Againfifpiritual wickedneffe. 2 ing with God, which keeps bm from comfortable living on Chrift. Firft, when a poor foul is flayed off the promife by the fenfe of his own unworthineffe and great unrighteoufneffe ; tell him of a pardon, alas, he is fowrapt up with the thoughts of his own vileneffe, that youcannot fallen it upon him. What, will God e= ver take fuch a toad as he is into his bofome, difcount fo many great abominations at once, and receive him into his favour, that bath been fo long in rebellious armes againft him ? he can- not beleeve it, no, though he heares what Chrift bath done and fuffered for fin, he refufeth to be comforted. Little cloth the foule think what a bitter root fuch thoughts fpring from, thou thinkeft thou doeft well thus to declaim againft thy fell, and aggravate thy fins ; indeed thou canft not paint themblack e- nough, or entertain too low and bafe thoughts of thy felfe for them : But what wrong hath God and Chrift done thee, that thou fhouldeft fo unworthily refleet upon themercy of the one, and merit of the other ? Mayeft thou not do this, and be tender of the good Name of God alto ? Is there no way to fhew thy fenfe of thy fin, except thou afperfe thy Saviour ? Canft thou not charge thy fell, but thou muff condemnGod, and put Chrift and his blood to flume before Satan, who triumphs more in this then all thy other fins ? In a word, though thou like a wretch haft undone thy felt, and damned thy foule by thy fins, yet art thou not willing God fbould have the glory of pardoning them, and Chrift thehonour of procuring the fame ? or art thou like him in the Gofpel, Luk! 16, 3. who could not dig, and to beg was afhanord. Thou canft not earne heaven by thy own righ- teoufneffe, and is thy fpirit fo flout that thou wilt not beg it for Chrifts fake, yea, take it at Gods hands, who in the Gofpef comes a begging to thee, and befeecheth thee to be reconciled to him ? Ah foule, who would ever have thought there could have lien fiach pride under fuch a modeft voile ? and yet none like it. 'Tis horrible pride for a beggar to flarve, rather then take an alms at a rich mans hands: a malefaaour rather to choofe his halter then a pardon from his gracious Princes hand : but here is one infinitely furpaffingboth ; a foule pining and pe- rifbing in fin, and yet rejeding the mercy of God,and the help- ng hand of C;hrift to fave him. Though eArbigall did not P p z think.
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