The Life of Faith. hath told me what abundance of fudden comfort they have had, becaufe filch a text was brought to their minds, and filch a promifewas fuddenly tèt upon their hearts ; when as they tnitlook the very fenfe of the promife, and upon true enquiry, it was nothing to their purpofc. Yet it is bell not rather to contradict thofe mifiaken and ungrounded comfort's of fuch perlons : Becaufc when they are godly, and have truc right to founder comforts, but cannot fee it ; it is better that they fap- port thetmfclves a while with fuch mi4lakes, than that they fink into delpair. For though we tsay not offer them filch mitiakes, nor comfort them by a lie ; yet we may permit that which we may snot do (as God himfelf doth.) It is not at all times that we are bound to relineother mens mitlakes, viz. not when it will do themmore harm than good. Many an occafion may bring a text to our remembrance which concerneth us not,without the Spirit ofGod. Our own imaginations may do much that way of thcmfclvet.Tly there. fore what is the true fente of the text, before you build your conclufons on it. But yet if indeed God bring to your minds any pertinent promife, t ,would not have you to neglect the comfort of it. Dire `Lt. i a. Think not that God bath premifed is all Cbri- ffiane the fame degree: ofgrace ; and therefore that you may ex- peU as much as any others bave. Obae t. But fhall not all at 14 be perfctsk? and what a,tx there be added to perfeïï :on ? Anfw. The perfet` ion of a creature is to be advanced to the híghcil degree, which his own tpecifical zid individual na- ture are capable of: A beaa may be pealed, and yet not be a man : and aman may be perfed, and yet not be an Angel. And Lazarus may be perfcd, and yet not reach the degreeof Abraham. For there is, nodoubr;a gradual diierence between the capacities of feverai individtaal iouIs, of the fame fpecies As there is offeveral.vefels of the fame metal, though not by filch difference ofcorporal extentìon. And there is, no ,great ,probability that all the difference in the drees of wit from the idiot to Achitophel, is founded. in the bodily organs ; and not at all in thefouls. And it is certain_ , that there are l i vatic ;w3 249 $
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