GOD'S MARKING INIQUITY. 69 pression upon them. Thus the soul is weakened by dwelling too long on these considerations; until they cry with those in Ezekiel, 33 : 10, " Our sins are upon us, we pine away in them, and how shall we then live i" This state of mind will insensibly give countenance to hard thoughts of God, and so to repining, and weari- ness in waiting on him. At first, the soul neither appre- hends nor fears any such issue: it supposes that it shall condemn and abhor itself, and justify God, and that for ever; but when relief comes not, this resolution begins to weaken ; secret thoughts arise in the heart that God is inexorable; and it sometimes utters such complaints as will bring the soul into new depths before it has an issue of its trials. Here, in humiliation preceding con- version, many convinced persons perish; they cannot wait God's season, and perish under their impatience. Of what the saints of God themselves have been over- taken with in their depths and trials, we have many ex- amples. Delight and expectation are the grounds of our abiding with God; both these are weakened by a con- quering prevailing sense of sin, without some relief from the discovery of forgiveness, though at a distance; and therefore our perplexed soul stays not here, but presses on towards that discovery. 2. There is a resting on this sense of sin that is nox- ious and hurtful. Some finding it, with other things that attend it, wrought in them in some measure, begin to think that, now all is well, this is all that is required. They will endeavor to make a life of comfort from such arguments as they can take from their trouble; they think this a ground of peace, that they have not peace. Here some rest before conversion, and it proves their ruin. Because they are convinced of sin,'and troubled about it, and burdened with it, they think it shall be well with them. But were not Cain, Esau, Saul, Ahab, Judas convinced of sin, and burdened with it? Did this profs`
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=