his mercy and grace? O no: "He will have mercy on whom he will have
mercy, and he will have compassion on whom he will have compassion;"
wherefore goodness and mercy shall follow him all the days of his
life, that he may dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

6. God, therefore, after all these provocations, comes by his Spirit
to the soul again, and brings sealing grace and pardon to the
conscience, testifying to it that its sins are forgiven and that
freely, for the sake of the blood of Christ. And now has the sinner
such a sight of the grace of God in Christ, as kindly breaks his
heart with joy and comfort. Now the soul knows what it is to eat
promises; it also knows what it is to eat and drink the flesh and
blood of Jesus Christ by faith; now it is driven by the power of his
grace to its knees, to thank God for forgiveness of sins and for
hopes of an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith
which is in Christ; now it has a calm and a sunshine; now "he washes
his steps with butter, and the rock pours him out rivers of oil."

7. But after this, perhaps the soul grows cold again; it also
forgets the grace received, and waxes carnal; begins again to hanker
after the world; loseth the life and savor of heavenly things;
grieves the Spirit of God; wofully backslides; casteth off closet
duties quite, or else retains only the formality of them; is a
reproach to religion, and grieves the heart of them that are awake
and tender of God's name.

But what will God now do? Will he take this advantage to destroy the
sinner? No. Will he let him alone in his apostasy? No. Will he leave
him to recover himself by the strength of his now languishing grace?
No. What then? Why, he will seek this man out till he finds him, and