The Souls e c`?uallcalling ro Chrift. thee; therefore God will not onely drop a little comfort into thv heart, but hee will poure it in ; and ifa little mercy will not ferve thy turne,then hewill poure flouds ofmercy upon thee. Oh, but faith thepoore foule, thisis all the dif Ofjetl. ficulty, if mydelire were found and fincere, then I might have fome comfort : howfhall Ithere- fore know that my delires are fincere ? I anfwer, the fignes offound delire arethefe. Ant. Firft, as the delire is, fo the endevour will be; Signet. ifthoudeli reft earneftly, thouwiltworkeaccor- dingly. Now the labour that makes knowne the foundneffeofdefire, difcovers it felfe in foure particulars. Firft; he that labours from a longing delre, is content toufè all means which are re- vealed and made knowne to him, becaufe hee krowes not which will feed. Secondly, hee is carefull of improving all opportunities in theufe of the meanes . Thirdly, hee will bold our in the ufeof tholemeanes,his wants and defiresarecon- Qant, and therefore his endevours mutt needs be fo too : as Lament. 3.49. There three former will dífcover many hypocrites, though molt doenot Trial! offound come thus farre : but a terrified hypocrite, and a defer " heart that hath beene awed, may doeall thefe, and yet bee naught too. But there is another triall of found dcfires which will juflle any Hypecriteunder Heaven to the wall, and that is this : Though the poore firmer ides all meanes, and takes all opportunities in the ufe of thofe meanes, and is confiant in the ufe of them, &c. yet the foule that is truly defirous of grace X and Y57
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