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.