The right method for a settled peace of conscience, and spiritual comfort in 32…

1. This shows that your soul is sick when your meat goes so much against your stomach that you are fain to force it down: And sickness may well cause you to complain to God and man. But what's this to Deadness! The Dead cannot force down their meat, nor digest it at all. It seems by this ⟨p. 435⟩that you are sanctified but in a low Degree, and your Corruption remains in some strength; and let that be your sorrow, and the overcoming of it be your greatest care and business: But should you therefore say that you are unsanctified? It seems that you have still the flesh lusting against the spirit, that you cannot do the Good you would: when you would pray with Delight and unweariedness, the flesh draws back, and the Devil is hindering you. And is it not so in too great a measure with the best on earth? Remember what Christ said to his own Apostles, when they should have done him one of their last Services, as to the attendance of his body on earth, and should have comforted him in his Agony, they are all asleep: Again and again he comes to them, and findeth them asleep: Christ is Praying and sweating blood, and they are still sleeping, though he warned them to watch and Pray that they enter not into Temptation. But what doth God say to them for it? Why he useth this same Distinction between Humiliation for sin, and Doubting of sincerity and salvation, and he helps them to the former, and helps them against the latter; Could ye not watch with me one hour? saith he. There he convinceth them of the sin, that they may be humbled for it. The spirit indeed is willing, ⟨p. 436⟩