doubted sign of uprightness, and that love to grace, and desire after it, which nothing but grace itself doth give. And if thou art thus willing, it is great wrong to Christ to doubt of his willingness. For, 1. He is a greater lover of holiness than thou art; and therefore cannot come behind thee, in being willing of thy holiness. 2. He is more merciful to thee, than thou art to thyself: his love and mercy are beyond thy measure. 3. He hath begun to thee and fully shewed his willingness first. He died to prepare thee a full remedy: he hath drawn up the covenant: he hath therein expressed his own consent, and entreateth thine; he is the first in consenting, and is a suitor to thee. Never sinner did yet begin to him in the world. Never any was willing of the match before him: his general offer of mercy, and covenant tendered to all, doth shew his willingness before they can shew theirs by their acceptance. Never man overwent him in willingness and was more willing than he. Take this sinner, as God's infallible truth. If the match break between Christ and thee, and thou be lost, it shall not be through his refusal, but through thine: and it cannot break any other way, no not by the craft or force of all the devils in hell; but either because Christ is unwilling, or because thou art unwilling; and on Christ's part it shall never break. And therefore if thou be willing the match is made; and there is no danger but lest thy heart draw back. If thou art not willing, why complainest thou for want of that which thou wouldst not have? If thou art willing, the covenant is then made, for Christ is more willing, and was willing first.

Direct. XI. 'Write out those sentences that contain the sense and substance of the Gospel and often read them.' Write them on thy very chamber walls, and set them still before thine eyes; and try whether they agree with the words of him that tempteth thee to despair: such as these which I here transcribe for thee. "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.This is the condemnation that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath

made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son: and this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son: he that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.-He came unto his own, but his own received him not: but to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, to them that believe on his name.-Let him that is athirst come; and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. And ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life.-All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.—If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink.-Come, for all things are now ready." And read oft Luke xv.

Direct. x11. Distinguish between sin seen and felt, and sin reigning unto death; that you may not be so blinded as to think your sin greatest or your condition worst, when your sight and feeling of it are greatest.' To see and feel your sin and misery is at least the ordinary preparation for recovery. To be dead is to be past feeling. They that are most forsaken of God are most willing of their present condition, and most love their sin, and hate holiness and all that would reform them, and if they have power, will persecute them as enemies.

Direct. XIII. Think not that the troublesome strivings and temptations which weary you are the worst condition, or a sign of the victory of sin.' It is rather a sign that you are not yet forsaken of God, while he beareth witness in you against sin, and is yet following you with his dissuasives. Paul saith, "For the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Read Rom. vii. from 14. to the end.

Direct. XIV. Understand the difference between weak

grace and no grace; that you may not think every want of grace is a sign of total gracelessness.' When you have opened in your complaints a long catalogue of weaknesses,

* John iii. 16. Ver. 19. 1 John v. 10-12. Jolin i. 11, 12. Rev. xxii. 17. John v. 40. John vi. 37. John vii. 37. Luke xiv. 17.

h Gal. v. 15.

consider whether yet there be not a true desire to be better; and some degree of life with all these?

Direct. xv. Think well of the excellency of the least degree of special grace, that it is a seed of glory; the beginning of life eternal; the divine nature, and the image of God, and of greater worth than all the learning, wealth, and honour in the world.' And be not unthankful for so great have not more.

a mercy, because you

Direct. xvI. Make conscience of observing the grace and mercy received as well as the wants remaining and the sins committed, and of the thankful remembrance and mention of mercy, as much as the humble mention of sin.' Think as oft of mercy as of sin: talk of it as much to others; and mention it to God as much in prayer: this is your plain duty; if you will not do it, your wilful unthankfulness for what you have received, may well leave you in distress without the comfort of it.

Direct. XVII. Let your thoughts of God's goodness bear some proportion with your thoughts of his knowledge and his power.' And then you will not be so apt to entertain false suspicions of it, and think of him as a man-hater, like the devil, nor to run away from him, that is the infinite, most attractive good.

Direct. xvIII. Record the particular kindnesses to thyself, by which God hath testified his particular love to thee: that they may stand as near and constant witnesses of his mercy and readiness to do thee good, against thy excessive fearfulness and despair.'

Direct. xIx. 'Think how few there are in the world so likely for mercy as thyself. Look not only on a few that are better than thyself; but think how five parts of the world are open infidels, and heathens; and of the sixth part that are Christians, how few are reformed from popish and barbarous ignorance, and superstition: and among Protestants how small is the number of them that are less in love with sin than thyself? I know that many wicked men abuse this comparison to presumption: but I know also that a Christian may and must use it against despair, and not think of God and the Redeemer as if he would save so few as are next to none at all.

:

Direct. xx. 'Remember that God commandeth faith and hope, and forbiddeth unbelief and despair, and that it is your sin and will you sin more when you have sinned so much already?' What if you see no other reason why you should hope, and why you should not despair, but God's command? Is not that enough? I charge you in the name of God obey him and despair not. Sin not wilfully thus against him. Hope is your duty: and dare you plead against duty? Despair is your sin, and will you justify it? Yea, consider what a deal of comfort is in this: for if there were no hope of your salvation, God would never have made it your duty to hope, nor forbidden you to despair. He doth not bid the devils nor the damned hope as he doth you: he forbiddeth not them to despair as he doth you: there is cause for this: he would have done it, if your condition were as hopeless as theirs is.

Direct. xxI. If God forbid you to despair, it is certainly the devil that biddeth it.' And will you knowingly obey the devil? What if the devil persuade you to it openly with his own mouth? would you not know that it is bad which such an enemy draweth you to? Methinks this should be a very great comfort to you, to think that it is the devil that persuadeth you to despair? For that proveth that you should not despair; and that proveth that your case is not desperate but hopeful.

Direct. XXII. Think whither it tendeth: to despair is to give up all hopes of your salvation: and when you have no hope you will use no means.' For to what purpose should ́a man seek for that which he hath no hopes to find? And so when this weight is taken off, all the wheels stand still. The meaning of the devil hath two parts, the first is, Do not hear, nor read, nor pray, nor seek advice, nor talk any more about it with good people, for there is no hope, And the next part is, either destroy thyself, or else sin boldly and take the pleasure of sin while thou mayst; for there is no hope of any better. And dost thou think that either of these is from God? Or is it for thy good? What is the meaning of all, but cast away thy soul? While thou hopest, thou wilt seek, and use some means; but to cast

iPsal. cxlvi. 5. xxxi. 24. Rom. viii. 24. xv. 4. 13. Col. i. 23. 1 Thes. v.8. Heb. iii. 6. vi. 11. 18, 19. Tit. i. 2.

away hope is to cast away all. And hast thou so far lost self-love as to be thyself the doer of such a deed?

Direct. XXIII. Think what a wrong thou dost to the Father, the Saviour, and the Sanctifier of souls, to think so poorly and despairingly of his grace, as if it were not able to prevail against thy sin: and to obscure thus the glory of his redemption; and to believe the devil in his slandering, extenuating, and dishonouring that in God, which he will have most glorified by sinners?'

Direct. XXIV. 'Bethink thee what one person thou canst name in all the world, that ever perished or was rejected, that was willing in this life to be saved and sanctified by Christ, and had rather have Christ and perfect holiness than the treasures or pleasures of the world.' Name me any one such person if thou canst: but I am sure thou canst not and dost thou fear that which never was done to any one; or think that Christ will begin with thee?

Direct. xxv. 'Up man and be doing, and resolve in despite of the devil that thou wilt wait on God in the use of means, and cast thyself on Christ, and if thou perish thou wilt perish there.' Do this, and thou shalt never perish. Thou canst not do worse than despair and give up all; nor canst thou please the devil more, nor displease God more, nor wrong Christ and the Spirit more. Thou art certain that thou canst lose nothing by trusting thy soul on Christ, and hoping in him, and patiently using his means: do but this, and hope shall save thee, when satan by despair would damn thee.

Direct. XXVI. 'Understand in what time and order it is that Christ giveth his grace and saveth his people from their sins: that he doth it not all at once but by degrees, and taketh all the time of this present life to do it in.' As able as your physician is, he will not finish the cure till your life be finished. The next life is the state of absolute perfection: all things are imperfect here: despair not therefore of all that you have not yet attained: your sin may be more mortified yet, and your grace yet more strengthened. If it be done before you come to judgment it is well for you: do your part in daily diligence: do you plant and water, and he will give the increase. Read more of this before, Part ii. against Melancholy.