358 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. committed, nor of fears and perturbations of mind lest sin should break forth to loss, shame, ruin, dishonor; nor of the contending of a convinced conscience lest damnation should ensue ; but of the striving of the spi- rit against sin from a hatred and loathing of it, in view of all the considerations of love, grace, mercy, fear, the beauty of holiness, excellency of communion with God, that are proposed in the Gospel. If thou seemest to thyself to be only passive in these things, to do nothing but endure the assaults of sin ; yet if thou art sensible, and standest under the stroke of it as under the stroke of an enemy, there is the root of the matter. And as it is thus as to'the substance and being of holiness, so it is also as to the degree of it. Degrees of holiness are to be measured very much by opposition. He may have more grace than another who brings not forth so much fruit, because he has more opposition, more temp- tation, Isa. 11: 17; and a sense of the want of all is a great sign of something genuine in the soul. II. As to what was alleged of the sense of nothing- ness and selfishness in duty, I say, 1. It is certain whilst we are in the flesh our duties will taste of the vessel whence they proceed. Weakness, defilements, treachery, hypocrisy will attend them. To this purpose, whatever some pretend to the contrary, is the complaint of the church, Isa. 64:6. The chaff oftentimes is so mixed with the wheat that corn can scarce be discerned. And this know, that the more spi- ritual any man is, the more he sees of his want of spi- rituality in his spiritual duties. An outside performance will satisfy an outside christian. Job abhorred himself most when he knew himself best. The clearer disco-
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