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Haste thee to help me, O Lord God of my falvation, for thy name's fake, for thy promise fake, for thy precious blood fake.

Into thy hand I commend my fpirit, for thou haft redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.

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CHAP. XXIX.

WPON THE WEAKNESS OF FAITH, AND SINFUL

NESS OF THOUGHTS TENDING

TO DESPAIR.

How much art thou mistaken, (O my

foul) to think thyself then fartheft off from God, when thou art nearest unto him; to fuppofe thyfelf then most wretched, when thou art nearest to the paths of happiness? he that never doubted, never truly believed; and he that hath leaft affurance in himself, will, have moft certainty in Chrift.

Thou haft finned, and thou art forrowful; thou haft committed great and grievous fins, and thou abhoreft them, thou forfakeft them, thou heartily desirest pardon for them; if thou hadst not a godly forrrow, thou couldst not have this godly defire, if thy forrow was for punishment, it would cause thy death, but now it is for fin, it will lead thee to repentance; if thou grieveft not fo much for the fevere fentence of an incensed judge, as for the displeasure of a good and gracious Father, as thou foweft in tears, thou fhalt reap in joy; nay, thou fhalt have great joy even in these tears, thou fhalt have much sweetne's even in this forrow; and if feed-time be sweet, how bleffed will thy harvest

be! hear what thy Saviour faith, bleffed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted; in forrows here, in eternity of joys hereafter: who can curfe, where God hath blessed? what devil can des ject, where God will exalt ?

Thou art grieved for offending thy gracious God, and thou imploreft him for mercy; comfort thyfelf in this, that God is near unto all those which call upon him, yea that call upon him faithfully, Pfal. 105. 18. Be not afraid therefore; for if thy faith be weak, yet it is livi g; if it be languishing, it will affuredly recover more ftrength, if there be bloffoms now, there will be fruit hereafter; these happy beginnings will have gracious proceedings, bleffed endings.

Confider what thy God hath promised by his holy prophet, I will not break the bruifed reed nor quench the fmoaking flax', Ifa. 42. 3. Let not the smarting (therefore) of thy conscience trouble thee, remember who it is that fearcheth it; I have wounded thee (faith God) and I will heal thee, I have broken thee, and I will bind thee up. Thou art therefore wounded, that thou mayeft be healed; thou art therefore broken, that thou mayeft be bound up: that fore which is infenfible, is ever most dangerous; and that wound which fiar teth moft, is moft capable of remedy..

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Bleffed Lord, I now feel, to mine unspeakable comfort, that thou haft wounded me with the terrors of thy law, that thou mayeft heal me with the comforts of thy gofpel; that I am therefore bruised with the burden of my fins, that I may be ever eafed by the merits of my Saviour's fufferings; all my imperfections are his, all his righteousness is mine, I may boldly challenge it; thou wilt not deny it, I may fafely plead it, thou canst not refufe it.

Confider, yet further, O my foul, what thy bleffed Saviour faith unto thee, I am the refurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet fhall he live; and whofoever liveth and believeth in me, fhall never die, Jno. 11. 25, 26.

How canft thou doubt now (O my foul) when thy Saviour biddeth thee believe, and live? what canft thou fear, when thou haft his promise for thy fafety? heaven and earth fhall país away, but not one tittle of his word fhall fail.

Let not the number of thy fins affright thee, for it is his blood which cleanseth us from all iniquity, 1 John 1. 7, 9.

Let not the nature of thy fins amaze thee, for though they were red as fcarlet, yet he will make them white as snow.

Let not the long continuance of them fter thee, for, at what time foever a finner doth rep

crease my hope, cherish my love, foment these dying fparks, by the fweet breathings of thy bleffed fpirit, that they may zealously break forth in a pure and fervent flame of holy affections, to thy great glory, and mine own eternal happiness,—AMEN.

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