A practical exposition on the 130th Psalm

3. Where the Remembrance and perplexing sense of past sins is revived by present afflictions; separate them in your minds, and deal distinctly about them. So long as you carry on the consideration of them jointly, you will be rolled from one to another, and never obtain rest unto your souls. They will mutually aggravate each other. The sharpness of Affliction will add to the bitterness of the sense of sin; and the sense of sin will give an edge to Affliction, and cause it to pierce deeply into the soul, as we showed in the former instances. Deal therefore distinctly about them, and in their proper order. So doth the Psalmist here. He had at present both upon him, and together they brought him into these depths concerning which he so cries out for deliverance from them; see Psal. 32. 3, 4, 5. And what course doth he take? he applies himself in the first place to his sin, and the guilt of it, and that distinctly and separately. And when he hath got a discharge of sin, which he waited so earnestly for, his faith quickly arose above his outward trials, as appears in his blessed close of all; He shall redeem Israel out of all ⟨p. 328⟩his trouble; the whole Israel of God, and my self amongst them. This do then, single out the sin or sins that are revived in the sense of their guilt upon the conscience. Use all diligence to come to an issue about them in the blood of Christ. This God by your Affliction calls you unto. This is the disease whereof your trouble is but the symptom. This therefore in the Cure you seek after, is first and principally to be attended unto; when that is once removed, the other as to any prejudice unto your souls will depart of its self. The root being once digged up, you shall not long feed on the bitter fruit that it hath brought forth; or if you do, the Wormwood shall be taken out of it, and it shall be very pleasant unto you, as well as wholesome. How this is to be done by an Application unto God for forgiveness, hath been at large declared. But if men will deal with confused thoughts about their sins and their troubles, their wound will be incurable, and their sorrow endless.

3. Where the Remembrance and perplexing sense of past sins is revived by present afflictions; separate them in your minds, and deal distinctly about them. So long as you carry on the consideration of them joyntly, you will be rolled from one to another, and never obtain rest unto your souls. They will mutually aggravate each other. The sharpness of Affliction will add to the bitterness of the sense of sin; and the sense of sin will give an edge to Affliction, and cause it to pierce deeply into the soul, as we shewed in the former instances. Deal therefore distinctly about them, and in their proper order. So doth the Psalmist here. He had at present both upon him, and together they brought him into these depths concerning which he so cries out for deliverance from them; see