makes the whole robbery, inftead of an offering. If there be remaining a bitter root of favouring any one luft or fin, of any occafion of, or temptation unto fis, let a man be as open, free, and earnest as can be imagined in the acknowledgment of all other fins, and evils, the whole duty is rendered abominable. Some perfons, when they are brought into depths and anguish about any fin, and are thereon forced to the acknowledgment of it, at the fame time they are little concerned with their other follies and iniquities, that, it may be, are no lefs provoking unto God, than that is, from whence their prefent trouble doth arife. Let not, as James fpeaks in another cafe, fuch a man think, that he shall receive any thing from God. It must be full and comprehensive, as well as free and ingenuous. And of fuch importance is the right performance of this duty, that the promise of pardon is oft-times peculiarly annexed unto it, as that which entirely carries along with it the other duties which make up a full returnal unto God, Prov. xxviii, 13. 1 John i. 9. and that place in Job is remarkable, chap. xxxiii. 27, 28. He looketh upon men, and if any fay I have finned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; he will deliver his foul from going into the pit, and his life ball fee the light. He fhall not only be made partaker of pardon, but of confolation also, and joy in the light of God's countenance. THIRDLY, There yet remains, felf-condemnation with the juftification of God, which lies exprefly in the word of the verfe under confideration, and hereof are two parts. First, Self-abhorrency or diflike. The foul is now wholly difpleafed with itself, and reflects upon itself with all affections of regret and trouble. So the apoftle declares it to have been with the Corinthians, when their godly forrow was working in them, 2 Cor. vii. 11., among other things, it wrought in them indignation and revenge; or a reflection on themselves, with all manner of dislike and abhorrency. In the winding up of the con troverly between God and Job, this is the point he refts in. As he had come in general to a free, full, ingenuous acknowledgment of fin, chap. xl. 4, 5. So in particular he gives up his whole conteft, in this abhorrency of himself, chap. xlii. 6. I abhor myself and repent in duft and ashes. "What a vile wretch"ed creature have I been, faith the foul, I blush and "am afhamed to think of my folly, bafenefs, and in"gratitude, is it poffible that I fhould deal thus with "the Lord? I abhor, I loath myself, I would fly any "where from myself, I am fo vile and lothsome; a "thing to be defpifed of God, angels, and men." And, Secondly, There is self-judging in it alfo. This the apostle invites the Corinthians unto, 1Epift. chap. xi. 3 1. If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. This is a perfon pronouncing fentence on himself, according to the tenor of the law. The foul brings not only its fin, but itfelf alfo to the law. It puts itfelf, as to merit and defert, under the ftroke and feverity of it. Hence arifeth a full juftification of God, in what fentence foever he fhall be pleafed to pronounce in the cafe before him. And thefe three things, which we have paffed through, compofe the frame, and first actings of a gracious foul, rising from its depths. They are all of them fignally expreffed in that place where we have a fignal recovery exemplified, Hof. xiv. 1, 2, 3, 4. And this makes way for the exaltation of grace, the great thing in all this difpenfation aimed at by God, Eph. i. 6. That which he is now doing, is to bring the foul to glory in him, 1 Cor. i. 31. which is all the return he hath from his large and infinitely bountiful expences of grace and mercy. Now, nothing can render grace confpicuous and glorious, until the foul come to this frame. Grace will not feem high, until the foul be laid very low. And this alfo fuits or prepares the foul for the receiving of mercy, in a fenfe of pardon, the great thing aimed at on the part of the finner. And it pre pares pares it for every duty that is incumbent on him in that condition wherein he is. This brings the foul to waiting with diligence and patience If things prefently anfwer not our expectation, we are ready to think, we have done what we can, if it will be no better, we must bear it as we are able; which frame God abhors. The foul in this frame is contented to wait the pleasure of God, as we fhall fee in the clofe of the pfalm. Oh! faid fuch an one, if ever I obtain a fenfe of love, if ever I enjoy one fmile of his countenance more, it is of unfpeakable grace. Let him take his own time, his own feafon; it is good for me quietly to wait and to hope for his falvation: And it puts the foul on prayer; yea, a foul always in this frame, prays always. And there is nothing more evident, than that want of a thorough engagement unto the performance of thefe duties, is the great caufe why fo few come clear off from their entanglement all their days. Men heal their wounds flightly; and therefore, after a new painful feftring, they are brought into the fame condition of restlesness and trouble, which they were in before. Grounds of miscarriages when perfons are convinced of fin and humbled.----Refting in that state.---Resting on it. The foul is not to be left in the state before defcribed. There is other work for it to apply itself unto, if it intend to come unto reft and peace. It hath obtained an eminent advantage for the difcovery of forgiveness. But to reft in that ftate wherein it is, or to rest upon it, will not bring it into its harbour. Three things we discovered before in the foul's firft ferious addrefs unto God for deliverance; fenfe of fin, acknowledgement of it, and felf-condemnation. Two evils there are which attend men oftentimes, when they are brought into that state. Some rest in it, and prefs no farther; fome rest upon it, and fuppofe that it is all which is required of them: The pfalmift avoids both thefe, and notwith I ftanding 1 1 standing all his preffures, reacheth out towards for FIRST, By refting or staying in it, I mean the foul's defponding through difcouraging thoughts that delive, rance is not to be obtained. Being made deeply fen-fible of fin, it is fo overwhelmed with thoughts of its own vilenefs and unworthiness, as to fink under the bur den; fuch a foul is afflicted and toffed with tempefts and not comforted, Ifa. liv. 11. until it is quite weary. As a ship in a storm at fea, when all means of contending are gone, men give up themselves to be driven and toffed by winds and feas at their pleafure. This brought Ifrael to that ftate wherein he cried out, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is paffed over from my God, Ifa. xl. 27. and Zion, The Lord hath forfaken me, and my Lord bath forgotten me, chap. xlix. 14. The foul begins fecretly to think there is no hope; God regardeth it not; it fhall one day perifh, relief is far away, and trouble nigh at hand. Thefe thoughts do fo op prefs them, that though they for fake not God utterly to their deftruction, yet they draw not nigh unto him cffectually to their confolation. This is the firft evil that the foul in this condition is enabled to avoid; we know how God rebukes it in Zion. Zion faid, The Lord hath forfaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me, Ifa. xlix. 14. But how foolish is Zion, how forward, how unbelieving in this matter; what ground hath fhe for finful defpondencies, fuch dif couraging conclufions? Can a woman, faith the Lord, forget her fucking child, that he should not have compaffion on the fon of her womb; yea, they may forget, but I will not forget thee. The like reproof he gives to Jacob upon the like complaint, chap. xl. 28, 29, 30. There is nothing that is more provoking to the Lord, nor more difadvantageous unto the foul, than fuch finful defpondency. For, First, 1 First, It infenfibly weakens the foul, and difenables it, both for prefent duties, and future endeavours. Hence, fome poor creatures mourn, and even pine away in this condition, never getting one ftep beyond a perplexing fenfe of fin all their days. Some have dwelt fo long upon it, and have fo intangled themfelves with a multitude of perplexed thoughts, that at length their natural faculties have been weakened, and rendered utterly useless; fo that they have loft both fense of fin and every thing elfe. Against fome, Satan bath taken advantage to caft in fo many intangling objections into their minds, that their whole time hath been taken up in propofing doubts and objections against themfelves; with thefe they have gone up and down, to one and another, and being never able to come unto a confiftency in their own thoughts, they have spent all their days in a fruitlefs, faplefs, withering, comfortlefs coudition. Some, with whom things come to a better iffue, are yet for a feason, brought to that discomposure of fpirit, or are fo filled with their own apprehenfions, that when the things which are most proper to their condition are fpoken to them, they take no impreffion in the leaft upon them. Thus the foul is weakened by dwelling too long on thefe confiderations; until fome cry with thofe in Ezek. xxxiii. 16. Our fins are upon us, we pine away in them, and how should we then live? Secondly, This frame, if it abides by itself, will infenfibly give countenance unto hard thoughts of God, and fo to repining, and wearinefs in waiting on him. At first the foul either apprehends nor fears any fuch iffue: It fuppofeth that it fhall condema and abhor it felf, and juftify God, and that for ever; but when relief comes not in, this refolution begins to weaken : Secret thoughts arife in the heart, that God is auftere, inexorable, and not to be dealt withal; this fometimes cafts forth fuch complaints, as will bring the foul unto new complaints, before it comes to have an iffue of its trials. Here, in humiliation antecedaneous to converfion, many a convinced perfon perifheth; they cannot 1 2 wait |