Lastly, Take this for comfort, though thou hast not so much trouble for sin as thou dost desire, yet thou hast so much as God doth accept; this is a true rule in Divinity, that the desire of any grace is the grace it self; for to believe, is faith; and true desire to repent, is repentance; and true desire to mourn for sin, is a mourning for sin; if thou dost desire a troubled heart, that is a holy trouble; this is a great mercy, that in Scripture account the desire of any grace is the grace it self: It is worthy your observation you read of Nehemiah, ch. 1. 11. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy Name; and prosper, &c. Compare that place with ch. 5. 15. But the former Governors that were before me, were chargeable unto the people, 7 c. but so did not I, because of the fear of the Lord. To note, that a desire to fear God, is a fearing of God; a desire to repent, is a repenting; a desire to be troubled, is a holy trouble, provided it be a solemn, sincere, and an insatiable desire after any grace: this we read of Abraham; when God comes to deal with Abraham, What saith God to him? Because thou hast done this deed, I will do so and so to thee; why he had not done this. Divines gather that in God's account the desire and intent of doing a good thing, is the doing of it; therefore when Paul records Abraham's act, it is said, by faith he did it. Beloved, it should be a great discomfort to ungodly men, that the Scripture should say thus to us, that a desire to do a sin, is the sin; it is all one to God; therefore Christ telleth you Mat. 5. 28. He that looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery in his heart: The desire and the act is all one to God though not to men; God looks on the lust of the eye, to be as the uncleanness of the act; he that is angry with his brother, 1 John 3. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. God looketh on the desire for to kill a man as if thou hadst killed him; now on the other hand, it should be a great comfort to godly men, that the desire of grace, is grace it self; I mention this to you that grieve because you cannot grieve; that do not mourn, but would mourn. Thus ⟨p. 217⟩much for the Consolatory Rules. I shall only give you this Use Use.
Lastly, Take this for comfort, though thou hast not so much trouble for sin as thou dost desire, yet thou hast so much as God doth accept; this is a true rule in Divinity, that the desire of any grace is the grace it self; for to believe, is faith; and true desire to repent, is repentance; and true desire to mourn for sin, is a mourning for sin; if thou dost desire a troubled heart, that is a holy trouble; this is a great mercy, that in Scripture account the desire of any grace is the grace it self: It is worthy your observation you read of Nehemiah, ch. 1. 11. O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy Name; and prosper, &c. Compare that place with ch. 5. 15. But the former Governours that were before me, were chargable unto the people, 7 c. but so did not I, because of the fear of the Lord. To note, that a desire to fear God, is a fearing of God; a desire to repent, is a repenting; a desire to be troubled, is a holy trouble, provided it be a solemn, sincere, and an insatiable desire after any grace: this we read of Abraham; when God comes to deal with Abraham, What saith God to him? Because thou hast done this deed, I will do so and so to thee; why he had not done this. Divines gather that in God's account the desire and intent of doing a good thing, is the doing of it; therefore when Paul records Abraham's act, it is said, by faith he did it. Beloved, it should be a great discomfort to ungodly men, that the Scripture should say thus to us, that a desire to do a sin, is the sin; it is all one to God; therefore Christ telleth you Mat. 5. 28. He that looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery in his heart: The desire and the act is all one to God though not to men; God looks on the lust of the eye, to be as the uncleanness of the act; he that is angry with his brother, 1 John 3. 15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murtherer, and no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him. God looketh on the desire for to kill a man as if thou hadst kill'd him; now on the other hand, it should be a great comfort to godly men, that the desire of grace, is grace it self; I mention this to you that grieve because you cannot grieve; that do not mourn, but would mourn. Thus ⟨p. 217⟩much for the Consolatory Rules. I shall only give you this Use Use.
