For the Holy Ghost is sent into our hearts, not to excite us to a compliance with our old and wind-shaken excellencies that came into the world with us, but to write new laws in our hearts, even the law of faith, the word of faith and of grace, and the doctrine of remission of sins through the blood of the Lamb of God, that holiness might flow from thence.

Christ A teacher.

At this time I sat under the ministry of holy Mr. Gifford. whose doctrine, by God’s grace, was much for my stability.  This man made it much his business to deliver the people of God from all those hard and unsound tests that by nature we are prone to.  He would bid us take special heed that we took not up any truth upon trust, as from this or that or any other man or men; but cry mightily to God that he would convince us of the reality thereof, and set us down therein by his own Spirit in the holy word; “for,” said he, “if you do otherwise, when temptation comes strongly upon you, you not having received them with evidence from heaven, will find you want that help and strength now to resist, that once you thought you had.”

This was as seasonable to my soul as the former and latter rain in their season, for I had found, and that by sad experience, the truth of these his words; for I had felt that no man, especially when tempted by the devil, “can say that Jesus Christ is Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.”

But O now, how was my soul led from truth to truth by God; even from the birth and cradle of the Son of God, to his ascension and second coming from heaven to judge the world.

Once I was troubled to know whether the Lord Jesus was a man as well as God, and God as well as man; and truly, in those days, let men say what they would, unless I had it with evidence from heaven, all was nothing to me.  Well, I was much troubled about this point, and could not tell how to be resolved; at last, that in Rev. 5:6 came into my mind:  “And I beheld, and lo, in the midst of the throne, and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb.”  “In the midst of the throne”—­thought I, there is the godhead; “in the midst of the elders”—­there is his manhood:  but Oh, methought this did glister; it was a goodly touch, and gave me sweet satisfaction.  That other scripture also did help me much in this:  “Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the ever lasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

O friends, cry to God to reveal Jesus Christ unto you; there is none teacheth like him.

It would be long to tell you in particular how God did set me down in all the things of Christ, and how he did, that he might do so, lead me into his words; yea, and also how he did open them unto me, and make them shine before me, and cause them to dwell with me, talk with me, and comfort me over and over, both of his own being and the being of his Son and Spirit, and word and gospel.