358 DIRECTIONS FORGETTING AND KEEPING when he can ne longer keep them in presumption. When he can hide their sin no longer, nor make it seem small, to keep them in impenitency, then he will make it seem unpardonable and remedi- less ifhe can ; but usually not before. So that you see the frame of most men's spirits doth require them to be rather overjealous in searching after their. sins, than over-careless and confident of themselves. 2. Besides this, I had rather of the two that Christians would suspect and 'search too much than too little, because there is a hundred times more danger in seeing sin less than it is, or over- looking it, than in seeing it greater than it is, and being over-fear- ful. The latter mistake may bring us into sorrow, and make our lives uncomfortable to us, (and therefore should be avoided;) but usually it doth not endanger our happiness; but is often made a great occasion for our good. But the former.mistake mayhazard our everlasting salvation, and so bring,us to remediless trouble. 3. Yea, lest you should say, ' This is sad language to comfort a distressed wounded soul,' let me add this one reason more. So far as I can learn by reading the Scriptures, and by long experi- ence of very many souls under troubles of conscience, it is most commonly some notable cherished corruption that breedeth and feedeth the sad, uncomfortable state of most professors, except those who, by melancholy or very great ignorance, are so weak in their intellectuals, as that they are incapable of making any true discovery of their condition, and of passing a right judgment upon themselves thereupon. Lest I should make sad any soul that God would not have sad, let me desire you to observe, 1. That I say but of most professors, not all ; for I doubt not but God may hide his face for some time from some of the holiest and wisest of believers, for several and great reasons. 2. Do but well observe most of the humble, obe- dient Christians, that youknow to lie underany long and sad dis- tress of mind, and you will find that they are generally of one of the two fore-mentioned sorts ; either so ignorant as not to know well what faith is, or what the conditions of the covenant are, or what is the extent of the promise, or the full sufficiency of Christ's satisfaction for all sinners, or what are the evidences by which they may try themselves ; . or else they are melancholy persons, whose fancy is still molested with these perturbing vapors, and their un- derstandings so clouded and distempered, that reason is not free. And so common is this latter, that in my observation of all the Christians that have lived in any long and deep distress of mind, six, if not ten for one, have been deeply melancholy ; except those that feed their troubles by disobedience. So that besides these ignorant and melancholy persons, and disorderly, declining Chris-
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