Experiments of Spiritual Life & Health, and Their Preservatives / In Which the Weakest Child of God May Get Assurance of His Spirituall Life and Blessednesse Etc.

by Roger Williams

Great pretences to the holy Spirit of God.

There is not the grossest Protestant or Papist, but pretends to the Spirit of God; yea that horrid Monster Mahomet, blusht not to avouch that in the Forme of a Dove, the holy Spirit of God did whisper in his eare from Heaven. Now blessed is that Spirit, publike or private, who is truly willing and joyfull to lye downe in the Ballances of the Lords weighings.

Hitherto tend these Experiments of personal Communion with God in the Spirit of Holinesse, Rom. 1. 3.

To counterfeit the holy Spirit dreadfull.

'Tis true, all publike and private Christian Spirits, pretend the Spirit of Holinesse: yea, how great a part of the World pretend to be Christendome, the Christian world, that is, anointed with the Spirit of Christ Jesus? But was it Death in Moses Rites to counterfeit that ceremoniall and figurative Ointment, Exod. 30. what shall it be to counterfeit the Spirit of Life and Holiness it self? What I beleeve therefore (as David and Paul once spake) I freely speak: Yea, who can but speak (saith Peter and John) the Things they have seene and heard? I confesse I spake these first but in a private Letter in America, and thought not that the light in Europe should have seen them: But a two-fold desire hath prevailed with me to expose these Tryalls to the Trying of all men.

1. The earnest desire of some Godly Friends.

2. Mine owne desire of sowing a little handfull of spirituall seed while the short Minute of my seed-time (the opportunity of life) lasteth.

The least of the little ones of Christ Jesus ought to rejoyce.

My scope is to fill each truly Christian soule with triumphing and rejoycing: I speak peace and joy to the Weakest Lamb and Child (in Christianity) that is so low, so weake, so litle, so poor in its owne eyes, that it sometimes saith, it hath no Christ, no Spirit, no Faith, no Love, no nor true Desire in it selfe. To this poore weake one I speak peace and joy, and say, this spirituall poverty is blessed, and is the first step or round of that spirituall Ladder, Mat. 5. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdome of Heaven.

Secondly, I found joyfull Alarums of Encouragement to the strong to grow (as Peter exhorteth) in the Grace and Knowledge of the Lord Jesus.