The souls exaltation A treatiseThe soules exaltation A treatise

Fourthly, thus far the Saints of God ought to go in charging their own souls with their sins; so far see them, and be affected with them, as to bring thy heart to be truly carried with hatred against them, and with resolution to get power and strength against them; lay thy burden ⟨p. 190⟩upon thy own soul, that thou mayest be affected with it, and be carried with a hatred to it, and a resolution to get more strength and power against it: Famous is that example of David herein, and this was the cause of his practice; it is a conceit of the Familists, that if he had once gotten the assurance of Gods love, he might have gone away cheered, but though the Lord had pardoned his sin, yet he would not pardon sin in himself: the Lord showed mercy to his soul, but yet he would not show any pity to his sin, but showed all the hatred and revenge against it, that possibly he could: As the Apostle said concerning the incestuous Corinth, Ye should rather have sorrowed, that the sin might have been removed; had you sorrowed for your sins, then you would have resisted them; And when he had showed them their transgressions, and convinced them of their sins, see what fruit it wrought in them, in 2 Cor. 7.10. For this thing that ye have had godly sorrow, what great care it hath wrought in you; yea, what clearing of your selves; yea, what indignation; yea, what fear, what zeal, what revenge, &c? The Familists scornfully and sinfully inquire and say, why should a believer go drooping, and mourning under his sins and corruptions, and have his eyes full of tears, and his heart full of grief, seeing Christ hath pardoned all, as though a man did become a Mediator to himself? their demand is weak, and their scorn is hellish, and therefore I answer them thus: If there be a daily need that every believer see a necessity of ⟨p. 191⟩Christ, then there is a daily need to repent and sorrow for sin; for if he must be more sanctified, then he must be more mortified; therefore he must daily see his sins or else he will never see a need of Christ, nor repent, nor be more sanctified nor mortified: Again, if every believer must express his love unto God daily, then he must hate every thing that is evil. I hope you will confess that every believer is bound to love Jesus Christ, therefore he must hate sin;