pardon to such as repent and believe; of comfort to the mourner, of filling to the hungry and thirsty, of the Divine secret to them that fear God, of encrease of Grace to the improver; and many more of the same nature. To experiment these the Believer by perusing the Scripture, and his own Heart, doth two things; first, He clears it up to himself, that the Graces in his Heart, to which such Promises are made, are true, through the irradiating Spirit vouchsafed to him. He may discover them to be such by Scriptural Marks, he may find that his Faith purifies and works by Love; That his Repentance and Mourning are chiefly for Sin; That his Hunger and Thirst are humble and industrious in the use of means, That his Fear is of God and his Goodness in a filial way; That his improving of Talents is in a way of dependence and holy diligence; and so certainly knows that these Graces in his Heart are real things. This foundation being first laid, then he proceeds to a second review of his Heart, and there he may find how Pardons have sensibly broke in upon