termined by the law, no finner can obtain acquitment; as Paul declares the sense of that place to be, Rom. iii. 20. Gal. ii. 16. But yet,

Fourthly, It may be the fentence of the law is not fo fierce and dreadful, but that though guilt be found, there may be yet a way of efcape. But the law fpeaks not one word on this fide death to an offender. There is a greatnefs, and an eternity of wrath in the fentence of it; and it is God himfelf who hath undertaken to fee the vengeance of it executed. So that on all these accounts the conclufion mentioned, muft needs be fixed in the foul of a finner, that entertains thoughts of drawing nigh to God.

Though what hath been fpoken may be of general ufe unto finners of all forts, whether called home to God, or yet ftrangers to him; yet I fhall not insist on any general improvement of it; because it is intended only for one special end or purpose. That which is aimed at,, is to fhew what are the first thoughts that arife in the heart of a poor intangled foul, when first he begins to endeavour a recovery in a return unto God. The law immediately puts in its claim unto him, and against him. God is reprefented unto him, as angry, difpleafed, provoked; and his terror more or lefs befets him round about. This fills him with fear, fhame, and confufion of face; fo that he knows not what to do. Thefe troubles are greater or leffer according as God feeth it best for the poor creature's prefent humiliation, and future fafety. What then doth the finner? What are his thoughts hereupon? Doth he think to fly from God, and to give over all endeavours of recovery? Doth he fay, This God is a holy and terrible God, I cannot ferve him, it is to no purpose for me to look for any thing but fury and deftruction from him? And therefore I had as good give over, as perfift in my defign, of drawing nigh to him? It cannot be denied, but that, in this cafe, thoughts of this nature will be fuggefted by unbelief; and that fometimes great perplexitics arife to the foul by them. But this is not the iffue

and

and final product of this exercile of the foul; it produceth another effect; it calls for that which is the first particular working of a gracious foul arifing out of its fin-intanglements. This is, as was declared, a fincere sense of fin, and acknowledgment of it, with felf-condemnation in the juftification of God: This is the first thing that a foul, endeavouring a recovery from its depths, is brought and wrought unto. His general refolution to make terious and thorough work, with what he hath in hand, was before unfolded. That which, in the next place, we are directed unto in these words, as the reflection on its felf, upon the confideration of God's marking iniquity, now mentioned. This is faith's great and proper ufe of the law; the nature whereof fhall be farther opened in the next discourse.

The first particular actings of a foul towards a recovery out of the depths of fin.----Senfe of fin, wherein it confifts. ---How it is wrought.----Acknowledgment of fin; its nature and properties.---Self-condemnation.

What is the frame of the foul in general, that is excited by grace, and refolves in the strength thereof to attempt a recovery out of the depths of fin-intanglements, hath been declared. We have alfo fhewed what entertainments, in general, fuch a foul had need to expect, yea, ordinarily fhall be fure to meet withal. It may be he goes forth at firft like Sampfon, with his locks cut, and thinks he will do as at other times; but he quickly finds his peace loft, his wounds painful, his conscience restless, God difpleafed, and his whole condition, as the utmost of his own apprehenfion, hazardous. This fills him with the thoughts expreffed in this third verfe, and fixes the conclufion in his mind, difcourfed of before. He finds now, that he hath the law afresh to deal withal; thence arifeth that fenfe and acknowledgment of fin, that felf-condemnation, in the juftification of God, whereof we now fpeak. He grows

not

not fullen, stubborn, difpleased, or for the extenuation of his fin and guilt, he quarrelleth not with, he repineth not against, the holiness, feverity, and righteoufnefs of the law of God; but reflects wholly on himself, his own unworthinefs, guilt, and defert; and in a sense of them, lies down at the foot of God, in expectation of his word and fentence.

Three things in this condition we afcribe unto fuch a foul.

FIRST, A fincere fenfe of fin. There is a twofold fenfe of fin: The one is general and notional;. where. by a man knows what fin is; that himself is a finner, that he is guilty of this or that, these or those fins; only his heart is not affected proportionably to that discovery and knowledge which he hath of these things: The other is active and efficacious. The foul being acquainted with the nature of fin, with its own guilt in reference unto fin in general, as alfo to this or that fin, is univerfally influenced by that apprehenfion unto suitable affections and operations.

Of both these we have an inftance in the fame perfon. David, before Nathan's coming to him, had the former, afterwards he had the latter alfo. It cannot be, imagined, but that before the coming of the prophet, he had a general knowledge and fenfe, not only abfolutely of the nature of fin; but alfo, that himself was a finner, and guilty of thofe very fins, which afterwards he was reproved for. To think otherwife, is to fuppofe, not only that he was un-fainted, but un-manned alfo, and turned into a beaft. But yet this wrought not in him any one affection fuitable to his condition; and the like may be faid of moft finners in the world. But now when Nathan comes to him, and gives him the latter efficacious fenfe, whereof we fpeak, we know what effects it did produce.

It is the latter only that is under confideration; and that alfo is twofold; 1. Legal or antecedaneous unto converfion. 2. Evangelical, and previous to the reco

very from depths, whereof we treat. How these two differ, and how they may be difcerned one from the other, being both of them in their kind fincere is not my bufinefs to declare.

Now this laft, which we affign as the first duty, work, or acting of a returning foul, is a deep and practical apprehenfion wrought in the mind and heart of a believing finner by the Holy Ghost, of fin and its evils, in reference unto the law, and love of God, the cross, and blood of Chrift, the communion, and confolation of the Spirit, and all the fruits of love, mercy, or grace, that it hath been made partakers of, or on gofpel-ground hoped for.

Firft, The principal efficient cause of it is the Holy Ghoft. He it is who convinceth of fin, John xvi. 8. He works indeed by means. He wrought it in David by the ministry of Nathan, and he wrought it in Peter, by the look of Chrift. But his work it is. No man can work it upon his own foul. It will not fpring out of men's rational confiderations. Though men may exercife their thoughts about fuch things, as one would think were enough to break the heart of ftones, yet if the Holy Ghost put not forth a peculiar efficacy of his own, this sense of fin will not be wrought or produced. As the waters at the pool of Bethesda were not troubled, but when an angel defcended and moved them, no more will the heart for fin, without a faving illapfe of the Holy Ghost.

Secondly, It is a deep apprehenfion of fin, and the evils of it. Slight tranfient thoughts about them, amount not to the fenfe of which we fpeak. My forrow faith David, is continually before me, Pfal. xxxviii. 17. It preffed him always, and greatly. Hence he compares this fenfe of fin, wrought by the Holy Ghoft, to arrows that stick in the flesh, ver. 2. They pain forely, and are always perplexing. Sin, in this fenfe of it, lays hold on the foul, fo that the finner cannot look up, Pfal. xl. 12. And it abides with him, making his fore run in the night, without ceafing, Pfal. lxxvii. 2. and depriveth

priveth the foul of reft. My foul, faith he, refufed to be comforted. This apprehenfion of fin, lies down, and rifes with him in whom it is. Tranfient thoughts attended with infrequent fighs and ejaculations, little become a returning foul. And,

Thirdly, It is practical. It is not feated only in the fpeculative part of the mind, hovering in general notions; but it dwells in the practical understanding, which effectually influenceth the will and affections. Such an apprehenfion, as from which forrow and humiliation are infeparable. The acts of the practical underftanding, do fo neceffarily produce, together with them, fuitable acts of the will and affections, that fome have concluded, that thofe are indeed proper acts of the will, which are usually afcribed to the understanding. It is fo in the mind, as that the whole foul is caft into the mould and likenefs of it, humiliation, forrow, felf-abhorrency, do live and die with it.

Fourthly, It hath, in the first place, refpect unto the law of God. There can be no due confideration of fin, wherein the law hath not its place. The law calls for the finner, and he willingly gives up his fin to be judg ed by it. There he fees it to be exceeding finful, Rom. vii. 17. Though a believer be lefs under the power of the law than others, yet he knows more of the authority and nature of it than others. He fees more of its fpirituality and holiness. And the more a man fees of the excellency of the law, the more he fees of the vilenefs of fin. This is done by a foul in its firft endeavour of a recovery from the entanglements of fin. He labours thoroughly to know his disease, that he may be cured. It will do him no good, he knows, to be ignorant of his diftemper or his danger. He knows that if his wounds be not fearched to the bottom, they will ftink and be corrupt. To the law then be brings himfelf and his fin. By that, he fees the vilenefs of the one, and the danger of the other. Moft men ly ftill in their depths, because they would willingly efcape the first step of their rifing. From the bottom of their mi