150 That ye ntay be able toflamed pieces of gold, weigh one with the drone and dirt it contracts in the pude, with the other purged from there in the fire ; faith before temptation bath much hererogeneal flu& that cleaves to it, and goes for faith ; but when temptation comes,thefe are dilcovered. Now the Chrittian feels corruption flit., which lay as dead before, now a cloud comes between the foule an d the fweet face of God, (the fenfe of which latter, and the little fenfe of the other bore up his faith before) but thefe bladders prick's, he comes now to learne the true stroke i n this heaven- ly Are of fwirrirning on the promife, having nothing elfe to bear him up but that; and a littleof this carries more of theprecious natureoffaith in it, then all the other; yea, is ( like gideont handful of men) ftronger, when all thefe acceffaries to faith are fent away, then when theywere prefent ; and here is all tie devil gets : in ftead of deftroving his faith which he aimes at, he is the occafion of the refining of it, and theteby adding to its ftrength. Secondly, the love of tempted Saints is enkindled to Chrift by their temptations, and foiles in their temptations. Poffitily in the fit there may feem a damp upon their love, as when water is firft fprinkled upon the fire, but when the Conflift is a little over, and the Chriflian conies to himfelf, his love to Chrift will break out like a vehement flame ; Firft, the fhame and forrow which a gracious foule muff needs feele in his bofome for his finful mifcarriage, while under the temptation, will provoke him to expreffehis love to Chrift above others, as is fweetly fee forth in the Spoufe, who when the cold fit ofher diftemper was off, and the temptation over, beflirs her to purpofe, her lazy fic.kneffe is turned to love,fickneffe the findes it as hard now to fit, as the did before to rife : fhe can ail in no place out of her Beloveds fight, but runs and asks every one the meets for him; and whence came all this vehemency of her zeale ? all occafioned by her undutiful carriage to her husband : the part- ed fo unkindly with him, that (bethinking what fhe had done) away fhe goes to make her peace. Iffins committed in unrege- neracy have fuch a force upon a gracious foule, that the thought of them, though pardoned, will (till break and melt the heart into forrow, (as we fee in Magdalen) and prick on to Phew zeal for God above others, (as in Taal) howmuch more will the fins
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