Cottfaderat?om,r to fspport'ihe hearts' of tbofe that hsanaer f ç, that he light keep my heart fenable of its former vani`y, and that thereby he might make a difcovery of the excellency of his grace : therefore thou milt not now conclude that God' bath forfaken thee, and that thou (halt never have the righte- outhefle of Jefus Chrift, becaufe thou can't not finde- upon the feeking of it, that -thou haft Obtained it : No, but thou mull reafon thus, Gods intentions are to humble me, and not to- leave me. In the lafi place, Confider for thy fupport, when after a long time in the ufe of means thou dolt not find that God Both come into thy apprehenfion, and to fatisfie thee that thou haft grace,and that the righteoufneffe of Jefuschrifl is thine;Çonfi- der this ; That God would have the worke of righteoufneffe appeare in,the abafing and humbling of thee, rather then in gi- ving thee power over thy corruptions, it's Gods defigne in this thing, and thou thouldefl interpret the dealings of God with thee thus, that God bath various wayes for the working of his owne grace, that this is Gods dealing,to keep thee humble and low, and herein grace is exercifed, and thou ihouldefl fay, is this the will of God, to keep me in darkneffe, and not to know in what eltate and condition I am, that I 1hould walke warily, good is the will of the Lord, thou fl.ouldeft beleeve God in this condition as much as if fo be thou hadlt f nfible apprehenfions of thy intereft in righteoufnefle:We would have righteoufneffe many times to work upward in joy, in enlarge- ments and in comfort, and when it doth thus worke, then we have good hopes, and then we think bur peace is made with God, and our interefl is fure, but if God will have it worke downward. in felfe abatement, foule-humbling, and: fpirit -de- je &ing,thìs is as a working of the truth of righteoufneffe in the heart as if it did work up never fo high in joy and confo- larion, and this loth as much difcover the truth of righteouf, nefle in thee, as if thou hadit the greatefl raptures and eleva Lions, and therefore quiet your hearts in this, it is a mercy that the work of God is upon. thee any way, there was a time thou mayeft fay, that we did not mind any thing of God, but that our fates were turned againít God, and that we did mind the things
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