524 / 772
496
Confolatiaw egainfl hardwire
of
heart.
it
feemeth
quite
1o(l
and
periflied
being
fowne
in
fome
grounds,and
yet afterwards it
bringeth
forth
not
only
a
faire
greene blade
of
an
outward profeífìon,'but
alto
a
great in-
creafe
of
the ripe
fruity
of
true
godlines.So
alto
the
fick
pati-
ent taking
foueraigne
phyficke,is
not
prefentlie cured,nay
in
lead
offeeling
any
cafe
thereby
bee
is
made much
more
ficke in his
ovine
fente
and
feeling, and yet
after
the
phyficke
hath
a
while
wrought
i'vith
him, and purged hint
of
fome
fuperfluous
and hurtfull humors
hee
findeth
fome
amend-
ment,
and
fo
by little
and
little
hee
is
reflored
to
his
former
health
;
and
fo
it
is
alCo
with the
fpirituall
ficke
patient, bee
doth
not
alwaies prefently find
cafe
and quiet
peace
of
con
-
fcience, nay many times
hee
is
tormented
and vexed after
hee bath receiued the fpiritual
phyficke
of
the foule
the word
of
God,
more then
euer
in former times,
but
yet
notwith-
flanding
in proceffe
oftime
when this
phyficke
hath
effe6lu-
allie
wrought with
him,
it
purgeth him
from his filthie cor-
ruptions,and (lrengtheneth
him
in all
grace andgodlineífe.
And therefore
though
we feele prefently
no
profitable fruits
ofhearing let not
this difcourage vs from
hearing,
nay
ra-
ther,let it
ferue
as a
(
harpe
fpurre
to
pricke
vs
forward
to
more diligence, and let
vs
ioyne therewith hartie prayer,
defiring
the Lord
to water the
feed
of
his
word fowne in
our
hearts
with
the
dew
of
his
holy fpirit, and then
undoubted-
lie
the
Lord
in the
end will
heare vs,
and
to our
exceeding
comfort
(hew
veto
vs
the
plentifull fruites
ofall
our labours.
§.Sea.
N.
Thirdly,whereas they
complaine
that
the more
they
heare
tonfolations
the greater
are
their
finnes
and rebellion againfl
God,
in
this
forf4cüas
they
much deceiue themfelues
;
for
the word
of
God
doth
complaine
that
not
make
them more
finfull,
but
whereas
heretofore
they
themorethey
Geare,tfiliuedincarnalifecuritie
and hardneffe
of
heart, hauing their
emore
they abound in
vndertiandings darkened,
and
their
confciences feared
fo
as
feriae.
they
could neither
fee
nor
feele
their
fins,
though
they
were
manifold and
grieuous, now the word
of
God
made
ef-
fe
&wall
by the inward operation
of
his
holy
fpirit, like
a
glo-
rious
light
hauing
difpelled
the
darke
foggie
mills
of
igno-
rance,and illuminated the
eies
of
their vnderfandings, with
the knowledge
of
Gods
law,they better
difcerne their
finnei
-and
1