s of believers. They reject
the idea of an immediate testimony, and hold that the work of the
Spirit is the testimony which he gives, assuring believers of their
adoption and consequent safety. President Edwards speaks very
decidedly and strongly against the opinion, that the Spirit
witnesses by way of immediate suggestion or revelation, and declares
that many mischiefs have arisen from this false and delusive notion.
"What has misled many," says he, "in their notion of that influence
of the Spirit of God we are speaking of, is the word WITNESS, its
being called the witness of the Spirit. Hence they have taken it,
not to be any effect or work of the Spirit upon the heart, giving
evidence from whence men may argue that they are the children of
God; but an inward immediate suggestion, as though God inwardly
spoke to the man, and testified to him, and told him that he was his
child, by a kind of secret voice, or impression: not observing the
manner in which the word witness or testimony, is often used in the
New Testament; where such terms often signify, not only a mere
declaring and asserting a thing to be true, but holding forth
evidence from whence a thing may be argued and proved to be true.
Thus (Hebrews 2:4), God is said to bear witness, with signs and
wonders, and divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Now these
miracles, here spoken of, are called God's witness, not because they
are of the nature of assertions, but evidences and proofs. So also
Acts 14:3; John 5:36; 10:25. So the water and the blood are said to
bear witness (1 John 5:8), not that they spoke or asserted anything,
but they were proofs and evidences." "Indeed the apostle, when in
that (Romans 8:16), he speaks of the Spirit bearing witness with our
spirit that we are the children of God, does sufficiently explain
himself, if his words were but attended to. What is here expressed
is connected with the two preceding verses, as resulting from what
the apostle had there said, as every reader may see. The three
verses together are thus: 'For as many as are led by the Spirit of
God, they are the sons of God; for you have not received the Spirit
of bondage again to fear; but you have received the Spirit of
adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father: the Spirit itself bears
witness with our spirit that we are the children of God.' Here what
the apostle says, if we take it together, plainly shows that what he
has respect to, when he speaks of the Spirit's giving us witness or
evidence that we are God's children, is his dwelling in us, and
leading us, as a spirit of adoption, or spirit of a child, disposing
us to behave towards God as to a Father." More recent authors take
the same view of this subject, and it is satisfactory to find such
harmony among the most eminent theological writers upon a point so
interesting. "The Spirit bears testimony to the sonship of
believers," says Dr. Dick, "when he brings to light, by his
operations upon their souls, the evidences of their adoption; and
thus makes their relation to God as manifest as if he assured them
of it with an audible voice." "There is one very obvious way", says
Dr. Chalmers, "in which the Spirit may bear witness with our spirit
that we are the children of God; or in which, according to the
translation of many, the Spirit may bear witness to, or attest to
our spirit that we are God's children. It is he who works a work of
grace in our souls, and that work may become manifest to our own
consciences. We may read the lineaments of our own renovated
character, and it may be regarded as an exercise of our own spirit,
that by which we become acquainted with the new features or the new
characteristics that have been formed upon ourselves. And we may,
furthermore, read in the Bible, what be the Scripture marks of the
new creature; and as all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,
this is one way in which a joint testimony may be made out between
God's Spirit and our spirit upon the subject; or in which a
communication may be made to pass from the one to the other, so that
they both shall concur in one and the same sentence—that we are
indeed God's children. The part that the Spirit of God has had in
this matter is, that he both graves upon us the lineaments of a
living epistle of Christ Jesus, and tells us in the epistle of a
written revelation what these lineaments are. The part which our own
spirit has is, that, with the eye of consciousness, we read what is
in ourselves; and, with the eye of the understanding, we read what
is in the Book of God's testimony. And upon our perceiving that such
as the marks of grace which we find to be within, so are the marks
of grace which we observe in the description of that Word without
that the Spirit has indited, we arrive at the conclusion, that we
are born of God. But what is more, it is the work of the Spirit to
make one see more clearly in both of these directions, to open one's
eyes both that he might behold the things contained in the Bible
with brighter manifestation, and, also that he might behold the
things which lie deeply, and to most, undiscoverable, hidden in the
arcana of their own hearts."

"I could not, without making my own doctrine outstrip my own
experience, vouch for any other intimation of the Spirit of God than
that which he gives in the act of making the Word of God clear unto
you, and the state of your own heart clear unto you. From the one
you draw what are its promises—from the other, what are your own
personal characteristics; and the application of the first to the
second may conduct to a most legitimate argument, that you
personally are one of the saved—and that not a tardy or elaborate
argument either, but with an evidence quick and powerful as the
light of intuition."

SECTION 3. This infallible assurance does not so belong to the
essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and
conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet,
being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely
given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the
right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And therefore it is
the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and
election sure; that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and
joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in
strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper
fruits of this assurance: so far is it from inclining men to
looseness.

SECTION 4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation
divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence
in preserving of it; by falling into some special sin, which wounds
the conscience and grieves the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement
temptation; by God's withdrawing the light of his countenance, and
suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness, and to have no
light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and
life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity
of heart and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of
the Spirit, this assurance may in due time be revived. and by the
which, in the meantime, they are supported from utter despair.

Exposition of 18.3–18.4

That the assurance that one is in a gracious state does not belong
to the essence of faith, requires no proof. This assurance arises
from the perception of the fruits and evidences of faith; and it is
manifest that faith must exist before its evidences can be
discerned. All faith is founded on testimony; but there is no
testimony in the Scriptures declaring to any man that he is in a
state of grace; this, therefore, cannot be object of faith. This
kind of assurance, as has been already shown; is ordinarily obtained
by reflection, or by a process of reasoning. But, although the
assurance described in this chapter is not essential to faith, yet
there is an assurance which belongs to the essence of faith, and
this our Confession recognizes in the chapter which treats of saving
faith. It makes the principal acts of saving faith to conflict in
"accepting, receiving, and resting" on Christ for salvation; and it
is impossible for one to rest on Christ for salvation without
believing or trusting that he shall be saved by him. Whoever rests
upon a person for doing a certain thing in his favor, must have a
persuasion or assurance, that he will do that thing for him. Indeed,
assurance is so essential to faith, that without it there can be no
faith, human or divine. To believe a report, is to be persuaded or
assured off the truth of the report; to believe a promise, is to be
persuaded or assured that the promiser will do as he has said. In
like manner, to believe in Christ for salvation, is to be persuaded
or assured that we shall be saved through the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ.

That assurance which is essential to faith, is generally termed the
assurance of faith; and the assurance of grace and salvation is
termed the assurance of sense. By some the the former is called an
objective, and the latter a subjective assurance. There is a marked
distinction between them; the former having for its object the
faithfulness of God in the gospel testimony; whereas the latter has
for its object the existence of a gracious work in the soul. The
former arises from a single view of what is contained in the Word of
God; the latter, from a combined view of his Word without us and of
his work within us. The former is an assurance that God is presently
giving Christ, with his salvation to us, in the free offer and
promise of the gospel; the latter is an assurance that Christ and
his salvation are already ours in real possession and enjoyment.
That is inseparable from saving faith; this is both separable, and
often actually separated, from the exercise of true faith.

There are two extremes in reference to this subject, which ought to
be avoided. The one is, that there is no assurance in the direct act
of faith, and that assurance can only be derived from the marks and
evidences of a gracious state; the other is, that the assurance of
personal salvation is so essential to saving faith, that no one can
be a genuine believer who has any doubts of his own salvation. We
apprehend, on the one hand, that while the assurance which arises
from marks and evidences of a gracious state does not belong to the
essence of faith, yet there is an assurance in the direct act of
faith, founded upon nothing about the person himself, but solely
upon the Word of God; and, on the other hand, that though there is
an assurance essential to faith, yet the believer may be often
perplexed with doubts and fears concerning his personal salvation,
because there is still much unbelief, and other corruptions,
remaining in him, and these frequently prevail against him.

It will be sufficient briefly to state the other truths contained in
these sections.

1. As the assurance of their gracious state is attainable by
believers, in the due use of ordinary means, so it is their duty to
give diligence, and use their utmost endeavors to obtain it. This is
incumbent upon them by the command of God, and it is necessary to
their own comfort, though not to their safety.

2. This assurance is not the attainment of all believers; and, after
it has been enjoyed, it may be weakened, and even lost for a season.
It is liable to be shaken by bodily infirmity, by their own
negligence, by temptation, by that visitation of God which the
Scriptures call his hiding his face from his people, and by
occasional transgression.

3. Although believers may forfeit their assurance, yet they are
never entirely destitute of gracious habits and dispositions, nor
left to sink into utter despair; and their assurance may, by the
operation of the Spirit, be in due time revived.

4. This assurance, instead of encouraging believers to indulge in
sin, excites them to the vigorous pursuit of holiness. Such as boast
of their assurance, and yet can deliberately practice known sin, are
only vain pretenders. True assurance cannot be attained or preserved
without close walking with God in all his commandments and
ordinances blameless. We must judge of the tendency of the assurance
of salvation by what the apostles of our Lord have said concerning
it; and they uniformly improve it as a motive to holiness.—Romans
13:11–14; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 1 John 3:2, 3.



19. Of the Law of God

SECTION 1. God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant of works, by which
he bound him, and all his posterity, to personal, entire, exact, and
perpetual obedience; promised life upon the fulfilling, and
threatened death upon the breach of it; and endued him with power
and ability to keep it.

Exposition of 19.1

God having formed man an intelligent creature, and a subject of
moral government, he gave him a law for the rule of his conduct.
This law was founded in the infinitely righteous nature of God, and
the moral relations necessarily subsisting between him and man. It
was originally written on the heart of man, as he was endowed with
such a perfect knowledge of his Maker's will as was sufficient to
inform him concerning the whole extent of his duty, in the
circumstances in which he was placed, and was also furnished with
power and ability to yield all that obedience which was required of
him. This is included in the moral image of God, after which man was
created.—Genesis 1:27. The law, as thus inscribed on the heart of
the first man, is often styled the law of creation, because it was
the will of the sovereign Creator, revealed to the reasonable
creature, by impressing it upon his mind and heart at his creation.
It is also called the moral law, because it was a revelation of the
will of God, as his moral governor, and was the standard and rule of
man's moral actions. Adam was originally placed under this law in
its natural form, as merely directing and obliging him to perfect
obedience. He was brought under it in a covenant form, when an
express threatening of death, and a gracious promise of life, was
annexed to it; and then a positive precept was added, enjoining him
not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, as the test of his
obedience to the whole law.—Genesis 2:16, 17. That this covenant was
made with the first man, not as a single person, but as the federal
representative of all his natural posterity, has been formerly
shown. The law, as invested with a covenant form, is called, by the
Apostle Paul, "The law of works" (Romans 3:27); that is, the law as
a covenant of works. In this form, the law is to be viewed as not
only prescribing duty, but as promising life as the reward of
obedience, and denouncing death as the punishment of transgression.
This law "which was ordained to life," is now become "weak through
the flesh," or through the corruption of our fallen nature. It
prescribes terms which we are incapable of performing; and instead
of being encouraged to seek life by our own obedience to the law as
a covenant, we are required to renounce all hopes of salvation in
that way, and to seek it by faith in Christ. But all men are
naturally under the law as a broken covenant, obnoxious to its
pe