Casuistical morning-exercises the fourth volume /

3. You may expect more comfort in it, for the more able you will be to discern its sincerity, as having less cause to doubt of it. To turn to God when you have something to deny for him, some time to spend in his Service, and which might have been spent in the service of sin, looks much more like true repentance, than to turn to him when you are immediately to appear before him. The less force and fear there is in your repentance, the more like it is to be kindly and evangelical; when tears flow, and are not squeezed; you are rather drawn than driven; and your Obedience is freely yielded, rather than extorted. But the further ye apprehend your selves from Death and Judgment, the less there usually is to force your repentance, and so the less to make it suspicious, and hinder your enjoying the comfort of it. And so the sooner you repent, the more time you will have to prove its sincerity by its fruits, and the more fruit you bring forth meet for repentance, Matth. 3.8. the better satisfied ye will be as to the truth of it, and have the more comfort in it. When you cannot so well judge of it by looking to it immediately in the principle, you may be better able to judge of it by its actings; as tho the root of a Tree be hid under ground, yet good fruit will show it to be good.

3. You may expect more comfort in it, for the more able you will be to discern its sincerity, as having less cause to doubt of it. To turn to God when you have something to deny for him, some time to spend in his Service, and which might have been spent in the service of sin, looks much more like true repentance, than to turn to him when you are immediately to appear before him. The less force and fear there is in your repentance, the more like it is to be kindly and evangelical; when tears flow, and are not squeezed; you are rather drawn than driven; and your Obedience is freely yielded, rather than extorted. But the further ye apprehend your selves from Death and Judgment, the less there usually is to force your repentance, and so the less to make it suspicious, and hinder your enjoying the comfort of it. And so the sooner you repent, the more time you will have to prove its sincerity by its fruits, and the more fruit you bring forth meet for repentance, Matth. 3.8. the better satisfy'd ye will be as to the truth of it, and have the more comfort in it. When you cannot so well judge of it by looking to it immediately in the principle, you may be better able to judge of it by its actings; as tho the root of a Tree be hid under ground, yet good fruit will shew it to be good.