A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

—102 INSTKUCTIONS FOR COMFORTING" 1. That God by his word and Spirit first enlighteneththe understanding, truly to conceive the doctrine of man'smisery, and of his full recovery by Christ."2. By the same means he worketh in his heart both suchsound sorrow for his misery, and fervent desire after Christthe remedy, that he can never be at quiet till he enjoyChrist." 3. (iod so manifesteth his love in freely offering Christwith all his benefits to him, a poor sinner, that thereby hedraws him so to give credit to God therein, that he gladlyaccepts Christ offered unto him." These three works of God, whosoever findeth to havebeen wrought in himself, he may thereby know certainlyhe hath faith ; but without these, what change of life soevermay be conceived, there can be no certainty of faith*."" The law first breaks us and kills us with the sight andguilt of sin, before Christ cures us and binds us up." The Holy Ghost worketh and maketh faith effectual bythese three acts :" First, it puts an efficacy into the law, and makes thatpowerful to work on the heart ; to make a man poor inspirit, so that he may be fit to receive the gospel. Thespirit of bondage must make the law effectual, as the spiritof adoption doth the gospel, Sec." The second work is to reveal Christ when the heart isprepared by the Spirit in the first work ; then in the nextplace he shows the unsearchable riches of Christ, what isthe hope of his calling and the glorious inheritance preparedfor the saints, what is the exceeding greatness of hispower in them that believe. I say we need the Spirit toshow these things, Ike." The third act of the Spirit is the testimony which hegives to our spirit, in telling us that these things are ours.When the heart is prepared by the law, and when thesethings are so showed unto us that we prize them and longafter them, yet there must be a third thing : to take themto ourselves, to believe they are ours : and there needs awork of the Spirit for this. For though the promises benever so clear, yet having nothing but the promises, youwill never be able to apply them to yourselves. But whenthe Holy Ghost shall say, Christ is thine ; all these thingsbelong to thee, and Godwitness to our spirit by ais thy Father ; whenwork of his own,thatthenshallshall webelieve, &c.+ ""This is the order observed in our justification: First,* Calverwell, in his Treatise of Faith.t Throgmorton, in his Treatise of Faith.