Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

Then comes God's counter-part. God being thus honoured, that I believe his Word, though contrary to all sense and feeling, even his bare Word; then God sets to his seal, and now the Word comes to particularizing. Before it was in general, now it comes and singles out a man, Say thou unto my soul, that I am thy salvation, Psal. 35.3. that is, as I did apply the generality of God's Word unto mine own case to bear me up against sense, and feeling: then comes the Spirit of God, and not only delivers generalities, but saith unto my soul, I am thy salvation. This is called in Scripture a manifestation, when God manifests himself unto us; as in Isa. 60.16. Thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of Kings, and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, &c. that is, when we have made particular application by Faith, God will put to his seal, that I shall know, that God is my strength and my salvation: I shall know it; Joh. 14.21. He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will manifest my self unto him. Christ comes, and draws the Curtains, and looks on with the gracious aspect of his blessed countenance. When this comes, it cheers the heart, and then there are secret love-tokens pass betwixt Christ and his beloved. Rev. 2.17. To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden Manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knows, save he that receives it; that is, there is a particular intimation that I ⟨p. 98⟩shall know of my self more than any other; more than all the world besides: It is such a joy as the stranger is not made partaker of, Prov. 14.10. such joy as is glorious and unspeakable, 1 Pet. 1.8. Such peace as passeth all understanding, Philip. 4 7. One minute of such joy surpasseth all the joy in the world besides.