:Pan n. :A Sttint ,, 4 Brute~ which thefe few Apoflates ncvcrtrycd; though fome of them hav.e had fome acqqired counterfeits of them, and fome good .gifts of common .grace, and think ~ that none had more then thcyhad. ;-- . . . Sinner, I befeech thee for the Lords fake, deal fatthfully With ~ypoor fonl, when all lies a~ the fiake. yYi\t thou take the Judgement of a fwaggering Gallant, or a fcoffing, worldl.y or ungodly Sot, that none of them ~ver truly tried a Hate of Holi– .nefs: And wilt thou refufe the judgement of God, a·nd of all hu fervants that h_ave tryedit? Go to any Godly m:n, and ask .him which of thefe wayes he hath found by e~penence to be be£1:? and hear what he will fay to thee ? He will be afhamed to hear thee make a ~eil:ion of it. He will tell thee [ ·AIM friend, I WM once deceived by fin, and deceived with the pleafttres · Qf my fle/h, ~tnd the glittering glory and riches of th~ world, as ·yeu are now.! I once WM a flranger to the life of faith , and the Hopes of He~tvcn, and the Holinefs of the Saints. But it w.u by the meer del;,firm of the Devil, -tmd it WM the fruit of the blivd– nefs, and deadmfs of my heart. I k_new not what I did, nor where I flood, nor ~hat1chofe, nor -what 1 [et light ky ! I never well conjidered of the matter, hut carelefly followed the [way of my fiefoly inclination and de fires ! But now I feee I WM the DevH.l - jlave, andrny Pleafnres weremyfetters, andmyown eorrupt af– fections were rnJ bondage; and I now find that I did but delude my foul; I got nothing by all that the world dULfor me,hut provijion for mJ after-for-ro'Ws: 1had bee·n now in Torments if Ihad but dyd in that condition. I ~ould not be tJtgain in the cafe that 1 wa& in fer all this world, iw a thoufi!nd fuch worlds ! That life that once Jthoughtthe beft, bath coftmedear,eventhe brel!kjngofmy heart~ and a th9ujana thoufand fold dearer would have coft me,, ff tbe deareft b/oQA, and recovering Grace of my dea.reft Lard had h~td not preveNted it. 0 hitd I not been unfpea kftbly beholden ·t~ the Mercy of the Lord, even to that Mercy whieh I then. made light of, I h:1d been undone for euer; I had been laid under Ever– lafling defperation before this. Now I find that there i.s tM life fo ,fwnt M th.at which 1 then was fo loth to choofe! Now it is myo~lyg;riefthat Iw.rUholy nofooner, and can be no mor;e Hol] then1am. 0 that I had more of that quick.,ning;~comforting ,Javing Grace! 0 that ]Were further from my former finful fi efhly {ltt~te? 0 thllt 1could get nea.rer God, thou<~h 1 parted with all the pro- . R {ptrit]
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