An ob;eaion anfwered. The Second is to anfwer a Queftion that may here be pro- pounded : But you will fay, the promife here faith, They fhall be comforted; But I fare this don't belong to me, 1 have mourned a long time and yet cannot be comforted,' have been ín fadneffe of ipi:ir, and I cannot find the promife made good to me ; How should t fupport my felfe in this cafe ? Firft of all, Haft thou mourned ? perhaps thou hail finned more then forrowed : Examine therefore thy heart well, hash not thy fins been more then thy forrowes ? l herefore be not difcouraged and what is this forrow to eternall forrow; tivh t is this inch of forrow and mourning to an eternity of mifery but thou art delivered from the hazard of mifcarrying to all eterni- ty, and therefore this confederation fhould iweeten all thy for - rowes : though thy condition be fad, yet thou arc delivered from eternall perishing. Secondly,: onfider, that faith makes comforts future as pre- fent to thee, and it is the glory of faith, and that wherein the excellency of it doth confifl , to make a mercy in a promife that Teems a great way off to be prefent; As Abraham by faith Taw the day of thrill a ferre off, fo faith will reprefent a mer- cy to the foule in the promife that feemes to be at a great dif- tance as prefent;As defpaire. makes hell and the wrath to come prefent unto the wicked who have inlightned confciences who have the fence of their fin Ter home upon their confciences, it makes the wrath to come as prefent that they cry out many times they are in hell while they are upon the earth, fo faith it makes a mercy to be certaine though not in polfeff on : Haft thou no comfort, no glimpfe of love in thy holy converfe with Cod, look into shy fpirit and f.e whether thou haft no bunches of Cancans Grapes in thy fot;le, : this is dig= thou (halt have more if thou haft any, if thou haft bút a fparke of Divine love gather from thence thou (halt have more, but if thou cana not difcerne any glimrfe of God yet we have the word and ordi- nancesnow, Why have we thefe but that we may fuppcx t our fpirlrs with then ? This was that watch Davrd did fupport his heart withall, In the 119. `Pfalme 49r ¶0. I had fa,meted in mine affliction, had not thy word comforted me. The word of God is fufficient I I 3
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