General( dire ions for a Both foundly comfort the heart of a man fpiritually wife, a- boutaffurance of his happy eflate to Godward. And there- fore the true Chriftian,when he would refreflahis fpirits with the fweet contemplationof his fpirituall fafety, and comfor- table being in a gracious Rate, caufeth his fincere conlcience to anfwer in truth to fuch like interrogatories,as thofe which I have propofed for trial( in fuch a cafe, in my Difrotirfi of true kippineffe,pag,85 &c. Review the place, and ponder well upon them. He ordinarily bath recourfeunto, and runs over in his mind with an humble ravifhing commemoration, the heavenly footfteps,and mighty worksof the holyGhoft in hisconverfion ; fpeciall watchfulneffe over his waves ; fin- cere-heartedneffe, holy ftridneffe, and fanClified fingularities inhis converfation ; which as they are peculiar to Gods pm-. ple, fo aretheymyfteries and ftrange things to theheft vnre- generate man ; and that thus, or in the like manner : Bleffedbe God, faith hewithin himfelfe, that ever it was fo, yet fo it was : theholy Miniftery of the Word fan6lified, and guided particularly for that purpofe by the finger of sod, happily feized upon me, while I did yet abide in the arrnes of darkeneffe, and the devils {hares, a moft polluted, . carnal!, abominable wretch ; and effeaually exercifed its fa- ving power upon my foule, both by the workings of the Law, andof theGofpell. It was firft as an hammer to my heart, and broke it in pieces. By a terrible cutting piercing power, it firooke a fbaking and trembling into thevery cen- ter of my foule by this double effea. i. It firft opened the bookeof myconkience, wherein I, readwith a molt heavy heart, ready to fall afunder, even like dropsof water,for horror of the fight;the execrable abo- minations of my youth ; the innumerable fwarmes of lewd and lawleffe thoughts, .that all my life long had ftained mine inwardparts with ftrange pollutions ; the continual! wicked walkingof my tongue ; the cur fed prophanation of Gods Welled Sabbaths, Sacraments, and all the meanes, of. falvati- onI ever meddledwith. In a word, all the Ms, iinkesand Sodomof fats and finne, of vanities and villanies I had remorfei.
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