Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Secondly, What are the consequents of this belief in order to that resignation, which is the last thing in faith? I answer, the holy spirit having lodged such a belief of Scripture in the heart, doth reflect and turn the Scriptural light inwards, ⟨p. 70⟩and manage it in order to resignation, by so me such steps as these following.

First, It strikes in the holy light in that manner, as to work a clear conviction of sin, and this conviction is manifold.

First, There is a conviction of sin in its kinds, Actual and Original. I name Actual first, as being most obvious and first in the discovery. There is a conviction of Actual sin; the believed Law comes home to the heart, and gives it a charge as Nathan to David, thou art the man, these and those things are sins against the great God, saith the holy Law, and so and so thou hast done, saith the awakened conscience. God (who before had sowed and sealed up his iniquities in a bag, as the phrase is, Job 14.17.) now opens the bag, and pours out a vast sum of guilts, and exactly tells over all the smothered light, and abused love, and spirit-quenchings, and forfeited creatures, and buried talents, and broken promises, and horrible presumptions, in all amounting to wonderful arrearages, and at last enforcing the poor sinner to cry out, Guilty, Guilty. And after this follows a conviction of Original sin: The sinner traces up his sins to the impure fountain, and follows every lust home to the black nest in the heart; there, there is the root of bitterness, the seed-plot and spawn of all iniquity. Indeed in every actual sin we may, if we have our spiritual senses about us, hear the sound of its Masters feet, even of the reigning corruption within; in every act of rebellion we may cry out of the Pharaoh within, which saith who is the Lord? in every act of unbelief