Ans. First, There is in this reason couched a supposition Avhich, if true, would be far more effectual to shake the confidence and re- solution of believers than the most serious consideration of the apostasies of all professors that ever fell from the glory of their pro- fession from the beginning of the world ; and that is, that there is no other pregnant foundation of assurance but the testimony of a man's own heart and conscience touching his uprightness towards God, and therefore, before any can attain that assurance upon abid- ing foundations, they must be excellently enlightened in the nature, properties, and condition, of that which their consciences testify unto as true faith and uprightness of heart, and be clear in the disputes and questions about them, being in the actual contemplation of them when they give their testimony. I no way doubt but many thousands of believers, whose apprehensions of the nature, properties, and conditions of things, as they are in themselves, are low, weak, and confused,^ yet, having received the Spirit of adoption, bearing witness with their spirits that they are the children of God, and having the testimony in themselves,'' have been taken up into as high a degree of comforting and cheering assurance, and that upon the most infallible foundation imaginable (for " the Spirit beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth," 1 John v. 6), as ever the most seraphically illumi- nated person in the world attained unto. Yea, in the very graces themselves of faith and uprightness of heart, there is such a seal and stamp, impressing the image of God upon the soul, as, without any reflex- act or actual contemplation of those graces themselves, have an influence into the establishment of the souls of men in whom they are unto a quiet, comfortable, assured repose of them- selves upon the love and faithfulness of God. Neither is the spiri- tual confidence of the saints shaken, much less cast to the ground, by their conflicting with fears, scruples, and doubtful apprehensions, seeing in all these conflicts they have the pledge of the faithfulness ' 1 Cor. i. 26 ; James ii. 5. ^ Eom. Tiii. 16 ; 1 John v. 10.
81< DOCTRINE OF THE SAINTS' PERSEVERANCE, [CHAP.
of God that they shall be more than conquerors.^ Though they are exercised by them, they are not dejected with them, nor deprived of that comforting assurance and joy which they have in believing. But yet suppose that this be the condition practically of many saints of God, and that they never attain to the state of the primitive Christians, to whose joy and consolation in believing the Holy Ghost so plentifully witnesseth, 1 Pet. i. 8, nor do live up to that full rate of plenty which their Father hath provided for them in his family, and sworn that he is abundantly willing they should enjoy and make use of, Heb. vi. 17, 18, what will hence follow, as to the business in hand, I profess I know not. Must that little evidence which they have of their acceptance with God be therefore necessarily built upon such bottoms, or rather tops, as are visible to them in hypo- crites, so that upon their apostasy they must needs not only try and examine themselves, but conclude, to their disadvantage and discon- solation, that they have no true faith? " Credat Apella."
Secondly, The comfortableness, he tells us, of the testimony of a man's conscience concerning his uprightness with God " depends mainly and principally upon his uniform and regular walking with God. Now this being, by the neglects of the saints, often interrupted with many stains of unworthiness, the testimony itself must needs be often suspended. Now, true believers finding themselves out- gone in ways of obedience by them that impenitently apostatize, if from hence they must conclude them hypocrites, they have no evi- dence left for the soundness of their own faith, Avhich their con- sciences bear testimony unto, upon the fruitfulness of it, which is infeiior by many degrees to that of them who yet finally fall away." This is the substance of one long section, pp. 109, 110. But, —
First, Here is the same supposal included as formerly, that the only evidence of a true faith and acceptance with God is the testi- mony of a man's conscience concerning his regular and upright walk- ing with God ; for an obstruction in this being supposed, his comfort and consolation is thought to vanish. But that the Scripture builds up our assurance on other foundations is evident, and the saints acknowledge it, as hath been before delivered. Nor, —
Secondly, Doth the testimony of a man's own conscience, as it hath an influence into his consolation, depend solely (nor doth Mr Goodwin affirm it so to do) on the constant regularitxj of his walk- ing with God. It will also witness what former experience it hath had of God, calling to mind its " songs in the night," all the tokens and pledges of its Father's love, all the gracious visits of the holy and blessed Spirit of grace, all the embracements of Christ, all that intimacy and communion it hath formerly been admitted unto, the
' Matt. Yii. 25, xvi. 18; Ps. Ixxvii. 10; 1 Cor. i. 9; 1 Thess. v. 23, 24; 1 Cor. X. 13; Rom. 'viii. 37.