WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 197 embodied in the Articles, and is a matter of regret to some that they were not; yet we have reason to be thankful to the great Head of the Church that there has been no disposition manifested to modify or change the existing Articles. While it is also a matter of thankfulness that in Wesley's sermons, and in other standard writings of the church, the important doctrines which are omitted in the Articles, or are but incidentally alluded to, are in the former clearly taught, and by the present race of Methodist ministers are faithfully preached. Among these important doctrines referred to, are the doctrine of the Witness of the Spirit; the Sanctification of believers; the possibility of falling from Grace; and the doctrine of Eternal Rewards and Punishments. The witness of the Spirit of God that we are the children of God, is one of the glorious privileges of believers; but to understand this subject fully, as taught by Mr. Wesley, we will make a few extracts from his Sermon on Rom. viii. 16, "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God." "I. The witness, or testimony of our own spirit." "With regard to the testimony of a Christian's own spirit, the foundation of this is laid in numerous texts of Scripture, which describe the marks of the children of God, and that very plainly." "This may be still further aided by the ministry of the word, meditation, and religious conversation. And every man, using the understanding which God has given him, and which religion was designed to improve, by applying those Scripture marks to himself, may know whether he is a child of God: For instance, 1 John ii. 3, 5, 29: 'And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.--But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.-Ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.'-iii. 4, 19, 24; iv. 13; v. 18. Probably, from the beginning of the world, none of the children of God were ever farther advanced in the grace of God, and the knowledge of Christ, than the apostle John, and those to whom he wrote at that time. Yet they did not despise these marks of being God's children, but applied them to their own hearts, for the confirmation of their faith. Yet all this testimony is no other than rational; the witness of our own spirit, our reason, or understanding. It all resolves itself into this those who have these marks, these are God's children; but we have these marks, therefore we are his children. But how does it appear that we have these marks-that we love God and our neighbor, and that we keep God's commandments? The question does not mean, how does it appear to others, but to ourselves. As easily as you can know whether you are alive, in pain, or in ease, may you know whether you are saved from proud wrath, and have the ease of a meek and quiet spirit; whether you love your neighbor as yourselves; whether you are kindly-affectioned, gentle, and long-suffering ; whether you outwardly keep God's commandments, by living godly, righteous, and sober lives. This is properly the testimony of our own spirit. It is a consciousness of our having received in, and by the spirit of adoption, the tempers mentioned in the word of God, as belonging to his adopted children. "But what is the testimony of God's Spirit, which is superadded to, and conjoined with this? How does he bear witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God? It is hard to find words in the language of men, to explain the deep things of God. But perhaps one might say, the testimony of the Spirit is an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit, that I am a child of God; that Jesus hath loved me, and given himself for me; WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 199 that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am reconciled to God. "This testimony of the Spirit of God must, in the very nature of things, go before the testimony of our own spirit. We must be holy in heart and life, before we can be conscious that we are so. But we must love God before we can be holy at all; this being the root of all holiness. Now we cannot love God till we know he loves us. And we cannot know his pardoning love to us, till his Spirit witness it to our spirit. Since, therefore, this testimony of his Spirit must precede the love of God, and all holiness, of consequence it must precede our inward consciousness thereof, or the testimony of our own spirit concerning them. : "He that loves God, and delights and rejoices in him with an humble joy, a holy delight, and an obedient love, is a child of God; but I thus love, delight, and rejoice in God therefore I am a child of God: then a Christian cannot doubt of his being a child of God. Of the former proposition he has as full assurance, as he has that the Scriptures are of God; and of his thus loving God, he has an inward proof, which is nothing short of self-evident. “The manner how the divine testimony is manifested to the heart, I do not take upon me to explain. See John iii. 8. But we know the fact, namely, that the Spirit of God gives a believer such a testimony of his adoption, that while it is present to the soul, he can no more doubt the reality of his sonship, than he can doubt of the shining of the sun, while he stands in the full blaze of heaven. But, "II. How may this joint testimony of God's Spirit and of our own spirit, be clearly distinguished from presumption of mind, and the delusions of Satan? (1.) The Holy Scriptures abound with marks, distinguishing the one from the other. They describe repentance as constantly going before this witness of pardon. (2.) The Scriptures describe the being born of God, which must precede the witness that we are his children, as a his cross. change no less than from darkness to light, as well as from the power of Satan unto God. And (3.) The Scriptures describe the joy accompanying the witness of the Spirit, as tending to promote humility. In the presumptuous, deceived man, it is the contrary. Instead of being humble, meek, gentle, teachaable, slow to hear, and slow to wrath, he is haughty, assuming, quick to hear, and swift to speak, fiery, vehement, and eager in his conversation: yea, sometimes there is a fierceness in his air and manner of speaking, as well as of his whole deportment, as if he were going to take the matter out of God's hands, and himself to devour his adversaries. (4.) The Scriptures teach, This is the love of God-the sure mark thereof-that we keep his commandments.' The genuine lover of God will do his will. But with the presumptuous pretender to the love of God, it is otherwise. He is not zealous, watchful over his tongue, and heart, nor anxious to deny himself, and take up It follows, from undeniable evidence, that he cannot have the true testimony of his own spirit. He cannot be conscious of having those marks which he has not, nor can the Spirit of God bear witness to a lie; or testify that he is a child of God, when he is manifestly a child of the devil. "III. What is the witness of the Spirit? The original word may be rendered either the witness, or (less ambiguously), the testimony, or the record. 1 John v. 11. I do not mean to say, that the Spirit of God testifies this by an outward voice; no, nor always by an inward voice, although he may do this sometimes. Neither do I suppose that he always applies some Scripture to the heart, though he often may do this. But he so works upon the soul by his immediate influence, and by a strong though inexplicable operation, that the stormy winds. and troubled waves subside, and there is a sweet calm: the heart resting in the arms of Jesus, and the sinner being clearly satisfied that God is reconciled, and that all his iniquities are forgiven, and his sins covered. That there is a testimony of the Spirit, is acknowledged by all parties. And it is not ques WITNESS OF THE SPIRIT. 201 tioned whether there is an indirect witness or testimony that we are the children of God. This is nearly, if not exactly the same with the testimony of a good conscience towards God. Nor do we assert there can be any real testimony of the Spirit, without the fruit of the Spirit. We assert, on the contrary, that the fruit of the Spirit immediately springs from this testimony. But the point in question is, whether there be any direct testimony of the Spirit at all? Whether there be any other testimony of the Spirit than that which arises from a consciousness of the fruit-I believe there is. "IV. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.' It is manifest that there are two witnesses mentioned, who together testify the same thing-the Spirit of God, and our own spirit. But what is the witness of the Spirit? See verse 15-'Ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father,' and Gal. iv. 6, And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.' And experience agrees with the Scripture testimonies. It has been confirmed by a cloud of living and dying witnesses. It is confirmed by the experience of many at the present day. And it is sanctioned by this additional consideration, that all those who are awakened out of the sleep of sin, cannot be satisfied with anything short of the direct witness of God's Spirit that they are pardoned." We might enlarge our extracts from the valuable writings of Mr. Wesley on this subject, but we have probably quoted enough to show the views of the Methodist Church on this important branch of Christian doctrine. From these extracts we learn that the order of operation is, (1.) Repentance. (2.) Faith. (3.) Pardon. (4.) The witness of God's Spirit. (5) The fruits of the Spirit. (6.) The witness of our own spirits; and that this is the scriptural arrangement, or order of operation, there can be no doubt, any more than that the direct wit ness of the Spirit is given to the children of God. A few scrip |