d treatzfe of Confcience, yet they go on, at 'aft they come to have Cecret defpairs in their heart, that God now will not look towards th:m ; whereas if yet they had a mind to ¡loop to Jeliis Chrifl, they might be forgiven. 2. A. (second caufe ofdeiparring is multitude oftemp- tations. Indeed thegodly (should not be foapt to think them- gg (elves forfakert of God by reafònof temptations as fòmetimes they are : they (should rather comm. it jay, as James fpeakerh, chap. i . 2. But yet many of the wicked defpair finally by this means : Becaufe they do fo often fall into temptations, there- fore they concludethey are forfhken of God. 3. Ignorance of Gods word. When the guiltincífc of fame meetci:hwith minds not inftru6 ed in the doarine of free grace and reconciliation by Chrifl ; this is a caufe Of defpair. 4. So a11ó inured cuflome offinning is another caufe. Whenmen are often quickned, and grow dead again ; then quickned again for a fit, and then hardned again : in the end they fall todefpair. Theft and the like are the caufes of delpairing confciences,. And thus I have (hewed alto' the (second thing_propounded ,tò'be handled; name- ly, the fundry degrees oftroubled confciences. III. The third thing is the difference between the troubled confeience in the godly. and in the wicked. The confciences of Gods children may be troubled, and are many times; and the confciences of the wicked they are troubled too : now the queflion is, How do they differ ? I anfwer, t . That trouble in the con lcienceof wicked mere is accom- panied with impenitency. and fonietimes with bl:ifp emy : .7 would Iwere able to rerft God, faith FrancisSpira : like thole in the Revelation, who blifphomedGod beeaufe of their tor- ments. Sometimes it is accompanied winccurfïngs, as Ifai, .2r. fometimes with infinite murmuring. But in Gods children it is not fo : When their confeience is troubled, they p.flrfieGod, and clear God, and give him the glory ofall,and fubmit under his hand, and fubdue their hearts unto him : as David in his troubledid not fret and murmure againfl God, but faith he, If 2 Sara.i i. Godhave no pleafssre inme, la here .7 errs : letkm do with 26. mewhat femeth him good. So that the trouble of confcience in
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