1ìo GoTel son. this hash been a guard unto you, if thy finbreak in upon thee asfully, and asfreely, as if there were no guard at all ; thy condition is very fad. 2. Let mefurther fPeaktofisch thatfn after the pardoning grace ofGod , and do not walk,anfwerable to that grace that war letforth in witneffing the pardon offn ; 'tis a thoaafand to one thou wilt lofe thy evidence ; 'tis true, it is irrevocable in Gods heart,yet thou may'ft carry it fo, that by thy luofe walk- ing thou may'lt lofe the evidence of it in thy own foul , and it may be as fadwith thee as if thou wert not at all pardoned ; we are to know that when an Evidence is given in , concern- ing pardon of fin, every renewed ad of fin is a blot to that Evidence : Aman that havingEvidences ofLands, or anEftate, will keep them fair ; but if he fhould fuffer them to be blot- ted, one blot after another, perhaps fo blotted as neither he nor any one elfe is able to read them; it may colt him a great deal of trouble beforehe get them renew'd again ; fo 'tis with apoor creature that bath got fome comfortable Evidence of the pardon of fin, but giving way to temptation, commits a fin, and there he gets a blot ; and then, the next temptation , coming poffibly to worldly Mindednefs, Pailion, Unbelief, flightnefs of Spirit, Vanity, Senfuality, and abufe of the Creatures ; by often yielding to thefe, he gets more and re- newed blots ; fo that if his Evidences be look 'd into, they will be found fo full of blots, that no marvel in a time of temptation they cannot read them : pofiibly force that are skilful in the way ofGod, and the nature of the Covenant of grace, may pick out fomewhat of the meaning of them ; but thou fain fo fouly from God that thy Evidences are fo blotted and blur'd, that in thy own apprehenfion thou can'ft fee nothing, but that thy condition is as dangerous as ever it was and as uncomfortable, thy Evidences are fo blotted that thou can'ft not read them thy felf, and fo haft no comfort by them, and 'tis to thee as if thou had'[l none at all ; this is the duty and would be the comfort of every Chri- f}ian , that when they have gotten their Evidences ; that- they would keep them fo clear, that they might read them every morning, and run and read them, and not Hand poring
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