Mercy magnified on a penitent prodigal, or, A brief discourse

3. He comes before God with self-abhorrence: comes not as a proud man, that thinks he comes for nothing but what he may expect and challenge, and it will be an affront to deny it him, as they did, Isa. 58. 3. No, but he lays all his excellencies, and all his moralities, and all his good duties in the dust, under God's feet, and acknowledgeth that he may, if he sees meet, trample upon them, and do him no wrong, Job 42. 6. If he had thought a thought or spoken a word in defence of his own worth or deserving, he loathes himself for that word or thought; he eats it again, and professeth he will speak no more, and condemns himself for what he hath spoken already.

3. He comes before God with self-abhorence: comes not as a proud man, that thinks he comes for nothing but what he may expect and challenge, and it will be an affront to deny it him, as they did, Isa. 58. 3. No, but he layes all his excellencies, and all his moralities, and all his good duties in the dust, under God's feet, and acknowledgeth that he may, if he sees meet, trample upon them, and do him no wrong, Job 42. 6. If he had thought a thought or spoken a word in defence of his own worth or deserving, he loaths himself for that word or thought; he eats it again, and professeth he will speak no more, and condemns himself for what he hath spoken already.

Now the Reason why God works this grace in conversion, is because his great design in the New-Covenant, is to bring about man's Salvation in a way of Grace, the Glory of which Attribute is the bottom end of his counsel concerning his Elect, Rom. 9. 23. Now then grace appears to be grace, in respect of the subject, it is applied to, when this subject is made to appear the most undeserving; and every circumstance