And is it thus with thy soul indeed?  Happy man!  It is grace that has thy soul, though sin at present works in thy flesh.  Yea, all those breathings are the very actings of grace, even of the grace of desire, of love, of humility, and of the fear of God within thee.  Be of good courage; thou art on the right side.

“I find,” says the doubting Christian, “weakness and faintness as to my graces; my faith, my hope, my love and desires to these and all other Christian duties, are weak:  I am like the man in the dream, that would have run, but could not; that would have fought, but could not, and that would have fled, but could not.”

Answer.  Weak graces are graces—­weak graces may grow stronger; but if the iron be blunt, put to the more strength.  Eccles. 10:10.  Christ seems to be most tender of the weak:  “He shall gather lambs with his arm, shall carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead them that are with young.”  Only here thy wisdom will be manifested, to wit, that thou grow in grace, and that thou use lawfully and diligently the means to do it. 2 Pet. 3:18; Phil. 3:10, 11; I Thess. 3:11-13.

I never heard a presumptuous man in my life say that he was afraid that he presumed; but I have heard many an honest, humble soul say that they have been afraid that their faith has been presumptive.

Indwelling sin.

A man, in mind and affections, may depart from that which yet will not depart from him, yea, a man in mind may depart from that which yet will dwell in him as long as he lives.

For instance, there are many diseases that cleave to men, from which in their minds they willingly depart; yea, their greatest disquietment is, that so bad a distemper will abide by them; and might they but have their desire accomplished, they would be as far therefrom as the ends of the earth are asunder:  and while they are found to continue together, the mind departs therefrom, and is gone either to God or to physicians for help and deliverance from it.

And thus it is with the saint, and should be with every one that by way of profession nameth the name of Christ, Rom. 7; he should depart from his indwelling sin with his mind:  “With his mind he should serve the law of God.”

Mr. Fearing.

Honest. It seems he was well at last.

Great-heart.  Yes, yes; I never had a doubt about him.  He was a man of a choice spirit; only he was always kept very low, and that made his life so burdensome to himself and so very troublesome to others.  He was, above many, tender of sin; he was so afraid of doing injuries to others, that he would often deny himself of that which was lawful, because he would not offend.

Honest. But what should be the reason that such a good man should be all his days so much in the dark?