“I give up every plea, beside
Lord, I am damned—But thou hast died!”
8. Every one therefore who denies the existence of such a testimony, does in effect deny justification by faith. It follows, that either he never experienced this, either he never was justified, or that he has forgotten, (as St. Peterspeaks,) τοῦ καθαρισμοῦ τῶν πάλαι ἁμαρτιῶν, the purification from his former sins, the experience he then had himself, the manner wherein God wrought in his own soul, when his former sins were blotted out.
9. And the experience even of the children of the world, here confirms that of the children of God. Many of these have a desire to please God: some of them take much pains to please him. But do they not, one and all, count it the highest absurdity, for any to talk of “knowing his sins are forgiven?” Which of them even pretends to any such thing? And yet many of them are conscious of their own sincerity. Many of them undoubtedly have, in a degree, the testimony of their own spirit, a consciousness of their own uprightness. But this brings them no consciousness, that they are forgiven, no knowledge that they are the children of God. Yea, the more sincere they are, the more uneasy they generally are, for want of knowing it: plainly shewing that this cannot be known, in a satisfactory manner, by the bare testimony of our own spirit, without God’s directly testifying, that we are his children.
IV. But abundance of objections have been made to this; the chief of which it may be well to consider.
1. It is objected first, “Experience is not sufficient, to prove a doctrine which is not foundedon scripture.” This is undoubtedly true; and it is an important truth; but it does not affect the present question. For it has been shewn, that this doctrine is founded on scripture. Therefore experience is properly alledged to confirm it.
2. “But madmen, French prophets and enthusiasts of every kind have imagined they experienced this witness.” They have so. And perhaps not a few of them did, although they did not retain it long. But if they did not, this is no proof at all, that others have not experienced it: as a madman’s imagining himself a king, does not prove, that there are no real kings.
“Nay many who pleaded strongly for this, have utterly decried the bible.” Perhaps so; but this was no necessary consequence: thousands plead for it, who have the highest esteem for the bible.
“Yea, but many have fatally deceived themselves hereby, and got above all conviction.”
And yet a scriptural doctrine is no worse, tho’ men abuse it to their own destruction.