SPIRITUAL PEACE AND COMFORT. 341 far from being beyond your reach or power to have thèse graces, though you would, that they themselves are nothing else but your very willingness ; at least your willingness to have Christ is both your faith and love. It may be said, therefore, to be in the power ofyour will, which is nothing else but that actual willingness which you have already. If, therefore, you are unwilling to have him, what /hakes you complain for want of the sense of his presence, and the assurance of his love, and the, graces-of his Spirit, as you frequently do? It is strange to me, that people should make so many complaints to God and men, and spend so many sad hours in fears and trouble,: and all for want of that which they would not have. Ifyou be not willing,be willing mow. Ifyou say you can- not, do as I have before directedyou. One hour's sober, serious thoughts of God and the world, of Christ and Satan, of sin and holiness, of heaven and hell, and the differences of them, will do very much to make you willing. Yet mistake me not; though I say you may have Christ if you will, and faith and love ifyou will, and no man can truly say, ' I would be glad to have Christ (as he is offered) but cannot;' yet this gladness, consgnt, or willingness which I mention, is the effect of the special work of the Spiriti and . was not in your power before you had 'it;'nor is it yet so in your power as to believe, without God's further helping you. But he that hath made you willing, will not be wanting to maintain your willingness. Though I will say to any man, You may have Christ if you will ; yet I will say to no man, You can be willingof your- self, or without the special grace of God. Nay, let me further ask; Have you not darkened, buried, or weakened your graces, instead of exercising and increasing them, even then when you complained for want of assurance of them ? When you found a want of faith and love, have not you weakened them more, and so made them less discernible ? Have you not fed your unbelief, and disputed for your doubtings, and; taken Satan's part against yourself? and (which is far worse) have you never, through these doubtings, entertained hard thoughts of God, and presented him to your soul, as unwilling to show you mercy, and in an unlovely, dreadful, hideous shape, fitter to 'affright you from him, than to draw you to him, and likelier to provoke your hatred than your. love? If you have not done thus, I know too many troubled souls that have. And ifyou have, you have taken a very unlikely way to get assurance. If you would have been certain that you loved God in sincerity, you should have labored to love him more, till you had been 'certain ; and that you might do so, you should have kept better thoughts of God in your mind. , You will hardly love him while you think of him as evil, or at least as hurtful to you. Never forget this rule which I lay you down in
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