V. 1. I am to conclude with some inferences. And, first, How wide is the difference between _darkness_ of soul and _heaviness_? Which nevertheless are so generally confounded with each other, even by experienced Christians! Darkness, or the wilderness-state implies a total loss of joy in the Holy Ghost: heaviness does not; in the midst of this we may _rejoice with joy unspeakable_. They that are in darkness have lost the peace of God; they that are in heaviness have not: so far from it, that at the very time _peace_ as well as _grace_ may _be multiplied unto_ them. In the former, the love of God is waxed cold, if it be not utterly extinguished: in the latter it retains its full force, or rather increases daily. In these, faith itself, if not totally lost, is however grievously decayed. Their evidence and conviction of things not seen, particularly of the pardoning love of God, is not so clear or strong as in time past: and their trust in him is proportionally weakened. Those, tho’ they see him not, yet have a clear, unshaken confidence in God, and an abiding evidence of that love, whereby all their sins are blotted out. So that as long as we can distinguish faith from unbelief, hope from despair, peace from war, the love of God from the love of the world, we may infallibly distinguish _heaviness_ from _darkness_. 2. We may learn from hence, secondly, That there may be need of _heaviness_, but there can be no need of _darkness_. There may be need of our being in _heaviness for a season_, in order to the ends above recited: at least, in this sense, as it is a natural result of those _manifold temptations_, which are needful to try and increase our faith, to confirm and inlarge our hope, to purify our heart from all unholy tempers, and to perfect us in love. And by consequence they are needful, in order to brighten our crown, and add to our eternal weight of glory. But we cannot say, that darkness is needful, in order to any of these ends. It is no way conducive to them: the loss of faith, hope, love, is surely neither conducive to holiness, nor to the increase of that reward in heaven, which will be in proportion to our holiness on earth.