5. Thrcatenbuis. Fifthly, If all this will not do, then comes threaten- inrfs. Then God swears, that such as refuse shall never enter into his rest. If the prince should sue unto a beggar's daughter for marriage, and she should refuse and contemn his offer, do you think he would be well pleased ? So it is with us when the King of heaven's Son sends to us, will you be married to me ? If we refuse, the Son doth take on wonderfully ; and therefore, Ps. ii. 12, he says, ' Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish in the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all those that put their trust in him.' So Hebrews iii. 18 : God swore because of infidelity those unbelieving Jews should never enter into his rest. All the rest of the threatenings in the law were not with an oath. There was some secret reservation of mercy upon the satisfaction of divine jus- tice ; but here there is no reservation. God hath sworn such shall never come to heaven. Look not for a third thing in God, as a mitigation of his oath. It cannot be. He hath sworn no unbeliever shall ever enter into his rest.
These five things are the grounds of faith even to the worst and un- worthiest persons that may be, which, once wrought in the heart and the spirit, and the Spirit of God renewing our spirits, discerneth the same spirit. These are the witness of our spirit.
Now, our spirit having viewed all these things and the promises upon which they are grounded, thus it witnesses, as if one should demand of one. Are all these things presented to thy view true ? Yes, will he say, true as the gospel. Then the next thing is, Are they good and profitable ? Oh yes, saith he, all are very good and desirable. Then the upshot is, Are all good to thee ? If then thou accept of this and warp and fold thyself in the promises, thou canst not wind thyself out of comfort and assurance to be in Christ Jesus ; for, I pray you, what makes up a match but the consent of two agreeing. So the consent of two parties upon this embassage makes up the match between us and Christ, and unites and knits us unto him.
There are also, being now incorporate, other means to make us grow up in him, by which time discovers what manner of engrafting we have had in him. As we see four or five siens- may be engrafted in a stock and yet some of them not take root, but wither, so, many are by the word and sacraments admitted as retainers and believers of the promises who shrink and hold not out, because they never took root, but it only swimmed in the brain. Yet, howsoever, all that come to life must pass this way, if they look for sound comfort. Thus much shall suffice for the witness of our spirit in justification ; but our spirit's testimony goes further, wherein I might shew you how in sanctification our spirit says, * Lord, prove me, try me if there be evil in me, and lead me in the way for ever,' Ps. cxxxix. * That is, ' scions,' = grafts. — G.
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23. He loves the brethren, desires to fear God, as Nehemiah pleads, Neh. i. 11, 'Be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name,' &c. This is the warrant that I am partaker of that inward true washing, and not of that outward only of the hog, which being kept clean, and in clean company, will be clean till there be occasion of returning to wallow in the mire again. But when I find, though there were neither heaven to reward me nor hell to punish me, if opportunity were, yet my heart riseth against the sin because of him who hath forbidden it, this is a sure evidence, and testifies that I am the child of God. Thus much is for the first thing in bringing a man in to survey the promises con- cerning justification and sanctification, whereupon our spirit doth truly witness the assurance of our salvation.
Secondly, When I find Christ drawing and changing my nature, that upon the former reasonings and view, and laying hold of Christ, making me now have supernatural thoughts and delights, — for this a man may have, — then, certainly, my spirit may conclude that I am blessed ; for, saith the Scripture, • Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to come unto thee,' Ps. Ixv. 4.
But some like drones do dream of this, I know not on what grounds ; these men can have no comfort. But do I this waking with my whole soul ? Doth my spirit testify it upon good grounds ? Then I may rest upon it ; it is as sure as may be. This is the testimony of our spirit. Yet, ere I come to the witness of God's Spirit w'ith our spirit : there may be often an interposing trial betwixt ; God may write bitter things against me, seem to cast me off, wound me for all this as with the wound of an enemy, and remove the sense of the light of his countenance from me. What then is to be done ? What doth the witness of our spirit now ? Why then I will trust in him, though he kill me. Job xiii. 15. Sure I am I have loved and esteemed the words of his mouth, more than mine appointed food, Job xxiii. 12 ; as Job speaks, ' I have laid hold of them to shew their power and believe them, I have desired to fear him and yield obedience to all his com- mandments.' If I must die, I will yet wait on him and die at his feet. Look here is the strength of f\iith. Christ had faith without feeling when he cried out, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?' When sense is marvellous low, then faith is at the strongest. We must walk here by faith ; we shall have sense and sight enough in another world. The apostle saith, ' We walk by faith, and not by sight, and by faith we stand ;' as we may see a pattern in that woman of Canaan, Mat. sv. 22, seq. She was repulsed as a stranger, yet she went on ; then she was called a dog. She might have been dashed and given over her suit ; but see, this is the nature of faith, to pick comforts out of discomforts ; to see out of a very small hole those things which raise and bring matter of consolation. She catcheth at that quickly. Am I a dog, Lord ? Why yet it is well, ' The dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table.' Thus faith was strong in her ; and when this trial was past, then Christ says unto her, * Woman, great is thy faith, have what thou wilt.'