Hooker - BT780 H7 1637

I a 2 The Soule55 e ffeRuall eallin to Chrifi and unlefle thefe bec filled, no man can fee the LordJefus Chrift. Ii, a word,my brethren, fufer me toopen my felfe ; the truth is, this defpaire of the foule is that whichcattail the finewes ofall mans comfort, and raketh off the power and edge ofall the meaner of grace : it daunteth all a mans endevours, nay it piucketh up a mans endevours as it were quite by the routes : for that which a man defpaireth ofF, hee will never labour a£ ter. It is here as with a man in pangsofdeath. unto Inch a manall means areunavailable for his good, his bed will not eafe him,meat will not re. frefh him,chafing will not revive; at the laff, we fay he is gone,he is adead man:friends leave him, Phyfitians leave him, they may goe and pray for him, and mourne for him, but theycannot reco- verhim. So this defpaireof foule tnakethaman cart offall hope, and lie downe in a forlorne con- dition, expeCking no good tocome ; alas, faith a man, what skilleth for a man to pray ? what pro fiteth a man toread ? what benryfit in allthemeans ofgrace? the truthofit is, the one is rolledup- onme, and my condemnation fealed for ever : it is fure in heaven, and therefore I will never looke after Chrift, grace, and falvarlon any more, and prefi'e themeans to him let him come to heare theWord, marke I ow he cafteth offall thebene- fit-; it was marvellous feafònableand profitable, it was the good Word of the Lord, very com- fortable unto fuch as have any share therein. Whymay not youexpel good ? whymay not you receive benefit therefrom? why, no,faith the foul;

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