3. From the apostle’s manner of speaking we may gather, thirdly, That even heaviness is not _always_ needful. _Now, for a season, if need be_: so it is not needful for _all persons_; nor for any person, at _all times_. God is able, he hath both power and wisdom, to work when he pleases, the same work of grace, in any soul, by other means. And in some instances he does so: he causes those whom it pleaseth him to go on from strength to strength, even till they _perfect holiness in_ his _fear_, with scarce any heaviness at all: as having an absolute power over the heart of man, and moving all the springs of it at his pleasure. But these cases are rare: God generally sees good to try _acceptable men in the furnace of affliction_. So that manifold temptations and heaviness, more or less, are usually the portion of his dearest children. 4. We ought therefore, lastly, to watch and pray and use our utmost endeavours to avoid falling into darkness. But we need not be sollicitous how to avoid, so much as how to improve by heaviness. Our great care should be, so to behave ourselves under it, so to wait upon the Lord therein, that it may fully answer all the design of his love, in permitting it to come upon us: that it may be a means of increasing our faith, of confirming our hope, of perfecting us in all holiness. Whenever it comes, let us have an eye to these gracious ends, for which it is permitted, and use all diligence, that we may not _make void the counsel of_ God _against ourselves_. Let us earnestly _work together with him_, by the grace which he is continually giving us, in _purifying_ ourselves _from all pollution both of flesh and spirit_, and daily _growing in the grace of our_ Lord Jesus Christ, till we are received into his everlasting kingdom! The End of the Third VOLUME. Footnotes. 1 ‒ _De mortalitate._ 2 ‒ _Carnis & corporis multa ac: gravia tormenta._ 3 ‒ Gen. i. 26, 27. 4 ‒ Eph. iv. 24. 5 ‒ Gen. i. 31. 6 ‒ Gen. iii. 8. 7 ‒ _Q._ 163, 165. Transcriber’s Notes. The following corrections have been made in the text: Page 5: Sentence starting: 3. To consider this a little more.... – numeral ‘2’ was skipped (3. To consider this a little more) Page 14: Sentence starting: Or (as the same exhortation.... – ‘Ἀγωνίζεθε’ replaced with ‘Ἀγωνίζεσθε’ (Ἀγωνίζεσθε εἰσελθεῖν) Sentence starting: For after he had said,... – ‘ἄρξηθε ἔχω ἐσἀναι’ replaced with ‘ἄρξησθε ἔχω ἐστάναι’ (ἄρξησθε ἔχω ἐστάναι) Page 74: Sentence starting: 9. And if thou art throughly.... – ‘2’ replaced with ‘9’ (9. And if thou art throughly) Page 85: Sentence starting: 10. Consider this well:... – duplicated paragraph number ‘10.’ (10. Consider this well:)