Page:Spiritual exercise of soul, and blessed departure of Dame Mary Rutherford Lady Hundaly, and Mary M'Konnel, cousin to the said lady; which fell out in the year 1640; both died in London.pdf/19

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very one of these Mercies, as a Ditty against me, these Mercies are as so many Judges to condemn me, who have been such a Backslider from my Lord, who has been so loving and merciful to me. I replied, Madam, I am very glad that I have seen this Sight; tho' ye say they are judges to condemn you, yet, in the Lord's Name, I assure you, and the Spirit of God will ere long assure you, that they are Sentences of Absolution, proclaiming to the World that there is a found Work of Grace in your Heart, and that they are as so many Judges absolving you from the false Calumnies that Satan lays against you, and doth charge you with; for this dings down Hypocrisy, and sets up Reality. Tho' a Hypocrite go far on in outward Formalities, yet it is more than he can do to meditate deeply on God's Goodness and Christ's Love, and to registrate the Tokens thereof in Heart and Book: Fear not, Madam, the Lord hath made this last Temptation, by which Satan designed to throw down all, to be a Mean to stop Satan's Mouth, so as he has no more to say (and indeed this proved to be her last Temptation: For I saw her spiritual Exercise, by Degrees, growing more and more calm, I perceiv'd that her bodily Weakness did increase thro' several Weeks Sickness, and thro' her Disquiet of Mind she was under: And therefore, I said further to her) be earnest with God in Christ, by Prayer, to hold off Satan, and I shall be earnest with God for you, as he shall enable me: For ere it be long the Duel will be over, and the Field shall be won.

And, accordingly, after I had left her, these that waited on her Person that Night following, did observe her to get the calmest Rest that Night beyond any other Night since her Sickness began; they remarked also that she sang in her Sleep, of this they informed me the next Morning.

Then I said, when I came to her in the Morning, Madam, ye have gotten calm Rest, praised be your Lord: What was your Dream this Night when ye smiled in your Sleep?

Said she, Smile! how could I but smile, when I saw my Lord drawing by the Curtain? But he wentquickly