2. Because it is the best way to prevent delusion ; immediate revela- tion would be more uncertain and liable to suspicion, and we may lie down in sorrow, notwithst:>nding flashes of comfort. There is no way to discern the operation of the Spirit from counterfeit ravishments, but by sanctification and grace. There is a great deal of deceit in flashy joys, but this is a solid witness and evidence : 1 John iii. 19, 'Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him; ' that is, without lear of presumi)tiou aud hypocrisy, we may come and plead our interest before God. Acts of comfort are sweet and delightiul when felt, but yet are but transient acts ; they soon pass away, they come and go. they are acts of God's royalty and magnificence, and you know every diay is not a feast-day, God doth not always feast us with sensible consolation ; but grace is a solid and abiding evidence : 1 John ii. 27, ' The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you ; ' and 1 John iii. 8, ' His seed remaineth in him.' Lively acts of joy and comfort are but like those motions of the Spirit upon Samson ; it is said the Spirit came upon him ' at times,' Judges xiii. 25, heightening of his strength and courage ; so these come upon us but at times. Therefore standing evidences which are drawn from grace are far more certain than sensible consolation.
3. Because the S})irits witness is seldom single, but given in con- junction with water and blood: 1 John v. 8, 'There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood ; ' not only the blood of Christ, which witnesseth their redemption, but the water of sanctification, which witnesseth their interest in that redemp- tion ; and then the Spirit comes and seals it in the heart of a believer. The Spirit's testimony is made to be subsequent, and follows the testi- mony of our renewed conscience, Eom. viii. 16 ; for the Spirit's witness is nothing but his owning of grace in the heart, which is his own impress and seal, and assuring the soul. This is a stamp and fruit of mine ; it is the ratifying of his own work to believers.
4. Because grace giveth most clearness, calmness, and serenity of mind, so that we are most able to judge of those experiences. Where- ever there is purity, there is a witness, for it brings in hght and comfort into the soul. Lusts are the clouds of the mind, which darken the judgment and distress the conscience ; and therefore the apostle saith,
16 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XIX.
2 Peter i. 9, that when men neglect to grow in grace, 'they are blind, and cannot see afar off ; ' they have no spiritual discerning, and are not able to judge of spiritual matters. An impure soul is always in the dark, full of doubts and fears ; certainly the more grace, the more con- fidence, for there is more clearness of discerning. Guilt begets a servile fear and awe. Shame and fear entered into the world with sin ; it weakens confidence. Compare Gen. ii. 25, with Gen. iii. 10 ; in the former place it is said, ' The man and the woman were both naked, and were not ashamed ; ' why ? because they were in a state of inno- cency ; but in the other place, ' I was afraid, because I was naked.' As soon as sin came into the world there was fear upon the conscience of the guilty creature.
5. Because of the inseparable connection, that is, by the ordination and appointment of God, between grace and comfort: Eph. i. 13, ' In whom, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.' In the original it is, rw rrvevixari t?}? eTrayyeXta^; tw aylo) — Ye were sealed by the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of promise. There are three articles ; he seals as the Spirit of God, and as the Holy ■Spirit ; he will not seal to a blank, but where there is holiness and grace wrought in the heart. The apostle proves this is the method of Ood out of the names of Melchisedec : Heb. vii. 2, ' First being by interpretation king of righteousness, and after that also king of Salem; that is, king of peace.' First he bestows grace, and then gladness ; first he disposeth the heart to righteousness, then works peace in the «oul: Ps. cxix. 165, ' Great peace have they that love thy law ; ' they maintain and keep their comfort without interruption. Acts ix. 31, there is such another connection — ' The churches walked in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost: ' — the more grace, the greater comfort and satisfaction. This is the way which God hath apjwinted.
Secondly, Why these graces must be exercised in holy duties.
1. Because thereby God would endear duty to the creature, by mak- ing it the means of comfort. This is the best course to maintain the traffic and commerce that is between God and the creature. Look, as there is commerce between two distant places by trading, so between us and heaven, by exchange of duties and comforts ; our prayers come up before him, God's blessings come down to us. Who can expect gold from the Indies, but those that trade there in ships ? Who can expect these rich dispensations of God, but those that trade with him in holy service ? It is true, every time we bring our wares to God we do not make such a good market, because God rather gives than sells, and he gives at pleasure, though usually there is some defect in us, but this is God's established course. Or look, as the earth and the air maintain a commerce one with another : the sea and land send up vapours and exhalations into the air, and the air sends down sweet showers and sweet dews for the refreshing of the earth ; unless the earth sendeth up vapours, the air sendeth down nothing ; and so, unless we come and converse with God in holy duties, there are no dews and refreshments that come down from above for the watering of a parched heart ; and without the religious ascent of prayers and graces we have no influences from heaven. This is God's established order.