Religion & morality > 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

performed not thelcDuties ashefliould,(halInot be ac¬
cepted. I believe ye will not find it in all the Scriptures ; ^
it is only one of your own Heart’s falfe Devices, and 1
* Suggeftion of treacherous Satan ; believe it not, but *
ask Pardon of God for fuch a Thought, and pray him a
to give you Sincerity of Defire, tho’ ye get it not in f1
that Meafure ye fliould have it. Said She, I can- 1
not ask Pardon earneftly and heartily, nor can I pray l
in Life and Power. What fhall I do then ? Said I,
Madam, I heard your Ladyihip fay, that ye delired | “
Chrift more than Heaven and Salvation itftlf, and I ■ 1
hope, ere long, to hear you iay the fame. Tell me *
truly, had you not rather have your Sin pardoned,,
and your Soul faved, nor to have your Life prolong- • *
ed at this Time, and great Riches, and all theWorld’s ^
Contentments? Said ihe, That is nothing; who would | *
not rather have the firft rather than the laft ? Said I,
Worldlings,as theG/td«rew,had rather have theirSwine ^
fept alive, than Chrift among them ; they had ra-| 1
ther want Chrift than part with a little of their Rich- >
es or Pleafure; and therefore they who defire the con- ^
trary defirc fincerely.
But (faid flhe) I want the laft Part of Repentance,
the Perfeftion of all its other Parts. I do not amend,
but do ftill flip into the fame Sins, and cannot leave J
them. Said I, What be thefe Sins ye cannot leave, A- 1
dulEcry,or Murder, or Blafphemy ? &V. No; (ftid flic) *
I may go to Hell, and be free of all thefe; but I find 11
Dulnefs, Deadnefs, Coldnefs in Prayer, Di ft raft ion, l-
Forgetfulnefs, and Wandring ofHeart in Hearing, ll
unruly Pafflon, and a Number of fuch Evils break¬
ing out in me. Said I, Does not the Lord lovingly 11
pais by fuch Weaknefles in his own Children ? He re- 1
members we are but Duft, and therefore, as a Father !C'
pitieth his Children, fo he pities them that fear him,
13, 14. If this were a good Argument to ■;
prove that a Man’s Sins are not pardoned ; becaufe
he finds his Corruptions bullering up in him, then E
none in the World fhould have their Sins pardoned; !
for ye cannot find me one Man in the World, who
is not either complaining of his Corruption, or, at ?
leaft, who hath not Caufe to qomplain, The beft are ^
born 1