188 Goyel Bern f sione that they have fence of nothing and in fuch a condition as that they are not able to know their own hearts , feel any workings upon them : Now, if it be meerly rom want offenfe, and that the contrary pofitive evil appear not , only the want of feelingof what thou had'ft and felt heeto- fore ; thou art to have recourfe to the days cf old, as David often fpeaks that he would remember the days ofold ; it may be you will fay, fotne Hypocrites have thought they have been in this condition , they have had many flalltes , and yet they have proved naught, how can we have recourfe to what was before when God did work upon me ? I can indeed re- member when Goddid drawmy heart,and then I thought I could have clofed with any Evidence out of the LYord, I felt fuck workings inmy heart ; but Imight do all that and yet all be but in hypocrifie. I anfwer, that certainly thebare want of fenfe is not ground enough for me to think that all was in hypocri- fie ; for this, confider if I groan under it as under an affiic`fi- on , and would fain feel thofe former manifeftations I had formerly, and that I can take little comfort in my prefent cafe, and that my foul is continually longing and panting af- ter the workings of Gods grace that I heretofore had ; if this be fo, and that there is nothing to the contrary , thou falleft not off to fin, or to the world to fatisfie thy foul in finful ways, and that thy heart is yet panting after God if it be thus with thee , thou rríay',ft take the comfort of what" thou had'ft before, and feed upon it as Provifion laid up be- fore-hand for thy foul, as if thou had'ft it prefenr. But Hy- pocrites that fall off from the vifitations of Gods Spirit, they fall not off only to a want of fenfe of thofe fomer movings and workings of theSpirit, but their hearts come to be fatis- fied with fomething elfe, and they take up with fome other contentments ; and 'ris not a want of feeling, only, of what they had heretofore , but their hearts run out from God into other ways of fin and wickednefs, fo it is wish Hypocrites, but thou haft this teftimony, that it is not fo with thee, that although thou dolt want theprefent fenfe of the work of God upon thee, yet thy heart longs after God, and thou art un- fatisfied in this condition, and 'tis the greateft afllic4ion that ever
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