SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 269 these, and to express their desires ; which in effect is. to persuade them to repent, believe and turn to God. Indeed, if these blind seducers had ever heard our ministers persuading wicked men to dissemble and lie to God and ask faith, grace and Christ with their tongues, but not desire them in their hearts, then had they sufficient grounds for their reviling language. But I have been too long on this. Imay therefore boldly conclude, that they that find them- selves unbelievers, that is, unwilling to have Christ to deliver them from sin, must use this second means to get faith, even earnest, fre- quent prayer for it to God. iii. Let such also see that they avoid wicked, seducing company and occasions ofsin ; and be sure that theykeep companywith men fearing God, especially joining .with them in their holy duties. iv. Lastly, let such be sure that they use that reason which God bath given them, toconsider frequently, retiredly, seriously, of thevanityof all those things that steal away their hearts fromChrist ; and of the excellency of holiness, and how blessed a state it is to have nothing in us of heart or life that is: displeasing to God, but to be such as he taketh full delight in; also of the certainty of the damnation of unbelievers, and the intolerableness of their torments; and of the certainty and inconceivable greatness ofbelievers' ever- lasting happiness. If wicked unbelievers would but do what they can in daily, serious,deep considering of these things, and the like, they would have no cause to ,despair of obtaining faith and sanctifi- cation. Believing is a rational act. God bids you not to believe any thing without reason, nor to accept or consent to any thing without full reason to cause you toconsent. Think then often and soberly of those reasons that should move you to consent, and of the vanity of these that hinder you from consenting, and this is God's way foryou to obtain faith or consent. Remember then, that when you have understood and improved general grounds of comfort, (nay, before you can come to any full improvement of them,) your next business is to believe ; to consent to the match with Christ, and to take him for your Lord and Sa- vior. And this duty must be looked to and performed, before you lookafter special comfort. But I said somewhat of this before under the sixth head, and therefore will say no more now. Direct. X. When you have gone thus far, your soul is safe, and you are past your greatest dangers, though yet you are not past your fears ; your next work therefore for peace and comfort is this ; ' To review and take notice of your own faith, and thence to gather assurance ofthe certainty of yourr justification, and adoption, and right to glory.' The sum of this direction lieth in these things : I. See that you do not content yourself with the forementioned
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