176 SE R. Ví[. o bjeél. Anfty. vfe 2. Be thankefull for tl.s rrutit. The Lati' of mans judgement to fin,I was heretofore troubled at a (mall croffe,but little or nothing at fin; Lord, I confeffr,this was my cafe, but I fee now finne is another thing : Thus wee fhould learne to humble our felves before God. But, if any objets ; This is the way to difcourage men, to make them defperate, to make them flye from Religion, by telling them finne is fo ter- rible. I anfwer,it is not the way to difcourage men from comming to Chrif},but to encourage them and drive them to him ; This is the way to Salvation: Indeed, if there were no remedy for fin, it were a def perate cafe, but there is a remedy,if you will but fee this fin of yours, and mourne for ir, for all that mourne in Sion, and are broken hearted, fhall be comforted : Therefore you mull know, there is a paffive forrow for fin,when God fhall affright a man with the Ter - roue of his wrath, and that is a flafh of .hell fire: if our end were only to kindle there fparkes, it were in- deed to breed Torture in the foule; but there is an wive humiliation, when a man labours to be con. vinced of his fin, to know all he can againfl himfelfe, and this is it which leades to life; for this is the end of our preaching, the end of our di(covering of fin And this ufe you may make of the hainoufneffe of {jn ;and fo much (hall ferve for the firfl ufe. Secondly, if there bee fuch a truth, fuch a know- ledge made evident by God Himfelfe, then men fhould learne hence to be thankefull to God for it : for whereas all men might have perifhed as the Devils did, as the Angels that fell did, yet God hath (hewed this mercy to mankind; he bath given them secan- dam `
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