Section 5

SECT. V.

THE fifth Encouragement is,¹ That our God can gather some sense out of a distracted duty, and do us some good by it^*, Rom. 8.27. He that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, 'tis true of our spirit as well as of God's. The great searcher of hearts knows what you came pregnant with, what you meant, though you mist it in the delivery. He can tell what was written in the Letter, ⟨p. 214⟩though it did miscarry, and will answer your godly meaning, and over-look your unwilling failing, Psal. 103.13. As a Father pitieth his Children, so the Lord — Why, the child comes sometimes full of a suit to the Father, and he is quite out in his tale, has forgotten what he would have; but the Father knoweth what he wants, and what he would have said, and grants the whole. And so, provided thou be a child, and art heartily sensible of thy wants, and comest panting to the Throne of Grace; thy heavenly Father will accept thy meaning, and grant thy petition, though thy heart did unwillingly give thee the slip, while thou mournest for it, and resolvest to mend it the next time^*. The industrious Scholar comes sometimes full and clear in his lesson, but when he is delivering it, he is out: put him in his way; he is out again: Now, if his Master know, he had it perfect ere he came, he pities and helps him, and concludes, that fear or care made him miss it, and that his want is only in utterance, strokes him on the head, and bids him labour to do better next time. So the serious ⟨p. 215⟩Christian, he is deeply sensible of his spiritual wants, and knows and feels well what he must ask, and down he kneels, but yet when he comes to open his case, alas! he's drawn away utterly against his mind, and his heart runs at random