60 FORGIVENESS OF SIN. make a due application to God for forgiveness. As ever you would have your souls justified by grace, take care to have your sins judged by the law. 5. There is in this sense of sin a respect to the loveof God. And this breaks the heart of the poor returning sinner. Sorrow from the law shuts itself up in the soul and strangles it. Sorrow from thoughts of the love of God opens it and causes it to flow forth. Thoughts of sinning against the love of God, managed by the Holy Ghostwhat shall I say their effects in the heart are not to be expressed. This made Ezra cry out, " Omy God, I blush and am ashamed to lift up my face to thee What shall we say after this I" After what I why, all the fruits of love and kindness they had been made par- takers of. Thoughts of love and sin laid together, make the soul blush, mourn, and be ashamed and confounded in itself. So Ezekiel, 36 : 31 ; " Then shall you remem- ber your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good." When shall they do so l when thoughts and ap- prehensions of love shall be brought home to them; then " shall you loathe yourselves in your own sight." The soul now calls to mind what love, what kindness, what mercy, what grace, what patience has been exer- cised towards it. The thoughts of all these now come in upon him as streams of water. Such mercy, such communion, such privileges, such hopes of glory, such tastes of heaven, such peace, such consolation, such joy, such communications of the Spirit, all to a poor, wretch- ed, cursed, lost, forlorn sinner; and all this despised, neglected ; the God of them all provoked, forsaken ! Ah! saith the soul, " whither shall I cause my sorrow to go I" This fills him with shame and confusion of face; makes him mourn in secret, and sigh to 'the break- ing of the loins. 6. The blood and cross of Christ is also brought to remembrance by the Holy Ghost. Ah ! saith the soul.,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=