16 THE B-RUISED REE~ as a duty to be performed by us; both are here meant. We must join with God in bruising ourselves. When he humbles us, let us humble ourselves, and not stand out against him, for then he will redouble his strokes; and let us justify Christ in all his chastisements. His end in all his dealings towards us is to cause us to return into our own hearts. Ilis work in bruising, tendeth to our work in bruising ourselves. Let us lament , our own untowardness, and say, ' Lord, what a heart have I, that ne.eds all this, that none of this could be spared ?' We must lay siege to the hardness of our own hearts, and aggravate sin all we can. We must look on Christ, who was bruised for us; look on him whom we have pierced with our sins. But :1ll directions will not prevail, unless God by his Spirit convinceth us deeply, setting our sins before us, and driving us to. a stand. Then we shall look out for mercy. Conviction will breed contrition, and this humiliation. Therefore let us desire.God, that he would bring a clear and a strong light into all the corners of our souls, and accompany it with a Spirit of power to lay our hearts low.
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