A DISCOVERY OF SOME Troublesome Thoughts WHEREWITH Many Godly precious Souls are burdened, and extremely pressed: that like a Canker eats out all their Comforts, and keeps their Souls under continual fears and Distractions.  
Together with a Compound of some Scripture and experimental Cordials, for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a disease; and through the blessing of God, may prove medicinal, to the Cure of some, and the Comforting of others.  
By Daniel King, Preacher of the Word.  Isa. 54.11,12,13. 
Oh thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with Saphires. And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of Carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD, and great shall be the peace of thy children.  
London Printed, and are to be sold near the Temple in Fleetstreet. 1651.   

To all poor souls, who are troubled and tossed in Spirit; Especially Zions' members that are in such a Condition.  
PRecious Saints, and faithful souls; The Lord by his providence bringing me to London, and having occasion to continue there a time, I was solicited by some dear to me, to set pen to Paper upon another subject, which I was not willing to do at that present. But yet I thought it my duty to employ myself in the service of Christ and his people any way as might tend to the Glory of the one, and the benefit of the other. In divers parts of the City, and Suburbs thereof, came news to me of some whose hearts were exceedingly shaken with doubts, and scruples, and fears, concerning the condition of their Souls: some of which are in Communion with the Churches of Christ nicknamed Anabaptists: some hearing among them, confessing the truth, and acknowledging the way of worship practised by them to be of God, desirous to be one with them; But only that scruples concerning their own condition, wanting the assurance of their Justification, and reconciliation to God, keeps them off: Whose condition, divers brethren Question not but to be good, and their souls dear to God; only they could not see it themselves. Just like the Disciples here, Christ was at hand, and they thought it was some other apparition: And so through mistake were exceedingly troubled. And therefore I set upon this piece of work, being moved thereto, from three or four considerable reasons. 

1. Because he that is in affliction ought to be comforted of his neighbour. 
Job 6.14. Prov. 18.14.  And what Affliction like Affliction of spirit? And who is my neighbour but he that shows mercy to me? And truly I cannot but pity, and tender those who are of the body of Christ, in respect of Union with, and in him; And yet because of Affliction of Spirit, dare not manifest their right to Communion. It is an Argument of a dead member, not to be sensible of the pain of others that suffer. Weep with them that weep, saith the Apostle. And it is some comfort to a sad discouraged soul, when God gives his people a heart to condole their Condition: 
Lam. 1.12.  When they are not forgotten of the Saints.  
2. Because after I had mentioned my Intention in this thing, to those that moved me to the other task: themselves and others were well satisfied, and desirous that I should hasten in the work as fast as I could; whereupon I perceived I had a Call to it by them.  
3. Because I saw I was bound to it as my duty, laid upon me by God himself; according to the Ability given me, to draw it forth this way, as well as otherwise. Seeing God saith, Isa. 40.1.2. Comfort ye, Comfort ye my people, saith your God; Speak to the heart of Jerusalem; tell her, her Iniquity it pardoned, etc. Showing that Jerusalem questioned her pardon, or was ignorant of it; And that the servants of God, which he had enabled for the work, should declare it to her, and speak to her heart that was troubled, that she might be settled. And saith the Apostle, Comfort the feeble minded. 
2 Thes 5.14.  And many other Scriptures to this purpose.  
4. To be a Testimonial to Brethren and friends from whom I am absent, that I have not spent my time idly, about vain pleasures, though I have not been with them, but was willing to set forward the work of God in one kind or other, that might be Useful.    
And now to you poor troubled Souls, whose hearts are heavy, and whose souls bleed with sorrows, and are full of fears, who languish under terrors: I know the objections, and scruples of your hearts are numerous, and of various shapes, now appearing in one shape, then in another: Think not that I can speak to every thought or doubt that may trouble you: I have only spoken to such as seem to me (and that by some experience of my own also) to be the groundwork or Foundation of most of your fears and shake. And (indeed) for the present, neither time nor convenient opportunity would give me leave to add any more. I beseech you deal plainly with your hearts; Read this Treatise, it may be you may light of somewhat that may refresh your spirits. Take heed of believing Satan, or your own hearts, but believe the Lord speaking in the Scripture the Words of God. Do not (dear friends) refuse to be comforted, when God tenders Comforts to you: The more your hearts are lifted up with spiritual Joy, the more cheerfully you will walk with God. Look up to God for a blessing when you read; It may be he may open your Understandings to understand the Scriptures, and the deal of God with his People, and to know them for yourselves. 
Luke 24.  Despair not, though you have been dead in your hearts (not like Lazarus in body, two days, or four days, but many days) but remember Christ will have the glory in raising you Up. And I beseech you, when God hath lifted up your heads (or rather hearts) remember me, who am often (to the grief of my heart) troubled with captivating rebelling flesh; 
Rom. 7.  showing itself present when I would and should do good: Entreat that God that is the God of all consolation, and comforts you, to Quicken me, and carry me through in his work. 
2 Cor. 1.   
But to those who pretend troublesome times, because they would seem Saints: that like Dissembling beggars, make themselves sores where none are, to maintain their Irregular life: That delight in sin, and evil courses, and would have God's Countenance shine upon them, and assurance of Salvation be given to them, that they might with the more freedom and boldness run on in the way of wickedness: would have the Wages, but cannot endure the work: Desire the end, but care not for the way or means that tends to that end: cry Hosanna to Christ with their mouths, but crucify him in heart and life: Christ is lovely to them as a Priest, to save them; but tell them of his Kingdom to be set up within them, and without them, in heart and life, and then he seems a Tyrant. Let me tell thee, whosoever thou art, that art of this temper, I have said nothing to thee, nor for thee in this Treatise: This comfortable Cordial that I have endeavoured to compound for the comfort of Souls really sick, shall become thy poison, if thou offer to meddle with it. Taste not one sip of it I charge thee; and if thou dost, I am guiltless of thy blood, having given thee a fair warning. I have written it for the use of those whose hearts God hath touched, and are sick of love for him who is altogether Lovely: Not for such as turn the grace of God into wantonness. So I commit it to the blessing of God, and the approbation of the Churches of Christ; 
† As namely the Churches of Christ in London meeting usually at the glass-house in Broad street, The Church in Coventry, The Church in Warwick, The Church at Hook-Norton in Oxfordshire; And the Church meeting near Martin-Hinmarsh in Gloucestershire, or any others to whom I am near related.  and such in them, as are most experienced in the deal of God with troubled souls; And desire to continue, as by the grace of God I am,  
A servant to Christ, and the meanest of his Saints, DANIEL KING. From the Limekiln at Pickle-Hering in Southwark this 7 th'. of the 11 th'. Month.   

A Discovery of some troublesome thoughts, wherewith many Godly Precious Souls are burdened and extremely pressed.  
Together with a Compound of Scripture and experimental Cordials, for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a Disease, etc.  Luke 24.38. 
And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?  
THe words contain a reproof or reprehension of the Disciples of Christ, by Christ himself; laid down by way of Interrogation: Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Like that of Mar. 4.40. Why are ye so fearful? and Matth. 21.25. Why then do you not believe on him? and according to that, Isa. 40.27. Why sayest thou O Jacob, and speakest O Israel, my way is hid from the Lord; and my Judgement is passed over from my God?  

Division.  The words consist of two parts. 

1. The thing for which Christ reproveth them, though in a loving sweet manner I confess for being so troubled.  
2. The ground of this their trouble, Thoughts arising in their hearts.    
And it appears it was a reproof of them, because he laboureth to take them off from this distemper, in the next words; Behold my hands, and my feet, that it is I myself: for they were troubled through a mistake, thinking they had seen a spirit, and not Christ: And therefore he did not approve of it, but reproveth it.  
Consider further, 

1. Who it was that speaketh here; Christ himself.  
2. To whom he spoke; To his Disciples, believers.  
3. At what time; And that was when he himself came in among them, and was present with them, and saluted them with peace. Vers. 36.    

Meaning of the words.  For the meaning of the words, I will be brief.  

1. Troubled.  Trouble. This word is set out to us diversely in Scripture. 

1. Sometimes it signifieth poverty. 1 Chron. 22.14. In my trouble (or poverty) saith David, I have prepared for the house of the Lord. This is spoken Metonymically, the cause for the effect.  
2. It signifieth to be shortened. Job 21.4. Why should not my Spirit be troubled? The Hebrew reading is, shortened, When a man is straightened, and cannot be so enlarged as he would be: It's a phrase taken from one that is overburthened, and is so pressed down that he cannot look up, nor go forward, but falleth short of what he would reach or attain to; And so is filled with perplexities and fears.  
3. It importeth weariness, or to be tired under a burden. Nehem. 9.32. O our God, let not all the trouble seem little before thee; the Hebrew reading is, Weariness. It meaneth so to be burdened as not to be able to stand up under it; Ps. 38.6. I am troubled (Hebr. Wried) I am bowed down greatly, I go mourning all the day. So that it is to be writhe or wried aside, and bowed down under some Burden, into a mourning condition. The word is sometimes joined with anguish, showing the vexation of the heart. Job 15.24. Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; sometimes with sorrow. Psal. 116.3. I found trouble and sorrow. Now all these are ingredients into these thoughts; and it is as if Christ should have said, why are ye so poor that ye have no confidence, nor no Joy in your hearts? Why are so distempered, and wearied, and burdened in yourselves? Why are ye so straightened, and so full of anguish and sorrow, that ye cannot stretch out your hearts to believe, and quiet your souls in God through Christ?    
Again, consider where the seat of this trouble was; in the heart, or spirit; It was not upon the Body, nor state, nor name; but upon the Soul.  
Consider again, whence this trouble arose; from thoughts. Some Translations read it doubtings; It signifieth distracting thoughts, turbulent thoughts, or debatings and Reasonings, whereby the heart is discouraged, and gins to sink under its burden; and is tired with muse, and toss up and down, through fear and doubt: like that Mat. 6.25. Take no thought for your life; that is, distrustful thought, to be of doubtful mind, or to hang in careful suspense; 
* Luke.  Such thoughts Christ endeavoureth to Arm them against. Mar. 13.11. And such thoughts David speaketh of, Psal. 94.19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my Soul; Thoughts arising from a mixture of unbelief; so this place showeth; they believed not that it was Christ, and thereupon thoughts arose. Contrary to that Matt. 21.21. If you have faith, and doubt not; But these were like Peter's thoughts about the vision, Act. 10.17. When he knew not what to pitch upon, nor how to have his heart satisfied; But sticks in doubts, and fears, and scruples, and cannot get our. And such kind of thoughts trouble the heart exceedingly, Dan. 5.6. Then the King's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him; so verse 10. O King, let not thy thoughts trouble thee. So Mary, Luke 1.29. It is said, She was troubled at the Angels saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. It stuck in her mind, and troubled her for the present.  
Arise in your hearts.  
It is a metaphor taken from the rising of clouds, or mists, whereby the shining face of the Sun is obscured from the Earth: So by the rising of these thoughts, and doubts, the sweet presence of Christ, that was among them, now was obscured, and not so pleasant to them.  
Sometimes me thinks, The Interrogation carrieth the face of an Admiration; Why are YE troubled? YE, And why do thoughts arise in YOUR hearts? What you my Disciples, that are believers! John 14.1. Ye believe in God; You that have been so intimate with Christ, that have had so much experience of Christ! did not I tell you that after three days I should rise again? have not you formerly had sweet Communion with me? strange! Why are ye troubled? But I take it to be a gentle reproof.  
Again consider, whence those thoughts arose; from themselves, not from Christ; from a principle of their own hearts, for it was in their hearts that they risen, and from their hearts: Christ said, peace be unto you; but they arose from their own suppositions, and mistakes, as appeareth from vers. 37. They were terrified, and affrighted, and supposed they had seen a spirit.  
The words show also the certainty of these believers or Disciples trouble of mind, by the Ingemination of the Question; Why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? he doth not say are ye troubled? and do thoughts arise? but why is it so? Implying a certainty.  
I hope the words are cleared up; I come now to the observations.  

Doctrinal observations.  And first from the Interrogation  
Why are ye troubled? etc. Whence observe a truth implicitly enfolded in the words; that is this,  
That the Saints of God, the Disciples of Christ, even in Gospel times, are subject to trouble of mind, & distemper of spirit.  
2. Why are ye troubled, and why? etc. Christ asketh them the reason of it, showing it was not from him.  
Whence observe again,  
That it is not from Christ, but principally from a believer himself, and his own heart, that he is so much troubled as he is.  
3. From the ground of their trouble, Thoughts, or doubtings that arose in their hearts, I observe again,  
There is corruption enough in the heart of every believer (if it did but show itself) to trouble him, and mightily distemper him. Rom. 7. Paul telleth us sin dwelled in him, and when he would do good evil was present, and the Law in his members rebelled against the Law of his mind; and now see how it troubled him, vers. 24. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Many wonder that believers should be troubled in Gospel times; Why so? Are believers free from the stirring and moving of corruption? and so long as unbelief opposeth faith, and the flesh lusteth against the spirit, is it any wonder to see them troubled?  
4. From the Ingemination, or doubling of the Question, Why, and why?  
I note,  
That it behoveth a Christian in trouble of spirit, to observe the ground whence it riseth.  
5. Why are ye troubled? Why see vers. 37. It was a mistake; for they had cause to have rejoiced; because they were not acquainted with the manner of Christ's appearance at that time, they utterly mistake and make contrary constructions of his appearance.  
Whence I note,  
That many times, the Saints and people of God, are mightily troubled, and perplexed in their hearts, and spirits, when they have cause to rejoice, and be comforted.  
6. From the general; That Christ reproveth them for it, and laboureth to help them against it, as appears ver. 38.39.40. And he said unto them, why are ye troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me and see me; for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me to have. And when he had thus spoken, he shown them his hands, and his feet.  
I observe again,  
That Christ would not have his people tyre themselves, and burden themselves with lying under discouraging thoughts, to trouble and affright their own hearts with doubtings and discouragements.  
Or thus.  
Christ would not have his people lie under discouragement of heart. He reproves it here, and helps them against it. John 14.1. Saith Christ to his Disciples, Let not your heart be troubled; there was cause enough a man would think. Christ kelleth them he must suffer, and they should all be scattered from him, and Peter should deny him that night; It was like to be a sad time; yet saith he, Let not your heart be troubled: neither let it be afraid, vers. 27. So Mar, 13.7. Be ye not troubled, when you shall hear of this and this. So also the Scripture is clear Isa. 56.3. Neither let the Son of ihe stranger, that hath joined himself to the Lord, speak, saying, the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. Let them not say so, saith God; as if he should say; Let them not say so, saith God, as if I had cast them off, or had no mercy for them. So in the 42. and 43. Psalms, Why art thou cast down, Oh my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? See how the Spirit of God guideth him to debate the business, why there was such a hurry in his heart. Christ would not have his people do so. Hebr. 12.5. He would not have them forget that exhortation that speaketh unto them as to children, My son despise not thou the correction of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him.  
I shall a little follow and clear up this point, for the encouragement of drooping souls, whose hearts languish under terrors.  

Reasons.  And I shall show reasons for the confirmation of it, and they are of two sorts; 


That he would not have them discouraged.  1. Reasons to show that he would not have them discouraged.  
2. Why he would not.    
First, That he would not; 

1. It appeareth from the frequency of the promise; you can hard lie read any part of the word, but you light thick and threefold upon the promises. Now if God would have had his people to lie languishing under sorrows, and perplexing themselves with thoughts, sinking under discouragements, he would never have left such store of promises upon record for them as he hath done. Consider what a promise there is John 14.18. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you. Methinks this should bear up the heart; God will not leave you Orphans (for so the word is) in a destitute, sad, helpless condition, as usually Orphans are; and Isa. 51.12. I, even I am he that comforteth you; who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die? etc. Mark, I am he, and who art thou? As if he should say who art thou, that thy heart should sink under such promises? when (not another but) I am he that is thy comforter. I beseech you poor souls, do but consider how God doth inculcate, and urge his promises to his people to cheer them up, Isa. 41.9,10. Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, thou art my servant, I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away; here is sweet encouragements. But mark now, Fear thou not for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. O but may some say, I am a poor worm, have nothing that is lovely, nor  in me, an unworthy wretch. Why see vers. 14. Fear not thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel, I will help thee saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the holy one of Israel. And saith Peter. 2. Pet. 1.4. There is given to us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you should be partakers of the Divine Nature. Now the Divine Nature is not subject to these vexations and troubles; Therefore from the frequency of the promises, and the end of them, we may well conclude God would not have his people lie under discouragments.  
2. Because he hath given them of his Spirit, to cry Abba Father. Now if he give them the spirit of adoption, it argues clearly he would not have them discouraged, Joh. 14.16. I will pray the father (saith Christ) and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the spirit, etc. Rom. 8.16. The spirit witnesseth with our spirits, that we are the sons of God. Now if he give his spirit to this end to comfort the Saints, and witness their adoption, than it must needs follow he would not have them discouraged.  
3. Because he calls for, and requires that the ministry of consolation be performed, Isa. 40.1.2. Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem: tell her, her iniquity is pardoned, and her warfare is accomplished. See what a strict charge here is to comfort the people of God. Yea, and God challengeth the false prophets for not performing this ministry; but acting contrary to it; Ezek. 13.22. Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I not made sad; therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine divination, etc. And Cap. 34 16.17.18. When the prophets neglected tending and tendering the sheep, see what the Lord saith; I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong; and I will feed them with judgement. Now than if God take such care that they may be comforted, and undertake for them, than he would not have them discouraged.  
4. Because God the Father hath giutn Commission to Christ, to take special care of them, that they be not overborne: And Christ hath undertaken it. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax will he not quench, he will bring forth Judgement into victory. 
Isa. 42 3.  This is the glory of Christ's Kingdom, that he shall support the weak; and this Christ gives in charge to Peter, if he love him, to feed his Lambs. 
John 21.  And the Apostle gives special charge to the Churches, to comfort one another; 1 Thess. 4.18. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. And 5.14. I beseech you brethren, support the weak, comfort the feeble-minded; Therefore he would not have them lie under discouragements.    

2. Reasons why God would not have his people troubled.  The 2. sort of Reasons are why he would not, etc. 

1. Because he is very pitiful, and tender: A good body would have no body hurt, no not so much as a prick with a pin, nor a fillip with the finger: a quiet meek spirit is so tender. So is God of his people, Jam. 5.11. The Lord is very pitiful: consider the end the Lord maketh, that he is very pitiful: he delighteth in mercy; Mic. 7. And not in oppressing thy soul. Lam. 3.33. He doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. He took it ill, that his people should father and fasten their discouragements upon him; Isa. 40.27. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, my way is hid fro● the Lord, and my judgement is passed over from my God? Why dost say so Israel? there is no cause at all; he is so far from slighting thee, that he giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might he increaseth strength: therefore he would not have them sink into Anxiety and sadness.  
2. It appears to be so, From the excellency of holy rejoicing, and the acceptableness of it to God; God delighteth more in this then in all services whatsoever; for all other works of the spirit flow into this; And therefore he that was to bring his sacrifice, Deut. 26.34. among other things which he professed, this was one, I have not eaten thereof in my mourning; Mal. 2.12.13.14. And this have ye done again, covering the Altar of the Lord with tears, with weeping, and with crying out, insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more, nor receiveth it with good will at your hands, Psal. 100.2. Serve the Lord with gladness, come before his presence with singing; and Psal. 2.10. Rejoice with trembling, Phil. 4.4. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice. Rejoice evermore, etc. Now if God be so well pleased with holy rejoicing, than he would not have his people lie under sorrows, wounding their hearts and breaking of them to pieces under terrors.  
3. Because discouragements drive from God, and are contrary to Communion which God delights in; therefore Christ knocketh at the door, and calleth for opening; Rev. 3. Cant. 5.2. Psal. 14.8.9. and saith he would sup with the Soul; And his father and he would make their abode there. 
John 14.  A man will never go to his judge, and executioner, one that will cut his throat, till he be persuaded of favour. Terrors drive Cain into the land of Nod, from the presence of God. Therefore saith the Lord, I drew them with the cords of Love. In God's presence is fullness of Joy: therefore the more oppressing sorrow, the further from God's presence. Discouragement made Peter cry out, Luke 5.3.9.10. Lord depart from me, for I am a sinful man: for he was astonished, and afraid, as appears by Christ's encouraging of him.  
4. Because this deadens the actings of all the works of the spirit in the heart; God hath not the glory of his spirit in this way: a sad sullen discouraged spirit deadens all; 2 Cor. 7.10. The sorrow of the world worketh death. It killeth the spirit, not the body, but death of duty; it makes a man he cannot come off with any dexterity of duty, death of care, clearing of yourselves, indignation, fear, vehement desire, zeal, revenge: it deadens these. Nay it makes a man utterly unfit for some services of God, as spiritual rejoicing: This causeth crying, not singing: and rejoicing and singing is a piece of God's service. Isa. 65.14. My servants shall sing for joy of heart. Sorrow made Hemah unfit for the service of God. 1 Sam. 1.7. And Solomon saith Prov. 12.25. Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop, but a good word makes it glad. The heart is down when it is heavy, and not so fit for spiritual services.  
5. Because by this discouraged troubled frame of spirit, thou art made unfit for God's consolations; to receive them, or rejoice in him, it is distasteful to thee; As he that taketh away a garment in cold woather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart. Prov. 25.20. It will not be born. Therefore mark, when God sends Moses with a message of mercy to Israel, and he delivered it according to God's Command, yet they hearkened not to him; what was the matter? Why, for anguish of spirit, and sore bondage. That unfit them for the believing the message of God, and receiving mercy. And the Psalmist in his overwhelmings of spirit, Psal. 77. saith, My soul refused to be comforted.  
6. Because Christ took their troubles upon him, and bore them, Therefore was his soul troubled, Joh. 12.27. and 13.21. Surely he took our infirmities, and carried our sorrows, saith the Prophet Isa. 53. Therefore he would have us to rejoice; yea, he would have his joy remain in his Disciples, John, 15.11. Now then, if God be so tender and pitiful; If holy rejoicing be so acceptable to him; If trouble of spirit drives from God (I mean discouragement) and be contrary to communion; If it deadens the actings of the works of the spirit; If it makes the soul unfit for God's consolations; If Christ have born our sorrows of purpose to ease us; Then it must needs follow that Christ would not have his people discouraged: But all these are true; Therefore the other.    
Objection. But some may say; The Apostle, James. 4.9. Biddeth Be afflicted, mourn and weep: And Christ saith, Blessed are ye that mourn: Therefore this cannot be so.  
I answer, that in James, is his council to those that had adulterated themselves with the world, as appears by the former part of the Chapter; and this mourning is nothing but repentance, Godly sorrow, which Paul was glad was in the Corinthians. But the sorrow we speak of, is doubting discouraging sorrow: of which James speaks not. And that of Christ, is a mourning in regard of afflictions and persecutions of the Gospel which they were to suffer for Christ's sake, or Godly sorrow: and therefore declares them blessed: Not to mourn with a distrustful distracting mourning. So that it makes nothing against the point, that Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements.  
Object. 2 But some may say again, This is a needless point: for the people of God in Gospel times are not troubled in their hearts.  
I Answer, Yea but they be: which appears by these considerations. 

1. Because sometimes they want that measure of comfort, and joy, that they should have, and might have. Col. 2.2. That their hearts might be comforted. This was the end of Paul's conflict. and john. 16.24. Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. This shows that their hearrs wanted comfort, and their joy was not full. Therefore their hearts are troubled in Gospel times.  
2. Because the Apostle took order that the people of God and Saints might be comforted: Sometimes by sending men of purpose to them to comfort them: which need not have been, in case they had not wanted comfort. Ephes. 6.22. Paul declareth that he sent Tychicus of purpose to them, among other things, To comfort their hearts. And the same man counselleth the Corinthians, 2 Corin. 13.11. to be of good comfort. And he sent Tychicus to the Collossians, to comfort their hearts. Col. 4.8. And he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to comfort them concerning their faith. 1 Thes. 3.2. And exhorteth them, Chap. 4.18. to comfort one another, and. 5.14. comfort the feeble minded. Sometimes by praying that they might be comforted. 1 Thes. 2.17. Now our Lord Jesus Christ, and God even our Father— comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work. This labour and prayers might have been spared, if saints wanted no comfort in Gospel times.    

Uses of the point.  Now I come to Application.  

1. Of Information.  Is it so, That Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements? Then it informs us, that we may boldly say and conclude, that God is willing Christians should abound with the consolations of God: It is the will of God you should have peace, look up, rejoice, and have consolation: what I the Saints make a question whether it be not Gods will they should lie under sorrow, and when terrors upon themselves, and not take comfort of the good word of God, when it is God's mind they should believe, and be cheerful, and rejoice in God, and not lie dejected, but look up with Spiritual triumph in the Lord. But we cannot be persuaded of this lesson: and hence we think we can never afflict ourselves enough, and rake into our hearts, and study how to keep ourselves from the consolations of God. Take heed of this: for this doth not please God, that men should thus discourage themselves, and be turned out of their right spiritual joy. Lam. 3.31. The Lord will not cast off for ever. But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies; for he doth not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not. vers. 32.33.34.35.36. All this is brought to this very scope, to show it doth not delight the Lord thou shouldst be oppressed, and afflicted: but rather rejoice, and take comfort: the Lord approves not of thy subverting thyself in thy cause, no more then of another subverting three.  

It is against God that we should afflict ourselves.  Let me tell thee, It is utterly against God, that we should afflict ourselves, and languish under terrors, and affright ourselves with the apprehensions of wrath: All the reasons make it clear, that God would have his people joyful and cheerful. Nehemiah. 8.10. The joy of the Lord is our strength. So that this is against God in divers respects. 

1. It is against the nature of God, which is filled up with Ingredients of goodness: it is eight to one. Exod. 34.6.7. I will make all my goodness pass before thee, saith the Lord; And he proclaimed, The Lord, the Lord God, merciful, and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth: keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, trangression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, etc. So that this argues, that God's nature in his dispensation towards us, is mildness, goodness, sweetness. However equal in himself, yet towards us he hath magnified his word above all his Name. Psal. 138.2. Now his word declareth his attributes, especially his attributes of grace.  
2. It is against his offices; look into the order of the three persons, and they all flow into this, let poor-souls be comforted: Here is the Father the fountain set open; The son's merit, that poor souls debt be paid: The Spirits distribution for the supplying, comforting of poor souls: All their offices are exercised for the effecting and carrying on of grace.  
3. It is against God's Covenant. For God undertakes our part of the Covenant for us where we are short. Isa. 48.17. I am the Lord thy God, which teacheth thee to profit, and leadeth thee in the way that thou shalt go. Jerem. 32.40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not departed from me. Hebr. 8. I will write my law in their hearts, and put it in their inward parts: And I WILL be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest: for I WILL be merciful to your transgressions, and your sins and iniquities I will remember no more.  
4. It is against God's glory: take things rightly: He hath pronounced the glory of his justice against the unbelieving world already. John. 3.18. He that believeth not is condemned already. And hath reserved the glory of his grace for his elect people; he cannot have the glory of his grace from Reprobates: It is the glory of his grace to save poor humbled sinners: I came not to call the righteous but sinners to Repentance. For righteous men, grace cannot act upon them: It is no grace to give a righteous man his wages. Again, to take a rebellious Sinner into grace, and let him remain rebellious, is not grace: for God's countenance cannot look upon iniquity to approve of it. 
Hab. 1.  But grace is to show mercy to sinners; That is, poor, humble, repenting, believing sinners, such as stoop for mercy; Now here it is grace; So that God must either glorify his grace in poor humbled sinners, or have no glory of his grace. Therefore it is against God.  
5. It is against the work of God, his work of creation in thee, and for thee. Isa. 65. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. Man; God never gave thee a new heart, that thou shouldest always let it lie bleeding with distracting thoughts and discouragements, but to rejoice. I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.    

2. Use of reproof of those that discourage themselves.  The 2. Use is of Reproof.  
And it is of those that discourage themselves, by harbouring and entertaining discouraging heart-breaking thoughts, as Christ disciples here; why do thoughts arise in your hearts? And herein I shall endeavour to propound cases that are troubles and discouragements to the hearts of many; And to answer to them, both by way of reproof, and discovery of the mistakes which are the ground of such troubles, and also to lay down some grounds of encouragement for troubled souls; So that this use will be both of reproof, of instruction, and encouragement.  
And herein I shall mention some of those thoughts that do distract and distemper the people of God; for it is impossible to speak to them all particularly, they are so various, according to the various manner of Satan's working, and laying his snares and engines to entangle poor souls; This tree of discouraging complaints, hath multitudes of branches and appearances, which would be an endless work to go about to cut and prune them off one by one; Therefore I shall speak to the root of them, and endeavour to cut of those spurs that spreading into, and fastening upon a poor soul, feed all the branches of this bitter tree, that makes the soul cry out there is death in the pot.  

The first discouraging thought.  The first discouraging thought that troubleth a godly soul.  
Oh (saith the soul) I am none of Christ's, none of Gods, I have no interest in him; am not in covenant with him; cannot call him mine as others can do; I cannot find the witness in me, testifying to my heart as others have done; God seals not to my spirit as he hath done to others; I pray for it, and long for it, but cannot come by it; Therefore how can my heart choose but be troubled, and thoughts arise in it?  
To this case let me speak a word or two; Who told thee that thou wast none of Gods? did God ever say so in his word, or did the spirit of God ever witness such a thing to thee? No, thou canst not say so; The Spirit of God witnesseth Adoption, and not destruction. And if Satan, or thy own heart tell thee so, they are both deceitful.  
And therefore,  

A necessary observation.  First know, that to know ye are Gods children, or interested in him, is not the first round in the Ladder of Christianity: The Prodigals course was not first to know whether his father would receive him, and entertain him as a Son, or a servant; but he resolves to go, and confess his sin and unworthiness, and cast himself upon his father's mercy. The Apostles in planting Churches, first preached faith in Christ simply: But to believers, they pressed them on to further assurance. 2 Pet. 1. vers. 10. Strive to make your calling and election sure. 
A direction.  Therefore this do. If you know not yourselves to be Gods, go and present yourselves as objects of the grace of Christ: 
2 Cor. 1.  For all the promises are in Christ, as spokes fitted in the wheel; Therefore saith the Apostle, Rom. 8.32. If God have given us Christ, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? I say, present yourselves before God as objects to be wrought upon; that God would make you sensible of sin, and give you a longing desire after Christ. 
Rom. 8.  For God hath his spirit of bondage to rough-hew you, as well as his Spirit of Adoption to polish you. Now when God hath thus fitted thee, go offer thyself to Christ, and the promise, with Assurance: But what assurance? Not of thy person, as if thou wert already Gods; for it may be thou hast not yet the Seal; but assurance of the promise made to thy condition. Mat. 5.6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness; for they shall be filled. So that if thou canst not present thyself before God as a Son, present thyself before the promise of God as a lost man: And so presenting thyself before God, with relation to the truth and sweetness of the Promise, it may be, thou shalt find Faith flow out of thy heart to embrace the promise: for when the heart is emptied, it is best fitted to receive free grace: for first God gives the Faith of the promise, and then the good of the promise must be received by the faith of the promise; I mean, it redounds to a man by virtue of that.  
To the point then.  
You say you are none of Gods.  

To be Gods and know it.  I answ. The best state is for a man or Woman to be Gods, and know it.  
2. The best next is to be Gods though he do not know it.  
1. I say, The best state or Condition is for a man to be Gods, and know it that he is so: Though not to know it doth not cut up the mil-post, and overthrow all; though it may indeed take off the sails: I mean, though it may put a man to a stand, or make him go heavily; yet it doth not prove his condition to be desperate.  

A man is God's two ways.  A man is God's two ways: By Election, and Calling. 


1. By Election.  1. By Election. So a man may be a sheep not gathered; John 10.16. Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them MU I bring. So that they are not yet brought, and yet sheep, which Christ must bring. Therefore ye cannot make this conclusion, that ye are none of Gods by Election.  

2. By Calling. 1. Cor. 1.1.  But, Secondly A man is Gods by Calling; And so he is a Saint: For we are Saints by Calling. Now the purpose of God's electing, is the calling of a man, and the Evidencing of his Calling. And therefore our Calling is effectual and powerful, because it is a calling accotding to God's purpose, Rom. 8.28. And the purpose of God in Election, is evidenced to us by Calling; the first dawning and evidence of this love of God to us, is this calling us to Christ. 2 Pet. 1.10. Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure. So that the way of Evidence is from the second to the first. Now it is best for a man to know himself Gods both ways: For though this assurance doth nor make a man to be a man in Christ; yet it makes him to be a lively man in Christ; for he is made a man in Christ simply by believing, or taking Christ at the hands of God.    

A double witness.  Now we are evidenced to be Gods both ways; by a double witness, that gives evidence: The evidence of our Spirit, and the evidence of God's Spirit. Rom. 8.16. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the Sons of God. Now this Calling is evidenced two ways. 


Regeneration.  1. By regeneration, or being born of God. Secondly by Adoption; whereby being strangers, we are made Sons, by our incorporation into Christ. For both these see John 1.12.13. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God: even to those that believe on his name. Sons of God, who are those? Those that are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. Now observe, that the Sons of God by faith in Christ, are Sons of God by the birth of the Spirit. Therefore see whether your faith reach this, or no: They were born not of blood, nor by the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. For prove one, and prove the other.  

Adoption.  Yet know, that Regeneration and Adoption are two distinct things: The one is the act of God towards us; The other is the work of the Spirit in us. But the Spirit of sanctification, and the Spirit of Adoption, are both one, but they are two distinct acts: The Spirit of Sanctification worketh in us a new life; The Spirit of Adoption may rather be called the evidence. So that prove one, and prove the other. Prove that a man breathes, and by that you prove he liveth; yet there may be a more proper proof, as if he feel or see, etc. So that this is it that I would say, That the witness of our spirit may properly be said to attest our Sanctification, And the witness of God's Spirit our Adoption: And by both, our spirit and Gods Spirit, we are witnessed to be the Sons of God.    

How our Spirits witness our new birth.  But observe, that the witness of our spirits that witnesseth our new birth, and Sanctification, witnesseth it by Water and Blood, 1. John 5.6.8. This is he that came by water and Blood, even Jesus Christ, not by water only, but by water and Blood; And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the spirit is truth. And there are three that bear witness on earth, the Spirit, and water, and blood, and these three agree in one. And it is by virtue of these two, that our spirits do attest and witness that we are the Sons of God. For blood, and water, all the Scripture over are said to purge and cleanse, as in all the Legal Types: yet God giveth to them an office of witnessing. Properly they purge; But they Witness by their work of purging: This BLOOD, the blood of Christ, purgeth away the guilt of Sin, as it bindeth a man over to hell and damnation; This Water, the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ, purgeth away the love of Sin as it hath Dominion. 
† Ezek. 36.25.26.27.  Of both these the conscience of a regenerate man comes to be sensible in himself: The sense of Blood purging by pacifying of his conscience, that he cannot but look upon God with a conscience full of tranquillity: And the water purging by Sanctifing him, to make him walk with God, out of the power of sin. Now the witness of a man's spirit witnesseth that he is translated out of the guilt of sin, and power of sin, and then he is born again.  
Objection. But some may object and say, This testimony may deceive.  
Answer. I answer, If you consider the power of this blood and water in a man; How wonderfully it removes a man from all inthralling lusts, and how it compels him to walk in holiness: yea, the peace that riseth from blood-purging Sin, which moves morally to holy walking, and is full of infinite strength for the sense of the pardon of sin; And that is an excellent adjunct unto, and in Sanctification as can be: the graces of Sanctification do determine the Soul to the ways of God; as a strong Bias showeth which way the Bowl will go. Consider that for one, how the heart is moved in God's way, And that is by Faith and Love.  
And then if you consider the respect, or aim, or end the new creature moves to; That is, In God, for God, and to God, that he may be glorified. Rom. 11. ult. For of him, and through him, and to him are all things; All things that are of him, through him, tend to him. Consider all these together, that they be in you, the power of Moving, how you are moved, By Faith and Love: And the end you aim at, to glorify God: And it makes a good Testimony and witness, that ye are the Sons of God.  

The witness of God's Spirit.  Now for the Testimony of God's Spirit, the Spirit of Adoption, If we shall speak distinctly of it from our spirits; for the spirit, and water, and blood are distinct, though they agree in one. 1 John 5.8. Now if you consider them distinct, I conceive then, the Spirit of God witnesseth by an immediate impression upon the Soul, representing to the soul and conscience, making you understand and know that you are the Sons of God, and heirs of God and Christ: Which Spirit of testimony is gotten by faith in Christ, by viewing, eyeing, and surveying Christ. For because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, whereby you cry Abba, Father. Gal. 4.6. Whose office is to attest ye are Christ's. So that here the office of faith is to look upon Christ, and eye Christ, that so we may receive the seal: For a man must be a believer, else he cannot be a son; but being a believer and so a Son, then comes the Spirit and witnesseth the same.  
Object. But this witness you speak of now, this immeditate testimony may deceive also; It may be some false fire cast in by the Devil, as well as the other.  
Answ. The witness of the Spirit of God, as it is the Spirit of God, will always clear itself by this; That in the witness it gives to a soul, it always advanceth God and Christ in the eye of the Soul; and it always ripens and nourisheth sanctifying graces in the soul, and makes them go glib, like oil to the wheels: It makes our Faith, Love, Patience, Humility, Hope, Self-denial, Joy, etc. whereby we walk with God, as green and flourishing, as flowers in the spring, or as corn fields after a sweet shower.  

Note.  Bastard-illusions of the Devil do always tend to bastardends, and do always bring forth bastard-effects: such as lift up a man with pride, or bolster them up to maintain error either in Life or Doctrine. But this knowledge of a man's self to be Gods, reacheth forth to God, and acteth his spiritual habits sweetly, 2 Cor. 5.1. We know (saith Paul) that if this earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens, we know it, saith he; And what effect had this upon their Spirits? Why see, vers. 9 Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. This is far from that opinion, that a man's knowing himself to be Gods, worketh security; no, this makes a man's heart obey God as a Son. And be sure the Devil in his counterfeit workings and witnessings, will never draw the soul to God, to aim at him, but still to centre in himself, or to turn aside to error or sin. And this is to fight against himself, and overthrow his own Kingdom, which he will never do.  

A caveat.  But now take heed of thinking yourselves to be Gods when you are not; for there is the danger, to conceit yourselves to be Gods when you are not.  
Now ye may go long in this by reason of some counterfeit workings; by reason of some Convictions, or joy, or common receiving of Christ, ye may take yourselves to be Gods when you are not. But here you may bewray yourselves if you will but search. 

For 1. you may perform duties merely to maintain your signs: for a man may keep a course in a form of godliness to maintain his reputation with himself, to maintain his signs; that the heart shall not easily tax them to be rotten, When a man hath not his end to enjoy, & walk with God, & so to be Gods.  
2. He may bewray himself by his desires after the fruits of the Spirit; they may be earnest, and if these desires were not in him he could not maintain his signs. To desire graces as they are beneficial to me, and not for the service of them, that I may come near to God, and seek them for him, rather than for myself, this is deceitful. I fear the reason why God gives not assurance to many a man that seeks long, and earnestly, is, because a man seeks for himself, and not for God; Like the Bee, that goeth into the field to seek honey to eat, but brings it not into the Master's hive.    

A man may be Gods, and not discern it.  Secondly, A man may be Gods, and not discern it: for these are distinct. Ephes. 1.13. In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. Mark, after ye believed, ye were sealed. 1 John 5.13. These things have I written to you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. Mark the speech here; I have written unto you that do believe— that ye may believe. What's this? Why, you that believe with a faith of Adherence, that ye may come to assurance (which yet ye want) that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life. Gal. 4.6. Because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, whereby ye cry Abba Father. First ye are Sons, and afterwards cry Abba Father, by the Spirit. The being of a man in Christ, goeth before his knowing he is so in order of nature; for a thing must be, before I can know it; else I know a lie. A Child must be the child of such a man before he knoweth he is so: So it is in our spiritual relation. Therefore ye cannot conclude ye are none of Gods, because you want assurance for the present: for ye may be Gods and know it not.  
Object. But some may say, This is to preach liberty, for every man may say so.  
Answ. I answer, not so; For this which is in such a child of God as doth not know it by clear evidence, yet it is working, and differeth him from all others in the world. The seed of God hath a twofold work in such a one. 

1. It maketh him an obedient man. Isa. 50.10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord, and obeyeth the voice of his servants; that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Mark, A child of God, though he be in the dark, yet he fears the Lord, and obeys. That though he knows not himself to be Gods, yet he would walk with God in every duty; though he have chains and fetters oftentimes to hinder him; yet in every duty there is a principle and tie of obedience, yea, and such as is mixed with Love. For he seethe God lovely, and that draws his affections to him, and makes him willing to serve him, though he be not sure of him.  
2. Though such a soul do not discern itself to be Gods, yet it is acccompanied with earnest long, and earnest seekings of the manifestation of his face to him: So that though he cannot yet make sure his Calling and Election; yet he gives all diligence to make it sure, as Peter speaks: 
2 Pet. 1.  and that because he would be more useful to God. Herein a true Christian differs from all the idle and neuter professors in the world.    

Why a man may be Gods, and not know it.  Now a man may be Gods, and not know it, for these causes. 

1. Because he is in forming and fashioning for God; for God's Spirit that dwelleth in man, makes ready the house before he manifests his abode there: So that now he may be under God's hand in forming him, and yet not know his interest in him for the present.  
2. This not knowing may be in a man form, regenerated; by reason he may be, 
1. Of a cavilling spirit, and see such infirmities in himself as he thinks are not accompanied with the Spirit of grace. And secondly by mistaking; when the poor soul looks upon sins of intrusion, as sins of admission, and dominion. Or thirdly, because he wants that perfection that he would or should have; And by looking upon some places of Scripture he sees he wants that which the Scripture calls him to; Now in his apprehension he is not a son of God, but this cannot conclude him so.     
Secondly.  

The second troublesome thought.  Another thought or doubt that riseth in the heart, which troubles the poor soul, as the text speaks, is, That Christ hath left him, cast him off, will not show him any more mercy, nor come again to him: indeed it hath felt Christ sweet, and comfortable; those were happy days; But now (alas) Christ is gone, and he fears he will never come again. And this was in the disciples in some measure; as appears by the plaster to the sore, administered by the Soul-Physitian. It is I, saith Christ. And in another place, Let not your heart be troubled, John. 14.1. And vers. 3. I will come again and take you to myself, that where I am, there ye may be also. And vers. 18. I will not leave you comfortless: How will that appear? Why, I will come to you So John. 16.4.5.6. He showeth that the thought of his absence filled their hearts with sorrow. The hiding of God's face troubles the poor soul extremely. Job 34.29. If he give peace, who then can make trouble? but if he hid himself, who then can behold him? etc. Psal. 30.6. Thou didst hid thy face, and I was troubled. So saith David, Psal. 13.1. How long wilt thou forget me O Lord, for ever? how long wilt thou hid thy face from me? how long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? The apprehension that God hath hidden his face, fills the soul with consultations and distempers; for those that do afflict themselves, oftentimes harp upon this string, they are forlorn, and forsaken; like the Stranger, Isa. 56.3. The Lord hath utterly separated me from his people. And like the Eunuch, I am a dry tree. Why so? why the spirit is so dead, and so unwieldy in holy duties, so lose, and base, he can bring his heart to nothing; Sure God hath left him: I am a dry tree, saith the Eunuch, no sap of grace, all comfort is gone; And thus the poor soul cries out.  
To speak to this case, first I will reprove this. And secondly confute it.  

This case spoken to, 1. By way of reproof.  1. Let me reprove it. 

1. Why shouldst thou be more cruel to thyself then God is, challenge thyself when God doth not? Zach. 4.10. Who hath despised the day of small things? God doth not. Because thou art weak, to conclude thou hast nothing, this argues but a heady, peevish spirit. Psal. 31.22. I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: Nevertheless, thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. This conclusion was his headiness and haste you see.  
2. Consider, thou hast enough to do to nourish thy heart against just sorrow and fear: Thou needst not nourish unnecessary fears. Christ saith, Sufficient to the day is the sorrow of it; thou hadst not need add more. 
Ma●. 6.  Dost thou think conscience of sin is not matter enough, but thou must add want of comfort to it? take heed.  
3. Check thyself, as the Prophet, Psal. 42. Why art thou cast down O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? For by entertaining these discouragements, thou layst a block against thy own mercy, and where wilt thou have cure? God will not work peace, but by the coworking and accepting of thy own conscience: Therefore herein thou art cruel, like the Ostrich, and worse than the Sea calf.  
4. Take heed: Thou mayst sink thy spirits so low, that thou mayst lose thyself in sorrow. Extreme passion takes away sense, that is certain: And as a man may be drowned, buried, lost in pleasure, so in sorrow. Isa. 38.15. I shall go softly all my years in the bitterness of my soul. See how Hezekiah was lost in discouragement; take heed that you do not unfit yourselves for spiritual joy, when God shall send it.    

2. By way of confutation.  Secondly Let me confute thee.  
Thou sayest I am cast off, I have no grace of God, no hope of mercy: and here thy soul is tossed, and clouds , that rise thick one after another. Thou mistakest thyself.  

1. Consider the indissolvible nature of the love of God; man, thou canst not break it. Hos. 2.19.20. I will betrothe thee unto me for ever, yea, I will betrothe thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgement, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betrothe thee unto me in faithfulness, and thou shalt know the Lord. And mark, the Lord saith, not in THY loving kindness; But MY loving kindness, etc. While God hath any of these, he cannot break. So Rom. 4.16. The promise is sure to all the seed. So that we cannot shake ourselves out of the state of salvation, because the business is acted in God, and built, and established in him.  
2. Consider, that as God's grace is mutual, so God's judgements are mutual: If ever he choose thee, he gives thee a heart to choose him: And if he loathe thee, he leaves thee to a heart to loathe him. Zach. 11.8. My soul loathed them, (saith God) and their soul also abhorred me. So that if thou have not cast God off, and sayest that man shall not rule over me; If thou continue with God in duty, he hath not yet cast thee off; For he that God casts off, frets and fumes against the Commandment, whereas the Soul that is humbled, admires the Commandment, but comes short of it, as Paul, Rom. 7. The Commandment is holy, and just, and good; though he came short in walking up to it.  
3. Consider, God taketh on by casting off; why then dost thou say thou art cast off? God's death is a way to life; I mean, that God giveth thee over to death on this fashion. Canst thou say, I am cast off from God? why this very complaint showeth thou art taken on. For desertion is a part of God's discipline. Hos. 5.15. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their iniquity, and seek my face. God casts off, that they may cleave to him. 1. Sam. 14.14. God respecteth not any person; yet doth he devise means that his banished be not expelled from him. The woman sent by Joab to David to speak to him about the bringing Absolom back, she pleads it from God's manner of dealing with his banished; which is first to banish a poor soul, and then devise means to bring them back again to him. So that if this be God's discipline, and Christ give thee up to languish under terrors and fears, and so to hold thee under holiness; Then thou concludest wrong, that therefore God will cast thee off.  
4. Consider, affliction of spirit may rise from other causes, and not because I am cast off of God. And God hath gracious ends in hiding himself from a soul, and not the deserting, or utter forsaking of a soul. 


In what respect a man may say he hath no grace.  1. Thou mayst say thou hast no grace in comparison of other men, because thou hast the same means, and hast not so much grace, (as thou conceivest) must thou therefore say thou hast no grace? What if they have more need of it? It may be they may be of a more perverse spirit, more proud, stubborn, or selfish, more apt to run aside from God; And so have need of more; Nay, it may be they have more temptations in the way of their callings, or more oppositions from carnal friends, or enemies than thou hast.  
2. Thou mayst say thou hast no grace in regard of sutableness to the means thou hast had; as Hebr. 5,12. For whereas for the time you ought to have been teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the Oracles of God: And are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. When thou complainest I have had a great deal of means, and am not grown under it suitable to the means I have had; This is a good trouble; for herein is thy spirit poor; And spiritual poverty never casts thee off from God.  
3 Thou mayst complain thou hast no grace in respect of thy desires and purpose of heart: Thou hast over bidden thyself man, and that troubles thee. I did hope to have gotten further in God's ways by this time than I have done; To have overmastered such a lust; To have had more self-denial; To have glorified God better in my place; I can get my heart to nothing: I had hoped I should have been better content with crosses, and born affliction with more patience than I do. Now thus to be afflicted, is acceptable to God. Suppose a weak sickly child should sit weeping in the chimney corner, and being asked what ailed it? it should answer, why I had hoped by this time to have done my father better service, and to have been more useful to him: He is tender of me, and I can do nothing in requital of his love again: Now the father of this child seeing its affection, takes it as kindly as if it did perform what it desires. So it is with God; 2. Cor. 8.12. If there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what a man hath, and not according to what he hath not. So that now for this we must not judge ourselves cast off of God: God would not have us lie for his glory. Rom. 3.7.8. nor our salvation; much less for damnation.     
Again, consider what ends the Lord hath in keeping close his countenance, and hiding his face sometimes from a soul that is dear to him. 


God's ends in hiding his face from a soul.  1. To bring such a soul to self examination, to look narrowly into their own hearts, and to search out some corruption which it may be they do not see for the present. And it is a great benefit to have discovery made of those traitors that lie lurking within, that a man seethe not; And this God usually brings the soul to by hiding his countenance. Psal. 77. When the spirit of the Psalmist was overwhelmed, and the thought of God troubled him, and his soul refused to be comforted, And he cried unto God, and still his sore ran in the night, and ceased not, and his eyes were held waking, and he was so troubled than he could not speak; as ver. 1.2.3.4. Now saith he in the 6. verse. I common with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent SEARCH. Now he falleth a Searching what the matter was; And inquires, will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? and doth his promise fail for evermore? hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah. Mark here, upon serious search he durst not tax God, nor his mercy, nor promise: But mark, he finds it out now where it was, ver. 10. And I said, This is my infirmity. By this means he finds out some weakness in the soul, which before he saw not. So that this was beneficial to him; for God would have no sin harbour and lurk in the souls of his Saints.  
2. By this means the Lord brings a man or woman to the confession of sin: And we are all proud by nature, and are loath to come to acknowledge our sins: Now the Scripture saith, He that hideth his sins shall not prosper, but he that confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy. And if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness. Now God in mercy to a soul (when he sees they are willing to connive and wink at some beloved sin which they would favour, and are ready to say as David, deal gently with the young man Absalon; or as Naaman, The Lord be merciful to thy servant concerning this thing;) withdraws his face, to show them his dislike against every sin, and to bring them to a free and willing confession of it. So it was with David, Psal. 32.3.4.5. While I kept silence (that is from acknowledging my sin) my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long; for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture was turned into the drought of summer. Selah. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. So Hosea. 5.15. I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face. Till then (saith God) I will hid my face.  
3. God sometimes hides his face that his people might see that they are nothing in and of themselves: But that all their sufficiency is of God: That they may see their own emptiness, that they can do nothing, bear nothing, manage nothing to God's glory without a special assistance from God; That they may learn to deny themselves, and live upon him alone. Isa. 57.17. I hide me, and was wroth: (saith the Lord) and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart. When God hides himself, than the frowardness of the heart appears. So hereby the servants of God are kept humble, from self glorying or boasting.  
4. Sometimes the Lord by the hiding of his countenance, trieth the graces of his spirit in his servants, that it may appear to them that they are sound right works. As sometimes he tries their faith by this means, Isa. 50.10.11. Is there any among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servants, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. To try if they will hold and hang upon him, and follow him, though he frown upon them, as the woman of Canaan did, That he may say to them at last, as he did to her, great is thy faith. And this will be a sweet satisfaction to them, when they come to see that though they saw not God's face, yet they found his grace to enable them to wait upon him in dark times. It is a precious thing to have faith tried. 1 Pet. 1.7. and this way God trieth it. Again, hereby God trieth the sincerity of your love to him. As, Cant. 5.6.7.8 When Christ had withdrawn himself from his spouse, she falls sick of love; it works; she could not be quiet, nor satisfied without him; her affection runs out after him, though she wanted the discovery of him, and this affection of hers puts her upon a constant seeking of him: as Cant. 3.1.2. By night upon my bed I sought him whom my soul loved; I sought him, but I found him not. I will rise now and go about the city— and seek him whom my soul loveth; etc. It tryeth their sincerity, whether they will stick close to his work, though they see no reward; as that place Isa. 50.10.11. Whether they will fear the Lord, and obey him, though he hid himself.  
5. Sometimes the Lord doth it, to bring thee to the sight of thy Negligence, deadness, dulness, Security, Sencelesness, that you are apt to slip into: And to make thee see thy unkind dealing with him; that putst him off with idle excuses for self ends, when he would have manifested himself. So Cant. 5. When Christ had withdrawn himself, than she comes to remember how unkind she was to let him call, and beg for admittance, and wait till his head was filled with the dew, and his locks with the drops of the night. She could make excuses when he was so near her: I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? But when he was gone, than she remembreth her slothfulness with sorrow; and then she confesseth her Negligence, my soul failed when he spoke: vers. 6. As if she had said, My heart smote me: I knew it was he, yet this sleepy spirit of mine overcame me, and now I must smart for it.  
6. That the Soul might prise him the more when he manifests himself again to the soul, that there might be the sweeter embraces between him and the soul; As it is with a perverse child, the mother sometimes is fain to hid herself from it, and call for the  to take it, that it may be quiet and more esteem of the mother when it hath her again. The child cries out as if she were quite gone: but she stands nearer it than it is ware of; she intends not to forsake it. So the people of God in their dark times greatly mistake, to say God hath utterly forsaken them, Isa. 49.13.14. Zion said, the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Here is the poor Discouraged souls conclusion: But what saith the Answer of God to it? Can a woman forget her sucking Child, that she should not have compassion upon the son of her womb? Yea they may: yet will not I forget thee saith the Lord. When we look upon the countenance of God, as we do upon the Sun shining every day as a common thing, than he clouds himself from us, that we may learn to set an higher rate upon it; and that there may be more endeared embrace when we meet with the Lord again. Cant 3.4. After she had sought for her beloved, and missed of him, at last saith she, I found him Whom my soul loveth; and how was she affected then? Oh saith she, I held him, and would not let him go, etc. Then she Clings to him with more delight and affection then ever. So the bowels of the Lord (as I may so speak) do more yearn upon a poor soul after his withdrawings then ever, as Isa. 54.6,7,8. The Lord hath called thee, as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God. This is a sad time; But now mark how he makes up for this, For a SMALL moment have I forsaken thee, But with GREAT MERCIES I will gather thee. In a little wrath I hide my face from thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.  
7. The Lord hides himself sometimes from a poor soul for the regulating of the prayers and desires of his people: Many times we are begging and crying for things of lesser consequence, and our minds are much upon the serving of self; Now God would have us to seek him, & his face and countenance as the chiefest thing: Therefore sometimes withdraws that he may draw up our prayers higher, and put our affections into better order than they were. Hos. 5.15. I will go, and return to my place till they— seek my face: In their affliction they will seek me early. Now it is Gods command to seek his Face evermore. Psal. 105.4.  
8. That his Excellency, Sweetness, Beauty, Loveliness, might be set forth by those that want the manifestations of his countenance, unto others that take notice of their distempered sad condition, that they may be moved also to seek after his discoveries. God is pleased by this means sometimes to sweeten himself to others that stand by, and behold the agony poor souls are in for want of his love manifested to them: And to stir up their Spirits to look after him, He is pleased to help such distressed men to preach him forth sweetly for the winning of others to him. This you may see at large Cant. 5. The spouse after she was raised from her drousiness, and sees Christ was gone, she is extremely troubled; Sick of love, as vers. 8. Whereupon the daughters of Jerusalem inquire, what is thy beloved more than another beloved, O thou fairest among women? What is thy beloved more than another beloved, that thou dost so charge us? What is, He a None-such? may not another serve thy turn as well as he? What is in him more than is in another? See now, what glorious apprehensions she had of him now in his absence; And how she preacheth him unto them to the affecting of their hearts; vers. 10. etc. My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand; his head is as the most fine gold, etc. And so she goes on in a glorious commendation of him to the end of the Chapter; And vers. ult. saith she, He is altogether lovely, or all delights; This is my beloved, and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem. See now, how this takes upon their Spirits, Chap. 6.1. Whether is thy beloved gone, O thou fairest among women? whither is thy beloved turned aside? that we may seek him with thee. Mark how his hiding himself from his spouse, conduceth to the calling of other poor souls to the seeking after Christ: When they see them mourning, and grieving, and complaining, and cannot rest without him, thinks the poor soul there is some excellency in him that we see not; we will certainly go along to seek him with these poor souls; he is worth seeking after: And so it sets them a flame after him also.    

The third thought is, when the Soul complains it hath none of the Spirit.  Thirdly.  
The third Thought that riseth in the heart, to trouble the soul, and perplex it, is this: I have none of the Spirit of God. Now Christ commands John 4. To worship God in the spirit. And Gal. 5.16. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh; and Judas 20. Praying in the holy ghost. But how should I do this, that have not the Spirit? feel him not working, nor quickening, nor comforting me: my heart is so dead, and lose, and weary in duty, never carried up to heaven; how can I but be troubled? When you are carried with a fiery Chariot into heaven, than you think you have the spirit: But when a man moves in a lower Region, he thinks he hath it not.  
I shall speak to this 1. Generally. 2. More Particularly.  

General observations to this case.  Generally thus. 

1. That it is a very good thing to have the Spirit, or to miss it. As in hearing the word, in prayer, conference, Meditation, etc. Either to feel a man hath it, or to feel he wants it. And the worst of these is better than to rest in a duty shaped out of your own Brain, consisting in an empty sound of expressions and words. For ye must take heed ye do not content yourselves with shadows and phrases, without the Spirit; For God doth not know the meaning of such duties. Rom. 8.  
2. Consider, the spirit hath a manifold work in the hearts of the children of God. Now a man cannot reason from the want of such a fruit of the Spirit, as joy, or peace, etc. that therefore he hath not the Spirit. Ye cannot reason thus, A man doth not Laugh, Therefore he doth not Live. Weeping is a sign of life as well as laughter. So it is in this Case; The sense of sin may argue the Spirit of God to be in you, as well as the feeling of Joy. Zach. 12 10. I will pour upon them the SPIRIT of grace, and the Spirit of supplications; And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and shall MOURN for him, as one mourneth for his only Son: And be in BITTERNESS, etc. The Spirit, is a Spirit of variety, 1 Cor. 12. Giving to one this gift, to another that gift: to one Humility, Poverty of spirit, Self denial, Godly sorrow: to another Zeal, and Courage, and Joy etc. And so it is oftentimes in the same man, sometimes it is tuning his godly sorrow, sometimes his joy, sometimes his fear, etc. And this is one ground of the variety of conditions the Saints are in, as David, sometimes ye find him singing on the uppermost branch of the tree, and sometimes hanging his wing in the bottom of the hedge; Sometimes calling upon himself to praise the Lord seven times a day: 
Psal. 119.164.  And sometimes crying out that he was cast out of God's sight. 
Psal. 31.22.  So Job sometimes professing, though he kill me, yet will I trust in him; 
Job. 13.15.  And sometimes changing his note; If I had called and he had answered me, yet I would not believe that he had harkened to my voice. 
Job. 9.16.  The Church spoken of in the Lamentations, Sometimes lamenting, my strength and my HOPE is perished from the Lord; 
Lam. 3.18.22.  and sometimes again confessing I have HOPE, Paul had the spirit as well in his buffet, as in his rejoicings. And David, when he prayed restore to me the joy of thy salvation, as when he felt it. 
Psal. 51.  The Spirit led Christ to be tempted, as well as supported him, and brought him back into Galilee: Luke 4.1. etc. A man may have the spirit in the Fight, as well as in the Triumph. He hath the spirit that soweth to the spirit in Tears, as well as he that reaps in joy. 
Psal. 126.5.6.  Therefore you may be mistaken in saying you have not the spirit, seeing it works so variously.  
3. This spirit may exercise itself in thee in duties one way, though it be not felt but another way: as in prayer, sometimes tuning thy love, sometimes thy hatred, sometimes thy humility, sometimes thy joy. Therefore do not wrong the spirit of God and say it is from home, because you feel not joy. Do not say it is idle; for it may be working in another room, tuning another grace. If a man should always touch one key, he should never play various tunes. Now our hearts are Gods Harps. Rev. 14.2. and 15.2. And therefore if God should not tune them variously, there would be no melody. And if the spirit be not setting up a candle in thee, it may be scouring of a candlestick: I mean, If it be not filling thy heart with joy, it may be preparing thy heart for joy.  
4. There may be workings of the spirit in the heart, and yet ye may not perceive it is the working of the spirit. As in a piece of blunt money, that ye can see no mark upon, you will say, by the bigness it should be such a piece, six pence, or a ninepences, but I can see nothing upon it. So there may be workings of the spirit that are not seen for the present: and yet afterward, when the spirit worketh another way, than thou mayst perceive that this was of the spirit. 
Luk. 24.  The disciples that went to Emmaus, knew not Christ while he was opening the Scriptures to them, which was the likeliest time; yet they knew him in breaking bread: And then they could call to mind the burning of their hearts by the way. Did not our hearts burn within us, while he talked to us by the way, and opened to us the Scriptures? 
ver. 32.  just as it is in our businesses in the world, many secret providences, which a man doth not see to be a providence, till after by some other issue he calls it to mind, and sees it a providence: So God hath his glory at last. As Zaccheus climbing up into the figtree, what could a man pick out of it? till afterward that Christ tells him he must abide at his house: than it appeared to be a providence. So in the Disciples being so importunate with Christ to stay, when he made as if he would have gone further, they saw nothing in it for the present: but afterward when Christ was discovered to them, than they saw it was of God. These were works of the spirit, as the event did show: But they saw them not for the present. till the further work of the spirit did manifest them: Then they saw all these to have been of the spirit. So if a man have a work in his heart, that he can make little of: I would counsel that man to follow on, to see what will come of it afterward: for it may be after some other work of the spirit he shall perceive it, though for the present he see it not.    

Particulars how to discern the spirit in duties.  Now for particular discerning of the spirit in duty. 

1. Dost thou find thy heart fashioned, or in fashioning, to a personal love of Christ, a personal union with Christ himself? The Spirit of God is the Factor for Christ, the Spokesman between Christ and the heart, to treat the marriage. So that herein the Spirit presents Christ as all fair, the chiefest among ten thousand as Can. 5. His love, and reign, and Kingdom is presented to thee in a glorious show. Now with this, dost thou find thy heart in fashioning to a desire of Union to consent to marry with such a Husband? I say to a personal love, not of his benefits, but him first, and then to all his benefits? To take him as God gives him, Rom. 8.32. If God have given us his son, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? When he is such an object, that thou canst leave Father, Mother, Wife, Children, Liberty, Life, and all for his sake. 
At first there may be self-love; but in time, every spiritual man will rise to a personal love of Christ himself, and not only his benefits.   
2. Doth thy heart and the word, thy heart and thy petitions go together, and comply: so that thou art taken, and much affected with the sweetness of Christ? And some sentence of Scripture or prayer that carries thee out of thyself, when thy heart complies with it suddenly, and strangely: I mean, art thou wonderfully ravished, and carried out of thyself desires and ends, to God and for God? It argues the spirit.  
3. Are there any graces set a work evengelically in thy heart; Love, Humility, Sincerity, or the like? That is, If thy Faith or love be set a work by the love of God to thee: Doth the fresh present of the love of Christ to thee in thy duties, freshen thy love to him, and thy graces in thy heart? This is an Argument of the Spirit; When our hearts give Echo to God's voice. Psal. 27.8. When thou saidst seek ye my face: My heart answered, Thy face Lord will I seek. This was the Spirit of God that thus sets the heart a work to Answer to God's voice.  
4. Are your hearts moved from the feeling of the experience of the love of Christ, to give yourselves to Christ again in duty? This is the Spirit of God. For the heart cannot be carried directly to Christ for Christ, but by the Spirit of Christ. 2 Cor. 12.9.10. And he said, my grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ might rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in Infirmities, in Reproaches, in Necessities, in Persecutions, in Distresses for Christ's sake: See here is doing or undergoing any thing for Christ. And mark from what ground, even from experience; for when I am weak, then am I strong.  
5. Observe the manner of the combat, which the heart hath against the world, or the flesh, or any beloved sin. There may be a Combat in wicked men, between sin, and shame; Between conscience, and fear of Hell; between desire, and fear: Therefore mark, when sin draws thee, with what weapons thou fightest against sin. Is it the love of God that makes thee thou wilt not sin? Dost thou say I will not because I love God? is thy heart drawn to God Evangelically? Here is the Spirit lusting against the flesh: not conscience against sin. The manner of the fight, shows whose the fight is: For the Spirit of God causeth a man to set the love of God, and the promise of God, as the only Arrow against sin. Here it is evidenced to be the Spirit.  
6. A man may know the Spirit by the discovery of sin: for the Spirit may evidence itself in an humble discovery of sin, as well as joy, in working the heart to self loathing. It discovers spiritual sins, bye and base aims and ends; secret, and by respects, when a man looks asquint from God; secret and by turn of the heart, that never came into the eye of the world. I say, the discovery of sin is an excellent work of the Spirit. Ezek. 36.31. I will pour upon them my Spirit, (saith the Lord) And what then? Then shall ye remember your ways and your do that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight for your iniquities, and your abominations. To discover sins so far as they are a detestation to the heart; so far as they are a bar to the reigning of Christ.    

The fourth troublesome thought is a man's questioning the truth of his conversion.  The fourth thought that riseth in the heart, and troubleth it, is this, whether his translation into the state of grace be in truth or no? whether he hath the sound work of regeneration or no? For (saith the heart) there are many semblances and shadows of grace; True faith, and false; True love, and false; like on another: false samuel's, ni samuel's mantle. And if a man seriously weigh himself, his good against his bad; His sanctification, against his corruptions; His obedience against his rebellions, and blemishes; his faith, with his distrust; and his new work, with the old man remaining. If he weigh this, he sticks, and cannot tell which is the heavier in the balance: But as presumption and pride makes a man think the best of himself; so many times when a Godly man is humbled (especially when a grain of Melancholy is mixed with it) it makes him think the worst of himself; And hereupon a Godly man manytimes questions himself, and thinks all's naught with him; And so he questions whether his grace be grace or no; And now his heart is troubled, and doubts and discouragements rise in it.  

Grounds of this thought  Now the ground of these discouragements in this kind are such things as these. 

1. He saith, He cannot say nor see, That he was brought in to God at the first by any remarkable work of Humiliation, or by any such conversion as will witness to itself by any hand of God as some others have been: Therefore he gins to Question his graces.  
2. He finds some peculiar sins and corruptions, that hath hung upon him long, and hath haunted him a long time; whither they be omissions, looseness of heart, etc. that hath haunted him a long time: And hence he is troubled, and Questions his conversion.  
3. He hath Discovered new sins and corruptions which before he did not observe, after a long time in the state of grace; And finds new ones which he did not know of: And he knows not but there may be more behind. And so fear ariseth.  
4. He finds his heart many times lose in spiritual duties, the thoughts thereof roaring and ranging this way and that way, when his heart should be kept to God: By-thoughts come thick upon him as motes in the Sun, and he is as sure to be haunted with them, as to find his shadow in the Sun. And hence he is troubled.  
5. He doth not find that growth in the Inward marrow of Religion that should be in him answerable to his time and means of knowledge. For though he grant he hath grown in Knowledge, and some external parts and gifts, as utterance, and the gifts of Prayer, and Prophesy etc. yet he finds not that he is grown in Spirit, and inward acquaintance with Christ.  
6 He finds the exercise of his graces, Faith, Love, Patience, etc. failing sometimes when he hath most need of them: And that the Disposition of his heart in the cause of God sometimes fails, comes short of that activity that should be in it: And the exercises of his graces in putting forth, are manytimes stained.  
7. He cannot attain to something that he sees in other men, that peradventure were after him in Christ, and are inferior in gifts: yet he cannot attain to that life of Grace he sees in them, nor to that Humility, nor Love, nor desire, nor resoluteness for truth, nor self-denial, nor Heavenly-mindedness; And hence he fears his condition.  
8. He finds he enjoys God lest many times when he sets himself the best about it, and goes about to fit his Soul to entertain Christ, as in fasting, etc.  
9 He hath hurt the Cause of God, when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God: perhaps to have suffered for God; And upon this, questions the truth of his grace.  
10. He hath oftentimes relapsed it into the same sin which formerly he hath pursued with particular sorrow and grief; And prayed and resolved against it; and this troubles him.  
11. He hath grieved the Spirit, and neglected Christ for trifles, for small matters, things of the world, vain pleasures, etc.  
12. Lastly, He hath found his heart apt to take liberty, and to be lose, when Occasion and opportunity hath suited to him: when he might be secret from the eye of man, close, and hath had an opportunity to enjoy his self-pleasure, he hath found his heart lose. And from such like grounds as these, he is manytimes cast into reasonings, and Questioning the truth of his state, whether his conversion were ever right, and so he is troubled.    

How to settle a man oppressed with this thought.  Now for the settling of a man's state that is thus encumbered; And to cut of all Questions and disputes, which the heart of man may breed: What if there may be a shorter course taken for the settling of a man's heart, then to stand weighing of a man's Graces and corruptions together? for though the least piece of money hath some distinct stamp upon it, that a man may know it from a Counter; And every grace in a man's soul hath some mark of truth upon it; Yet I say, what if there be another course, that a Christian may take, when his own heart raiseth storms in this manner, to take another course to clear it from such Rocks and Shelus?  
And that is,  

General propositions tending to the peace of such a soul.  In these Cases, And in all these Cases, to go immediately to Christ by faith; And to cast yourselves upon him; yea to cast away yourselves upon him, not so much as questioning what shall become of you; but to go out immediately to him. Yea, I say, though your hearts be full of deceit and Hypocrisy; yet I would go out for all this, and intrude upon Christ (as I may say) by an impudent kind of believing: and say thus;  
Lord, If my graces give me no comfort, Christ shall; And say thus, God hath laid in Zion for a Foundation a Stone, a tried stone, a precious Corner stone, a sure Foundation. Isa. 28.16. And he that believeth on him, shall not be confounded. 1 Pet. 2.6.  
Now there must be a course taken to keep the heart from wrangling: For some may say, what is this to believe in a Stone?  
That is, to be in, and to be by faith built upon Christ; And by faith to lie fast in the fast lying of this Stone: And in the fast levelling and laying of this stone, would I lie fast. Friends, If your Graces yield you but a little comfort; then presently fly to Christ's person, and personal offices: I would have you fly from your sins to Christ, and I would have you fly from your graces to Christ too; For he is the Boat to receive you both from damning sins, and imperfect graces; for the Alsufficiency of Christ needs not thy graces to make it perfect, as if he could not save thee without the perfection of thy graces. Thus doing, thou shalt honour Christ above, and sweeten him more than thy own graces: And if at any time thy heart wrangle thee out of thy graces, yet let it never wrangle thee out of Christ. If thy graces be a quagmire, that thou shake upon them, than Christ is a Stone lies firm. A man may trust too much upon his graces, but he cannot trust too much upon Christ. A man may take too much hold upon the Mil sails, (for a man may take so fast hold he may be turned about) but not upon the mil-post. Learn the use of Faith, which is of singular use to carry thee out of thy sanctified self, to live out of thyself, to build out of thyself, to carry thee by faith and hope out of thyself to Christ. Gal. 2.20. The life that I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God; who loved me, and gave himself for me. See how Paul lives here, not by any thing but faith in Christ. I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live (saith he) yet not I: Lest any should think he lived upon his graces and sanctification, He adds, But Christ liveth in me; Now lest any should dream that there is no other Christ then the creature hath within in graces, qualifications, etc. he explains himself, And the life that I live in the flesh, I live by the FAITH of the Son of God. And truly, If a man's heart will not be settled this way, it will scarce be settled any way.  

Four considerable things.  Now for the use of faith in this case, there are four things considerable. 

1. Whensoever thou art thus puzzled, labour to lay Christ in the other end of the balance, against all objections that thy heart can make: This is the shortest cut that a man can make, to plead Christ; yet not the outward name, which is like a charm to charm Serpents: But a faithful opposing of Christ his merit, his Love, his Faith, his Obedience, to all that can be said. And if all objections that thy heart can make, be all true, if they be thousands; thou needest not be afraid of thy Indictment: For the laying of Christ against them in the Balance will still all. As a man having a Declaration against him, or an Indictment declared by some Lawyer, or cunning Sophister; Alas, How is this man put to it, to make his Answer with shifts and evasions? But if he have a Pardon in his bosom, he would confess guilty, without fear: for here is the Broad seal. Here is that that puts a man out of doubt. So here, If conscience object all thy new and old sins, that thou hast done from time to time, and thou goest any other way to make good thy matter; to thy conscience, and not to Christ: thou shalt be put to shifts, with a great deal of fear, to make thy answer to thy Conscience: But now lay Christ in the balance, do but plead him, and there is a full acquittance. And if conscience object old and new sins, now by faith lay Christ against these; and no more. If a man be upon a rock, the waves that beat against it, break themselves, but drown not him: Because he is upon a rock. So when a man goes to Christ, and hangs upon him by a pure faith; these objections break themselves to pieces upon him: A little water it may be, may dash in his face, but he need not fear drowning.  
For the settling of thyself in such a case as this, by faith set thyself before God in the confidence of the love of Christ, and of the obedience, righteousness, and mediatorship of Christ alone; set thyself before God in the consideration of Christ only. If a subject dares not come before the king, to contest with the king concerning his loyalty; yet if the pardon be proclaimed, than he dares come, because of the proclamation. So do thou; If thou darest not come before God in respect of thy sins, yet come because Christ is proclaimed. And now you put the case to another issue; for now you do not put your selus upon trial; but you put God upon trial whether he be true and faithful or no, according to the word of promise which he hath delivered in the Book of God: and so in stead of putting thyself upon trial, thou puttest God upon trial whether he will keep his word or no. And it is a work of faith, for a man to stand before God in the Love which he bears to Christ, and in the acceptance wherewith God accepts Christ, and in the wel-pleasedness wherewith he is well pleased with Christ. I stand not now before God in the way wherewith he is well-pleased with me, but in the acceptation which God bears to his son. John 17.26. And I have declared to them thy Name, and will declare it, that the Love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them; and I in them; that is, That thy very Love to me, may redound, and be efficatious upon them. Here's a matter that puts a man out of quarrels, and Objections.  
3. If so be you see an imperfection and ebb in your graces; then by faith, put into Christ's hand the managing of your graces: for as the custody and keeping of those graces which we have do belong to Christ; so doth the welding of them by Christ make them vigorous: He can make a little grace, a little faith do great things; make a mustardseed cast a Mountain into the Sea. Dependence and resolution by faith on Christ, is that which makes a man strong; when Christ holds the plough, than there is no balk made. Peter had Faith when he denied his Master, but he had it in his own hands, and it faints but not fails; Christ's prayer and looks did stir it up again. Habitual grace is in a man; But assisting grace helps a man to act & do. I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. Phil. 4. and 2 Cor 4.1. As we have received mercy we faint not. These assisting are called Grace with me, 1 Cor. 15.10. And Hebr. 4. ult. Grace to help in time of need. This is that which bears you up; for when habitual grace is without assisting, it soon fails: as you may see in Adam.  
4. Look up to Christ alone to bear the iniquity of your holy things; for he is our Highpriest that is to bear them. To him therefore fly, for we are complete in him. 
Col. 2.10.  And if the work of Sanctification in us be imperfect, the blood of Christ is absolutely perfect: and they are coupled together. 1 Pet. 1.2. Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through Sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience, and Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ, etc.    
So much for the General. Now I come to answer the particular objections briefly.  

The first Ground of this fear.  1. Thou fearest thy state, and questionest thy conversion, Because thou hadst not so extraordinary a work at thy first Humiliation; not such a breaking by the Law as some others have had: But by intermixing fits, and a soft way: Therefore thou fearest.  
I answer. It's good indeed for every man to make proof of his state, whether he have Christ or no: 
2 Cor. 13.5.  But yet we must not prescribe God a way, in what order and Method he shall bring us in. The manner and violence of Humiliation is not essential to the bringing a man into the state of grace: nor it is no matter whether God open the door with an oiled Key, or break it to pieces, so he open it. For the end of Humiliation is, the engrafting of Christ, & saving grace into the Soul. And it's no matter how the plough go, so the corn growing on the Land be as good. And no matter for the manner of Humiliation; look to the End, look to the Issue, look to the fruit of it. If God have not broken thy heart with the Beetle of Humiliation, but thawed it more gently; thank God for it. God made two Mediators, 
Heb. 12.  Moses a typical Mediator to fear and quake exceedingly: and Christ the true Mediator to sweat drops of blood and be in a pitiful agony. 
Luke 22.44.  And therefore if God gives thee the sight of sin, in the Sweetness of a Father, in the sweetness of a Saviour, more than in the wrath of a Judge; And if thy tears have flown more from sorrow of Love, then from sorrow of fear; If he have given thee a new birth, in gentler pangs; it may be as true. Only take heed to one thing, that is, that the sweetness of Christ in his deal, make Christ as sweet to thee as thy sour sins would have done it. Peradventure, if thou hadst had some remarkable note of Humiliation of Soul, thou mightst have rested in some such work, and have grown secure afterward: and the want of such a thing perhaps may make thee more watchful afterward; whatsoever course God did take to bring thee to Christ, make the best use of it, and it is the best for thee.  

Scripture proofs that Christ's converts differently.  But some may say, will the Scripture show that Christ brings in men to himself after different manners and measures?  
I answer, Yea, It is clear by Scripture: And for it, Consider these things. The word of God (which is the ordinary means of 
† Rom. 10.14.  man's conversion) is compared to rain, Deut. 32.2. My doctrine shall drop as the dew, my speech shall distil as the rain: as the small rain upon the tender herbs, and as the showers upon the grass. So Heb 67.8. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers, etc. Now Rain cometh sometimes by sudden dashes; sometimes more mildly like dew; sometimes great drops, and sometimes small: sometimes falls violently, & is quickly over; and sometimes more moderately and holdeth longer. And if the ground be throughly soaked its no matter: it may as well be by a mist, Gen. 2. as by great showers. So the heart may as well be mollified and softened by the Lord's blessing in gentle drops distilled upon it as by a violent storm. Our Saviour in Mark 4.26.27. seems to speak of sums conversion and growth in an insensible way; the words are these, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground (Seed, that is, The word of God. vers. 14. Into the Ground; that is into the man, or heart, as the parable before clears it.) And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up he knoweth not how. Mark, here is effectual workings; the seed takes place, yet in such an insensible mild way, he that sows it knows not how: which could not be, if all that are converted to God, were brought over by such violent storms as some are.  
We read of Paul strucken down by strong hand, Acts 9 But where do we read of any such conversion that Timothy had? 2 Tim. 3.15. saith Paul, From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise to salvation, etc. 
Luke 19  Christ called in Zacheus at once, come down at once, for to day I must abide at thy house; 
Luk. 15.  But the prodigal, was fain to be starved out by degrees. Some may be in such a case as they may be mightily pressed at, and wounded in the heart; others may have the word dropped in more gently, by gentle instructions, as the Eunuch Act. 8. We read not of any such heart-breaking, Rock-renting tempest that he had, and yet faith truly wrought.  
To conclude, I conceive, all that the Lord brings in, he doth it by the blowing of his spirit. John. 3.8. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it comes nor whether it goeth: So is EVERY one that is born of the Spirit. But whether it be a wind to break the Roks, or a still wind; whether a high wind, or low gentle puffs, that is in God's choice: whether a North wind, or south-wind, as Cant. 4. ult. Awake thou North wind, and come thou South; blow upon my garden, that the Spices thereof may flow out. Mark it, thou canst not say thy Spices flow not out, because the North wind blows not: The South may make them flow out as well.  

The second ground of fear.  2. Thou sayest, Thou hast some peculiar sins that hang upon thee, and have haunted thee a long time, omission of duty, Pride, Lust, Passion, etc.  
I Answer, thou canst not conclude thou hast no grace therefore, nor thy state naught because of this; God's servants have had corruptions hung long upon them, yet true converts; The Prophet Jonah had passion hung long upon him; And Hebr. 12.1. There is mention made of the sin that doth so easily beset us What meaneth the weights that hang on, and the sin so easily besetting us, but that it continues long? what means the continuance of the combat between the flesh and the Spirit, but that corruption hangeth long? See how Paul exhorts the Collossians Chap. 3.5.6.7.8. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the Earth, Fornication, uncleaness, Inordinate affection, Evil concupiscence, and Covetousness which is Idolatry. For which things sake the wrath of God cometh upon the Children of disobedience. In the which ye also walked sometime, when ye lived in them, Mark, They had walked in these, and now did not live in them, and yet they hung upon them still, were not quite dead; for he exhorts to mortify them: And ver. 8. And now also ye, put off all these, Anger, Wrath, Malice, Blasphemy, Filthy communication out of your mouth; Lie not one to another, etc. These Collossians were Saints. Coll. 1.2. Yet these things were not wholly put off. And Christ saith to his Disciples, Are ye also yet without understanding? Matt. 15.16. Importing ignorance hung long; and Joh. 14. Have I been so long time with you, and yet thou hast not thou known me Philip? 
* Jonah was so selfish that he rebelled, and fled to Tarshish. And yet after God had broken him in hell, how did his selfish passion hang on him again? john. 4.1.2.3.9  But note this, though thy corruptions hang long, and be as pricks in thy side, pierce thee and pain thee, yet a sincere heart laboureth to make profit of his corruptions and infirmities.  
What's that? 

1. These occasion his godly sorrow; as Paul Rom. 7.24. complaining of the evil that was present when he would do good, and the law in his members rebelling, and of sin dwelling in him, and leading him Captive, cries out ver. 24. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! See how low thoughts he had of himself because of this.  
2. By these Christ is sweetened to a sincere heart; and by them Christ is kept within the view of the soul, to keep the heart near to Christ. Rom. 7.25. I thank God through Jesus Christ. So then with my mind I serve the Law of God, but with my flesh the Law of sin. Mark here, how precious and sweet Christ is made to the soul by the consideration of these corruptions.  
3. Here is some comfort, though they stick long, if God maintain the combat within thee. The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit lusteth against the flesh: So that ye cannot do the things that ye would; ye cannot, saith the Apostle. 
Gal. 5.17.  If God keep them from reigning, there is some comfort. Rom. 7.25. With my MIND I serve the Law of God, but with my flesh the Law of sin. His mind was upon the Law of God. There is force in sin as in a Tyrant; But the law of sin commanding obedience, that is not in a man in whom Christ is: And while the fight is maintained, thou mayst be said to conquer, though thou be'st conquered: He that is born of God sinneth not. 
1 John. 3.9.  For sin hath not his will, but committeth a rape upon him. Thus while thy infirmities are caused by the Lord to work good in thy soul, they may be counted a wholesome poison. 
† But take heed of sinning for this end: that's wickedness. Rom. 6.1.  And all these infirmities cannot be said to break Covenant with God, while they do not force the heart to yield to them. And though they be troublesome to thee: yet God hath said Hebr. 10. He will remember them no more.    

The third ground of this fear.  3. Thou sayest, thou hast discovered new sins which thou never sawest before, yea after a long time in the state of grace; and thou knowest not but there may be more behind undiscovered: And so thy state may be bad.  
I Answer, It may be so, that thou hast discovered new sins that thou sawest not before; but let me tell thee, the sight and knowledge of sin is good, though sin be not. For it may be a sign that knowledge and light increaseth in thee, and that softness of heart increaseth in thee; It is not an argument that sin increaseth, but that light and softeness of heart increaseth: For if thou seest more sins then formerly thou sawest, thou discoverest but what thou wouldst know. And that doth not argue thy state is naught, no more than it did Jobs, Job. 13.23. How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression, and my sin. This proved not his state nought. For its good for a man to discover one after another, that he may deal with them singly as it were. And it is good to see them single; I, though it be after a long while, if it be but to keep a man out of love with his own heart: and it may be occasion of new humblings.  
Quest. But was it ever so with the Saints of God?  
Ans. Yea, there was passion discovered in Job after a long while in the state of grace, Job. 3. So Jeremiah; Chap. 20.14. Cursed be the day wherein I was born. etc. Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my Father, saying a man child is born unto thee, etc. yea and resisting God in his work, in resolution at least, ver. 9 I said I will not make mention of him, nor speak in his name, etc. And ambition was discovered in the Disciples of Christ, after they had been long with him, in a familiar way. Matt. 18.1. They strove which should be the greatest, a corruption that we see not breaking out before. And Peter had self showing itself in him in dissuading Christ from his sufferings, and his denying his Master; a new sin, that he fell not into before. And his dissimulation for which Paul reproves him to his face, Gal. 2. yea, and Barnabas, that son of consolation, fell into that dissimulation, that I never read was charged upon him before. When Jonah said I do well to be angry to death; was not this new with him? did you ever read he did so before? So David's Adultery, and plotting Vriahs' death. Who would have thought such corruptions should have ever started up in Jeremiah as we read of in Chap. 20. of his prophecy?  
It doth not follow, that because new sins show themselves, therefore your standing in the state of grace is not right.  

A mistake cleared.  For, 

1. It appears the saints are in danger of falling into new sins by all those Scriptures and examples mentioned before, and also by all those Caveats laid down in Scripture wherein they are bidden Take heed, beware, etc.  
2. The Saints have a subtle Adversary, that will not cease to lay baits in their way with all the willines that may be: And they may be overcome before they be ware as it were. Gal. 6.1. If a man be OVERTAKEN with a fault, etc. And if new sins discover themselves, than there is new occasion to go to Christ; make that use of them, 1 Joh. 2.1,2. These things writ I unto you little children, that you sin not; but if any man sin, we have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the propitiation for our sins, etc.    

4th. ground of fear.  4. He findeth his heart many times lose in spiritual duties; his thoughts roving and ranging abroad, when they should be kept close to God; by thoughts haunting him, and coming thick upon him, etc. Therefore sure he was never right.  
I Answ. So it hath been with many of the Saints of God, that find themselves in a state of grace. Keep thy heart with all diligence: what need such an Exhortation, if the heart were not ready to be roving? Rom. 7. Saith Paul, I find THAN a Law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me. THAN: when? Why when I would do good, then. Heb. 12. Ye have forgotten the exhortation, & c? where were their thoughts then, when they for got it? And so we are oftentimes commanded to remember; showing that thoughts are very apt to be roving. The Apostle saith Col. 3.1,2. If ye be risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, etc. Set your affections on things above, not on things below. Which shows the heart, and mind, and thoughts, and affections had need be called together, they will be straggling, Rev. 3.3. Remember how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and Repent.  
And truly, God may suffer this to be, to take off your trust from your duties, and graces, and hearts, that you may plant your trust in God alone through Christ: And to show you the difference between the Spirits managing of your graces, and your own managing of them: that so you may plant your faith in Christ alone. And therefore, if you find your hearts deceitful and lose, do not conclude presently that you have no work of grace in your hearts: for those lose by-thoughts may rise from some other causes.  

Causes.  As, 

1. For want of consideration what a Majesty the presence is that thou art in; for if we did seriously consider that we are in the presence of the King of Kings, the Allseeing God, that searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins, it would make us more serious: A man would be afraid of playing with a Feather while he is speaking to the King.  
2. It may be thy affections are very cold and i'll when thou comost to duty, and for want of Love being inflamed, thy thoughts rove; for be sure if thou take Christ as thy treasure, thy heart will be upon him. 
Mat. 6.  Love will make you mind the thing loved; as David, Oh how do I love thy law! It is my meditation all the day. 
Mat. 6. Psal 119.   
3. For want of watchfulness and vigilancy; we are too apt to let the world and creatures take up our thoughts at other times: and then when we come to duty, and would keep them in, we cannot. For our hearts are like unruly children, if they use to have Liberty, they will look for it. When the heart hath got a custom of looseness, it is hard to keep it in.  
4. For want of Considering the Excellency of Christ above all things: For if thou didst taste and see the Excellency of him, it would gather up thy spirits to him alone: Thou wouldst like Paul forgo the things that are behind, and press forward to the things that are before; 
Phil. 3.7.8. etc.  And than thy thoughts would not so much rove after them.    

The fifth ground of fear.  Fifth Objection. A man complains, he doth not find that growth in the Inward marrow of Religion which should be answerable to his time and means of knowledge; Though he be grown in gifts, yet he cannot find that he is grown in inward acquaintance and familiarity with Christ. And hence he questions the truth of his conversion.  

Trials of growth.  I answer. Thou mayst herein be deceived; and therefore view over thy heart and life, and try thy growth a little. 

1. By thy rooting; Hast thou taken root into Christ? A tree that spreads and lives at root, we say grows, though it appears not to man to grow: And because thou art worse in thy own sight, wilt thou say thou growest not? Why man, Trees and corn grow downward, and die, or seemdead, before they grow upward. Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened except it die, saith the Apostle. 
1 Cor. 15.  It may be God intends thy Humility, and self-denial, that thou mayest be kept low in thy own sight; And self-denial is the best sign of growth spiritually: And when the duties you perform do not so much please the soul, as the Love of God in the duty, it argues growth.  
2. Men try their growth by their reaching to some mark set, as to the top of some bed, or beam, or pin in a wall, etc. So art thou more Heavenly minded, canst reach nearer God in prayer, and duty? is thy affection more enlarged towards him, though thou find not him manifesting himself to thee as thou desirest? thou art grown.  
3. Men try their growth by their Ability to lift a weight, or bear a burden. So if thou Canst not see that thou art any higher in affection; yet if thou Canst suffer more, hast more Patience, and contentedness, art able to bear more, with more constancy, and less fear etc. thou art grown.  
4. By their skill; Though one may not be grown in height, yet he may be grown in wisdom, and manliness. So, hast thou more skill to use the spiritual weapons, able to find out Satan's designs, able to confute an error, and give thy soul satisfaction in a truth, then heretofore? Surely it is growth.    
But if this satisfy thee not, make use of some means in which the Lord may make thee grow.  

Means of growth.  They are such as these. 

1. Cast off all manner of sin and corruption; Mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit. Rom. 8.13. If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. If the body be sick or diseased, it cannot grow especially if it be in a waste. Why such a disease is sin: Therefore get sin purged out by the Blood of Christ and faith in him; otherwise it will poison the soul, and then it cannot grow, as Job 20.14. Speaking of a man hiding, and favouring his sins, saith he, His meat in his bowels is turned: it is the gall of Asps within him. This corrupts that which should nourish him; And therefore get this out.  
2. Eat thy meat; And eat wholesome meat: Feed upon Christ and sound doctrine, wholesome truths: Alas, if a child eat not at all, or eat nothing but trash, Coals, Ashes, Earth, etc. how should he grow? So if thou feed upon vanities, and not upon the wholesome food of the word, how canst thou grow? Psal. 1.1.2.3. Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the council of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the seat of the scorners. But his delight is in the LAW of the LORD, and in that Law doth he MEDITATE day and night. That he takes down, and digests. Now mark how he grows, And he shall be like a tree planted by the Rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season, whose leaf shall not whither; and whatsoever he doth shall prosper. So 1 Pet. 2.2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the WORD, that ye may grow THEREBY.  
3. Get as much experience of Christ as thou canst: learn to taste Christ in his Merits, and Offices, and Spirit. Labour so to grow into Christ, that thou mayst not trust to swell in stead of growth; I mean to outward gifts. 2 Pet. 3.18. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephes. 4.15. Grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ. Col. 2.18.19. And not holding the HEAD, saith he; but mark the former vers. Let no man beguin you of your reward in a voluntary humility, and worshipping of Angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up with his fleshly mind; And now mark, And not holding the head, from which all the Body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. So that if thou wouldst grow, thou must suck of the sap of life from Christ. And because thou feelst not what thou wouldst feel in Christ, thou canst not conclude thou art not grown. The Apostle Ephes. 3. prayeth for the Saints there, that they might have a greater measure of Excellency, and spiritual perfections; That ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the length, and breadth, and depth, and height And to know the Love of Christ that passeth knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  
4. Be often praying to God to make thee grow, and look up to him for help, as Paul, 1 Thes. 3.12. The Lord make you to increase, and abound in Love, etc. So the Disciples, Luk. 17.5. Lord increase our Faith.  
5. Get a place in the House of God; a station in the true Church: Christian Society, and fellowship of the Saints, is a great help to growth; There thou shalt hear of Christ, and have▪ the excellencies of the Spirit dispensed to thee, Ps. 92.13,14 Those that be planted in the HOUSE of the LORD, shall FLOURISH in the Courts of our God; They shall still bring forth fruit in their old age, they shall be fat and flourishing. So Heb. 10.23,24,25. Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without wavering: for he is faithful that hath promised. And let us consider one another to provoke to love and good works. But how shall this be done? See, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is: But exhort one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. In our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare: 
Luk. 15.  there is all varieties to be had that may be for thy growth. Thou must be jointed into the building, if thou wouldst grow, Eph. 2.21. In whom all the building fitly framed TOGETHER, groweth into an holy Temple in the Lord. Col. 3.19. All the body by JOINTS and BANDS, having nourishment ministered, and KNIT TOGETHER, increaseth with the increase of God.  

The sixth ground of fear.  6. Thou hast found the exercise of thy Graces failing sometimes, when thou hast had most need of them; and the disposition of thy heart in the Cause of God sometimes failing, coming short of that activity that should be in it, or the exercise of thy graces in putting forth stained; Therefore thy condition is not right sayest thou.    
Doth that follow thinkest thou? Did not the Disciples Faith fail them when they had need of it, when they were tossed upon the Sea? Where's your Faith? saith Christ; they had need of it then, I think you will easily grant me that: And they had not the exercise of it, and therefore Mark reads it, How is it that ye have no Faith? 
Mar. 4.40. Luk. 8.25.  Yea and Peter when he denied Christ, had he been steadfast in the faith, he had not denied, but resisted Satan. And Peter's Christian boldness and courage failed him too, at that time. Did not Moses faith fail him, when God saith, ye believed me not? 
Num. 20.  And for Love failing, If ye loved me (saith Christ) ye would rejoice, joh. 14. So Jobs Christian wisdom failed him in his affliction, in Challenging God as he did to dispute with him, and in justifying himself too far: Therefore God reproveth him in the close of the Book. And so in the text, why are ye troubled? Their apprehensions failed them concerning Christ. But now, This doth not therefore follow that they were stark dead, and breath gone, and they out of the state of grace because of this.  

Why Christians graces fail them sometimes when they have need of them.  But then, what should be the Cause that Christians faith and other graces should be at so low an ebb, when they stand in need of them?  
I Answer. 

1. Because Christ alone will be seen in the business to be all in all: That we may see that he doth the whole work in us, and for us. 
Col. 3 11. Isa. 26 12.  As at his death, all must forsake him and fly, and Peter deny him, that he may alone do all, without being beholden to man for any thing. So in casting out that Devil our of the man's Son, spoken of Mar. 9 The Disciples unbelief disabled them from casting him out, that the power of Christ alone might be seen in doing it.  
2. That the people of God might be humbled out of themselves, and out of the pride of their own undertake, when they see how weak they are, and their graces failing them; And that God is all in the thing; as Job. 42. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seethe thee: Wherefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes.  
3. Because many times they stand too much upon their own strength; and live not clearly upon Jesus Christ, as they ought to do; and so they miscarry. And that their confidence might be regulated. Therefore Peter fell, that he might see the misplacing of his trust. So, 2 Cor. 1. We had the sentence of death in ourselves, That we should learn not to trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. And in another place, 
Phil. 4.  I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me. That we might learn to live above our graces, to have grace and all from Christ.  
4. That so thou mightest learn to deny thyself, in thy Sanctified self, as well as in carnal self; in thy very graces, and not rest upon them: That so thou mayst account all thy Righteousnesses as filthy Rags: 
Isa. 64.  And be for ever kept from boasting. 
Rom. 3.27.     

The seventh ground of fear.  7. Thou complainest, thou canst not attain to something that thou seest in other men, that peradventure were in Christ after thee, and are inferior in gifts: Not to that humility, etc. Therefore thou fearest thy state, that thou art not truly converted, and hast no grace.  
I Answer. That doth not follow, that therefore thou hast no grace. Did not Elihu pass the three Ancients spoken of in Job in understanding and wisdom? 
Job 42.7,8.  And yet I conceive they had grace; For God calls for their sacrifices, which he would not have done, had they been wicked men: For the Sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Pro. 15.8. And did not Paul pass all the other Apostles in labour, and sufferings, and Revelations too? 
1 Cor. 15.10. 2 Cor. 12. 2 Cor. 11.  and they were in Christ before him. And Mary went beyond Christ's Disciples in affection to Christ; for she could willingly spend the box of ointment on Christ; but his Disciples murmured at it: yea, not only Judas, but the rest also, as appears Mat. 26.6,7,8,9,10. etc. And did not Mary believe the Resurrection sooner than they? and yet they were longer time with Christ than she. Again consider God dispenceth his gifts differently according to his own pleasure, 1 Cor. 12. To one a word of knowledge, to another the word of wisdom, to another Prophecy, etc. Now because thou hast not attained to the gift or measure of gift or enjoyment that others have, wilt thou say thou hast no grace?  

The eighth ground of fear  8. Thou complainest thou enjoyest God lest many times when thou settest thyself the best about it, and goest about to fit thy soul to entertain Christ, or get down corruption; as in fasting, etc.  
I Answ. It may be so: and yet thou mayst be one that haste grace too: sometimes God delays to come in to his people, and puts off for divers ends known to himself, Hab. 1.2. O Lord (saith he) how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear? yea, cry out of violence, and thou wilt not save? and yet this man was Gods. So Job cries out in the same words, Job 19.7. Behold I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgement. So David also, Psal. 69.3. I am weary of my crying, my heart is dried: my eyes fail while I wait for my God. And Job 23.8,9. Behold I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: on the left hand where he works, but I cannot behold him: he hides himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. Here ye see, he sets himself about it, but could not find the Lord: He looked behind him, before him, on both hands, but to no purpose. And so the Church, Cant. 3.1 2. By night on my bed I sought him whom my sold loveth, I sought him, but I found him not, etc. She's industrious, but finds him alone.  

Causes why God keeps off.  What should be the reason (may some say) that the Lord should keep aloof off, when a man sets himself so seriously about it, I mean to find him? 

1. Because God would have the creature know that he is free in working: He is not tied to come to preparations or qualifications of the creature: but to his own preparations. The preparations of the heart, and the answer of the tongue is from the Lord, saith Solomon. Prov. 16.1.  
2. He would let his people know that he will be waited on, to come in when he pleases: yet the creature must do his duty. Seek the Lord, and his strength: seek his face evermore. 
Psal. 105.5.  Paul prayed thrice before he had an Answer of grace. 2 Cor. 12.  
3. Many times the people of God have too much self-ends in their duties, and the Lord would have them to see it. Zach. 7.5. Did you fast unto me, even unto me? saith the Lord. And did you not eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves? It may be self-love may drive a man to it, to obtain some blessing that he wants, rather than to enjoy God himself: And God would show him this error, and take him off from it.  
4. That they may see their former Slothfulness, and Negligence. Cant. 5. When Christ had waited and called for admittance, and could not have it, he withdraws, to let his Spouse see how he did distaste her Sloth and Neglect and Excuses.  
5. That he might be the sweeter to thee when he comes in again, and that thou mightest stick the closer to him, when thou hast found him again.  
6. To try thy Faith, and Patience, and Constancy whether thou wilt persevere in following him, and wait upon him, as the woman of Canaan did; though thou have repulse after repulse, and little hopes in reason: yet to try if thy faith can conquer reason; And that thy faith may be seen with the greater lustre when it is tried. For God by delaying and putting off, discovers to you the temper of your Spirits, whether you will willingly wait the Lord's leisure; or whether you will fret and fume, and wait no longer. As we do sometimes by beggars, put them off or give them no answer; and if they be indeed in great wants, and of meek spirits, they will lament and weep, and be thankful for a little when it comes: But your stout sturdy beggars, when they are not answered, they will fall a reviling and cursing, and give high words; so that by delaying you may see their spirits. So doth the Lord by this means show you your spirits, and temper of heart.    

The ninth ground of fear.  9 He complains he hath hurt the cause of God, when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God: perhaps to have suffered. And so his Soul is wounded, and he fears his condition.  
And did not Peter do so? Did not he fly off when all had forsaken Christ, and break his word and resolution, and shamefully deny his Master contrary to his former profession? So Moses, and Aaron, Num. 20.12. Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel (saith God) Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land, etc. These men hurt the cause of God, and failed when they should have stuck to it; and yet all real converts.  

The 10. ground of fear.  10. You cry out, you have oftentimes relapsed into the same sins which formerly you have pursued with particular sorrow, and grief: and prayed, and resolved against them; and that makes you question the truth of your state.  
This is indeed a sad condition; But this doth not prove thy state naught; for it hath been the case of the servants of God sometimes. Therefore ye have this confession, Our backslidings are many; so that you see it was oftentimes, again and again. The Prophet Jonah relapsed into passion, and discontent with God. He was discontent with the work God set him about, therefore he flieth to Tarshish; Jonah. 1.2.3. And sorrows for it, and confesseth Chap. 2.8. They that trust upon lying vanities, forsake their own mercies; yet see Chap. 3.1. When God had showed mercy to Niniveh, how discontent he was with the Lord again. It displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he was very angry. And when the Lord (that might have confounded him) reason's sweetly, and mildly with him, to take him off from his passion; as appears, Chap. 3.3.4. and provides for him what he wants; yet upon a small occasion again, the taking away of a gourd, or shrub (and the Lord had a gracious end in it too, the convincing of him of his folly in being so waspish) he breaks out again into the same passion or worse, as if he had never seen the evil of i●, or been humbled for it. Chap. 4.8.9. I am greatly angry, Or I do well to be angry even unto death, saith he. See how often he relapsed into this sin; and Peter denieth Christ not only once, but again, and again. 
† And perhaps the prodigal sets out unto us a Christian relapsed, for he was a son before, and with his Father, and then went away from him, and spent all: And yet he was not quite undone, but returned again.  And this comes to pass sometimes. 

1. To let you see your own weakness, that you can do nothing of yourselves: cannot withstand, nor resist, nor overcome; that ye may be taken off of all false confidences, and rest upon God, and God alone for help; That ye may resist steadfast in the faith.  
2. For the advancement of the praise and honour of the wisdom, skill, and goodness of God, the Physician of our souls, that can and doth cure when the disease is more dangerous, when thou art relapsed, and it grows worse and worse, as in curing the woman that had the bloody Issue, that was worse and worse notwithstanding all the means she used, till she came to Christ.  
3. This advanceth his Mercy the more, that he doth not quite forsake thee, when thou hast done what thou canst to drive him away; as Micha. 7.18.19 Who is a God like unto thee that pardons Iniquity, that passeth by the trangression of the remnant of his heritage? He retains not his anger for ever, because he delights in mercy. Oh but I have relapsed, and driven him away (saith the poor soul) But mark now ver. 19 He will turn again, he will have compassion on us: he will subdue our Iniquities, and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea. And the prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him again after he had run away from him.    

The eleventh ground of fear.  11. He hath grieved the Spirit, and neglected Christ for trifles, small matters of the world; etc.  
And did net Jonah do so? For a little credit to run away from God, and for a little ease to be so angry as he was, were not these trifles? And this was Martha's fault, to neglect hearing Christ for these outward things, being cumbered about businesses. And this was Aaron's and Miriams' sin, in murmuring against Moses, because of their estimation; a poor business. And Aaron's sin in making the golden Calf, a trifling Idol: to grieve the Spirit of God both in himself, and others.  

Causes of this.  And let me tell you, there may be other causes of this distemper, and not because thou art not truly converted. 

1. Because security may seize upon the spirit sometimes; desire to be at rest and ease. Cant. 5. I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed my feet, how shall I defile them? Now she neglects Christ, and yet his Spouse.  
2. Because the things of the world are such bewitching, alluring things, and the Devil is ready to present them to thee in the gloriousest show as may be, as he did to Christ: Therefore Christ for the present is neglected.  
3. For want of a clear and more full manifestation of the Excellency of Jesus Christ. As Paul before he had a clear manifestation of Christ, he trifled about legal privileges and duties; but afterwards he counts them loss for Christ. Phil. 3.7.8.    

The last ground of fear.  12. Thou complainest, Thou hast found thy heart apt to take Liberty, and to be lose when occasion and opportunity hath suited to thee, when thou mightst be secret from the eye of man, close in private. Therefore thou concludest thy state is not right, and thou art troubled.  
This some of the servants of God have found; As David, when he saw Bathsheba washing herself, how lose was his heart on a sudden in inordinate lust after her? And saith he Ps. 19 Cleanse me from my secret Sins; such as never come into the sight of men. And because of this (I conceive) there are such Caveats to shun the very baits and occasions to sin. As a man inclined to whoredom and lust; see the advertisement, Prov. 5.7. etc. Hear me now, O ye children: And depart not from the words of my mouth. Remove thy way far from her (that is the whorish woman) and come not nigh the door of her house; Lest thou give thine honour unto others, etc. and so he goes on to vers. 14. To show the danger of occasions to that sin. So Prov. 23. Concerning Drunkenness. vers. 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the Cup, when it moveth itself aright. Why? Why thou mayst be catcht with it, thy heart being lose. And saith he, At the last it bites like a Serpent, and stings like an Adder. Our Saviour knew how apt the hearts of his Disciples were to be lose; Therefore saith he, Take heed, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, and the cares of this life: And take heed and beware of covetousness: And take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. And saith Solomon, keep thy heart with all diligence. Now what need all these Caveats, if the hearts of Christians were not apt to run aside, and be lose? And this comes to pass oftentimes. 

1. Not for want of Grace (because the man hath no grace) but for want of watchfulness, and diligent observance to give the heart to God, and to walk in his ways. Prov. 23.26.— 33. My Son (saith he) give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. And then he shows (if it be otherwise,) the Danger of whoredom and drunkenness: And saith vers. 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.  
2. Because the Devil is a cunning diligent Adversary, to lay his baits to deceive at every turn. 1 Pet. 5.8. Be sober, be vigilant; for your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lion goes about continually seeking whom he may devour. So that now I would have you to remember that God's thoughts are not your thoughts; nor God's ways your ways: If God had as low thoughts of poor Christians as they have of themselves many times, there were good Reason they should be troubled: But saith he, As high as the Heavens are above the earth, so high are my thoughts above your thoughts, and my ways above your ways; 
Isa. 55.  and howsoever you may cry out as Zion Isa. 49.14: The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me, yet consider what the Lord saith, I know the thoughts I have towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil. The Lord make his poor troubled people know them, and then their hearts will settle.    
FINIS.   

In regard I was absent When my former Book was Printed, there are many faults escaped in Printing, and no notes of correction Printed; And for some weighty reasons moving me thereto I desire here to note the chief of them that altar my sense of things, which in the Sense they go in, I shall not own.  
The Title of the Book is A Way to Zion sought out and found for believers to walk in. etc.  
PAg. 62. lin. 22. for resolved, r. relieved, p. 97. l. 16. f. all r. of, p. 115. l. 34, f. all Christ, r. after this, p. 120. l. 32. f. glorified, r. gloried, p. 125. l. 1. after only, add Then this ministering must be meant of Deacons only. p. 128. l. 17. f. Original r. Organic. p. ib. l 35. blot out but only, and instead thereof r. And. p. 176. l. 28. f. dead, r. weak. There are many other faults, but being more easily espied by the ingenuous Reader, I here let them pass without giving notice of them.