52 4 Box of precious Ointment : Or, -.- Gods love to your fouls, as a rnan does a Book which he in- tends to confute. Is it not fad when Chriflians fhall fludy hard to find evafions to wheel off all thofe comforts, re_ frelhings, cheerings, and fupportsx that are tendered to them that are due to them, and chat they may upon Gofpel- grounds jutlly claim as their portion, as their inheritance. And 0 that all filch Chriftians would ferioufly and frequent ly lay to heartthefe eight things. Firfl, that they highly difhonour thebleffed God, and the work of his Grace, by denying that which he bath done for them, and wrought in them. I Secondly, they are fpiritual Murderers, they are felf- Murderers, they are foul-Murderers ; for by this , means they flab and wound their own precious fouls and Confcien- `-ces through and through, with many a deadly dart. Now is there any Murder like to fpiritual Murder, to felf-Murder, to foul-Murder? furely no. But, Thirdly, They are Thieves, for by this means they rob their own precious fouls of that joy, peace, comfort, reit, content, affurance, and fatisfa6tion, which otherwife they might enjoy. Now there is no theft to fpiritual theft, and of all fpiritual theft, there is none to that which reaches the precious and immortal foul. Mark all prevalent Difputes about our perfonal integrity, they do hold off the Applica- tion and tails of comfort, though they do not difanul the ti- tle.and right. Even the good man will walk uncomforta- bly fo long as he concludes,, and flrongely fears that his E- fface is finful ; for fenfible comfort rifeth or fallech, cometh ( on, or goeth off, according to the arength of our judgment and prefent apprehenfions ; obferve, it is not what indeed our efiate is, but what we judg of it, which breeds in us fen- fible comfort, or difcomfort, a falfe heart may (even) break with a timpany. of foolifh joy upon an erring perfwafion of his eflate, and fo may a found fincere heart be very, heavy and difconfolate upon an unfound milconftruClion and judg- ingof its true condition. Bat, Fourthly, T.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=