His witness comes before ours
That this testimony of the Spirit of God must, in the very nature of things, come before the testimony of our own spirit, may appear from this single consideration. We must be holy of heart and holy in life before we can be conscious that we are so, before we can have the testimony of our spirit that we are inwardly and outwardly holy. But we must love God before we can be holy at all, this being the root of all holiness.
Now we cannot love God until we know he loves us. We love him because he first loved us. And we cannot know his pardoning love to us until his Spirit witnesses it to our spirit. Since, therefore, this testimony of his Spirit must come before the love of God and all holiness, it follows that it must come before our inward consciousness of them, or the testimony of our spirit concerning them.
1771 text
8. That this testimony of the Spirit of God must needs, in the very nature of things, be antecedent to the testimony of our own spirit, may appear from this single consideration. We must be holy of heart and holy in life, before we can be conscious that we are so; before we can have the testimony of our spirit, that we are inwardly and outwardly holy. 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. We love him, because he first loved us. And we cannot know his pardoning love to us, till his Spirit witnesses 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 spirit concerning them.