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11 - The Witness of the Spirit, Discourse II - Sermons on Several Occasions · Sacred Texts Archive

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Sermon eleven, the witness of the Spirit Discourse two. The Spirit itself beareth
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witness with our spirit that we are the children of God Romans eighth, verse
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sixteen. None who believe the scriptures to be the word of God can doubt
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the importance of such a truth as this, a truth revealed therein not only
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once, not obscurely, not incidentally, but frequently, and that in express
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terms, but solemnly, and of a set purpose, as denoting one of
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the peculiar privileges of the children of God. And it is the more necessary
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to explain and defend this truth, because there is a danger on the right
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hand and on the left if we deny it. There is a danger lest
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our religion degenerate into mere formality, lest having a form of godliness, we
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neglect if not deny the power of it. If we allow it, but
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do not understand what we allow, we are liable to run into all the
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wildness of enthusiasm. It is therefore needful in the highest degree to guard those
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who fear God from both those dangers by a scriptural and rational illustration and confirmation
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of this momentous truth. It may seem something of this kind is the more
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needful, because so little has been wrote on the subject with any clearness,
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unless some discourses on the wrong side of the question, which explain it quite
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a way, and it cannot be doubted. But these were occasioned, at
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least in a great measure by the crude, unscriptural, irrational explication of others
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who knew not what they spake, nor whereof they affirmed. It. More
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nearly concerns the Methodists so called clearly to understand, explain, and defend this
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doctrine, because it is one grand part of the testimony which God has given
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them to bear to all mankind. It is by peculiar blessing upon them in
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searching the scriptures, confirmed by the experience of His children, that this great
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evangelical truth has been recovered, which had been for many years well nigh lost
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and forgotten. But what is the witness of the spirit. The original word
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matirihea may be rendered either, as it is in several places, the witness,
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or less ambiguously, the testimony or the record. So it is rendered
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in our translation one John five, verse eleven. This is the record,
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the testimony, the sum of what God testifies in all the inspired writings that
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God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in His son.
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The testimony now under consideration is given by the Spirit of God too,
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and wi with our spirit. He is the person testifying. What he testifies
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to us is that we are the children of God. The immediate result of
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this testimony is the fruit of the Spirit, namely love, joy, peace,
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long suffering, gentleness, goodness. And without these the testimony itself cannot
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continue, for it is inevitably destroyed, not only by the commission of an
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outward sin or the omission of known duty, but by giving way to any
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inward sin. In a word, by whatever grieves the Holy Spirit of God.
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I observed many years ago it is hard to find words in the language
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of men to explain the deep things of God. Indeed, there are none
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that will adequately express what the Spirit of God works in his children. But
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perhaps one might say, desiring any who are taught of God to correct,
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soften, or strengthen the expression by the testimony of the Spirit, I mean
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an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God immediately and directly
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witnesses to my spirit that I am a child of God, that Jesus Christ
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hath loved me and given himself for me, that all my sins are blotted
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out, and I even I am reconciled to God. After twenty years further
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consideration, I see no cause to retract any part of this. Neither do
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I conceive how any of these expressions may be altered so as to make them
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more intelligible. I can only add that if any of the children of God
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will point out any other expressions which are more clear or more agreeable to the
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word of God, I will readily lay aside these. Meanwhile, let it
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be observed I do not mean hereby that the Spirit of God testifies this by
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any outward voice, no, nor always by an inward voice, although he
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may do this sometimes. Neither do I suppose that he always applies to the
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heart, though we often may one or more texts of scripture. But he
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so works upon the soul by his immediate influence and by a strong though inexplicable
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operation, that the stormy wind and troubled waves subside, and there is a
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sweet calm, the heart resting as in the arms of Jesus, and the
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sinner being clearly satisfied that God is reconciled that all his iniquities are forgiven and
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his sins covered. Now, what is the matter of dispute concerning this,
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Not whether there be a witness or testimony of the spirit, not whether the
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spirit does testify with our spirit that we are the children of God. None
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can deny this without flatly contradicting the scriptures and charging a lie upon the God
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of Truth. Therefore, that there is a testimony of the Spirit is acknowledged
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by all parties. Neither is a question whether there is an indirect witness or
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testimony that we are the children of God. This is nearly, if not
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exactly, the same with testimony of a good conscience toward God, and is
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the result of reason or reflection on what we feel in our own souls.
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Strictly speaking, it is a conclusion drawn partly from the Word of God and
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partly from our own experience. The Word of God says everyone who has the
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fruit of the spirit is a child of God. Experience or inward consciousness tells
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me that I have the fruit of the spirit, and hence I rationally conclude
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therefore I am a child of God. This is likewise allowed on all hands,
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and so is no matter of controversy, nor do we assert that there
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can be any real testimony of the Spirit without the fruit of the Spirit.
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We assert, on the contrary, that the fruit of the Spirit immediately springs
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from this testimony, not always, indeed, in the same degree, even
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when the testimony is given first and much less afterwards. Neither joy nor peace
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is always at one stay, no nor love, as neither is the testimony
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itself always equally strong and clear. But the point in question is whether there
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be any direct testimony of the Spirit at all, whether there be any other
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testimony of the Spirit than that which arises from a consciousness of the fruit.
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I believe there is, because that is the plain, natural meaning of the
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text. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children
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of God. It is manifest. Here are two witnesses mentioned who together testify
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the same thing, the Spirit of God and our own spirit. The late
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Bishop of London, in his sermon on this text, seems astonished that anyone
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can doubt of this which appears upon the very face of the words. Now,
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the testimony of our own spirit, says the Bishop, is one which
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is the consciousness of our own sincerity. Or to express the same thing a
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little more clearly, the consciousness of the fruit of the spirit. When our
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spirit is conscious of this, of love, peace, long suffering, gentleness,
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goodness, it easily infers from these premises that we are the children of
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God. It is true that great Man supposed the other witness to be the
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consciousness of our own good works. This, he affirms, is the testimony
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of God's spirit. But this is included in the testimony of our own spirit.
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Yea, and in sincerity, even according to the common sense of the
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word. So the apostle our rejoicing in this the testimony our conscience, that,
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in simplicity and godly sincerity, refers to our words and actions, as
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least as much as to our inward dispositions. So that this is not another
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witness, but the very same that he mentioned before, the consciousness of our
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good works being only one branch of the consciousness of our sincerity. Consequently,
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here is only one witness. Still, If therefore the text speaks of two
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witnesses, one of these is not the consciousness of our good works, neither
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of our sincerity, all this being manifestly contained in the testimony of our spirit,
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What then is the other witness. This might easily be learned if the
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text itself were not sufficiently clear from the verse immediately preceding, Ye have received
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not the spirit of bondage, but the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry
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Abbah Father. It follows the spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we
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are the children of God. This is farther explained by the parallel text Galatians
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four, verse six. Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
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Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying Abba Father. Is not this
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something immediate and direct, not the result of reflection or argumentation. Does not
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his spirit cry Abbah Father in our hearts the moment it is given and accedingly
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to any reflection upon our own sincerity, yea, to any reasoning whatsoever.
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And is not this the plain, natural sense of the words, which strikes
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anyone as soon as he hears them. All these texts, then, in
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their most obvious meaning, describe a direct testimony of the spirit, that the
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testimony of the Spirit of God must, in the very nature of things,
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be antecedent to the testimony of our own spirit. May appear. From this
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single consideration, we must be holy in heart and life before we can be
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conscious that we are so. But we must love God before we can be
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holy at all, this being the root of holiness. Now we cannot love
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God till we know he loves us. We love him because He first loved
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us. And we cannot know this love to us till His spirit witnesses it
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to our spirit, till then we cannot believe it. We cannot say the
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life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God,
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who loved me and gave himself for me. Then only then we feel
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our interest in his blood, and cry with joy unspeakable, Thou art,
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my Lord, my God. Since therefore the testimony of his spirit must precede
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the love of God and all holiness of consequence, it must precede our consciousness
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thereof And here properly comes in to confirm the scriptural doctrine. The experience of
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the children of God, the experience not of two or three, not of
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a few, but of a great multitude which no man can number. It
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has been confirmed both in this and in all ages, by a cloud of
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living and dying witnesses. It is confirmed by your experience and mine, the
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spirit itself bore witness to my spirit that I was a child of God,
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gave me an evidence thereof and I immediately cried Abbah, Father, And this
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I did, and so did you. Before I reflected on or was conscious
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of any fruit of the spirit. It was from this testimony received that love,
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joy, peace, and the whole fruit of the spirit flowed. First
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I heard thy sins are forgiven, accepted thou art, I listen, and
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heaven sprung up in my heart. But this is confirmed not only by experience
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of the children of God, thousands of whom can declare that they never did
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know themselves to be in the favor of God till it was directly witnessed to
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them by His spirit, but by all those who are convinced of sin,
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who feel the wrath of God abiding on them. These cannot be satisfied with
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anything less than a direct testimony from His spirit that He is merciful to their
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unrighteousness, remembers their sins and iniquities. No more tell any of these.
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You are to know you are a child by reflecting on what He has wrought
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in you, on your love, joy and peace. And will He not
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immediately reply? By all this, I know I am a child of the
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devil. I have no more love to God than the devil has. My
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carnal mind is enmity against God. I have no joy in the Holy ghost.
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My soul is sorrowful even unto death. I have no peace. My
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heart is a troubled sea. I am all storm and tempest. And which
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way can these souls possibly be comforted but by a divine testimony, Not that
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they are good or sincere, or conformable to the scripture in heart and life,
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but that God justifieth the ungodly Him that till the moment he is justified,
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is all ungodly, void of all true holiness, Him that worketh not
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that worketh nothing that is truely good, till he is conscious that he is
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accepted, not for any works of righteousness which he hath done, but by
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the mere free mercy of God holy and solely for what the Son of God
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hath done and suffered for him. And can it be any otherwise If a
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man is justified by faith without the works of the law, If so,
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what inward or outward goodness can he be conscious of antecedent to his justification?
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Nay, is not the having nothing to pay that is, the being conscious
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that there dwelleth in us no good thing, neither inward nor outward goodness essentially
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indispensably necessary before we can be justified freely through the redemption that is in Jesus
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Christ. Was ever any man justified since his coming into the world, or
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can any man ever be justified till he is brought to that point? I
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give up every plea beside, Lord, I am damned, but thou hast
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died. Everyone therefore who denies the existence of such a testimony does in effect
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deny justification by faith. It follows that either he never experienced this, either
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he never was justified, or that he has forgotten, as Saint Peter speaks
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Ta Katharasmu tan palae Adu Hamaratian, the purification from his former sins, the
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experience he then had himself, the manner wherein God wrought in his own soul
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when his former sins were blotted out, And the experience even of the children
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of the world. Here confirms that of the children of God, many of
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these have a desire to please God. Some of them take much pains to
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please him. But do they not one and all count it to the highest
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absurdity for any to talk of knowing his sins are forgiven? Which of them
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even pretends to any such thing. And yet many of them are conscious of
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their own sincerity. Many of them undoubtedly have in a degree the testimony of
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their own spirit, a consciousness of their own uprightness. But this brings them
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no consciousness that they are forgiven, no knowledge that they are the children of
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God. Yea, the more sincere they are, the more uneasy they generally
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are for want of knowing it, plainly showing that this cannot be known in
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a satisfactory manner by the bare testimony of our own spirit, without God's directly
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testifying that we are as children. But abundance of objections have been made to
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this, the chief of which it may be well to consider. It is
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objected. First, experience is not sufficient to prove a doctrine which is not
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founded on scripture. This is undoubtedly true, and it is an important truth.
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But it does not affect the present question. For it has been shown
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that this doctrine is found on scripture. Therefore, experience is properly alleged to
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confirm it. But madmen, French prophets and enthusiasts of every kind have imagined
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they experienced this witness. They have so, and perhaps not a few of
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them did, although they did not retain it long. But if they did
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not, this is no proof at all that others have not experienced it.
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As a madman's imagining himself a king does not prove that there are no real
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kings. Nay, many who pleaded strongly for this have utterly decried the Bible.
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Perhaps so, but this was no necessary consequence. Thousands plead for it,
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who have the highest esteem for the Bible, Yea, But many have
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fatally deceived themselves hereby and God above all conviction. And yet a scriptural doctrine
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is no worse, though men abuse it to their own destruction. But I
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lay it down as an undoubted truth. The fruit of the s is the
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witness of the Spirit, not undoubted. Thousands doubt of YEA flatly deny it.
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But let that pass. If this witness be sufficient, there is no
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need of any other. But it is sufficient unless in one of these cases
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one the total absence of the fruit of the spirit. And this is the
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case when the direct witness is first given. Two the not perceiving it,
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but to contend for it in this case is to contend for being in the
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favor of God and not knowing it true, not knowing it at that time
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any otherwise than by the testimony which is given for that end. And this
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we do contend. For we contend that the direct witness may shine clear even
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while the indirect one is under a cloud. It is objected. Secondly,
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the design of the witness contended for is to prove that the profession we make
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is genuine. But it does not prove this. I answer the proving this
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is not the design of it. It is antecedent to our making any profession
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at all but that of being lost, undone, guilty, helpless sinners.
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It is designed to assure those to whom it is given that they are the
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children of God, that they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption
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that is in Jesus Christ. And this does not suppose that their preceding thoughts,
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words, and actions are conformable to the rule of scripture. It supposes
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quite the reverse, namely, that they are sinners all over, sinners both
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in heart and life. Were it otherwise, God would justify the godly and
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their own works would be counted for them for righteousness. And I cannot but
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fear that a supposition of our being justified by works is at the root of
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all these objections. For whoever cordially believes that God imputes to all that are
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justified righteousness without words, works will find no difficulty in allowing the witness of
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His Spirit preceding the fruit of it. It is objected. Thirdly, one
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evangelist says, your heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
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him. The other evangelist calls the same thing good gifts, abundantly, demonstrating
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that the spirit's way of bearing witness is by giving good gifts. Nay,
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here is nothing at all about bearing witness, either in the one text or
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the other. Therefore, till this demonstration is better demonstrated, I let it
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stand as it is. It is objected. Fourthly, the scripture says,
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the tree is known by its fruits. Prove all things. Try the spirits,
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examine yourselves most true. Therefore, let every man who believes he hath
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the witness in himself try whether it be of God. If the fruit follow
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it is otherwise it is not. For certainly the tree is known by its
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fruit. Hereby we prove if it be of God. But the direct witness
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is never referred to in the Book of God, not as standing alone,
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not as a single witness, but as connected with the other, as giving
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a joint testimony, testifying with our spirit that we are the children of God.
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And who is able to prove that it is not thus referred to in
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this very scripture? Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith? Prove
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your own selves, know ye not your own selves, that Jesus Christ is
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in you. It is by no means clear that they did not know this
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by a direct as well as a remote witness. How is it proved that
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they did not know it first by an inward consciousness, and then by love,
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joy and peace. But the testimony arising from the internal and external change
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is constantly referred to in the Bible. It is so, and we constantly
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refer there too to confirm the testimony of the spirit. Nay, all the
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marks you have given whereby to distinguish the operations of God's Spirit from delusion,
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refer to the change wrought in us and upon us. This likewise is undoubtedly
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true. It is objected fifthly, that the direct witness of the Spirit does
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not secure us from the greatest delusion. And is that a witness fit to
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be trusted, whose testimony cannot be depended on, that is forced to fly
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to something else to prove what it asserts. I answer, to secure us
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from all delusion, God gives us two witnesses that we are as children,
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and this they testify conjointly. Therefore, what God hath joined together, let
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no man put asunder. And while they are joined, we cannot be deluded.
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Their testimony can be depended on. They are fit to be trusted in
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the highest agree, and need nothing else to prove what they assert. Nay,
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the direct witness only asserts, but does not prove anything. By two
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witnesses, shall every word be established. And when the Spirit witnesses with our
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spirit, as God designs it to do, then it fully proves that we
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are children of God. It is objected. Sixthly, you own the change
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wrought is a sufficient testimony unless in the case of several trials, such as
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that of our Savior upon the cross. But none of us can be tried
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in that manner. But you or I may be tried in such a manner,
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and so may any other child of God, that it will be impossible
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for us to keep our flile confidence in God without the direct witness of His
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Spirit. It is objected. Lastly, the greatest contenders for it are some
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of the proudest and most uncharitable of men. Perhaps some of the hottest contenders
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for it are both proud and uncharitable. But many of the ermis contenders for
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it are eminently meek and lowly in heart, and indeed, in all other
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respects, also true followers of their Lamb like Lord. The preceding objections are
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the most considerable that I have heard, and I believe contain the strength of
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the cause. Yet I apprehend whoever calmly and impartially considers those objections and answers
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together, will easily see that they do not destroy, know nor weaken the
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evidence of that great truth that the Spirit of God does directly as well as
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indirectly, testify that we are the children of God. The sum of all
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this is the testimony of the Spirit is an inward impression on the souls of
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believers, whereby the Spirit of God directly testifies to their spirit that they are
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the children of God. And it is not questioned whether there is a testimony
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of the spirit. But whether there is a direct testimony, whether there is
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any other than that which arises from a consciousness of the fruit of the spirit,
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we believe there is, because this is the plain, natural meaning of
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the text, illustrated both by the preceding words and by the parallel passage in
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the Epistle to the Galatians, because in the nature of the thing, the
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testimony must precede the fruit which springs from it, and because this plain meaning
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of the word of God is confirmed by the experience of innumerable children of God
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yea, and by the experience of all who are convinced of sin, who
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can never rest till they have a direct witness, and even of the children
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of the world, who, not having the witness in themselves one and all
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declare none can know his sins forgiven. And whereas it is objected that experience
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is not sufficient to prove a doctrine unsupported by scripture, that madmen and enthusiasts
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of every kind have imagined such a witness, that the design of that witness
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is to prove our profession genuine, which design it does not answer that the
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scripture says the tree is known by its fruit, examine yourselves, prove your
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own selves. And meantime, the direct witness is never referred to in all
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the book of God, that it does not secure us from the great delusions.
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And lastly, that the change wrought in us is a sufficient testimony unless
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in such trials as Christ alone suffered. We answer one, experience is sufficient
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to confirm a doctrine which is grounded on scripture. Two. Though many fancy
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they experience what they do not, this is no prejudice to real experience.
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Three. The design of that witness is to assure us we are children of
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God, and this design it does answer. Four. The true witness of
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the Spirit is known by its fruit love, peace, joy, not indeed
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preceding but following it. Five it cannot be proved that the direct as well
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as the indirect witness is not referred to in that very text. Know ye
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not your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you. Six, the
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Spirit of God witnessing with our spirit does secure us from all delusion. And
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lastly, we are all liable to trials wherein the testimony of our own spirit
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is not sufficient, wherein nothing less than the direct testimony of God's Spirit can
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assure us that we are His children. Two inferences may be drawn from the
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whole. The first, let none ever presume to rest in any supposed testimony
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of the Spirit which is separate from the fruit of it. If the Spirit
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of God does really testify that we are the children of God, the immediate
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consequence will be the fruit of the Spirit, even love, joy, peace,
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long suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance. And
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however, this fruit may be clouded for a while during the time of strong
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temptation, so that it does not appear to the tempted person while Satan is
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sifting him as wheat. Yet the substantial part of it remains even under the
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thickest cloud. It is true. Joy in the Holy Ghost may be withdrawn
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during the hour of trial. Yea, the soul may be exceeding sorrowful while
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the hour and power of darkness continue, But even this is generally restored with
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increase till we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. The second inference
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is let none rest in any supposed fruit of the Spirit. Without the witness.
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There may be foretastes of the Spirit. Without the witness there may be
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foretastes of joy, of peace, of love, and those not delusive but
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really from God, long before we have the witness in ourselves, before the
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Spirit of God witnesses with our spirits that we have redemption in the blood of
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Jesus, even the forgiveness of sins. Yea, there may be a degree
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of long suffering, of gentleness, of fidelity, meekness, temperance, not
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a shadow thereof, but a real degree, by the preventing grace of God,
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before we are accepted in the Beloved, and consequently before we have a
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testimony of our acceptance. But it is by no means advisable to rest here.
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It is at the peril of our souls if we do, if we
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are wise, we shall be continually crying to God until His spirit cry in
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our heart Ahbah Father. This is the privilege of all the children of God,
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and without this we can never be assured that we are His children.
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Without this we cannot retain a steady peace, nor avoid perplexing doubts and fears.
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But when we have once received the spirit of adoption, this peace,
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which passeth all understanding, and which expect tells all painful doubt and fear,
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will keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. And when this has brought
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forth its genuine fruit, all inward and outward holiness, it is undoubtedly the
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will of Him that calleth us to give us always what he has once given,
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so that there is no need that we should evermore be deprived of either
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the testimony of God's spirit or the testimony of our own, the consciousness of
30:25
our walking in all righteousness and true holiness, Newy, April fourth, seventeen
30:33
sixty seven, end of section eleven