te mihi in perpetuum sine ulla interjecta vel penitentiae vel fidei conditione absolutissime ait desponsabo te c. hujusmodi autem absolutissimae promissiones ad solos veros et secundum spirituÌ„ Israelitas i. e. Electos pertinent ergo haec est perfectissima et absolutissima Evangelica promissio Zanch. in Hos 2. v. 21 22. Statuens Dei gratiam eo luculentiorem hominibus explicatam esse quod suis non foedus sed Testamentum dederit quia faedus conditiones mutuas fuisset habiturum quas si altera pars non prestet faedus est irritum Testamentum vero liberalitatis et gratiae citra ullam conditionem instrumentum est ex quo haeredes instituuntur citra contemplationem ullius officii quod ab ipsis proficisci possit Junius in Heb. 8. Sic Amesius Coron de perseverant At ubi quaeso sacrarum literarum quoties nostra renovatio sanctificatio ad paenitentiam revocatio spiritui sancto attribuitur vel levissima mentio fit conditionis Jer. 31. hoc est faedus c. etiam omnem voluntatem Dei esse absolutam nullam autem conditionalem demonstravit variis argumentis Tho. Bradward de causa Dei Lib. 2. Twiss Vindiciae gratiae prefat Sect. 8. not so Zanchy not so Junius not so Dr. Ames not so some of our own And those that do say so say also That Faith and Repentance are also promised in the Covenant which comes to the same in Effect with what I now say They mean also That Faith is that Grace whereby we are justified and that we cannot be saved without Faith and Repentance which I grant * The manner of Expressing the forementioned Promises of the new Covenant is absolute so as God undertaketh to perform them all I wil put my Law into your minds I wil be to them a God All shal know me I wil be merciful unto their sins hereby it is manifest that the Priviledges of the New Covenant are absolutely promised to be performed on Gods part It is God that justifieth Rom. 8.33 Sanctification is absolutely promised Ezek. 36.25 so the parts thereof Mortification Rom. 6.14 Vivification Rom. 8.11 Perseverance 1 Cor. 1.8 Object Is also the condition of Faith and Repentance required by the new Covenant Mark 1.15 Answ He that requireth the condition promiseth also to work it in us Dr. Gonge Heb. 8. Naturae legum et conditionum prescriptarum omnino conveniens est ut voluntatas judicis à conditione postulata et prestita moveatur ad praemium Grevinchovius but they do not say that there is any condition in the Wil of God moving or determining it but a Condition in the thing willed But the Remonstrants make a Condition of the Covenant in reference to the Wil of God which is the thing I deny and have disproved al this while I grant there is a Conditional Promise but then God hath promised that Condition in some other Scripture which they deny I grant that we are justified upon our beleeving but then God hath promised Faith too which they deny I grant a Condition may be rei volitae of the thing willed but nulla est conditio voluntatis Divinae there is no condition of the Divine Wil they affirm it I grant that one benefit of the Death of Christ doth follow another and one may be the cause of the other but our Lord and Savior Christ did not die conditionally nor merit any thing for us conditionally those that he died for he merited Grace and Holiness for to be given out to them without al conditions and therefore if he died for al men he must needs lose his Purchase a thing most unsatisfying to the heart of Christ yet this is the first-born of that Doctrine of Universal Redemption Now therefore as you desire to stand free from al those Opinions that are unsavory to the heart of Christ take heed of that Doctrine of Universal Redemption Yet further Vse 2. Secondly If Christ wil certainly see the Travel of his Soul and be satisfied then here you may see the reason why we cannot be satisfied with that Opinion of the Saints Apostacy this also is unsatisfying to the heart of Christ Can a man be satisfied in seeing and feeling one of his own Members torn from his Body Can a man delight in seeing that Leg or Arm which was once the Member of his Body burning in the fire Surely Christ cannot Christs Love is not like to ours Non amat tanquam osurus Those whom he loves once he doth love to the end once in Christ and for ever in Christ once loved by Christ and for ever loved by him Whom God hath called them he hath also justified and whom he hath justified them he hath also glorified Rom. 8. This is the Fathers Will saith Christ John 6.39 that of all that he hath given me I should lose none and verse 37. he saith All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me It seems therefore that there are some whom the Father hath given unto Christ and that before they beleeve their Faith being the Fruit and Consequent of this Gift therefore there is a particular Election of some and that Election is not upon a fore-fight of Faith but a cause thereof 2. Our Savior tels us here That all those that are given him shall come to him that is they shal beleeve therefore it is not in our power to resist the Grace of God with an over-coming resistance the converting Grace of God is irresistible 3. He saith here That al those that are given him shal come to him therefore al his Seed and Children whom he travelled with and died for shal come to him and bâ—leeve on him for those that the Father hath given him are his Children Heb. 2.13 But al the men of the World do not come to him therefore they are not his Seed and Children therefore he never travelled with them therefore he did not die for al particular men 4. Our Savior tels us here plainly that when men do come to him he wil lose none of them but saith he I wil raise them up at the last day verse 39. And lest any should doubt of this Truth he speaks yet more plainly tels us that those who do come are such as beleeve on him and then for more assurance repeats the Promise verse 40. saying This is the Will of him which sent me That every one that seeth the Son and I beleeveth on him may have everlasting Life and I will raise him up at the last day Surely therefore that Doctrine of the Saints Apostacy is unsound yea al the four Doctrines of the Arminians are by this one Scripture plainly refuted but especially that of the Saints Apostacy It is a Doctrine not only uncomfortable to the Saints but unsatisfying to the heart of Christ For he shal see the Travel of his Soul and be satisfied Seeing therefore that he travelled for their Salvation he
things This Doctrine lies upon the surface of the words and al the words together speak it but for the further opening and cleering of it First I shal labor to shew you that it is possible that a true Beleever one very precious in the Eyes of God may meet with most unworthy things from the hands of men Secondly That faith wil carry through these And Thirdly How and by what means faith wil carry a man through these First It is possible that a true Beleever one very precious in the eyes of God may meet with most unworthy usage from the hands of men these were hard things and unworthy that these Beleevers suffered yet they were such of whom the world was not worthy You know there is an old enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent a malignant disposition in the men of the world against the Saints and People of God they must work as they are the wicked and men of the world are an unworthy people But because you judg your selves unworthy saith the Text Lo we turn to the Gentiles because ye judg your selves unworthy Go saith our Savior unto his Disciples and preach and if any be worthy stay the men of the world are unworthy an unworthy people Yea they are an unreasonable people absurd men impertinent men that have not Faith They are compared in Scripture unto beasts for their unreasonableness Beware of Dogs saith the Apostle When our Lord and Savior Christ did send out his Disciples to preach the Gospel Beware of men saith he I do not say takâ— heed and beware of Lyons and Bears but beware of men you shal find such unreasonable dealing by men therefore beware of men Now if the men of the world be an unworthy People and unreasonable wil ye wonder that the Saints and People of God meet somtimes with unworthy usage from them It is possible To raise it a little higher possibly the more precious a man is the more unworthy usage he may meet withal The Apostle Paul was a most precious man in his day and Generation and yet what unworthy usage had he It is said in 1 Cor. 4.11 Vnto this present hour we both hunger and thirst and are naked and are buffeted and have no certain dwelling place and labor working with our own hands being reviled we bless being persecuted we suffer it being defamed we intreat we are made as the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things unto this day We are the filth we are made the filth of the world and the off-scouring of al things unto this day Some think that the Apostle here doth relate unto that of one man dying for the People the guilt of al the People being upon him Others that it is a similitude taken from a kind of Tumbrel and Vessel that goes up and down the City that ye throw al the filth into But I rather take the two Greek words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to relate unto that in Lament 3. verse 45. Thou hast made us as the off-scouring and reffuse in the midst of the People In the Hebrew Thou hast made us the off scouring and the filth and reffuse in the midst of the People Thus Paul was made and yet Paul a precious man he labored more abundantly than they al. So that I say it is possible that the more precious a man is the more unworthy usage he may meet withal from men Yea to raise it a little higher It is possible that a man may meet with most unworthy dealings therefore because he is precious in the eyes of God not only in regard of men but in regard of God For God doth somtimes so order things in his Providence that he doth put men to suffer hard things because they are precious in his Eyes Vnto you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer Suffering somtimes is a Gift it is a great Gift A suffering Gift saith Chrysostom is a greater Gift than the Gift of Miracles for saith he if God do give me a Gift to work Miracles by I am in Gods debt but if God do give me a suffering Gift he is pleased thereby to become my Debtor suffering somtimes becomes as a reward for Doing Ye read of the Heifers that brought home the Ark out of the Philistims Country that when they brought the Ark home the Israelites they take the Heifers and they offer up the Heifers unto God for a Sacrifice why so saith one it is an il requital to the Heifers No the Heifers could not have a higher Honor put upon them this their Suffering is a Reward for their Doing And so what greater Honor can a man have after al his Doing for God than to be called forth to Suffer and to bear witness to the Truth Indeed we do not think thus but you wil say O! surely God doth not love me because he puts such hard suffering work upon me But I pray tel me Suppose that a General should have some great Work or Service to do and he should single and pick some half a dozen Soldiers for to go upon this work would these Soldiers say surely the General doth not prize us he doth not honor us nor love us because he puts us upon this hard Service No but they wil say the contrary surely the General prizeth us loves us and honors us because he puts us upon such a hard Service as this is So here it doth rather argue that the Lord doth honor love and prize you in that he puts you upon a hard work and Service But now if these things be true then surely this first Branch is sufficiently made out That a man may be very precious in the Eyes of God and yet meet with most unworthy usage from the hands of men That is the first thing Quest Secondly You wil say How shall a man be able to go through these hard things and Sufferings what will carry him through them Answ True saving Faith wil do it and nothing but this Faith wil do it I had verily fainted in mine affliction saith David but that I beleeved It is Faith and Faith alone that wil keep from fainting under suffering And to make this out a little unto yâ—u First The more assurance of Gods Love any man hath the more able he wil be to encounter with Sufferings and with afflictions the sight of Gâ—ds Love doth cause Love in us to God Amor amoris causa Love is the cause of Love and much Water cannot quench Love it endures al. Now the Assurance of Gods Love grows upon Faith it is the Flower of Faith Faith is the Stalk Assurance is the Flower Assurance is the Cream of Faith Let us draw neer with ful assurance of Faith Secondly The more that any man is â—ble to gather up and to mannage his Experiences the more able he wil be to suffer to encounter with Sufferings Experience is
mind the Publique too A strong Christian is able to wait long on God he that waiteth long with quietness honors God but as your weaker Children cannot stay long for what they would have but must be served presently so the weak Christian also cannot wait long on God for what he would have but the strong Christian doth A Strong Christian is helpful unto others We that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak Rom. 15.1 And again Him that is weak in the faith receive you Chap. 14.1 Children and babes are fit to be carried in others armes but are not able to carry others The weak Christian is apt to be offended with others to censure and judg others and so to make burdens for others to bear Rom. 14.1.2 but the strong Christian is a bearing Christian a carrying Christian one that can displease himself that he may help another Now the more serviceable and helpful a man is to others the more he Glorifies God Thus the strong Christian is but the weak cannot in al these things give Glory to God as the strong Christian may Surely therefore there are many disadvantages which a weak Christian lyes under that the strong Christian doth not Secondly Yet there is no reason why he should be discouragâ—d For Weakness doth not exclude from mercy but inclines God unto mercy rather Psal 6.2 Have mercy on me O Lord for I am weak It is spoken of an out-ward weakness and iâ— that which is less doth incline God to mercy then much more that which is greater And if he have as great an Interest in Christ as many promises to run unto and as many embraces of love from God the Father as the strong Christian hath then there is no just cause why he should be cast down in regard of his weakness Now so it is though your Grace be never so weak yet if ye have truth of Grace you have as great a share and interest in the righteousness of Christ for your justification as the strong Christian hath You have as much of Christ imputed to you as any other It may be you have gathered less of this Manna for your spending Sanctifycation but if you be an Israelite indeed you have so much of this Manna as that you have no lack for it 's said of the Israelites They gathered some more some less yet he that gathered much Exod. 16.18 had nothing over and he that gathered little had no lack al which figured that equal proportion saith Mr. Ainsworth which al beleevers have in Christ the spiritual Manna And if ye look into Scripture Where doth Gods promises fal more thick than upon those that are weak in Grace Christ begins his Preaching with the Promises Math. 5. and I pray what are those persons whom the promises are especially made unto but such as are weak in Grace Blessed are the poor in spirit Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness Blessed are those that mourn He doth not say Blessed are those that are strong in Grace or Blessed are those that rejoyce in God or those that have ful assurance of their everlasting estate and condition No but as if his great work and business were to comfort uphold and strengthen the weak these he begins withal and many Gracious Rich and blessed Promises he doth make to them Yea the Promises are so made to them as attended to wil give a ful answer unto al their fears as for example The Lord Promises Math. 12. That he wil not break the bruised reed c. Wil the weak Christian say O! but I am exceeding weak and very feeble then our Savior saies He wil not break the bruised reed And what more weak and feeble than a bruised reed an whol reed is not vâ—ry strong at the best but bruised it is weak indeed Wil the weak Christian say O! but my weakness is mingled with many sins 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 7.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 9.38 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matth. 10.5 so the fire in the smoaking flax is mingled with smoak yet saies Christ I wil not quench the smoaking flax Wil the weak Christian say O! but though God do not quench me yet I shal be quenched nay saith Christ But I wil bring forth judgment to victory it lyes on my hand to do it and I wil do it Wil the weak Christian say O! but I have much opposition in my way how can judgment come to victory then Christ saies he wil bring forth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thurst forth with violence it 's the same word that is used in other Scriptures noting a force as if Christ should say I wil force this victory through al opposition that it shal meet withal So that the Lord doth not only give several promises to those that are weak in Grace but he doth so lay them as he doth help to apply them And if ye look into your Experience Who have more kisses and embraces of Love from God our Father than the weak Christian hath The Parent kisseth the Babe and liâ—tle Child when the elder Child is not kissed for saies he this is but a little Child And so when the Prodigal comes home then the Father falls upon his neck and kisses him why but because upon his first return he is a Babe in Christ This is my little Child saith the Father and therfore I wil kiss him with the kisses of my mouth Thirdly And though it be a great affliction to be weak in Grace yet if Christ wil condescend unto mine infirmities why should I be discouraged in regard thereof Condescending Mercy is great and sweet Mercy Now though God doth shew mercy unto all his People yet he wil do it by Christ as an High-Priest and what is the work and Office of the High-Priest but to sympathize and bear with the infirmities of those that are weak We have not such an High-Priest saies the Apostle as cannot be touched with our infirmities Three things there are Heb. 4.15 which do speak out the condescending Love of God to those that are weak in Grace 1. He accepts their Duties though mingled with many weaknesses and their Services though they grow upon a weak Stock Revel 3.8 Christus fidem etiamsi infirmam fovet I know thy Works saith Christ to the Church of Philadelphia for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word and hast not denied my Name 2. The Lord doth not over-drive those that are weak but is contented to go their pace with them Esai 40.11 He shall gather the Lambs in his Arms and carry them in his Bosom and shall gently lead those that are with yong 3. He doth somtimes yea often times yield unto their desires going as it were after them Matth. 9.18 There came a certain Ruler and worshipped him saying My Daughter is now dead but come and lay thine hand on her and Jesus arose and followed him The
and then he recovers his Peace O saies he what an extraordinary blessing and mercy is this Now God will somtimes raise the price of this Commodity from an ordinary to an extraordinary blessing and therefore he doth suffer his own Children and deerest Servants to be thus discouraged and their peace to be interrupted Thirdly God is a tender Father and he would have all the Love of his Children he would not have his Children to love their Nurse more than himself Our Joy and Peace and Comfort is but the Nurse of our Graces now when God sees that his Children fall in love more with the Nurse than with himself then he removes the Nurse and causes their Peace to be suspended and interrupted he will not have the Nurse to be loved more than himself Fourthly Somtimes God doth suffer this cloud to arise upon the Peace and Comforts of his People Ignorandum non est consolationes spirituales esse infantium ciâ—um lac dulce quo Deus nutrit suos a mundi voluptatibus avocat ut harum volupâ—atum inescati dulcedine alias omnes consolationes contemnant amoris Divini dulcedine capti omnem amorem mundi abjiciant Deus negat suis consolationes ut siant perfectiores Granateus that he may train them up unto more perfection Comfort is the Childrens Milk ye may observe therefore that the weaker Christian hath somtimes more lively sensible Comforts than the stronger Christian hath Why but because this inward Joy and Peace and Comfort is that Milk and sweet Honey whereby they are drawn off from the pleasures and sweetness of the world and as these Comforts do wean us from the worlds comforts so we have need to be weaned again from these weaners which God doth somtimes by restraining of them and so we grow up unto more perfection Fifthly Somtimes again God sees his Children do grow vain and light and froathy and wanton and secure under their Peace and Comfort and then he withdraws himself hides his face and so they do lose their Comfort This was the case in Canticles 5. where the Spouse saith My soul failed within me at verse 6. But why I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself And why had he withdrawn himself He comes and makes a tender of Love and Mercy verse 2. and she would none verse 3. I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them that is I am now laid to sleep they are words that import security and upon her security he withdraws himself and being withdrawn her soul fails within her And thus it is many times with the Children of God in their particulars the Lord sees that they grow secure vain froathy and wanton under their peace and comfort then he withdraws himself and their peace faileth Sixtly Our Lord and Savior Christ is a tender Chyrurgion who hath set all our bones which we our selves have broken by our sins You know that a wise and an honest Chyrurgion though he desire his Patient may be quickly cured yet if he sees the Plaister doth not lie right he takes it off again for it is not laid right saith he So doth Christ do he sees that the Comforts of his People somtimes are not right laid and therefore saith he though I desire this poor wounded soul may be quickly cured yet because this Comfort this Promise this Experience doth not lie right it must be taken off again Now the Comforts of the Saints are so laid somtimes as the very laying of them doth breed discomfort As in the sowing of Seed it is not enough that the Seed be good but it must be well sown else the very sowing thereof may cause weeds So though Light be sown for the Righteous yet somtimes it is so sown as that the very sowing thereof doth breed these weeds of fears and discouragements that you may say and that without Prophesie Here is a poor soul that ere long will be much discouraged though for the present full of comfort Object But this is hard to say Can ye foretel a mans Discouragements even in the time of his Comfort who is there among all the Saints so comforted concerning whom you may say surely this man will be much discouraged again Answ 1 First When a man a good man doth lay his Spiritual Comfort upon outward Blessings you may say before-hand this mans Comfort will never hold but ere long he will be much disquieted and this was the reason why the Saints in the time of the old Testament labored under so many Discouragements even because they measured the Love of God so much by these outward blessings Psal 143.4 Therefore my Spirit is over-whelmed within me Why so Verse 3. Because the enemy prevailed He measured Gods Love too much by these outward things and therfore when the Enemy broke in upon him he thought God did not love him and so he was over-whelmed thus in regard of all outward blessings Seest thou therefore a man who raiseth his perswasion of Gods Love from the smiles of any Creature say of such a man before-hand O this poor soul ere long wil be in the dark and under some discouragements Answ 2 When a man is unthankful for true Peace and unhumbled for false Peace he cannot hold his Peace long Before a man is converted he hath Peace within For when the strong man keeps the house all is at Peace but it is false Peace after a man is converted he hath Peace within and it is true Peace God expecteth that a man should be humbled for his former false Peace and thankful for his present true Peace Now when God sees one both unhumbled for false Peace and unthankful for his present true Peace the Spirit of the Lord is grieved so it withdraweth and the soul is comfortless Answ 3 When a man doth raise his Comfort only from somwhat that he doth find within himself from Grace that he doth find within and not from Grace without from Christ within and not from Christ without then his Comfort will not hold Perpetuum est quod habet causam perpetuantem that is perpetual which hath a perpetuating cause Grace without is perpetual Christs own personal Obedience in the merit of it is perpetual but the actings of Grace within us are not perpetual or not perpetually obvious to sight and therefore cannot perpetually comfort Indeed our Grace within and obedience is in some respects a cause of our Peace First a Causa sine qua non a cause without which we can have no Comfort for a godly man can have no comfort if he have no obedience Secondly A cause which doth removere prohibens remove what hinders our Comfort namely our sin Thirdly A Cause witnessing for there are three that bear witness The Spirit Water and Blood Water which is our Sanctification is one Fourthly A Cause confirming for by our Obedience and Sanctification our
Justification is confirmed and the sence thereof so that Obedience is one cause but not the only cause of our Peace nor the principal When therefore you see the streams of a mans Comfort run in this Channel raising all his comfort only or principally from his obedience or acting of Grace within then you may say though the stream be now full stay but a little and ere long you will see it dried and this man wil be much discouraged Answ 4 When a man a good man doth lay his comfort rather upon the impression or comings in of the Word than upon the Word it self For example Suppose a man take the Bible and upon the opening thereof doth pitch on some Promise for the present he is much refreshed and comforted or suppose that he doth not open the Bible nor read the Scripture but sitting down in a dark condition some Promise doth come to him which before he thought not of now at the coming of this Promise his heart is much raised warmed and comforted insomuch that he concludeth saying Now I am a child of God now I know that God loves me that I have a share in Christ either this man raiseth his comfort from the Word it self or from the comings in of the Word if from the Word it self how can his comfort die if up-upon the bare coming in of the Word how can his Comfort live For when a Word comes not then his Comforts fail We read in Psal 16. That he shall multiply sorrows that hasteneth after another your Translation reads it thus Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the word God is not in the Hebrew The whol Verse are the words of Christ what saith he at verse 2. O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my Lord my Goodness Holiness or Righteousness is not for thee but for the Saints that are in the Earth and for the excellent in whom is all my delight But O Lord our Savior what if we do not go to thy Goodness Holiness and Righteousness resting upon that alone He answereth Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another And is not this to hasten after another when men rest upon the bare coming in of the Word or the impressions on the heart that are made thereby Where do we read in all the Scripture turn from one end of the Bible to the other and where do we read that Christ hath appointed any such way of Comfort as this that a man should raise his Comforts from pitching or by an opening of the Book If I pitch upon a Promise to day and so have comfort may I not pitch upon a threatening to morrow and so have no comfort again Where hath Christ appointed any such way as this that I should measure Gods Love or cast my everlasting condition by the coming in of a particular word Indeed God doth somtimes by his Providence upon the opening of the Bible cause our eye to fall upon some Promise which is a Providential Comfort he doth somtimes send a particular word to stay and bear up ones soul in a particular distress or affliction but not that I should measure his everlasting Love or cast my condition by the coming in of every word this therefore is to hasten after another and how many sorrows are multiplied upon the hearts of Gods People hereby How many poor souls are there that walk in this way God our Father sees it that the Plaister is not right laid and so he is fain to take it off but all from a design of Love to lay it right and for these reasons God suffers his own People to be much discouraged Quest 3 But how can all this stand with Grace Can a man be thus comforted and discouraged discouraged and then comforted again thus to and fro in his comfort yet in Christ yet gracious yet holy Answ Yes For though there be much evil in this traversing up and down Revertere anima mea in requiem tuam Psal 116. observemus verbum revertendi quo admonemur fieri quidem subinde ut animus piorum optata requie privatur et variis discriminibus inquietetur verum juxta id accidere consolationis quod suo tempore conceditur illis Divinitus ut ad quictem suam revertantur Muscul in Psal 116. yet in the Saints there is still a mixture of some Grace withal some Grace mixed with their discouragements Take the Saints and people of God and though they be much discouraged and cast down yet stil they mourn after God and though they cannot wait so patiently as they would yet they say in truth if they did but know that God would come at last they would wait al their lives here is Grace and though they cannot mourn for sins past for which they are most disquieted yet they dare not put forth their hand willingly unto any sin present I have read of one that was so troubled and cast down that he said and thought I find so little comfort in my soul that I would willingly suffer my body to live in burning fire until Christs coming so that I might but have the assurance of Gods love and favor and though I am perswaded I shal go to hel yet my hope is that my paines here wil be mitigated there in al which trouble saith my author nothing in the world could perswade him to do any thing willingly that was displeasing to God this man was at the last comforted and then he would often say the Devil took advantage of my sorrow for evil things to make me unthankful for good things But I speak this to shew that the Saints are never so discouraged 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faeces à 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 custodivit quia vina sua vi conservant but stil there is a Grace that is mixed withal they dare not sin Yea and though by their very discouragements they do sin against the Gospel in unbelief yet by the same discouragements they are kept from their sins against the law these discouragements being as the lees that do keep the wines Yea and though they do rest too much upon their righteousness whereby their feet sink into divers sloughs yet it is because they would be the more obedient to God their father and in the midst of al their discouragement profess in truth I would give al the world for the presence of God here is Grace a mixture of Grace withal no marvel therefore that these discouragements may be in a Godly Gracious man Quest But is there no evil in this to be thus fluctuating to and fro comforted and then discouraged is there no evil in these discouragements Answ Much very much I shal not enter into the particulars But how can they improve Christ as they should in this condition So long as a mans title for his land is in question he cannot sow his ground nor build houses and