XV. 11. and that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Heb. x. 13. By this they difcover the excellency of the love of God in Chrift, which paffeth knowledge, the prefent fenfe whereof they have loft. By this they are enabled to look within the vail, and to take a view of the bleffed confolations which the faints enjoy, whose communion with God was never interrupted: This represents to them all the fweetnefs, pleasure, joy, peace, which in former days they had, whilft God was prefent with them in love: By this, are they taught to value all the fruits of the blood of Jefus Christ, of the enjoyment of many bleffings, whereof they are at prefent cut fhort and deprived. All which, with other things of the like nature and importance, make them very fenfible of their concernments.

2dly, They remember what it coft them formerly to deal with God about fin; and hence they know it is no ordinary matter they have in hand: They muft again to their old work; take the old cup into their hands again. A recovery from depths is as a new conversion.

Oft-times in it, the whole work, as to the foul's apprehenfion is gone over afresh. This the foul knows to have been a work of dread, terror, and trouble, and trembles in itself at its new trials. And,

3dly, The Holy Ghost gives unto poor fouls, a fresh fenfe of their deep concernments, on purpofe that it may be a means to ftir them up unto thefe earnest applications unto God. The whole work is his, and he carries it on, by means fuited to the compaffing of the end he aimeth at; and by these means is a gracious foul brought into the frame mentioned. Now there are fundry things that concur in and unto this frame.

First, There is a continual thoughtfulness about the fad condition wherein the foul is in its depths. Being deeply affected with their condition, they are continually ruminating upon it, and pondering it in their minds. So David declares the cafe to have been with him, Pfal. xxxviii, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Thine arrows stick faft in me,

and

and thy band prefeth me fore; there is no foundness in my flesh, because of thine anger, neither is there any reft in my bones, becaufe of my fin; for mine iniquities are gone over mine head, as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds ftink, and are corrupt, because of my foollifbnefs. I am troubled, I am bowed down, I go mourning all the day long. I am feeble and fore broken, I have roared for the difquietness of my heart. Reftlefnefs, deep thoughtfulness, difquietnefs of heart, continual heavinefs of heart, forrow and anxiety of mind, ly at the bottom of the applications we speak of. From these principles their prayers flow out, as David adds, ver. 9. Lord, all my defire is before thee, and my groaning is not. hid from thee. This way all his troubles wrought; he prayed out of the abundance of his meditation and grief. Thoughts of their own state and condition ly down with fuch perfons and rife with them; and accompany them all the day long. As Reuben cried, The child is not, and I, whether fball I go? So doth a foul; the love of God is not, Chrift is not, and I, whither fhall I caufe my forrow to go? God is provoked, death is nigh at hand, relief is far away, darkness is about me; I have loft my peace, my joy, my fong in the night; what do I think of duties? Can two walk except they be agreed? Can I walk with God in them, whilst I have thus made him mine enemy? What do I think of ordinances? Will it do me good to be at Jerufalem, and not fee the face of the king; to live under ordinances and not to meet in them with the king of faints? May I not juftly fear, that the Lord will take his holy Spirit from me, until 1 be left without remedy? With fuch thoughts as these are fin-intangled fouls exercifed, and they ly rolling in their minds, in all their applications unto God.

Secondly, We fee the application itself confifts in, and is made by the prayer of faith, or crying unto God: Now, this is done with intenseness of mind; which hath a twofold fruit or propriety, ft, Importunity, and 2d, Conftancy,

It is faid of our bleffed Saviour, that when he was in

his depths, about our fins, that he offered up prayers and Jupplications with strong cries and tears, Heb. v. 7. Strong cries and tears exprefs the utmoft intenfion of fpirit. And David expreffeth it by roaring, as we have feen before; as alfo by fighing, groaning, and panting. A foul in fuch a condition lies down before the Lord, with fighs, groans, mourning, cries, tears, and roaring according to the various working of his heart, and its being affected with the things that it hath to do; and this produceth:

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ift, Importunity. The power of the importunity of faith our Saviour hath marvellously fet out, Luke xi. 8, 9, 10. as alfo, chap. xviii. 1. importunate prayer is certainly prevailing: And importunity is as it were made up of two things; frequency of interpofition, and variety of arguings. You fhall have a man that is importunate, come unto you feven times a day about the fame bufinefs; and after all, if any new thought come into his mind, though he had refolved to the contrary, he will come again; and there is nothing than can be imagined to relate unto the bufinefs he hath in hand, but he will make use of it, and turn it to the furtherance of his plea. So it is in this cafe. Men will ufe both frequency of interpofition, and variety of arguings, Pfal. lxxxvi. 1. I cry unto thee daily, or rather, all the day. He had but that one bufinefs, and he attended it to the purpose. By this means we give God no reft, Ifa. Ixii. 7. which is the very character of importunity. Such fouls go to God; and they are not fatisfied with what they have done, and they go again; and fomewhat abideth ftill with them, and they go to him again; and the heart is not yet emptied, they will go again to him, that he may have no reft. What variety of arguments are pleaded with God in this cafe, I could manifeft in the fame David. But it is known to all, there is not any thing almost that he makes not a plea of; the faithfulnefs, righteoufnefs, name, mercy, goodnefs, and kindnefs of God in Jefus Chrift; the concernment of others in him, both the friends and foes of God; his own weakness

41 weakness and helplesness, yea, the greatness of fin itself, Be merciful to my fin, faith he, for it is great. Sometimes he begins with fome arguments of this kind; and then, being a little diverted by other confiderations, fome new plea is fuggefted unto him by the Spirit, and he returns immediately to his firft employment and defign, all arguing great intenfion of mind and fpirit.

2dly, Conftancy alfo flows from intenfenefs. Such a foul will not give over, until it obtain what it aims at, and looks for, as we fhall fee in our procefs in opening this pfalm.

And this is in general the deportment of a gracious foul in the condition here reprefented unto us. As poor creatures love their peace, as they love their fouls, as they tender the glory of God, they are not to be wanting in this duty. What is the reafon that controverfies hang fo long between God and your fouls, that it may be, you scarce fee a good day all your lives? Is it not for the most part from your floth and defpondency of fpirit? you will not gird up the loins of your minds, in dealing with God to put them to a speedy iffue in the blood of Chrift. You go on and off, begin and cease, try and give over; and, for the most part, though your cafe be extraordinary, content yourselves with ordinary and customary applications unto God. This makes you wither, become useless, and pine away, in and under your perplexities. David did not fo; but after many any many a breach made by fin, yet thro' quick, vigorous, reftlefs actings of faith, all was repaired, fo that he lived peaceably and died triumphantly. Up, then, and be doing: let not your wounds corrupt because of your folly; make thorough-work of that which lies before you; be it long or difficult, it is all one, it must be done, and is attended with fafety; what you are like to meet withal in the first place, fhall next be declared.

VERSE III.

The Words of the Verfe explained, and their Meaning opened.

TH

HE general frame of a gracious foul in its perplexities about fin, hath been declared. Its particu lar actings, what it doth, what it meets withal are next reprefented unto us.

Firft, Then, in particular, it cries out, If thou, Lord, fhouldft mark iniquities. O Lord who shall stand?

There is in the words a fuppofition, and an infer⚫ence on that fuppofition. In the fuppofition; there is, 1ft, The name of God that is fixed on, as fuited unto it. And, 2dly, The thing itself fuppofed. In the inference, there is expreffed the matter of it, to stand, and the manner of its propofal; whereof two things occur, 1. That it is expreffed by way of interrogation. 2. The indefinitenefs of that interrogation, Who fhall Stand?

If thou, Lord; He here fixes on another name of God, which is JAH. A name, though from the fame root with the former, yet feldom ufed, but to intimate and exprefs the terrible majefty of God. He rideth on the heavens, and is extolled by his name JAH, Pfal. -Ixviii. 4. He is to deal now with God about the guilt of fin; and God is reprefented to the foul as great and terrible; that he may know what to expect and look for, if the matter must be tried out according to the demerit of fin.

What then faith he to Jah? in the Heb. If thou Shouldft mark iniquities, is to obferve and keep, as in fafe custody. To keep, preferve, and watch diligently. So to remark and obferve, as to retain that which is obferved, to ponder it and lay it up in the heart, Gen. xxxvii. 11. Jacob obferved Jofeph's dream; that