A care-cloth

5. But there are other some, that have not yet attained so much strength, nor gotten so ⟨p. 184⟩much ground against their foes. They are now, as it were, in the very hottest of the skirmish, the bullets fly about their ears, as I may so speak, and their corruptions are violent within them, and do often with great strength hale them, and draw them captive to the law of sin, which is in their members. They do sometimes get the better, and beat back evil desires, and find themselves mightily resolved to sin no more: at other times, evil desires do mightily afflict them, and they are wellnigh ready to faint and fall, scarce able to retain their purpose of goodness, scarcely able to hold out in their resolution of not sinning; yea, it may be contrary to their resolutions, pulled by the flesh to do the evil that they hate; but then feeling themselves wounded, they smart, and bleed, and struggle with their foe, and get up again, and again betake themselves to their weapons of prayer and meditation, which were almost wrested out of their hands for a time, and come crying and mourning before the Throne of Grace, begging pardon, begging help, and so again confirm their Faith, and renew their repentance, and make up the breaches of their new obedience. These poor Saints (like soldiers, whose enemies do yet hold their own, and make strong resistance) are often full of fear, and care, and doubt, their hearts often droop, and they mistrust sometimes, lest they shall be vanquished, rather then overcome. Let ⟨p. 185⟩me therefore apply my speech to he encouragement of those that need encouragement. I say unto thee whosoever; that art in this case, that thy case is good and happy, and that thou hast much cause of rejoicing in God, notwithstanding all the trouble and cumber that thou findest with thy sins. It is a blessed thing, and a great and unspeakable favour of God, that to what lusts thou didst once do service with all thy might, those thou now opposest with all thy might; what corruptions thou didst follow with greediness, thou doest as it were with greediness resist; what thou didst once place thine happiness in doing, now it is thy greatest unhappiness, that thou art inclined to do. This, I say, is an estate that should give thee much comfort. Once thou didst serve sin; now thou fightest against sin: once thou wast a willing slave to it;