Of all sensible wrackings in the soul, there is not any one comparable to that of despair: O! despair, it is the death Note. pang of the conscience, it is the soul in the Extremity of amazing throws, it sees no heaven, and no shore, but lays the soul either in hell, or ready to be cast quick into it; now presumptuous sinnings prepare the way for despair: when the soul would have its sinful course, it would not be ⟨p. 88⟩beaten off by any method and warning of heaven, but went on in a secure confidence of the easiness and largeness of mercy: when God will not take these proud braveries any longer, but arrest the stout transgressor, and set his sins in order, both for the greatness of fact, and height of pride and darings, and that against all light and goodness, and warning and threatening, and the sinner sees himself fallen into the hands of a terrible and glorious God, from whose fierce displeasure it cannot now rid it self. O cries out the miserable man, what shall I do? woe to me that ever I was borne, I have shut up heaven against my self, I am rejected for ever; as I have dealt with God, so now he deals with me, I would not hearken to him, and now he will not hearken to me, O I shall never have mercy, I have adventured on so presumptuously, that I have distinguished my self from any hope and possibility of recovery: I was entreated, but still I would sin, I was warned, but still I would sin, I saw it to be sinful but I would do it; I felt some trouble for it, but, &c. I despised counsel, and scorned reproof, I slighted mercy, I quenched motions, and these so often, O Lord, now thou hast met with me, now shall I never rise any more, I would have my sins, and I have them still, and I shall have thy just wrath and hell with them too. Thus the presumptuous sinner Note. makes way to the despairing sinner: for what is it which causeth despair? when the soul sees justice to be exceeding great, and a cloud over the mercy-seat, now it sinks a pace, and what darkens the mercy-seat more then the greatness of sinning; and why doth divine justice seem so terrible, but because the person hath been so audaciously sinful: Now, he saith with Cain, my iniquity is greater then can be forgiven, Gen. 4. No, no, there is not balm for such wounds, there is not mercy for such great transgressions as I stand guilty of.
Of all sensible wrackings in the soul, there is not any one comparable to that of despaire: O! despaire, it is the death Note. pang of the conscience, it is the soul in the Extremity of amazing throwes, it sees no heaven, and no shore, but lays the soul either in hell, or ready to be cast quick into it; now presumptuous sinnings prepare the way for despair: when the soul would have its sinful course, it would not be ⟨p. 88⟩beaten off by any method and warning of heaven, but went on in a secure confidence of the easinesse and largenesse of mercy: when God will not take these proud braveries any longer, but arrest the stout transgressor, and set his sins in order, both for the greatnesse of fact, and height of pride and darings, and that against all light and goodnesse, and warning and threatning, and the sinner sees himself fallen into the hands of a terrible and glorious God, from whose fierce displeasure it cannot now rid it self. O cries out the miserable man, what shall I do? woe to me that ever I was borne, I have shut up heaven against my self, I am rejected for ever; as I have dealt with God, so now he deals with me, I would not hearken to him, and now he will not hearken to me, O I shall never have mercy, I have adventured on so presumptuously, that I have distinguished my self from any hope and possibility of recovery: I was intreated, but still I would sin, I was warned, but still I would sinne, I saw it to be sinful but I would do it; I felt some trouble for it, but, &c. I despised counsel, and scorned reproof, I slighted mercy, I quenched motions, and these so often, O Lord, now thou hast met with me, now shall I never rise any more, I would have my sinnes, and I have them still, and I shall have thy just wrath and hell with them too. Thus the presumptuous sinner Note. makes way to the despairing sinner: for what is it which causeth despaire? when the soul sees justice to be exceeding great, and a cloud over the mercy-seat, now it sinks a pace, and what darkens the mercy-seat more then the greatnesse of sinning; and why doth divine justice seem so terrible, but because the person hath been so audaciously sinful: Now, he saith with Cain, my iniquity is greater then can be forgiven, Gen. 4. No, no, there is not balm for such wounds, there is not mercy for such great transgressions as I stand guilty of.
