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The fift Discovery whether Gods present Mercies be in-lets of future Mercies.
That Mercy (I beseech you observe it) that is to a Soul, to a people an ingagement to duty, is certainly a door of more Mercy; whatsoever Mercy God bestows upon you in particular, or upon a Nation, if the Mercy be made an engagement to Duty, certaitnly it is a door to more Mercy; take it thus: As so we may, when we do account our duties to be Mercies, then our duties wil hold: so when Gods Mercies are turned into duties, then Gods Mercies wil hold; it is a most infallible sign of one that wil persevere in duty, that wil never fail. If thou wouldest know whether thou art like to persevere in duty or no, O! I am afraid I shal fall off, (saysome) O! if I were sure that I should persevere to the end, it would comfort me, Would you have an infalliable sign that your duties wil hold to the end? take this for one, If thy Soul looke upon every duty as a Mercy to thee, every command to a duty as Gods Mercy to thee every day, thus I dare pawn my soul that soul wil persevere: so far as any soul shal account a duty to be a Mercy, so far that soul shal persevere. As it is a certain Evidence of perseverance in duty, when a duty is accounted a Mercy: so (I say) it is a cerain Evidence that there wil be a perseverance in Mercy, when Mercy is turned into duty; when Mercy shal be an engagement to duty, and turns into duty, then it is a certain sign there wil be a perseve∣rance in mercy; as when duty is accounted mercy, there wil be a persevernce in duty. Again another may be this.