The oil of gladnessThe oyle of gladnesse

§ 3.

And take notice that in not comforting your selves you be also injurious to your own souls: ⟨p. 39⟩You make your selves unfit to serve God, in any good duty, unfit to pray, unfit to hear, unfit to live, unfit to die, by being still heavy and discouraged. When the soul goes mourning and bowed down to the ground, still in fear that God will not accept, and will not pardon, it lies open to manifold temptations, to murmuring, to weariness of well-doing, to impatience, to frowardness, and cannot set it self resolutely, to do the work of holiness, which God requireth. ⟨p. 40⟩Thou hinderest the growth of grace in thy self, for want of fair weather as it were. Thou makest the fruits of the Spirit to be far less and fewer then they would be, because they have not warmth enough to bring them up. Wherefore thou art to reprehend thy self and to say, This is my weakness and infirmity, this is my fault verily, which I must not excuse but acknowledge and blame in my self.

And take notice that in not comforting your selves you be also injurious to your own soules: ⟨p. 39⟩You make your selves unfit to serve God, in any good duty, unfit to pray, unfit to heare, unfit to live, unfit to die, by being still heavie and discouraged. When the soule goes mourning and bowed downe to the ground, still in feare that God will not accept, and will not pardon, it lies open to manifold temptations, to murmuring, to wearinesse of well-doing, to impatiency, to frowardnesse, and cannot set it selfe resolutely, to doe the worke of holinesse, which God requireth. ⟨p. 40⟩