22 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. " When thou with rebukes dost correct man for ini- quity." Psalm 39 : 11. God speaks in his word, and by his Spirit in the conscience, things sharp and bitter to the soul, fastening them so that it cannot shake them off. These Job so mournfully complains of chap. 6 :4. The Lord speaks words with such efficacy that they pierce the heart quite through; and what the issue then is, David declares, " There is no soundness," saith he, "in my flesh, because of thine anger; nor is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin." Psalm 38: 8. The whole person is brought under the power of them, and all health and rest is taken away. And, 7. Dullness and disability to duty, in doing or suffer ing, attend such a condition. "Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up." Psalm 40 : 12. His spiritual strengthwas worn awayby sin, so that he was not able to address himself to any communion with God. The soul now cannot pray with life and power; cannot hear with joyand profit; cannot do good and communicate with cheerfulness and free- dom; cannot meditate with delight and heavenly-mind- edness; cannot act for God with zeal and liberty; can- not think of suffering with boldness and resolution ;.but is sick, weak, feeble and bowed down. Now, I say, a gracious soul, after much communion with God, may, on account of sin, by a sense of the guilt of it, be brought into a state wherein some or all of these, with other like perplexities, may be its por- tion. And these make up thedepths whereof the Psalm- ist here complains. I shall now show, II. WHENCE IS IT that believers may be brought into depths on account of sin. The nature of TILE COVENANT OF GRACE, wherein all believers now walk with God, and wherein lies their whole provision for obedience, leaves it possible for
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