'nuke humbly-confident application to God through Chris; when he finds, to the great grief of his foul, an excee- ding indifpofition to duty ; when his praying, repen- ting, hearing, &c. go not with him, as he would fain have them : If there be a real fleeing for refuge to the hope let before him, he may and Mould, even in ,that cafe, lfep forward, and draw near with humble boldnefs Hence, David, Pfal. 5 i. prays, not only for confolati- ón, but for the lively exercife of grace, while he lays to God, Create in me a clean heart, renew a right fpirit within we,` and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Ti ie fenfe of fin, and exercife of repentance being real and.ferious) the extrcife of faith is then furely native; and will rea- dily, looking to Jefus, go over all. that comes in the way of it. In a word, 'as then when the humble believer may draw fear with full affurance of faith; even whet/ he hath the real fenfe of his fin and danger, and flees un- to Jefus Chrift for refuge, he is then warranted to rung to the city of refuge, and may confidently go on in his errand, iviz. to get pardon of fin renewed, confolati. on reftored, and his fpiritual frame righted. 'Tis rió, doubt a foolifh conceit, and a prejudicial miffake, for troubled (inners, firft to Peek after peace, and then to make application to Chrift ; or to think that firfl they xnuft have all the requifites of a good fpiritual frame, and grace in the livelief exercife, before they adventure to draw near to God with confidence : I grant thefe are very defirable, and the foul's delire after them very com- mendable ; yet, if the believer refolve never to draw thus near, till he he as he would be, when (hall he do it What if David had flood and fluck at that, Pfal. 51 ? He might' have been kept a -back, and fo been unwà- íhen all his days ; but,knowing the way of God's grace,and the nature of his gracious covenant made with his peoples he ffeps humbly, yet confidently, forward in the exercife of faith Out over the fenfe of guiltinefs, and all the aggrava- tions of it, over reJapfing in fin, over indifpofition, and over many 1harp challenges, (all taken with, and lamented over) and makes all thefe together as fo many errands to God. ,The zd Ufe ferves to commend the bargain of free !face; and _to hold out the excellency of this blood of
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