to the Chief of Sinners. · 9-3 thy Faith.]Mat. t 5.28. even as if one had clap– ped me on the b2ck, as I ,was on tny I~nees b~· fore God : Yet I \V'as not able tobelieve this, that this \vas aprayer of faith, till alrnoft iix·. months after ; for I could not think that I had faith, or that there fhould be a word for-me to aB: faith on ; therefore I fhould ftill ~e, as !ticking in the jaws of de~peratio r , and ~ent n1ourning up and down, In, a fad condition.. 203.There was not1ling now that I longed. fot· ·more,then to be put out of doubt, as to this ,thingin ·quefl:ion,and as I wa$ veheinent· 1ydefiring to know ifthere was indeed hopes for me, t.hefe v~·ords came rolling into my .n1ind,Wi/l the Lord cajF off for ever? 11nd rvill befavo.ftrable no tnore ?. Is his mercy clean gone for ever? Dorh his promife fail for evermtJre? Hath Godforgotten to begracious? Hath he in Anger fhrd up his tender mercies? Pfal. 77· 7, 8, 9· And all the while they run in my rnind, rne- thought,I had this frill as th~ a~fwer~ Tir a 9.J!eftion iVhether he had, or no ; it rnay Ire, he · h!!.th not.Yea,the ·'interrogatory fee.11ed to tne, to carry in it a fur,e <1ffirn1ation that indeed he l1ad not,nor wonld fo caft off, but' would be · favourable.,thae l2is promife'·qothnot fi:I,and that he.bad no~ torgottcn to be grac~ous, nor w?uld-ln anger fl1ut1.1 p tender mercy :Some... .. ~!Hng al~> there was uponmy heart at the fame t1me,wh1ch I cannot no\v cal1 to n1.ind·which with this T'ext, di'u fweeten my hea~t and make me conclude, that his n1ercy 1nigl~t not · E 2 , · . be
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