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

3. There is a constant Light; the Soul sees Sin and Death continually before it; God's Arrows stick fast in the Soul, and cannot be plucked out; my Sin is ever before me, said David, (in his renewing the Work of Conversion.) For in effectual Conviction the Mind is not only bound to see the Misery lying upon it, but it is held bound: It is such a Sun-light as never can be quenched, tho' it may be clouded. When the Spirit of Christ darts in any Light to see Sin, the Soul would turn away from looking upon it, would ⟨p. 23⟩not hear on that Ear, Felix-like. But the Spirit of Conviction sent to make thorough' Work on the Hearts of all the Elect, follows them, meets them at every Turn, forceth them to see and remember what they have done; the least Sin is now a Mote in the Eye, is ever troubling. Those ghastly, dreadful Objects of Sin, Death, Wrath, being presented by the Spirit near unto the Soul, fix the Eye to fasten here; they that can cast off at their Pleasure the Remembrance and Thoughts of Sin and Death, never prove sound, until the Lord make them stay their Thoughts, and muse deeply on what they have done, and whither they are going. And hence the Soul in lying down, rising up, lies down & rises up with perplexed Thoughts, What will become of me? The Lord sometimes keeps it waking in the Night season, when others are asleep, and then it is haunted with those Thoughts, it cannot sleep; it looks back upon every Day and Week, Sabbath, Sermon, Prayer, Speeches, and thinks all this Day, this Week, &c. the Goodness of the Lord and his Patience to a Wretch hath been continued; I sin in all I do, in all my Prayers, in all I Think, the same Heart remains still not humbled, not yet changed.

3. There is a constant Light; the Soul sees Sin and Death continually before it; God's Arrows stick fast in the Soul, and cannot be pluck'd out; my Sin is ever before me, said David, (in his renewing the Work of Conversion.) For in effectual Conviction the Mind is not only bound to see the Misery lying upon it, but it is held bound: It is such a Sun-light as never can be quenched, tho' it may be clouded. When the Spirit of Christ darts in any Light to see Sin, the Soul would turn away from looking upon it, would ⟨p. 23⟩not hear on that Ear, Felix-like. But the Spirit of Conviction sent to make thoro' Work on the Hearts of all the Elect, follows them, meets them at every Turn, forceth them to see and remember what they have done; the least Sin is now a Mote in the Eye, is ever troubling. Those ghastly, dreadful Objects of Sin, Death, Wrath, being presented by the Spirit near unto the Soul, fix the Eye to fasten here; they that can cast off at their Pleasure the Remembrance and Thoughts of Sin and Death, never prove sound, until the Lord make them stay their Thoughts, and muse deeply on what they have done, and whither they are going. And hence the Soul in lying down, rising up, lies down & rises up with perplexed Tho'ts, What will become of me? The Lord sometimes keeps it waking in the Night season, when others are asleep, and then it is haunted with those Thoughts, it cannot sleep; it looks back upon every Day and Week, Sabbath, Sermon, Prayer, Speeches, and thinks all this Day, this Week, &c. the Goodness of the Lord and his Patience to a Wretch hath been continued; I sin in all I do, in all my Prayers, in all I Think, the same Heart remains still not humbled, not yet changed.