The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…

USE 2. Be exhorted therefore to lie down in the Dust before the Lord, and under the Lord; nay, entreat the Lord that he would put thee upon his Wheel, and mould thy Heart to his Will: Why will you […] in any Good you have? O remember thy Father ⟨p. 110⟩was a Syrian ready to perish, and thy self polluted, an infinite, endless Evil. Whatever Good thou dost, is it not a polluted Stream, of a more polluted Spring? Nay, suppose the Spirit works any Good in thee, yet is it not polluted by thy unclean Heart? Nay, suppose any Actions should be perfect, yet remember that the Lord spared not the Angels that sinned: Perfection present cannot satisfy Justice for Pollution past. Cry out therefore, and say, O Lord, now I see not only that my Sin is vile, but that my Self and all my Righteousness is vile also; and now tho' the Lord stands at a Distance, speaks no Peace, hears no Prayers, yet because thou art very vile, lie down under him, that if he will he may tread upon thee, and thereby exalt himself, as well as lift thee up, and exalt thee. Be not careless whether the Lord help or no, but be humbled, not to quarrel in Case he should not: For,

USE 2. Be exhorted therefore to lie down in the Dust before the Lord, and under the Lord; nay, intreat the Lord that he would put thee upon his Wheel, and mould thy Heart to his Will: Why will you 〈…〉 in any Good you have? O remember thy Father ⟨p. 110⟩was a Syrian ready to perish, and thy self polluted, an infinite, endless Evil. Whatever Good thou dost, is it not a polluted Stream, of a more polluted Spring? Nay, suppose the Spirit works any Good in thee, yet is it not polluted by thy unclean Heart? Nay, suppose any Actions should be perfect, yet remember that the Lord spared not the Angels that sinned: Perfection present cannot satisfy Justice for Pollution past. Cry out therefore, and say, O Lord, now I see not only that my Sin is vile, but that my Self and all my Righteousness is vile also; and now tho' the Lord stands at a Distance, speaks no Peace, hears no Prayers, yet because thou art very vile, lie down under him, that if he will he may tread upon thee, and thereby exalt himself, as well as lift thee up, and exalt thee. Be not careless whether the Lord help or no, but be humbled, not to quarrel in Case he should not: For,