On this account, O how excellent are the Scriptures to thy soul! O
how much virtue dost thou see in such a promise, in such an
invitation! They are so large as to say, Christ will in nowise cast
me out. My crimson sins shall be as white as snow.
I tell thee, friend, there are some promises through and by which
the Lord has helped me to lay hold of Jesus Christ, that I would not
have out of the Bible for as much gold and silver as can lie between
York and London piled up to the stars; because through them Christ
is pleased by his Spirit to convey comfort to my soul. I say, when
the law curses, when the devil tempts, when hell-fire flames in my
conscience, my sins with the guilt of them tearing of me, then is
Christ revealed so sweetly to my poor soul through the promises,
that all is forced to fly and leave off to accuse my soul. So also
when the world frowns, when the enemies rage and threaten to kill
me, then also the precious promises do weigh down all, and comfort
the soul against all.
The grace of God and the Spirit of grace are called or compared to a
river, to answer those unsatiable desires, and to wash away those
mountainous doubts, that attend those who indeed do thirst for that
drink. The man that thirsteth with spiritual thirst, fears nothing
more than that there is not enough to quench his thirst: all the
promises and sayings of God's ministers to such a man, seem but as
thimbles instead of bowls: I mean, so long as his thirst and doubts
walk hand in hand together.
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