A55748:35
The mystical match between Christ and his churchThe mysticall match between Christ and his church
The mystical match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.The mysticall match between Christ and his church by the late learned and reverend divine, John Preston ... The leading sermon to that treatise of his called The churches marriage.
London: printed for Francis Eaglesfield, 1648
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
You will say, hath every one this secret testimony?1
- 1Quest.
I answer, that every one hath it in some degree, 1more or less, for that same in Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits, is a general proposition, it concerns all believers, even with every mans spirit, the Holy Ghost bears witness, but then we must take the words in the right sense; It is true, in some the Spirit speaks more evidently and audibly, ⟨p. 12⟩with joy unspeakable and glorious, the flashes of comfort are much more bright and glorious to some then to others, and such special witnesses of the HOLY GHOST are very rare, and dispensed to us for some special purposes, commonly after some great humilitation or prayer, or to prepare us for some great enterprise, or some special conflict, they are even as the apparitions to Abraham, and Jacob, and Paul, were, Acts 23. 11. Be of good courage Paul, thou must bear witness of me at Rome, &c. so when he was at Corinth, 2Paul be of good comfort; I am with thee. Acts 18. 9. All these were on special occasions: so I say there are some special witnesses of the HOLY 3GHOST, when the HOLY GHOST speaks evidently, and these are dispensed to us according to the good pleasure of God, and commonly it is added for some special purpose: now I say, not that every one hath this kind of testimony, but every one hath so much witness from the HOLY GHOST as doth uphold his spirit, that Christ is willing to match with him, that he hath or may have interest in him, and in all the privileges of his death; this I say, every one hath more or less, although those special degrees of the evident speaking of the Holy Ghost, are dispensed but to some, and to those that have it, but for a special time: this is the first thing.