A Second Case of Conscience

Whether the Spirit of God does not, or may not by a special and immediate revelation, witness some spiritual good (as pardon of sin, adoption, justification) to a man before he does believe? It is true, a man himself cannot by discourse make it good to himself, or to another, unless he have faith: but may not the Spirit of God witness to him without and before faith?

The answer is negative: the reasons [illegible] two.

That which is a falsehood, and an error [reconstructed: against] the Covenant of Grace, the Spirit of God never [reconstructed: did,] nor will, nor can testify: for he is the Spirit of truth, he cannot be deceived himself, he will not [reconstructed: de]ceive us, he is the Spirit of God, he cannot lie (1 [illegible]), he cannot tell it, much less give approbation or [reconstructed: consent] to it. But the former [reconstructed: has been] made to appear undeniable, that it is a falsehood and an [reconstructed: error] to say any man living has right to or can challenge [reconstructed: any] spiritual good in Christ before he does believe: [reconstructed: there] is no such thing to be found in the Word of [reconstructed: God]. Therefore the Spirit will never testify that.

To affirm that the Spirit should say to any [illegible] that he is in a state of grace, when he is in a state [reconstructed: of] sin, that he is justified when he is condemned, [reconstructed: is] little less than blasphemy.

If the Spirit does reveal a man's good estate to [illegible,] it is for this purpose that he may know it, and he [reconstructed: will] enable him to receive that intimation that he may discern it; else one of these two will follow: [reconstructed: the] Spirit should reveal this for no end, if no good [reconstructed: is] got by it; or else not attain his end if the party [reconstructed: could] not be able to understand what it does reveal. If [reconstructed: the] former, he should not be a wise worker; if the [reconstructed: latter,] he was not a powerful worker. But know and understand this testimony the soul cannot, by any power either of nature or corruption (1 Corinthians 2:14): "The natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them because they [reconstructed: are] spiritually discerned." Indeed (Romans 8:7), "The [reconstructed: mind] of the flesh is not subject to the law, therefore [reconstructed: nor] to the Lord, nor his Spirit."

If it is beyond nature or corruption, then it [reconstructed: must] be grace that must help a man to discern it, and [reconstructed: that] must be a qualification, and the first [reconstructed: act] of this kind of saving knowledge must be an [reconstructed: entrance] to faith, if not faith itself. Fides est ex [illegible] notitia. "This is eternal life, to know you the [reconstructed: only] true God" (John 17:3).