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POSTSCRIPT.

LEST Satan fhould get an advantage by this relation of God's ftrange and wonderful dealing with me, in bringing me home to Chrift, in fuch an unusual manner, and his handling me fo fharply by the spirit of bondage; as alfo his bountiful dealing with me in making my foul the receptacle of fuch ravishing joy, and unutterable confolation, upon believing in Chrift in effectual calling; I thought it might be feasonable to give the prefent caution to the poor, doubting, tempted believer, who, through Satan's fubtilty in tempting, will find himself, or herself, wretchedly prone to conclude from what they read of my converfion, that the work of true converfion was never yet effectually wrought in themselves: and that, becaufe they were never under fuch terrible bondage of foul, neither ever yet were lifted up fo near heaven as I was.

Such poor tempted believers are to confider the particulars following, for their help and relief, against the tempter in this cafe.

First, Confider that as in nature there is a vaft disparity or difference between perfons in the natural birth, fo there is as vaft a difference in the fpiritual birth. Some women go through abundantly more and sharper pains and throws in travail than others meet with. Some babes meet with

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greater difficulties and dangers in the birth than do others. The caufes whereof in nature, though they appear not to us, yet it is most certain that fo.it is.

་ྱ;

So in converfion, fome fouls pafs through greater horror and bondage in the confcience than others do. Some are brought as it were through the very jaws of hell and defperation, as I was; others are dealt more easily and gently with, being fweetly allured, and, as it were, infenfibly tranfplanted into Chrift; they not well knowing what is done to them. Paul and the rugged jailor were handled more roughly; their confciences were more deeply wounded with the frightening terrors of God's law, fet home by the fpirit of bondage, than Lydia, whose heart the Lord opened with more gentle touches of his fpirit. Acts ix. 6. xxi. 15. 29.

That woman who is fafely delivered without any difficulty or danger to herself or her babe, hath no reafon to question whether the be indeed delivered or not, because she went not through fuch difficulty and danger as her neighbour did, who narrowly. efcaped with her life; neither hath fhe any caufe of being jealous with her neighbour, because her cafe or condition was more dangerous and defperate in travail than was her own. Thou, who art brought to Chrift by the gentle drawings of the Spirit of grace, and not brought fo nigh to the affrighting fight of hell, and to fuch a fenfe and feeling

feeling of the pains of the damned, as have caufed fome to think themselves actually in hell, admire at, and blefs God for his condescension towards thee, in bringing thee through the new birth fo eafily.

Secondly, Confider, that albeit the truth of thy converfion be not so sensibly difcerned as the converfion of that perfon is who is brought home in the way of legal terror, yet thou art bound to bless God for the fmalleft measure of grace bestowed on thee, as the smallest spark of fire, though it be hid under a great heap of ashes, is as truly fire as the greatest fire in nature; fo thy small grace, which, in comparison of fome other's grace, may be fo weak and little that it can fcarcely be difcerned ; yet grace it is, though thou know it not to be fo, and he who bestowed it on thee, and wrought it in thee, will never reject or neglect thee because of thy little grace; while he fees thee and makes thee conftant and diligent in the use of means, labouring to grow in grace. Ifa. xlii. 3. Matt. v. 6. Ifa. xli. 17. Phil. i. 6.—If thou object, and say, Oh, but I do not find that I am brought to Chrift, and, which is far worse, I fear I never fhall

To this I anfwer in two particulars:

First, Thy very fear about this greatest of concerns is an argument of thy tranflation from the first Adam to the fecond. Adam, Chrift Jefus the Lord. If the Spirit of grace had not given thee fome fight and taste of the excellency and fweetness

of Chrift, thou couldeft never prize, or defire, or groan after him. It is only the child that hath tafted the honey or fugar, that longs and cries for

more.

Secondly, If thou findeft a fixed refolution in thy foul in going on to feek the Lord and his ftrength, by prayer and fupplication, and other means of grace, not refting in, or depending upon, the ineans, but on Chrift alone, for life and falvation; my life for thine, come death when God pleaseth to fend it, it will end all thy fears, and put thee beyond the reach of all thy enemies. Thy frequent crying to God in prayer, for Chrift and faving grace, is the echo of Chrift interceding for thee at a throne of grace; and thy going on, and continuing to watch at wifdom's gates, could not poffibly be, without invifible fupplies of spiritual ftrength, communicated to thy foul by the fpirit of Chrift.

[Now, reader, thou haft feen the end of this narrative; and if thou art in a state of infidelity, thou wilt in thine heart give the whole of it the lie, which is fufficient to confirm the truth of it; because if it was a falfe report, the fcriptures say, that thou wouldeft receive it; but as it is a true teftimony for God, God declares that the children of infidelity shall not believe it. Behold, ye defpifers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which you shall in nowife believe, though a man declare it unto. Acts xiii. 41. Hab. i. 5. W.H. S.S.].

THE END.

A FEW

FRAGMENTS

OF THE

LIFE AND DEATH

OF THE

Rev. JAMES BARRY.

INTENDED AS A

SUPPLEMENT

TO THE

COAL-HEAVER'S COUSIN.

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