6. Likewise, some are much troubled, because they proceed by a false method and order in judging of their estates. They will begin with election, which is the highest step of the ladder ; whereas they should begin from a work of grace wrought within their hearts, fi'om God's caUing them by his Spirit, and their answer to his call, and so raise themselves upwards to know their election by their answer to God's caUing. * Give all dihgence,' saith Peter, * to make your calling and election sm'e,' 2 Pet. i. 10, your election by your caEing. God descends down unto us from election to calling, and so to sanctification ; we must ascend to him, beginning where he ends. Otherwise it is as gi'eat folly as in removing of a pile of wood, to begin at the lowest fii-st, and so, besides the needless trouble, to be in dan- ger to have the rest to fall upon om- heads. Which, besides ignorance, argues pride, appearing in this, that they would bring God to theh conceits, and be at an end of their work before they begin.
This great secret of God's eternal love to us in Christ is hidden in his breast, and doth not appear to us, until in the use of means God by his Spii'it discovereth the same unto us ; the Spirit letteth into the soul so much life and sense of God's love in particular to us, as draweth the soul to Christ, fi-om whom it draweth so much vhtue as changeth the frame of it, and quickeneth it to duty, which duties are not grounds of our state in grace, but issues, springing fi-om a good state before ; and thus far they help us in judging of our condition, that though they be not to be rested in, yet as streams they lead us to the spring-head of grace fi'om whence they arise.
And of signs, some be more apt to deceive us, as being not so certain, as ' delight and joy in hearing the word,' Mat. xiii. 20, as appeareth in the thii'd ground ; some are more constant and certain, as love to those that are truly good, and to all such, and because they are such, &c. These as they are wrought by the Spirit, so the same Sphit giveth evidence to the sold of the truth of them, and leadeth us to faith from whence they come,
138 THE soul's conflict.
and faitli leads us to the discovery of God's love made known to us in hear- ing the word opened. The same Spirit openeth the truth to us, and our understandings to conceive of it, and our hearts to close with it by faith, not only as a truth, but as a truth belonging to us.
Now this faith is manifested, either by itself reflecting upon itself the light of faith, discovering both itself and other things, or by the cause of it, or by the effect, or by all. Faith is oft more known to us in the fruit of it, than in itself, as in plants, the fruits are more apparent than the sap and root. But the most settled knowledge is from the cause, as when I know I believe, because in hearing God's gracious promises opened and oifered unto me, the Spirit of God cameth my soul to cleave to them as mine own portion, Eph. i. 13. Yet the most familiar way of knowledge of our estates is fi.-om the effects to gather the cause, the cause being oftentimes more remote and spiritual, the effects more obvious and visible. All the vigour and beauty in nature which we see, comes from a secret influence from the heavens which we see not ; in a clear morning we may see the beams of the sun shining upon the top of hills and houses before we can see the sun itself.
Things in the working of them, do issue from the cause, by whose force they had theii* being ; but our knowing of things ariseth from the effect, where the cause endeth. We know God must love us before we can love him, and yet we oft fii'st know that we love him, 1 John iv. 19 ; the love of God is the cause why we love our brother, and yet we know we love our brother whom we see more clearly, than God whom we do not see, ver. 20.
It is a spiritual peevishness that keeps men in a perplexed condition, that they neglect these helps to judge of their estates by, whereas God takes Hberty to help us sometime to a discovery of our estate by the effects, some- times by the cause, &c. And it is a sia to set light by any work of the Spii'it, and the comfort we might have by it, and therefore we may well add this as one cause of disquietness in many, that they gi'ieve the Spirit, by quarrelling against themselves and the work of the Spirit in them.
7. Another cause of disquiet is, that men by a natural kind of popery seek for their comfort too much sanctificatlon, neglecting justification, relying too much upon tliefr own performances. St Paul was of another mind, accoimting all but dung and dross, compared to the righteousness of Christ, Philip, iii. 8, 9. This is that garment, wherewith being decked, we please our husband, and wherein we get the blessing. This giveth satisfaction to the conscience, as satisfying God himself, being performed by God the Son, and approved therefore by God the Father. Hereupon the soul is quieted, and faith holdeth out this as a shield against the displeasure of God and temptations of Satan. Why did the apostles in their prefaces join grace and peace together,* but that we should seek for our peace in the free grace and favour of God in Chi-ist ?