}'art rr. A SAint er aBrut(~ JO-) forts· But the Repenting, Believing fot:1l that is united unco . ChriU and bath already had .the JPirit for his converfion, it is he that h~th the promife of the JPirit for his crmfolation. Andi f that be nUt the rnofi·comfortable life-, where the God of Hea,·en ·becomenhe comftJrter, we cannot then know the effect by tbe caufe. IfLife it- felfwill quick.§n; if tight it felf wiH illuminate; thecornfortint ffiirit will certainly comfort, in the degr.ee and feafon as God feeth meet , and the foul is fitted to re-. ceive it. 4~ Moreover, we have the whole t'l'eajurie of the Gofpt! to go to for our Delight. And little doth the fenfual unbelieving foul know what fweecnefs, what fupporting pleafures may be: from thence derived. I had rather have the holy word of God to go to for contents, the:n the treafures of the rich,or the plea... fures of the fenfual, or the flatterics and vain glory of the.amb~tious man: All tbat the world d0th make fuch a pudder about, which they ride and run for, which they fo much glory in, will never afford them fo much Content, as one Scripture promife will do to a truly faithful foul. I mLifi profefs before Angels and men, that I bad rather have one Promife of the Love of God, and the life to come, which is contained in the holy Scriptures, then to have all che ridiles, pleafures, and honours of this world. My God,this was my Covenant with thee, and to this I fl:and. 0 bleffed be the Lord, that bath provided us fuch a M~gazine of Delight as is this heavenly fa.cred Book ! The Precepts appoint us a pleafant work: The fl:rict:eft prohibiti0ns do but reilrain us from our own calamities, and keep out of our hands the knife by which we would cue our fingers: The feverefl: threatnings do but de terre us from running into the confuming fire; and hedge about the devouring gulf, left we fhould fooliihly cafi our fel ves therein. And thcfe are the bitterefi parts of that holy word. But when we read the promifes of a Saviour, and the wonderful hifiory of his Incarnation, and of his holy felf-denying life, his conquefis, miracles, death, refurrection, afcenfion, intercefiion, and his promife to return ; when we read of the foundation which he bath laid, and the building whicla he intends to finiili, oi his rich abunclam promifes to his chofen, what provifion do we find for 01:1r abundant joys! No firait can be fo great, no preffure fo grievous, no enemies fo firong, but we have full confolation ~~~~~d us in the promifes, againft them all.We have promifes of -.· ~- ---...- -- - --· R r -- ---- - - --- ·-- · th .. ~ ~ ~ -~
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