The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

4. Consider in what way the spirit of God works this conviction and assurance: and that is by a spiritual illumination of the mind: the spirit of God is not wont in adult persons to reveal this Doctrine in any extraordinary way: he works this conviction in such adult persons only as have the knowledge of the Doctrine by hearing and reading of the Word: men must not expect to be taught that in a miraculous way which they may learn in an ordinary way: neither would this ⟨p. 122⟩be sufficient to work a through conviction and assurance of it: a man may have things revealed unto him extraordinarily by God, that has no Faith; as Balaam neither does the Spirit assure men of this in way of testimony: the Spirit of God is wont to testify and witness some things to the soul of the Saints, the Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God, Rom. 8.16. but he does not in that way reveal unto men the truth of the Doctrine of the Gospel: but he openeth our eyes to see the truth of it: the Spirit gives us eyes to see, and also the actual understanding of the truth of the Gospel: he puts a principle of spiritual understanding into us by a work of creation; ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord; Eph. 5.8. he also assists us actually to discern the truth of this way of salvation by Christ: while the soul is hearing, reading, and meditating of it, he puts a light into him, discovering it to be true: and sometimes while the soul is thinking of his misery, the spirit brings to remembrance some word, and with that puts in a light into the soul that satisfies the heart in the truth of the Gospel: and this is wrought these three ways: 1. The Spirit helps us to see the truth of this in the testimony of God in his Word: 'tis not any inward testimony that our Faith depends upon: but the testimony of God in his Word, and the inward work of the Spirit is to help us to receive the sure Word of Prophecy; and depend upon that: God witnesses in his Word plentifully to that, that there is salvation wrought out for us by Christ, that he has redeemed us. purged away sins, brought in everlasting righteousness: and in this testimony of God we see the truth of the thing it self:

4. Consider in what way the spirit of God works this conviction and assurance: and that is by a spiritual illumination of the mind: the spirit of God is not wont in adult persons to reveal this Doctrine in any extraordinary way: he works this conviction in such adult persons only as have the knowledg of the Doctrine by hearing and reading of the Word: men must not expect to be taught that in a miraculous way which they may learn in an ordinary way: neither would this