166 The Spiritual!-Atiings of Faith learned otherwife : when God intends any great Mer, y to his children, he does fief of all put the fentence of death upon it , and upon all the meanes that do lead unto it : and therefore I will waite on God fill, I may be in Gods way, this may be Gods way ; it may be the Lord is in a way to give me a greater Mercy then ever I had in all my dayes. Oh I my Beloved , that you would but gird this truth upon your thigh,howmight youcutt offall difcouragements as they rife uponyou. You will fay , How does this cutt off difcourage- ments ? fome things there are that die , and never rife again, as Beafis : fome things there are that die, and do rife again, as Men : The fentence of death is upon the Mercy that I do much defire ; and did I know indeed , that it fhould rife again, it werea matter of great Incouragement to me , but that I do not know. For Anfwer , I flail onely fay thus much to it : A may be of Mercy, is a fufficient ground for our reliance and fupport of the Souleupon God. Marke , there is two ads of Faith; the Faith of Reliance, and the Faithof Afurance; Affurance that caufes Toy ; Reliance that caufesttietnefe : Accordingly ,Q there are two Obje&s of Faith ; A Jhall be of Mercy, that is the ObjeEt of Affurance ; A may be ofMercy, that is the Objed of Reliance. Ye shall obferve therefore , that when the Lord would call out his people to an ati of Reliance upon him , he holds out a may be of mercy to Zeph. z. 3 them : Seeke the Lord , ye meek of the earth; feeke righ- teoufnefe , feeke meeknefe; it may beye fhall behid in the day ofthe Lords anger ; ye know the place in Zephaniah: And if you looke into the i Sammell the i4, Chapter, ye fhall find , that this may be was that encouraged yonathan ( at the 6. verfe ) Jonathan l'aid to the Young man that bore his Ar- mour : Come , and let usgo over unto the garrifon of thefe un- circumcifed : it may be that the Lord will work for m . for there is no refiraint with the Lord toPave by many , or byfew. It may be the Lordwill workfor us,for there U no reftraint With the Lord , toPave by many or by few . This encouraged lona- than ,
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