Exam. 3. Art thou born again? Then thou seest that thy great sin was want of faith in the Son of Mary. Then thou seest that it is he that was sent of God to die for the sins of the world (John 1:29, 3:16-19; Acts 13:38,39) and that thou art complete in him, without any works of the law (Rom 4:5), then thou rejoicest in Christ Jesus, and puttest no confidence in the flesh (Phil 3:3) yet thou rejoicest in the flesh and blood of the Son of Mary, knowing that his flesh is meat indeed, and his blood is drink indeed (John 6:55) out of which thou wouldest very willingly make thy life all thy days; out of his birth, obedience, death, resurrection, ascension, and glorious intercession, now at the right hand of his Father (Heb 7:24,25), but if thou art wavering in these things, know that thou art but a babe at the best, and for ought thou knowest, God may cut thee off in thy unbelief, and cast thee into utter darkness, where there shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Exam. 4. Art thou born again? Then thou seest all true peace and joy comes through the blood of the Son of Mary, and his righteousness, as in Romans 7:25 and 1 Corinthians 15:57, there are many poor souls that are taken with raptures of joy, and false conceited consolation (John 16:20) which doth come from the devil, and their own deceitful hearts; but their joy shall be turned into mourning and sorrow of heart (Luke 6:24,25), but thou that art a Christian in deed, and not in word only, rejoicest in Christ Jesus the Son of Mary; yea though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory (1 Peter 1:8). And these two things are the fruits of thy faith, and of thy joy.
(1.) The Lord Jesus Christ is very precious unto thee (1 Peter 2:7).
(2.) Thou dost purify thine heart by this faith, and the power of the Spirit of Christ, which thou hast received into thy soul (Rom 8:13; Acts 15:9; John 3:3). But if thy guilt of sin goes off, and convictions go off any other way than by the blood and righteousness of the Man Christ Jesus, thy guilt goes off not right, but wrong, and thy latter end will be a very bitter end without faith and repentance; for it is his blood through which all true peace comes (Col 1:20), and there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we should be saved, but by the Lord Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 4:10-12 compared together).
Exam. 5. Art thou born again? Then thou canst not be quiet till thou doest see God lift up the light of his countenance upon thee; yea, thou hast such a desire after the light of God's countenance, that, all the glory, riches, honour, pleasure, profits, &c. of this world will not satisfy, till thou doest see God to be a reconciled Father to thee in the Lord Jesus Christ, as it is Psalm 4:6; John 14:8; Psalm 35:3. Then thou wilt not be quiet till thou dost hear from the Son of Mary, which is the Lord of glory, such a voice as this, Son be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven thee: And 'my grace is sufficient for thee' (2 Cor 12:9; 1 Cor 2:8). But if thou canst content thyself with anything below this, thou wilt, when all comes to all, be found but a rotten-hearted professor, who will have thy portion among the slothful ones, who will fall in the judgment of the Son of Man, when he comes in flaming fire with his mighty angels (2 Thess 1:8).
Exam. 6. Art thou born again? Then thou knowest that God hath given thee thy faith that thou hast in his Son: Then thou art to say through grace, there was a time in which I had no faith; there was a time in which I could not believe in the Son of God for eternal life. 'But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins [and unbelief; which is the greatest;] hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved' (Eph 2:4,5), 'through faith' (v 8).
Exam. 7. Art thou born again? Then thou knowest that the doctrine of the Son of God, the Son of Mary, is a right doctrine, which is this:
That the Son of God which was with his Father before the world was (John 1:1, 17:5) came into the world in the fulness of time, and was made in the likeness of man (Phil 2:7) being made of a woman or virgin, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law (Gal 4:4). And that was done in this wise. What the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh; that is, through our flesh; God sending his own Son in likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh, that is, condemned him in the flesh for the sins of poor sinners: For this, compare Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21 with Galatians 3:13 and it will appear clearly to be the truth of God: Also, that this Son of God, which is the true God, as well as the Son of Mary, did bear our sins in his own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24) and did spill his own blood, which is also the blood of God (Acts 20:28), that he died, and was laid in Joseph's sepulchre (John 19:38-42) and rose again the third day (Acts 10:40), that very Man (Luke 24:39-45), and ascended up into heaven in a cloud (Acts 1:9-11) and there ever lives to make intercession for us, that very man (Heb 7:24,25, 8:3, 10:12).
Exam. 8. And in the last place, If thou art a Christian, then thou lookest for that very Jesus again, whom the Jews did crucify (John 19), whom God raised again, as it is 1 Thessalonians 1:10. I say, thou lookest, thou waitest, thou hasteneth after the coming of this Lord Jesus, which doth deliver thee from the wrath to come (2 Peter 3:10-12; Heb 9:26-28; 1 Thess 1:10). Yea, thou knowest, that this very man shall so come in like manner, as his disciples did see him go into heaven, which was a very man (Luke 24:39 compared with vv 50,51 of the same chapter). Yea, in a cloud he went away from his disciples, and in the clouds he shall come again (Rev 1:7) to judge all that are in their graves (John 5:28,29; Dan 12:2) and shall receive all that look for, and love his second coming, to himself (Heb 9:27,28). And they shall be for ever with him (1 Thess 4:16,17). But the wicked shall be cast into eternal damnation (Matt 25:46). These things, I say, if thou be a Christian indeed, thou believest, and ownest, and the faith of them doth purify thy heart (1 John 3:3) and wean thee from this world, and the things thereof; and if it is not from this principle; that is, if thy obedience do not flow from this faith, which is the faith of God's elect, as I have proved at large, thy obedience, thy zeal, thy self-denial, thy holiness, righteousness; yea, all that thou canst do, is but sin in the sight of the great God of heaven and earth (Heb 11:6; Rom 14:23). For all true sanctification comes through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the operation of the Spirit of God (1 Cor 6:11). 'But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.' And (Cant 1:3), 'Thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.'
Well then, seeing this is a truth of so great concernment, I beseech you, seek to be thoroughly rooted into it by faith. And that thou mayest so be, examine thy heart; yea, beg of God to help thee to examine it, and to throw out all that fancy that thou takest instead of faith; also throw away all thine own wisdom; yea, thy own righteousness also, and come to God in the name of the Son of Mary, which is the Son of God, and beg faith of him, true faith, the faith of the operation of God; such a faith as he gives to his own elect, which will shew thee clearly of these things; so that thou shalt not deceive thyself with a fancy of them; and the advantages will be many.