Heauen opened VVherein the counsaile of God concerning mans saluation is yet more cleerely manifested, so that they that haue eyes may come and se the Christian possessed and crowned in his heauenly kingdome: which is the greatest and last benefit we haue by Christ Iesus our Lord. Come and see. First, written, and now newly amended and enlarged, by Mr. William Cowper, minister of Gods word.

Verse 16.

The same spirit beareth witnesse with our spi∣rits, that we are the children of God.

ALbeit this operation of the Spirit, whereby he witnesses vnto vs that wee are the Children of God be set downe in the last place, yet in order of working it goes before the other: for cer∣tainely vnlesse his holy spirit testifie vnto vs, that God is become our father, and hath made vs his children, we dare not go neere him to craue good things from him. The be∣ginning of our acquaintance with GOD flowes from him, herein is loue, not that wee loued him first, but that bee loued* 1.1 v••. Who hath first giuen vnto him, and he shall be recompensed?

We must first receiue from God some secret information of his loue and fatherly affection, or euer we be able to re∣turne vnto him the desires, the words, and the deedes of his louing children.

Here first appeareth the fatherly indulgence of the Lord* 1.2 our God towards vs: we are here in a vally of death, in heaui∣nes through continuall afflictions, the time is not yet come wherein the Lord will communicate to vs his glorious pre∣sence; to fill vs with that fulnesse of ioy which is in his face; the time is not yet come wherein wee must ascend to our Father, yet to keepe vs in the meane time that wee faint not, the Lord hath sent downe his holy Spirit into our harts to comfort vs. O fatherly care! O wonderfull loue! when Israel was yet in the wildernesse, the Lord sent them some of the fruits of Canaan to comfort them, by the hand of Ioshua and Caleb: but what was that if it be compared with the first fruits of heauenly Canaan, which the Lord sends to vs by the conduit of his holy Spirit, hee hath not onely promised to vs by word that he will possesse vs in our hea∣uenly inheritance, but as if that were too litle for vs, he sends his Spirit with the fruit of that land vnto vs, Righteousnesse, Peace, and Ioy, for our further confirmation: that Spirit the

Comforter, descended once according to Christs promise vpon the Apostles in a visible manner, and doth dayly also descend in a secret and inuisible manner into the hearts of the godly, least the Children of the marriage Chamber should be swallowed vp with heauinesse, through the want of their Bridegroome. Albeit the Lord send not to you who* 1.3 are men, as he did to Daniel, an Angell to shew him that hee was greatly beloued of the Lord, nor to you who are Chri∣stian* 1.4 women, as he did to Mary, to declare to you that yee are freely beloued of the Lord, yet hath he sent downe vn∣to vs a more glorious ambassadour, not onely to speake vn∣to our eares, but much more to witnes vnto our hearts that we are the sonnes of God.

Now as for this testimonie of the Spirit, it is the secret* 1.5 voyce of God whereby he speakes from heauen vnto thine heart, assuring thee that hee is thine, and thou art his: no man can conceiue what it is, vnlesse hee haue receiued it, for it giueth that new name, which none can know but they who haue it; and that hid Manna, which none doe vnder∣stand but they who tast of it: it is not gotten but after long and vnfained humiliation, and is not kept without sanctifi∣cation, for euery sinne which the godly commit dimini∣sheth in them this testimonie of the spirit.

And this I would haue to be considered for two sorts of men: first, for carnall professors, who take their owne* 1.6 presumption for this testimonie of the Spirit, in their con∣ceit they put it out of all doubt that they haue receiued the Spirit of Adoption, but their workes were testimonie against their words: for the Spirit of Adoption is also the Spirit of sanctification; hee first maketh men the new workmanship of God created in Iesus Christ to good workes, and then witnesseth to them that they are the sonnes of GOD: wilt thou make this holy spirit the witnesse of an vntruth? will he call thee the Sonne of God whom hee neuer sanctified? Be not deceiued, so long as thy life is prophane, boast vvhat thou wilt of this inward testimonie of the Spirit,

thou art but a lyar against the holy Ghost, and a wilfull murtherer of thine owne soule, by faithlesse presumption.

The other sort of men are the Children of God, vvho* 1.7 because they finde not alwayes within themselues this testi∣monie of the Spirit in a like measure, are therefore cast downe and made oftentimes to think they neuer had it: for as none are more ready to boast of the spirit then they who haue him not; so none complaines more that they vvant him, then they who possesse him. The children of God in this being like vnto rich worldlings, who, suppose they be possessours of much, yet the great desire of more which is in them, causeth them to esteeme that which they haue as nothing and therefore comfor••s not themselues with the lawfull vse of that which they haue, but vexes their spirits with restlesse thoughts for that which they want: euen so it is customable with the Children of God, albeit they haue attayned to a good measure of saith and loue of God, and are euen become rich in the grace of the Lord Iesus, yet are they so desirous of more, that many a time they esteeme nothing of that which they haue, but goe about mourning and complaining that they haue no faith, no loue, no grace, no life; in which extremitie we see that many in their weak∣nesse offend the Lord their God. Herein therefore is the* 1.8 Christian to be admonished that hee keepe mediocritie; to lament thy wants and to thirst for more grace, is a sure token of a spirituall life, but l••t vs so complaine for that which wee want▪ that wee be comforted in GOD for that beginning and little measure of grace which wee haue; re∣member that the same mouth of GOD which commands thee to mourne, commands thee also to reioyce, we want not matter of both; matter we haue of mourning for which 〈…〉〈…〉e may lament with the Apostle, O wret••hed man that I* 1.9 am, who shall deliuer ••e from the body of this death? matter of ioy wee haue also in our GOD, for which wee may re∣ioyce with him and say, I thanke God through Iesus Christ:* 1.10 surely it cannot be without vnthankefulnes vnto GOD so

to mourne for our wants, that we giue not praise to God for the beginnings of grace we haue.

And for this same effect, let vs yet further consider that* 1.11 this testimonie of the Spirit is not at all times enioyed in a like measure, for that were to enioy heauen vpon earth. The Lord therefore doth in such sort dispense it, that sometimes he lets his children feele it for their consolation, and againe with-drawes it from them for their humiliation: when they feele it they so abound in ioy that all the terrors and threat∣nings of Sathan, all his promises and allurements are despi∣sed of them, and trodden vnder their feete; they sing within themselues that glorious triumph of the Apostle, wh•• shall* 1.12 seperate vs from the loue of God? but this ioy proceeding from the fulnesse of faith, continues not, the voyce of the Spirit of adoption waxing somwhat more silent, feares and doubts succeedes in that same heart which before abounded with ioy: and this for our humiliation.

But now in this estate least the Children of God be dis∣couraged* 1.13 couraged by the silence of the testimonie, let them first of all haue recourse to the fore-past working of God in them, let them call to minde with Dauid the dayes of old remem∣ber their ioyfull songs by which they haue praised GOD, their humble prayers by which many a time they haue got∣ten accesse to the throne of grace, and these heauenly mo∣tions which haue replenished their soules with ioy, and so of the former footesteps of his grace, let them discerne his presence euen then when they cannot perceiue them. And next let them consider that the godly in the time of their desertion, which is their spirituall disease, are euill Iudges of themselues, for they perceiue not that which they possesse: there may be an muincible hope of mercie in that soule wherein for the present there is no sense of mercy; and this all the Children of God may marke in their owne experi∣ence; for whereof I pray thee hath it come, that thou a weak man hast foughten so long against principalities & powers? hast endured so many yeares the fearefull assaults of Sathan;

thou hast beene troubled with doubting, but hast not dispai∣red; thou hast beene cast downe, and hast not perished; thou hast fallen, and yet risen againe; thy enemie hath thrust sore at thee, yet hath hee not preuailed against thee. No power, no pollicie of Sathan hath euer beene able to quench in thee that spark of life which the Lord hath breathed into thee. Out of all doubt thy standing hath beene from this spirit of Adoption, who hath wrought in thine heart a dee∣per sense of mercy, then that any contrary power is able to root out, yea or thou thy selfe art able to perceiue: hereof hath come thy standing both in tentations which are from thine aduersaries, and in these desertions, whereby the Lord hath exercised thee. Thus haue we comfort not onely in the* 1.14 glorious effects of Gods mercie wrought in vs, when wee feele his presence, but also by our standing and perseuerance in desertions, wherein it seemes to vs that the Lord hath ab∣sented himselfe from vs: two excellent comforts for the Christian; for thy standing in desertions proues that thou wert not deserted; apparent desertions are not desertions indeede: surely the Lord will not faile his people, nor forsake* 1.15 his inheritance. Againe, thy standing against so many as∣saults of the Diuell, proues that the least sparke of Christs liuely grace in a Christian, is stronger than that the gates of hell are able to preuaile against it▪ Be therefore comforted O thou man of God, for if it had beene in Sathans power to haue quenched thy life▪ hee would haue put it out long or now: be assured thou shalt preuaile and obtaine the victorie, in the strength and might of that mighty Lord, the Lord Iesus Christ▪

Notes

• * 1.1

  1 Ioh. 4. 10. Rom. 11. 35.
• * 1.2

  The great loue of our father, which hee hath shewed by sen∣ding his spirit into our harts.
• * 1.3

  Dan. 9. 23.
• * 1.4

  Luk. 1. 28.
• * 1.5

  The testimonie of the Spirit is known of none but those who haue it. Reu. 2. 17.
• * 1.6

  A warning for carnall profes∣sors, who take their presump∣tion for this testimonie.
• * 1.7

  A comfort for weake Christi∣ans who are moued by their wants to doubt of this testimo∣nie.
• * 1.8

  A necessary ad∣monition so to mourne for that which we want that we giue thankes for that measure of grace which we haue.
• * 1.9

  Rom. 7. 24.
• * 1.10

  Ibid. ver. 25.
• * 1.11

  This testimo∣nie of the spirit is not alway perceiued in a like measure of them who haue it.
• * 1.12

  Rom. 8. 35.
• * 1.13

  Cōfort against spirituall de∣sertions.
• * 1.14

  The standing of a Christian in his apparant desertions, proues that hee was not deser∣ted indeede.
• * 1.15

  Psal. 94. 14▪