A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…

And pray for me and the rest of his servants, that the Lord will forgive us our dishonouring of his name, our wronging our own souls, and our discouraging the world from living unto God, by our living so far below his mercies, and so unanswerable to the unspeakable treasures of his Saints: and that for the time to come, we may lay this duty more to heart, and by the comforting spirit may be elevated to the performance of it.

But I suppose some will say [T•• tell me how I should live for the encouragement of others is but to draw me to an hypocritical affectation and counterfeiting of joy and courage; as long as I am unable inwardly to rejoice, and can see no sufficient cause of my rejoicing in my self.]

But I suppose some will say [T•• tell me how I should live for the encouragement of others is but to draw me to an hypocritical affectation and counterfeiting of joy and courage; as long as I am unable inwardly to rejoyce, and can see no sufficient cause of my rejoycing in my self.]

Answ 1. I shall by and by show you that you have sufficient, yea unspeakable cause of joy. 2. And now I shall only say that you are not to suspend and forbear your comfort, till you have full assurance of your own sincerity: your probabilities, and weakest faith, and hope, will warrant a more comfortable life then you can live. And it is not hypocrisy, but a necessary ⟨p. 360⟩duty to do the outward actions that are here commanded us, though we cannot reach to that degree of inward comfort that we desire: For we do not hereby affirm our selves to have the joy which we have not: (I am not persuading any man to lye:) but only we express as fully as we are able that little which we have: And a little indeed, a very little of such a high and heavenly nature, grounded on the smallest hopes of everlasting life, will allow you in the expression of it, to transcend the greatest delights of the ungodly: And also we do perform the external part, both as a commanded duty, and as a means to further the inward rejoicing of the soul. So outward solemnity and feasting in days of Thanksgiving, are as well to further inward Joy, as to express it: Even as mean attire, and fasting, and humblest prostrations before the Lord, on days of Humiliation, are as much to further inward Humiliation as to express it. The behaviour of the body hath an operative reflection on the mind: and therefore should be used not only for the discovery, but for the cure of the soul. If you cannot restrain your anger as you desire, it is no hypocrisy, but your duty to hide it, and to refrain from the sinful effects. And if you can but use your selves some time to behave your selves in your anger, as if you had no anger, in meekness of speech and quietness of deportment, anger it self will be the quicklyer subdued, and in time will be the easier kept out. If you cannot restrain your inordinate appetite to meat or drink, for quality or quantity; it is yet no hypocrisy, but your duty, to hold your hands and shut your mouths and refrain the things to which you have an appetite. And if you will but use your selves a convenient time to forbear the thing, you will subdue the appetite. If the drunkard will forbear the drink, and the glutton his too much desired dish, and the sportful gamesters their needless and sinful recreations, they will find that the fire of sensuality will go out, for want of fuel.