The Return of Prayers

Use 1 1. Use, is an Use of comfort to poor souls, that are in distress, and in such distress sometimes, as they think, and say their case is desperate, and past recovery, so far are their souls sometimes shot into despair. Consider, how easy it is for you to have your condition altered, and changed, even in a moment. I tell thee, though (it may be) thou hast been cast down this twenty years, and thy soul is battered, broken, hardened, settled, fixed in serious thoughts of thy ruin, and reprobation, yet one good look, ⟨p. 275⟩one good word from God shall in an instant dispel all, alter thy conceit and apprehension clean; God can and doth often more with one word, in one moment, then Satan could do in many years, with all the objections he could muster up. The truth of this, in experience we often find and observe in our selves and others. Yea, and sometimes when he doth speak peace, he gives such satisfaction to a mans soul in that particular, that he would be content to be as many years more, in his spiritual conflicts, to enjoy but the like light, one half hour. Thus easy ⟨p. 276⟩is it, for God to speak peace. Though thou thinkest thy self never so far off from peace, yet he can speak peace to them, that are afar off, as well as those who are near: as himself says, Isaiah 57. 19. for, says he, it is I that speak it. And when he doth it, then all thy doubts and distresses, will be forgotten, as the pains of a woman in travail are when a man-child is borne.

Vse 1 1. Vse, is an Use of comfort to poore soules, that are in distresse, and in such distresse sometimes, as they thinke, and say their case is desperate, and past recovery, so farre are their soules sometimes shot into despaire. Consider, how easie it is for you to have your condition altered, and changed, even in a moment. I tell thee, though (it may be) thou hast been cast down this twenty yeeres, and thy soule is battered, broken, hardened, setled, fixed in serious thoughts of thy ruine, and reprobation, yet one good looke, ⟨p. 275⟩one good word from God shall in an instant dispell all, alter thy conceit and apprehension cleane; God can and doth often more with one word, in one moment, then Satan could doe in many yeeres, with all the objections he could muster up. The truth of this, in experience wee often finde and observe in our selves and others. Yea, and sometimes when hee doth speake peace, hee gives such satisfaction to a mans soule in that particular, that hee would bee content to bee as many yeeres more, in his spirituall conflicts, to enjoy but the like light, one halfe houre. Thus easie