32 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. or after especial mercies, will meet, at one time or other, with especial rebukes. Nothing more distresses the conscience of a sinner than the remembrance, in darkness, of abused light in desertions, of ne- glected love. This, God will make him sensible of. "Though I have redeemed them," saith God, "yet they have spoken lies against me." When God has, in his providence, dealt graciously with a person it may be, delivered him from straits and troubles, set him in a large place, blessed him in his person, relations, and employments, dealt well with his soul, in giving him a gracious sense of his love in Christ; for such a one to fall into sin goes to the heart of God, and shall not be passed over. Undervaluations of love are great provo- cations. " Hath Nabal thus requited mykindness?" saith David, " I cannot bear it." And the clearer our con- victions of such sins, the more severe will be our re- flections upon ourselves. 2. Sins under or after great afflictions are also of this character. God doth not afflict willingly, or chasten us merely for his pleasure ; he does it to make us par- takers of his holiness. To take so little notice of his hand, as under it, or after it, not to watch against the workings and surprisals of sin, has unkindness in it: "I smote him," saith God, "and he went on frowardly in the ways of his own heart." These provocations of his sons and daughters he cannot bear with. Has God brought thee into the furnace, so that thou hast melted under his hand, and in pity and compassion given thee enlargement, if thou hast soon forgotten his dealings with thee, is it any wonder if he remind thee by trou- bles in thy soul'? 3. Breaking off from under strong convictions and drawings of love, before conversion, is often remember- ed upon the conscience afterwards. When the Lord, by his Spirit, shall mightily convince the heart of sin,
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