Sixteen questions of serious and necessary consequence, propounded unto Mr. John Cotton of Boston…Sixteene questions of seriovs and necessary consequence, propounded unto Mr. John Cotton of Boston…

The Soul that hath lien under the Terrors of the Law, and cometh afterwards to see and feel his need of Christ, and his own strength and worth to receive him▪ and doth depend upon ⟨p. 12⟩Christ for Righteousness and Mercy, he may come in this Estate to see (by his renewed Knowledge) his dependence on Christ, and withal some fruits of Sanctification that flow there-from, as Prayer (sometimes) with unutterable Sighs and Groans, Brokenness of Spirit, Mourning for sight of Christ, Longing desire after the sincere Milk of the Word love of the Ministry that wounded him, &c. And seeing God helping him here, he may thereby gather, that he that hath begun to help him, will go on to help him still. But yet to give these for certain Evidences of his Justification, the poor Soul dare not, though another Christian of better discerning, may justly so apply to him as good Evidences of his justified estate. But nevertheless he will still seek and wait for further and clearer Fellowship with Christ, till the Spirit of God himself do witness to him, the gracious thoughts of God towards him in a free Promise of Grace, before he can plead his own good works, (whether after Conversion or before) for good Evidences of his Justification. For (as it hath been observed by some of our godly learned Countrymen) the graces of Gods Spirit in our Souls, are like the Stars in the Firmament, which shine but with a borrowed Light from the Sun: If the Sun were hid from them, their Light would be obscure: so is the light of our graces, if the Spirit of God do hide his light from us.