Divine considerations treating of those things which are most profitable, most necessary and most perfect in our Christian profession by John Valdesso.

CONSID. XLIII.

How a pious person may assure himself to have obtained Piety and Justification, by the Spirit, and not by Humane wisdome.

FOrasmuch as I understand that amongst o∣ther things with which the evil Spirit disqui∣ets and molests the thoughts of persons applyed unto piety, one is to perswade them, that the knowledge which they have of God, and of Christ, and that understanding of the spirituall things of the holy Spirit, is not gotten by them through Revelation, or inward Inspiration, (as they obtain it who are elected of God, and as it ought to be, to the intent, that that blessed∣nesse, for which our Saviour pronounced S. Pe∣ter blessed, may reach unto them;) but by hu∣mane wisdome, by Judgement, and by humane industry, as those men obtain it, who are not e∣lected of God, and therefore are neither held, nor called blessed. And because understanding this, I desire that they who know God and Christ by the holy spirit, should understand their good and their felicity, I say, that every pious person, and just by the Justice executed on Christ, being tempted with such imaginations & perswasions, should first hold it certain, that if his piety and justification were not the work of the holy Spirit, he should not be tempted with such imaginations, nor with such perswasi∣ons. For flesh is never contrary unto flesh, and

it is alwayes contrary to the spirit. And there∣fore the evil spirit, who, as David saith, seeks ill thoughts, serving himself of the enmity that is between the flesh & the holy Spirit, doth di∣sturb the Spirit with such imaginations and per∣swasions. If they cannot by such means drive away from them such kind of imaginations and perswasions, let them compare that which they know of God and of Christ, and that which they understand of spirituall things by the ope∣ration of the holy spirit himself, with that which men of the world, who are prized and esteemed for their wits, judgements, and indu∣stries, do commonly understand, who have read the same things which they have, and have heard the same things which they have, & pre∣tend that self same which they do: And find∣ing, as indeed they shall find, that it is much different, and of another quality, from that which commonly men of the world know and understand; they may well certifie themselves, that neither by wit, nor by Judgement, nor by humane industry, they have obtained the grace of Piety, and the grace of Justification, but properly by divine revelation, and by divine in∣spiration, and by the holy Spirit; except they be so presumptuous and arrogant, that they think themselves to have more wit, industry and judgement, then other men. But this thought is alwayes farre from those persons which are ele∣cted

of God to the participation of the grace and favour of God, which is preached amongst men in the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.