602 / 652
596
HOW
THE
SPIRIT
CONVINCES
OP
SIN.
read,
may
have a
veil
over
it;
the word
is
as a
glass
wherein
we
are_ordered
to
look
to see
the spots
of our
souls
;
but
the
Spirit
is
as
the
sun,
without.
whose
light
the
glass
is
useless.
When
we
are
in
the night
of
dark-
ness
and
of
sorrowful perplexing thoughts, then the Spirit
shines in
his own
lightinto
the
soul,
and
sin
is.dissovered
as
the
true
reason
why
God corrects
us
and contends
with
us.
Perhaps
the soul has
-in
its own
enquiry
been
perplexed,
but
when
the
Spirit
comes
it
is
with
demon-
stration
and power.
Whether:it
be
to
discover righteous-
ness
or
sin,
it
makes the
soul
hear
what
Providence
before
spoke,
and read plainly
what
is
written
in'the
word
;
it
shews
in
what
part of
Scripture
the soul may
read
its own case
and
circumstances, and teaches
how
to
apply
it.
There
is
no
teacher
like the
Spirit of God.
It
is an affecting
and self
condemning discovery
of
sin
that
the Spirit
of
God
gives
us..
Should
we,
by a
due
and
rational consideration of
the
word
of God
and
his
providence,
find
out
such and such
sin in
our hearts and
lives,
for which
we
suppose God
would
contend
with us,
yet
we
should
not
be much
concerned
about
it,
unless
the
Spirit convinces
us.
There
áre
a
thousand
instances
of
this
in
a Christian
nation
;
mankind cannot.be
so-stupid
and
brutish
as
to
have
lost
all-
sense
of
religion, or all inward reproaches
of
conscience
;
reason
itself, examining-
the
heart
and
life
by
the
rules
of
the
law
of God
written
in
the
con-
science,
must
needs
convince
and condemn,
but'it
cannot
effect
or
move,
or
make
the-soul
mourn, unless the Spirit
convinces.
I
might
appeal
to
the
conscience
of
many,._
that
when
they
have
by
a
reflection
on
their
own
hearts
and
lives,
and
by
comparing
them with the
word
of God,
found out
and discovered sin they have
not
been
touched
with shame,
nor
had
the guilt-of
it
loading
and burden-
ing
the conscience, unless the
Spirit
has accompanied
these meditations and
reflections.
We
have'often
been
Willing
to
Overlook sin,
and
pass
-by
a
.
beloved
lust, till
the Spirit
has
drawn
it forth and presented
it
to
our
view
;
we
have been ready
if
we
found
it
out to let the
enemy
escape,
but
no
sooner
has
God
discovered
sin
to
our
souls
but
we
rejoice to
find
our
enemy, and
n-,ourn
to
think there
should
be
such
an
enemy
within
us.
We
then
say to
sin as
Elijah
to Ahab
:
" I
have found
thee
r