306 What fhall they do that are not able Sert. t z, bus for God in fuffering any thing for his lake, and Going and obeying any thing that he enjoyns, - -- thou half encouragement ro ask t Ills of q Jo11.14,13i God, ,becaufe it is according ro his will,(q)7ohn 14,2' Lord,is it not 14. aecoording to thy will that I íhould be careful of my make Cure its eternal happinefs and falvation ? y it is thy immortal foul r I íhould do fo, that I íhould examine my felt whether I be in the faith, and whether Chrilf be formed in my heart. Lord, I have examine but yet I cannot clearly fee it. I fee there is forne grounds to hope ir, but yet I cannot confidently affert ir. Oh thou bleffed fpiric of God, cle, r tip mine under(fanding, and (fir np and excite my Graces, that I may feel the a&ings of them in my foul, and fo better difcern them. Though this be arbitrary and not neceffary, yet do to me as thou didfa unto thy fervant David, when he prayed that thou wouldeff lift up up- rPfa1.4. 6,7. on him the light of thy countenance, thou putteff gladnefs into his heart. (r) 4. D'ireffm,. 4. Profs after the highefi degrees of Grace, and be march in the exercife thereof, if thou wouldetf clearly difcern thy fpiritual condition. The weiknefs of thy Grace makes thee doubt of the truth of Grace. * As fotnc af- The Chriflian muff be like the Crocodile , A- that grows as long as it firm, lives, and ceafeth to be, when is ceafèrh to grow. The bdy of a man is continually growing, till he come to his perfect} age,andothen ceafeth to grow, for then,though he may wax far, and broader,yet he rifeth nor higher, and his bones have no increafe : So when we come to our full ffature in Chri(f,to our perleét age in glory, we (hall grow no more, be- cáufe . then all bepo rfe6, but in our minority we mul} be always growing, and a growing perfon is eatily difcerned to be a living per - fon. A Dwarf cannot fee fo faras a taller man,nor be teen fo far : So a little Grace cannot be fo eafily perceived amongli a croud of fins and corruption. When Grace at firlf is,like Elijahs cloud, I Kings 1.8.43,44. Little, like a manshand,it was hardly difcerned, but when it did increafe, and the Heavens were black.wich Clouds,, every eye could then perceive them. Affurance is ufually vouchfafed to Chrillians of the target} fize. Men put.not up a great Maffor Sail in a little Boat, but in a lar- dtnimi quiet, ger Vef el,thac is able to bear ir. et?, the LTrtUt's So alfo by the firong a&ings and exercife of grace it is difcerned. A moving in his flee p, ty of ver man p, when he aels not reafon , cannot judge himfelf ro . rie, is the fet- be a man. A man in a Croon, when he cannot be perceived to breath, tied refs of the ffanders by lkaxw not whether he be dead ,or. alive, nor he himfelf.. RI. rd, Moral,
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