A soveraigne salve to cure vvounded spirits, or, The ready way and meanes to give spirituall ease and comfort to distressed consciences collected out of the Word of God and the writings and experiments of the most approved soule-physitians, both of this and former ages, which either for learning or experience, or both, have excelled in this healing part of divinity and fitted to the capacity and use of the meanest of Gods afflicted ones.

SECT. III.

The place of Scripture.

2 CORINTH. 13. 5. Prove your selves whether ye are in the faith: Examine your selves: Know ye not your own selves, how that Iesus Christ is in you, except ye be Reprobates?

The Conclusion which tender Consciences draw from this place against themselves, is this,

THat they, according to the Apostles command, have tried whether they be i••ledge•• the faith, or no; and whether Christ be in them: But upon this triall, and examinati∣on, they can finde no such thing in them∣selves, and therefore by the Apostles ver∣dict, they must needs be Reprobates and Castawaies.

The place of Scripture vindicated and clea∣red.

FOr the better understanding of this place of Scripture, such tender Consci∣ences must know, that by Reprobates in this place, are not meant those that are not e∣lect, whom God in his just judgement hath past by, and ordained unto wrath, as the word is usually understood: For none of the elect, before their Conversion, doe know, by any search, that they are in the faith, or that Christ is in them; for that cannot be knowne, which yet is not. Againe, many are not converted, untill they be thirty, forty, fifty yeares old, or upward: And

shall we say, that such in their younger yeares were Reprobates? We may then say, that they were in the state of damnation, but cannot, dare not say, they were Repro∣bates.

Besides, a man must not be said, not to be in the faith, and not to have Christ in him, be∣cause he doth not know so much: For many of Gods dearest children may have faith, and have Christ in them, and yet in the time of spirituall desertion, or when some grievous temptation is upon them may not know so much, as we see by daily experi∣ence. I confesse the word, Reprobate, is or∣dinarily understood by our common peo∣ple, for a man ordained to condemnation; and I confesse it is a tearme proper enough to expresse such by: But yet in this place, it cannot be taken in that sense, as may ap∣peare by the whole coherence of the A∣postles Discourse.

The thing now questioned by the Co∣rinthians, upon the suggestion of some false Apostles, was this; whether Paul were lawfully called to his Apostleship; and there∣fore they require of him to give them † a proofe of Christs speaking in him.

To which his answer is this, or to this purpose, I will goe no further to seeke a proofe of Christs speaking in me, then unto your selves: Hath not the Word, and Gospell of

Christ, beene powerfull by my Ministery to convert you, and to beget faith, and to forme Christ in you? Looke into your selves, † try if ye have not faith, and if Christ be not for∣med in you. If you finde this, I need no other proofe of my calling, nor of Gods power and grace blessing me in my calling. But if upon triall you cannot finde, that you are in the faith, and Christ thus formed in you, then you have yet either a meere forme of Christianity, and my paines hath beene taken amongst you in vaine: Or if you be Christians in truth, yet you are unexperienced Christians, and without proofe of the truth of it in your selves. But whether you finde, upon triall, these things in you, or no, I trust and am assured, that I, and ••ledge••he rest of Christs Ministers with me, shall ap∣••ledge••ove our selves to be true, and faithfull Mi∣••ledge••isters of Christ; though you, and the false Apostles, thinke us to be such, as cannot give ••ledge••oofe of Christs speaking in us. So then the ••ledge••ord here rendred Reprobates) (to speak ••ledge••s the coherence gives it) cannot be meant ••ledge••f such as be Reprobates indeed, but of such ••ledge••nely, as are † unapproveable, or can give no ••ledge••roofe for the present; and make it ap∣••ledge••eare to themselves, that they are in the ••ledge••ith, or that Christ is in them indeed.

The Conclusion drawn from the fore-alleadged place of Scripture, confuted.

ANd therefore they that shall from hence conclude, that because upon triall, they can neither finde themselves in the faith, nor Christ in them, therefore they are Reprobates indeed, doe fouly erre, and are much mistaken. For first, (you see) the Apostle doth not avouch any such thing here. And next, in case you should be that, which the Apostle doth here intend, at the utmost it can be but this, that you are for the present, onely unexperienced and un∣approved Christians: For who knoweth not, that God can make you able to give better proofe thereof hereafter? And that he will doe it (you may build upon it) if you shall carefully and conscionably keepe on in the use of the meanes sanctified and appointed by him for that end.

Notes

• See Dr. Jackson on the Creed, lib. 7. pag. 180. &c.
• †

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. v. 3.
• †

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• †

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Except you be unapproved, or except ye be without proof, viz. of your being in the faith, &c. See Mr. Schudder, ubi supra, pag. 536.