September 29

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself.—1 John 5:10.

THERE are two claimants to the soul of man, sin and Christ. Sin truly claims dominion over all men in their natural and unregenerate state. Such are carnal, sold under sin. But all who believe on the Son of God, are redeemed from the servitude of sin and Satan. And those who are thus redeemed need not be in difficulty to determine to whom they belong. For John says, "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself." And in the language of strong assurance, again he says, "We know that we are of God." By what evidences is the soul assured that it belongs to Christ?

The evidences which determine the state of a Christian,—that he is Christ's,—are his name, his seal, and his witnesses. His name is a new name,—a name better than of sons and daughters, even Christ formed in the heart, and his law engraven in the inner man. As it is fabled of Ignatius, that there was found the name of Jesus written in his heart; so must every one of God's house be named by him with his new name; of him are all the families in heaven and in earth named. The seal of Christ in his Spirit, witnessing unto, and securing our spirits that we belong to him; for he that hath not the Spirit of Christ, the same is none of his; and by this we know that he dwelleth in us, and we in him, because he hath given us of his Spirit. The witnesses of Christ are three, the Spirit, the water, and blood. The testimony of adoption, seeing the fatherly care of God to our souls, saying to our souls, That he is our salvation and inheritance: the testimony of justification, our faith in the blood and ransom of Christ: and the testimony of sanctification, in our being cleansed from dead works; for he came to destroy the works of the devil; he came with "refiners' fire, and with fullers' soap, and with healing under his wings;" and this as I conceive, under the preaching of his gospel, which as the beams of the sun, make "manifest the savor of him in every place," and by which he cometh and goeth abroad, "to those that are afar off, and to those that are near." It was the office of Christ, as well to purify as to redeem, as well to sanctify as to justify us: so that if a man say that he belongs to Christ, and yet brings not forth fruit unto God, but lives still married to his former lusts, and is not cleansed from his filthiness,—he makes God a liar, because he believeth not the record which he gives of his Son: yea, he puts Christ to shame, as if he had undertaken more than he were able to perform.

Besides, Christ being light, a star, a sun, never comes to the heart without self-manifestation, such evidence as can not be gainsaid: unto him belongs the royal prerogative, to be himself the witness to his own grace. And when Papists demand of us, "How can we be sure that this testimony of Christ's grace and spirit is not a false witness and delusion of Satan;" we demand of them again, If the flesh can have this advantage to make such objections against the invaluable comforts of Christ's grace, and the heart have nothing to reply; if Christ witness, and no man can understand it; if the Spirit of Christ be a comforter, and the Devil can comfort every jot as well, and counterfeit his comforts to the quick, and so cozen and delude a man;—what is any man the better for any such assertions of Scripture, where the Spirit is called the Spirit of comfort, the strengthener of the inner man, and the heart said to be established by grace? Certainly, the comforts of the Spirit must fall to the ground, if they bring not along a proper and distinct lustre into the soul with them.

Now, sin is of a quarrelling and contentious disposition; it will not easily part from that which was once its own, but will ever be raising suits, disputing, arguing, wrangling with the conscience for its own right. Here then is the trial of the title. If a man can not show the evidences of his redemption, the Spirit, the blood, the water, the sonship, the righteousness, the holiness, conversation, and grace of Christ; if he be not in arms against the remnants of sin in himself, but live in peace and good contentment, under the vigor and life of sin, that man is yet under the dominion of sin. For if a man be Christ's, he will wear his new regalia, extremely opposite to those of sin. "A new heart for the throne of the spirit,—new members to be the servants of righteousness,—new counsellors, namely, the laws of God,—a new panoply, the whole armor of God,—new laws, the law of the mind, and of the heart,—a new judicature, even the government of the Spirit: thoughts, words, actions, conversations—all things new." With all these evidences, where is there any room for doubt? "He that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself."