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Show Believer I m1y 11tain IIJ .s.ff'Hr411ce. R>t l(.n•~ th.it if our eartbry hou[t of this tabtru .. l: ..,..,, diffolved, doe have a bt<ildirlg of G•d 11n houfo Hot made 'R'tth bands , tter~"l ; 11 the Heave11s. Thus you fee it is evident from Scnp-ture. I ' ' hr.· 2.Lct us now ufe our Reafon comparing Spiriwalt"."gs wrt 1P•· ritual;and fee if we_ cannot from thence alfo conclude H. If w~ cannot ~(_now thif nor be able to fay thus; the reafon mull be ell her, 1. Becaufe there if no {iec!J thing: Or, 2. Becaufe the Lord hat/1 uot l<fi us fl'fficient marks and[lf,>U to k.,now it by: 0~, 3· ~ecaufe J!ft are not able to apply theft mark;{ to ourfelvtJ. For 1f they tndeed 'be their Beloved's and he theirs; and if God hath left them fuch n~tes and marks by which they may know this thing that is; and ifthey have a power or may have a power to a~ply thefe marks, ~het certainly may know it, and be able to fay 1t. But, I. 1he thing is. 2. God h•th left us fofficient mark.f. 3• T.hey may _apply thefe marks and know 1hey have them. That it IS Co I have atready {hewed largely ( in my former di!courfe; ( proving, that there is an union, a conjugal union, between Chnll ~nd every believing Soul. for the fecond, it is plain God hath left us ~otes and marks by which we may know t.his, you ~ave heard !h1s largely proved to you in 'this place: Agam,what IS the meamng of thofe Scriptures? 1 Job. 3· 14. We ~{now Wt tJre tranjlatedfrom death to lifo bectJff[e we lave the Brethren, 1 Joh, 4• 13. f!mby we. ~HoJ! t.l>a; he dt~~eUs i11 us, iJHd we in him, becaufe he hath glflen us bu 'Sptrit. Job. 14. 21. Hethat hath my commandments,and f<!eptth them, be it ;1 tb~t loveth ,.e, and he that loveth me !hall b7 lave.d of my F •ther, and I will love him, and manifeft my [elf to b"'" 111 !hort the Scripture is full ( efpecially the New Tdlament) ~ffuch Texts, which make it evident, that God hath left us fulli~1ent notes andmarks by which we may attain to this; why !hould 1t not then be~ knowledg att~inable ? The only reafon can be allign;d mull be • becaufe believers neither have, nor can have a Cufi!ctent power and ability particularly to apply thefe notes, to thetrhowG ~~ul~ '!bey cannot k._Ho'R' then, that they Jove the Brethren, nor t at o a~ g)vewthem the Spirit; nor that they f<!ep or fhaU k_fep Go~s 'itm.an ) mentt But how then did Saint Partl ( and believers In ·~ t.tme know'? how did Saint 1•h" k._llorP .?. >\gain, doth not exper}ence reach us that we may k._no'R'-whetherwelove othtrsyea ornd. yea Lut fay ;hey how !hall any one know, 'Ihat he k,eeps Go h~ codm'" m 4,l1dtNflt1 ;,. and thal. h~;.fh~ll contm. ue to ke ep them). Tp eInS deethBe! Jro,, may '<_n8~ their Be/owed i1 theLr1. 4S' penderh upon a falfe fuppofition, that we mull exadlyfulfil the l'fbole law of God. T-his mdeed is not pollible for us to do, and th~refore cannot be known; but we are told God acceptetb the wiU and finemty of indeavour for this perfetl performance; fo that the only Q~ellion is, whether a Chrillian may not know, r.Hisfince-ri( Y,and willing mind. 2, 1bat this.fhaU abide and caminue. That a Chritlian may know that he !hall perfevere, ( God willing ) I !hall hereafter !hew you: As to wiUingne[s andfincerity, certainly they may be known ; what hinders but a Chri!Han may know, whether he be truly willing in all things to obey God ; and whether in his indeavours, he truly aimeth at the Honour and Glory of God ; and hath not a fquint-eye upon himfelf? 3• But Lafily, E~~tperience proves ir,not only what we have upon record in Scripture, but what we have had, and daily have amongfi our felves; Job & Paul! experience I {hewed you before. Another could fay,We fhaU have a good dinner,tho11gh rPt ha~e a {harp break.faft, The M.myr cryed our, 0 Auguftine, he if r.ome, he if come. As merry ( faid Ann Ask,ew) 111 one that is bound for Heaven ; !he knew her port then. I doubt not but I fpeak ro Come whofe perfonal experienh makerh it good, and whofe knowledg of rhe experiences of others in this cafe is not fmall. Let me only tell you of oneGentle~man, upon her de~th-bed (and that not many doors from the place where we now are) who had made Ho. linefs the b~finefs of her life, and made it a great part of her fiudy to !lore up comfort! agaiHjt the fear of dtath: She left an ·evidence ofit in her clofet when dead, I was with her very few hours before God took her, !he declared both to me and others prefent, much ofher joy and peace, and by and by obferving me difcourfing ' of her (by her bed-fide) to one newly come in, and mifiaking my words !he pulls me towards her, and tells mejhe did not think_ l'tflotrld have fo wro11ged her, teUing fuch a perfo>t that jhe 'tflaJ fuU Of ~ fiars and dnubts of her eternal condition (wherein !he mifiook me, for I faid the clear contrary, adding ;hat lhe blell'ed' God !he· had not the leaft fear of her 'Salvation and within two or three hours died, falling afleep in the Lord.) I will yet add one Conclufionmore• · Lallly, .Every Chrillian that Is able to fay, nry Beloved if .mine 5· Concl, 11nd I am hu1yet e~mm fay it with the fame degree ofjoy gnd comfort, Joy and peace, g~adually differ, according ~o the degree oft he tv1de11ce 9fthc thmg, which the Soul rejoyceth ill, and this evea N n n 2 reafon |