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of grace; and the worst should be guilty of less sin, if they would do what in them lay to profit by the good use of the said means. And the neglect, or the abusing of the means, is a sufficient cause why God should not only withhold grace, but condemn men for refusing it, Psa. lxxxi. 11, 12; Matt. xxi. 43.

(8.) Fears of salvation, for want of such graces as God has promised, removed.

But some will yet say, Let all that has been said be granted, yet I find that God has not fulfilled these his absolute promises to me; for I do not yet fear God and obey him. How can I hope? How can I but fear my estate to be bad?

Let this for the time be granted, that God has not planted his fear in your heart, &c. as yet; may he not do it hereafter? Since he has made such excellent and absolute promises of grace, will you not attend to the appointed means of grace, and hope for the blessing of God in his own time? and will you not wait, and be glad if they may be fulfilled at any time? Times and seasons of God's communicating his graces are reserved to be at his own disposing, not at ours. It should be your care diligently to attend upon God's ordinances, and when you read or hear the word or will of God, to endeavour to believe and obey it; as when he saith, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. Thou shalt believe in the name of the Lord thy God, and trust in his name. Thou shalt obey the voice of the Lord thy God, and serve him, and such like. Attend to the word carefully, and because his word is infallibly true, and excellently good, labour to believe and to approve it; and say within yourselves, These are true, these are good, this I ought to do, this I would believe and do, Lord help me, and I will do it; O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes, Psa. cxix. 5. In such exercises of the reasonable soul, it pleases God to give his grace, both to will and to do his commandments.

But, secondly, do not say you have not faith, nor the fear of God, and love to him, when in truth you have them. For what kind of duties are these, think