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'
E
SPIRIT's
WORit
ON
THE
HEART.
593
for
which
God contends
with him
;
and
the soul
that
liras
unwilling to
see
it
before
cannot
help seeing
it
now.
3.
All
other
ways
and
means
of discovering
sin
may
be
evaded and shifted
of
but
the Spirit
of God
will
make
thorough
work,
and
he
alone can do
it.
A darling
sin
that
lies
in
the
heart
is
very
ready
in
excuses;
we
are
apt
to
say
it may
be
this
word
of God
that
others
think
suits
my case
cannot
be
particularly applied
to
me
;
the
re-
proach of
an
enemy
is
very
unjust
to
me;
o?
the providence
of
God
speaks something
else,
and
not
to
my
particular
case
;
thus, they are all shifted off
till
the Spirit
of God
comes
;
he
breaks through
all
opposition, through the
bars and guards
of
a
beloved
sin
and
discovers it
to
the
soul,
and
will
force
him to see
it.
4.
Because the Spirit never deigns to
give away his
office
to
any
creature.
Now it
is
the
office
of
the
Spirit
to.
convince
of
sin
;
for
When
he
is
come he
will
re-
prove
the world
of
sin."
Sin
may
be
written
as with
sun-
beams,
and yet
we
have
not
light enough
to
read it till
the .Spirit points
it out
:
it
is
therefore needful
that
we
implore
the
Spirit
of God that
he would
make
afflictions
of
use 'to
our
souls,
that
he may
teach
us by
every
stroke
of
his
afflictive
providences what
our
present duty
is,
what
we
have
omitted, and committed,
and lead
'us
into
the
path of
peace.
But for
our
caution, these three
things may
be
necessary.
-
First,
Let not Christians
of
a melancholy frame
con-
clude,
if
any
such
providences
have befallen them,
that
they
must certainly
be
guilty
of
some
great sins;
for
there
may
be
other
reasons for
which
God
may
exercise
us
with
afflictions,
wiz.
to
manifest
his
sovereignty, to
discover
bow
much
he
is
Lord of
all,
for the exercise
of our
graces,
for the trial of
our
faith and
patience, and for the
discovery
of
them.
These
sometimes
are
the ends
of
God's
afflictive
providences,
as
ivas
shewn
at
large
in
the
last sermon.
He
may
take
away
the delight
of
our
eyes
and comfort
of
our
life,
yet perhaps there
may
not
be
so
much
ground
to
charge ourselves
of
having
been
guilty
in
these
respects; yet
we
ought
to
attend
to the calls
of
providences whensoever any such
afflictions befal
us
;
but
we
ought
not
with melancholy
to accuse ourselves
falsely,
nor
to
overload
our
souls.
VOL.