1XVII. And now it may not be amiss to add one Thing more, which I could not pass by, i. e. Notwithstanding the great Force and Strength of external Arguments and Motives to evince the Divine Authority of the Holy Scripture; yet it is absolutely ⟨p. xv⟩necessary, to the stability and assurance of our Faith, in order to eternal Life, to have the internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit upon our Hearts, or the effectual Operations thereof; for if he does no otherwise work in and upon our Hearts, but by the common Communication of spiritual Light unto our Minds, enabling us to discern the Evidences that are in the Scripture of its own divine Original, we should be often shaken in our Assent, and moved from our Stability. Therefore considering the great Darkness and Blindness which remains upon the Minds of Men, all Things believed having some sort of Obscurity attending them, besides the manifold Temptations of Satan, who strives to disturb our Peace, and weaken our Faith, and cause Doubtings; Happy are such who can experience the powerful Establishment and Assurance of the Holy-Ghost, who gives them a spiritual sense of the Power and Reality of those Things believed, whereby their Faith is greatly confirmed. This is that which brings us unto the Riches of the full Assurance of Understanding(a); and on the account of this spiritual Experience is our Perception of spiritual Things, so often expressed by Acts of Sense, as Tasting, Seeing, Feeling, &c. which are the greatest Evidences of the Property of Things natural. 'Tis the Holy Spirit that assists, helps, and relieves us against Temptations that may arise in us, so that they shall not be prevalent. And indeed without this, our first prime Assent unto the Divine Authority of the Scriptures will not secure us; but the Influence and Assistance of the Spirit in the midst of Dangers, so strengthens the sincere Christian, that it makes him stand as firm as a Rock, who has no skill to defend the Truth by force of Arguments, against those subtle and sophistical Artificers, who on all occasions strive to insinuate Objections against it, from its Obscurity, Imperfection, Want of Order, Difficulties, and seeming Contradictions contained therein, &c. Moreover, there are other special and gracious Actings of the Holy-Ghost on the Minds of Believers, which belong also to this internal Testimony, whereby their Faith is established, viz.
1XVII. And now it may not be amiss to add one Thing more, which I could not pass by, i. e. Notwithstanding the great Force and Strength of external Arguments and Motives to evince the Divine Authority of the Holy Scripture; yet it is absolutely ⟨p. xv⟩necessary, to the stability and assurance of our Faith, in order to eternal Life, to have the internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit upon our Hearts, or the effectual Operations thereof; for if he does no otherwise work in and upon our Hearts, but by the common Communication of spiritual Light unto our Minds, enabling us to discern the Evidences that are in the Scripture of its own divine Original, we should be often shaken in our Assent, and moved from our Stability. Therefore considering the great Darkness and Blindness which remains upon the Minds of Men, all Things believed having some sort of Obscurity attending them, besides the manifold Temptations of Satan, who strives to disturb our Peace, and weaken our Faith, and cause Doubtings; Happy are such who can experience the powerful Establishment and Assurance of the Holy-Ghost, who gives them a spiritual sense of the Power and Reality of those Things believed, whereby their Faith is greatly confirmed. This is that which brings us unto the Riches of the full Assurance of Understanding(a); and on the account of this spiritual Experience is our Perception of spiritual Things, so often expressed by Acts of Sense, as Tasting, Seeing, Feeling, &c. which are the greatest Evidences of the Property of Things natural. 'Tis the Holy Spirit that assists, helps, and relieves us against Temptations that may arise in us, so that they shall not be prevalent. And indeed without this, our first prime Assent unto the Divine Authority of the Scriptures will not secure us; but the Influence and Assistance of the Spirit in the midst of Dangers, so strengthens the sincere Christian, that it makes him stand as firm as a Rock, who has no skill to defend the Truth by force of Arguments, against those subtil and sophistical Artificers, who on all occasions strive to insinuate Objections against it, from its Obscurity, Imperfection, Want of Order, Difficulties, and seeming Contradictions contained therein, &c. Moreover, there are other special and gracious Actings of the Holy-Ghost on the Minds of Believers, which belong also to this internal Testimony, whereby their Faith is established, viz.
- 117. The internal Evidence of the Spirit.17. The internal Evidence of the Spi•it.
- (a)Col 2 2• 1 Thess. 1.5.
