Spiritual desertions discovered and remedied. Being the substance of divers sermons preached for the…

3. There may be the evidence of true Grace, where there is not the evidence of strong Grace: and reason good, for there may be faith, though not like Abraham, who against hope, believed in hope, but like a grain of mustard seed. There are the Characters of real faith, in its lowest actings; and there are the notes of the strong & vigorous actings of it: and we are apt to apply our selves in an hour of temptation, to the latter, and because we find them not, we overlook the former, and vote our selves to have none, because we have it not in such degrees, and hereby we greatly injure our selves.

4. God may not be withdrawn as to Assistance, when he is so as to comfort: and certainly this affords matter of encouragement in a dark time. Nay, it is to be observed, that sometimes God gives more powerful assistances at such a time. When Christ withdrew, as to comfort, from the Spouse, Cant. 5. yet never was her grace in such vigour and resolution as then, expressing her insuperable love to him, her insatiable desire after him, and her unconquerable resolution to follow him, till she had found him again; nor did she ever give a more glorious description of him, than in that Desertion, Verse 10. &c.

3 Above all take heed of concluding your selves Reprobates. We observed, that sometimes the temptation may grow up to a readiness […] to do, and therefore it needs to be cautioned against, as a thing very dangerous▪ and for prevention, Consider,

3 Above all take heed of concluding your selves Reprobates. We observed, that sometimes the temptation may grow up to a readiness to do, and therefore it needs to be cautioned against, as a thing very dangerous and for prevention, Consider,