The fountain opened, or, The great gospel privilege of having Christ exhibited to sinful…The fountain opened, or, The great gospel priviledge of having Christ exhibited to sinfull…

1. He confesseth and bewaileth his sins before God. Confession of sin is, if not an essential part, yet an inseparable adjunct of prayer, by which sinful man addresseth God for mercy; ⟨p. 139⟩hence the promise so runs, Prov. 28. 13. He that confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy: And for this reason, when God invites back▪ sliders to return, and promiseth them acceptance, he enters that caution, Jer. 3. 13. Only acknowledge thine iniquity. Nor indeed can we rightly come to Christ for a pardon and cleansing, unless we lay open our malady before him; so that there is a tacit confession of Sin in the very petitions that are put up on this account: but God expects that in our solemn addressing of him, we be explicit in it, Levit. 26. 40. If they confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their tres•oss, &c.

2. He requests his Converting Grace. There must be a root of Conversion in the man, before he can sincerely desire or petition to be Converted; and indeed gracious mourning, confession, and supplication, do follow after that inward and transforming work of the Spirit in the man, Jer. 31. 19. After that I was turned, I repented, and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh; I was ashamed, &c However, in the actual turning of the Soul to God, the man finds that it is not in his own power to turn himself, but that he must have it given him of God; and accordingly he asks it of him: thus did Ephraim, verse 18. Turn thou me, and I shall be turned; and God directs Israel to use such words,