Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Again, He who would have Assurance, must not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit, but cherish and follow it. It cannot but be a great and marvellous thing in his eyes, that the holy Spirit should make his heart a Temple or Sanctuary for himself. To grieve it is unnatural, and to grieve it expecting comfort a contradiction. If thou wouldst be assured, grieve it in nothing, indulg not any lust: This is filthiness and to be carried out of the Sanctuary; this is an Idol and must not stand in the Temple: Bury thy excrements, thy superfluity of naughtiness, that the holy one may walk in the midst of thee; Take away the accursed thing, lest his Presence depart: Away with thy vomits, thy sensual sins, lest he complain that there is no place for him left in thy heart. Pride not thy self in gifts or graces, this is as a smoke in his nose to force him away from thee; grieve not him, whereby thou mayst be sealed to the day of Redemption; He comes to seal Pardon, and Peace, and Heaven it self to thy Soul, why shouldst thou grieve him? If thou dost so, How canst thou expect to be sealed by him? Instead of Sealing, he will turn to be thine Enemy, as he did to those Rebels, Isa. 63.10. He will meet thee in some straits of Providence, and by one threatening or other, as by a drawn Sword, stop thee in thy perverse way. Oh! do not grieve him, gather out of thy heart and life every thing that offends, and his Kingdom of Righteousness, and Peace, and Joy shall be in thee. When an holy Truth appears to thee, ⟨p. 430⟩smother it not for a World; it comes from the pure Spirit to light thee to Heaven: Walk in the Light of it; Who knows but that, whilst thou art in the way, the Spirit may drop some heavenly Cordials upon thy Heart? Obedience is the true Road to Comfort. Excellent is that in the Prophet, Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord, his going is prepared as the morning, and he shall come to us as the rain, Hos. 6.3. Follow him in his Truths and thou shalt know him in his Comforts. Gods Face shall be as an aurora or morning lighter and lighter on thy Soul; and his Spirit as the dew or rain distilling Divine Consolations on it. Believe it, every ray of Truth, if followed, leads to the Joy unspeakable. When an holy Motion comes, remember who is the Speaker: That Spirit, who can seal the Promises and print Gods Love on the Heart, now calls thee to one Duty or other;