Chap. 1 4. about .df furanee. 131 red, nor felled till the Spirit comes, andRamps a clea:`impreflion of Gods lòve upon .heir foftencd and melted fpirits. z. We mufc ufe diligence to keep affurance : It's a jewel that deferves our bet+ care: Take heed of ]Dolingthe white(tone : Take heed of forgetting the new Name? Art thouweary of theSun-thine, and would(} thou cool thy felt in the (hide? Doeft thou be;;in to loath thy Manna , and wouldeft thou returne to the Garlick , and Onions of E.ypr ? . O remember thou diäeft riot fo foone obtain affurance , and will thou fo foone lofe is ? Thirdly, give diligence to recover affurance if thou haft loft it. O when will the Winter be part that the flowers may appear , and the time of fi gin; may come ? Say with the Church , Awake O South wink , and with thy gentle bre.r;hang^blow upon thegarden that thefpices thereofmay flow ext. Never leave till thou hndefl thy Spoufe again : Tell him that thouart lick of lave : that thou lonh;eft for a clutter ofCanaan : that thou art even famifhed for want ofhidden cManna. Lay thy heart before him , and tell him that thou defireft new flamps and imprelliions ofhis love : Tell hi n that thou haft loft the print , yet he bath not loft the Peale: Tell him that thou would! now irióre prize his love then ever thou didit, or couldeft before : Give him no ref+ till he give thy foule reft , and fill it with hi..nfelf: O define him to íhineoutupon thee a littlebefore thou goefl hence, and beef} no more feene. Quell. why doth offrrance requirefuck diligence ? 4nfw. Fitft, becaufe of the deceitfulnefs of the heart that is fo apt ro pleafe it felf with fhadow and to flitte: it Pelf into an imaginary happinefie : Moll men arc fo confident of heaven as if theyhadbeen born heirs apparent to the Crown ofglory : As if this new name had beengiven them at their baptifm, or as if they hadbeenborn with this hidden cíi'tanna in their mouths. They neverknew what a fcruplewas , and wonder that others trouble themfelves with them. Thefe have a key to heaven oftheir ownmaking, and think they can go ro it when they pleafe. Thus do vajne men cheat their own foules: whereas it were their wifer way rather to commune with their own fpirits , to fee what a falfe print they a°e of : what corruptions and degenerations from the Original : what are the genuine, and what are the fpurious works of theSpirit. Secondly, we havediligent enemies that would faigne quench our joy , and II. keep ir from flaming into alfurance : He would have broken thee when thou wail a bruifed Reed , how willhe triumph in thy fall now thou art a Rarely Ce- dar ? 'Satan being fallen himfelf,not only from heaven and fiappineffe, but from apoflbility of recovering the fameagain , and now he labours to involve us in the fame condition : and feeing he cannot pofhibly do this , he endeavours to damp their joy ; to raife florines and tempeRs in their fouls : Yet our com- fort is, we may fruftrate him by a ftrong andclafpiny hand of faith, whereby we may lay fuch fall holdof God in Chrrfi, that we may thereby make the De- vil give over as defpairing to prevaile. So then the more frequent his aflaults are , the more fliouldChriflians (land upon their Watch , and fortifie themfelves,and run in times of danger to the Name of Lordwhich is aftrong Tower, `Prow. Thirdly, give diligence, becaufe 'it's a matter of fetch great confequence, and III. to be deceived herein will prove the moll flinging aggravation of mifery that can be : the bode that was built upon the fand,great way thefall of ir. There is a counterfeit affurance , calledprefumption that great devourer of fouls that flays its ten thoufands : Owhat mifery is it for a man to take himfelf to be in the ready wayto heaven, whenhe isdropping into hell : To expeSt no lea then S z a crown' I.
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