that which is evil, he cries out, O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me? As he then fees that he is not undone fo much because he hath finned, as he finds it natural to him to fin; when I would do good, evil is prefent with me; and the good that I would do, that I do not, and the evil that I would not do, that I do. Thus a convinced finner mourns over the depra-vity of his nature.

Likewife compunction, for fin confifteth in fhame for, and

hatred of it.

Shame for fin; Ephraim was convinced of the evil of his ways, and fays, that he was afhamed, yea even confounded, becaufe of his fins and rebellion against GOD. I do not mean that finful shame of religion, fo common among mankind, but a holy fhame to lift up the guilty eyes of the mind to the throne of divine grace,-Afhamed to take the folemn and holy name of GOD into his finful and polluted lips, fuch was holy Job's, for when the LORD difcovered his divine holiness to him, he said, I repent and abhor myself in dust and afbes; when the foul fees all the goodness and loving kindness of JEHOVAH, which it hath abused and trampled upon, it is then, alhamed to go to God for help, being conscious that the LORD is privy to all the fecret as well as open actions of his whole life, therefore faith, against thee and thee only have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight.

True conviction is attended with a real and unfeigned hatred of fin, that which I hate, faith the Apostle, do I. And indeed the very end and defign of the HOLY GHOST, in convincing the finner, is to fix a perpetual hatred of fin in the foul; but, alas! what a number of profeffors have we in this day, that pretend not only to conviction, but real converfion, while, their walk and conduct plainly speaks that their hearts love fin. But a true conviction confifts in a real and unfeigned hatred of fin, for the evil that there is in it, which is threefold: First, An evil of deprivation, fin hath deprived the foul of that light, life, joy, and happiness it once poffeffed in a state of innocency. Secondly, There is in fin the evil of torment. which is a kind of the fame evil the Devils find in Hell for fin. -Thirdly, There is in fin the evil of injury done to GoD, which evil of fin none are ever capable of feeing, but the elect of GOD. The fpirits now in darkness and deep despair, notwithstanding all their knowledge, never yet attained to a fenfe of in as an injury done to GOD. And indeed this is one main mark whereby we know that our convictions are of a right kind, because they affirm unto us the injuries done to the best Zu

VOL. II.

of Beings. Now that foul that fees this threefold evil, will hate it with the most perfect hatred. Suppofing a man to be ftung with a viper, and the poison was diffufing itself through his body, infomuch that his life was in danger, do you think that fuch alone would ever fondly play with, much less take it into his bofom? Then confider, of all ferpents, the old one, which is the Devil, is the worst of all, whose poifon not only diffuseth through the body, but the foul, and renders both in danger of hell for ever. Now can fuch an one who feels the deadly difeafe, and poisonous nature fermenting in his mind, poffibly love fin, which is drinking up his fpirits as an ox drinketh up water; no, it cannot poffibly be, for it is contrary to the nature of things, to be fo. On the contrary, fuch an one hateth fin, as the moft deadly of all evils, and fleeth from it as from the face of a ferpent, and dare no more deliberately touch it, than he dare lay his hand on the cockatrice den.

Friendly. What measure of compunction is neceffary to falvation?

Truth. I anfwer, That as humiliation is the end of com punction, it is neceffary that real compunction of heart be wrought in the mind for fin to bring forth this fruit, and no more is necessary. Now as none in this refpect, can tell how ftrong the cause must be to produce fuch an effect, but infinite wifdem, who kneweth all things; it is therefore beft to leave the measure of compunction to the HOLY GHOST, who as a fovereign GOD, works upon whom, where, and when he pleaseth. For my part, I do not know a better method of expreffing any act of the Spirit's power, than to fay, just so much of one act of power as makes way for another, for the work of grace, as well as providence, is one continued fyftem of caufes and effects. Hence it is, that the beauty and order of the Spirit's work fhines, in conviction of fin, which produceth compunction and forrow for it, and ends in true humiliation for the fame before GOD.

Friendly. If this be the cafe, as it appears to me to be a real truth, then how few are experimental Chriftians?

Truth. Comparatively speaking there are but few that make a profeffion of Chriftian experience, but if thofe only will be faved, who have felt conviction, forrow and true humiliation for fin, we may fay of true compunction for fin, as our dear LORD faith of the ftrait path and narrow way, which leads to life, and few there be that find it: but leaft a poor convinced finner may be caft down under a fenfe of his fin, as though

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there was no hope for him, I would here add, though compunction for fin be far from being a comfortable frame of foul, yet it is a fafe frame, because it is the renewing work of God, the formation of his image upon the mind; and all such shall certainly fee the bleffings of the kingdom prepared for them, Matt. v. 4. Bleffed are they that mourn, for they fhall be comforted; mourning, as before described, is the certain harbinger of comfort; though weeping may endure for a night, yet joy fhall come in the morning. And we find, that one great and bleffed end of our LORD's incarnation, was to comfort all, those that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for afhes, the oil of joy for the Spirit of mourning, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness, that they may be called the trees of righteouf nefs, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified.

Friendly. What is the defign of the HOLY GHOST in working this compunction and forrow for fin?

Truth. I anfwer, To work true humility in the foul to bow to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and accept of falvation as the gift of divine grace, before honour is humility, Prov: xv. 33. which may, without any injuftice to the words, be thus read, humility goes before honour.

Friendly. As I believe that conviction of fin, forrow and humiliation for the fame, are effentially neceffary to falvation, and the HOLY GHOST's work upon the hearts of the elect, I would therefore defire to know, wherein true humility of foul doth confift, because the high and lofty one, that inhabiteth eternity, whofe name is Holy, faith that, He dwells with the humble and contrite heart, to revive the heart of the humble, and to cheer the contrite ones?

Truth. I answer, True humility confifts in felf-denial, we find, that it is quite natural for man, under the ftrokes of conviction, and its concomitant terrors, to fly to his own doings, for help, faying, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? But when the foul is fufficiently humbled, he hath done with enquiries after doing for falvation, and is led by divine teachings to fee that it is capable of nothing but finning against GOD. There is a denial of its former fuppofed power to that which is fpiritually good, it now fees that if it hath any dif pofition to that which is good, it is God which worketh in it both to will and to do of his good pleasure; there is a denial of the will, for the language of true humiliation is, not my will, but thine be done; the foul becomes anxious to glorify GOD in every station, it fays, "glorify thyfelf, O LORD, whatever

"become of me, mould me, and change me, so that thou "make thine own glory to fhine out of me. I am at thy "difpofe, do with me that which feemeth good in thy fight; "I deferve to be condemned, I have merited thy wrath times "without number; at thy feet, and at thy pleasure I refign

my foul." Thus the truly humble foul is more concerned about the glory of GoD, and the dishonour done to his name,

than about his own falvation.

Humiliation confifteth in felf-abasement; this, which is indeed the vifible part of humility, proceeds from a view of the perfections of GOD in their divine rectitude; we find that the Prophet Isaiah had first a bright discovery of the glory of Gop before he cried out that he was a man of unclean lips; Job had a display of the divine Majefty before he faid, I abhor myfelf, and repent in duft and afhes; and the Apostle Paul, first faw JESUS before he acknowledged himself to be the chief of finners. Though I do not mean that a discovery of goipel grace and mercy is neceffary to accomplish the legal humiliation; I call it legal, not that it is performed or wrought by the creature's power, but because it precedes evangelical humility, that flows from a discovery of pardoning love and grace; for this humiliation proceeds from a difplay of the holiness of that GOD, who cannot look upon fin with allowance, or in any wife connive thereat; a discovery of his juftice, who will by no means clear the guilty; a difcovery of his truth, who hath declared the foul that finneth fhall die; a difcovery of his moral goodness, which is unto all, and his tender mercies, which are over all his works. I may add, a difcovery of the perfections of the moral law of God, its purity, fpirituality, juftice, equity, extent, and immutability.

The foul favoured with fuch a difcovery as this, will readily fay, I am less than the least of all thy mercies; with Job, bebold I am vile! with David, I am a worm, and no man; and with Ifaiah, I am a man of unclean lips; for humility of foul (in the order of the Spirit's work) goes before honour and exaltation by faith in the LORD JESUS CHRIST; though there be many that fet light of the HOLY GHOST's work upon the heart, by means of the law, yet fure I am, this is what all the elect find in a lefs or greater degree, and under this work of the HOLY GHOST, the foul never draws near to GoD with a prefumptuous boldness and arrogancy, but with the most profound humility, fmiting upon its breaft, and faying, God be merciful to me a finner.

True humiliation confifts in felf-abhorrence, which arifeth

from a view of the evil nature of fin: it would be irrational to fuppofe the foul to abhor itself, and not know for what; therefore obferve, the caufe is fin. He abhoreth himself, because he hath been a great finner, against the best of Beings, who now hath it juftly in his power to crush him to Hell, under the weight of his difpleasure; partly because he hath in fuch a deadly manner finned against his own foul, which the humble finner fees to be loft and undone, upon the brink of destruction, in the gall of bitterness, and in the bonds of iniquity; and partly because he finds his heart as prone to fin as the fparks are to fly upward. This made the poor publican, when he entered the Temple, to ftand at a distance from the altar, and fmite upon his defiled breast, saying, God be merciful to me a finner? The want of this, was the cause of the boafting Pharifee's oftentation, and alfo why fo many profeffing people profit fo little by the word, because they have too good an opinion of their own attainments in fanctity and knowledge; but the real children of GoD find it otherwife; they have an humble sense of their own imperfection and want of knowledge.

True humiliation confifts in fubmiffion, and this is the effence of humility, whether legal or evangelical; for as pride difcovers itself by impatience under trouble, fo humility dif covers itself beft by fubmiffion to the will and difpofal of God. The want of this fubmiffion, makes afflictions, either of body or mind, be real, for impatience under trouble is always worfe than afflictions themselves. Now as our great fin by nature, is each of us chufing our own way, GOD doth break this felfifh legal difpofition before he faves any foul. But when the foul is truly humbled under a fenfe of fin, it is then content to fubmit to any thing; this is plain with regard to Paul, for we find that he was no fooner broken for his fin, but he cries out, Lord, what wilt thou have to do? Thus grace bows the will, to fubmit to the LORD, that he who was a few moments before a proud Pharifee, and a bold blafphemous perfecutor, is now an humble fupplicant at CHRIST's feet. It is obfervable, that though he harped upon the legal string of doing, his will was fubmiffive to the will of GOD; the like may be faid of the Goaler, and of the three thousand.

Friendly. Do you think that there is a fumiffion to the will of GoD in all that are faved before CHRIST manifefts his love to the foul?

Truth. The wife man faith, before honour is humility, in fome, a greater degree than others; fome have been fo far