desire it more then my appointed food thou Lord sure I trust will be prevailed with Seeing the unjust Judg was so through importunity shall not the just and righteous yea merciful God be prevailed withall when importuned for that which he promiseth to give Yes surely he will most certainly make good even that promise to thee my soul in particular Do but trust in him and press him with his own Word nay more it 's a part of that new Covenant that God hath made with his servants that he will take away the heart of stone that is all that hinders Grace and he will give them a new heart and put his Laws in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be his people Jer. 31. 33. and Ezâ—ek 36. 25 26 27. And that he will put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his statutes beleeve so and it shall be so to thee Be encouraged and wrestle still for thou shalt obtain in the end Hath God said it Build thou on it Only go on in use of his means limit not the holy one he is a free Agent he may work when and how he pleaseth he delights to hear his children beg and cry oft to him and remember how prevalent prayer in Faith hath been with God how great things it hath obtained of God for particular Servants of God as that of Peters delivery by the prayers of the Church Acts 12. when condemned to dye the next morning and no way or means that he knew â—t to escape And so for Nations too Doth the Lord then say seek my face Oh let my heart Answer Lord thy face I do I will still seek and wait till thou Answer Another Evidence of Grace is Thy earnest desire to serve the Lord in sincerity with an upright heart above the desire of Life it self so far as thou canst search and knowest ought by thy self this must needs be an infallible sign of true Grace for nothing but truth of Grace can possibly desire this Another sign of true Grace is Thou fearest at some times that thou hast no true Faith or at least that it is decaying dying with thee when as no true Grace either stands at a stay or decays which makes thee full of discouragements and disquietness of spirit fearing thy estate is not good but what ever change is in thee O my Soul of seeming decay in Grace or increase of corruption yet thou canst not but be sure in the main for wher there is a sense of sins evil and a groaning under it a high Valuation of Christ and Grace and longing after it with a self-emptiness a desire and purpose to hang on Christ as thou darest not deny but 〈◊〉 in some measure in thee there is ground of comfort and therefore apply it to thy self else thou wrongest thy self and the spirit also Thou fearest falling into sin let it make thee more watchful and trust more and more carefully in Christ the view of thy wants should not discourage thee but abase thee in thine own esteem quicken thee to use the means and press thee to go to Christ and rest on him who can and will help all that thus repair to him Therefore fear not falling off for God hath promised to put his Fear into the hearts of his that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32. 40. Apply that promise to thy self by Faith Having once true Grace it can never be lost why therefore O my Soul art thou so cast down and why art thou so disquieted within me Trust stil in God for I will or shall yet give him thanks he is my present help and my God Psalm 42. 5 11 verses Or art thou thus disquieted because thou art often foiled by sins that thou resolvest against Oâ— consider thou hast an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ who is thy Reconciliation he sitteth at the right hand of God and there he plead thy cause for thee Or is it because thou art still full of fears that thy Grace is not true Thou didst once beleeve it was true and that upon good ground Therefore question not that ground-work now that were to go about to rip up or undo all that work of Grace that God hath wrought in thee Why then is it O my Soul because of those inward corruptions within thee that rebel against the Law and Will of God and such effects of them as thou canst not be rid off with whatsoever care and caution thou canst use Or such sins slips and oversights as thou art unwillingly overtaken withall or dost inconsiderately slip into For thou dost not allow thy self in any known sin For this remember what was once my Cozen Gatakers Answer hereunto to wit consider S. Paul his case read but what he saith of himself Rom. 7. from vers 15. to vers 24. That which I do I allow not for what I would haâ— do I not but what I hate that do I. If then I do that which I would not I consent unto the Law that it is good Now then it is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing For to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not For the good that I would that do I not but the evill which I hate that do I. I find then a Law that when I would do good evil is present with me For I delight in the Law of God after the inward man but I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into Captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members And if you can say more of your self then he there doth of himself I much marvel if not you may conclude your estate to be no worse then his was God indeed hears the prayers of his but yet he doth not presently give in kind the thing prayed for The Apostle Paul was heard when he prayed to be rid wholly of some corruption and temptation that he was anoyed and often foiled with 2 Cor. 12. 7 8. Lest I should be exalted above measure through the Abundance of the Rovelations there was given to me a throne in the flesh the massenger of Satan to buffet me For this thing I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from me Remember Gods Answer to him vers 9. My Grace is sufficient for thee So shall it be my Soul to thee if thou rest on his Word it shall be so But mark he was not presently freed from it but upheld in it Or is it out of the sense of thy want and great need of more Grace Oh let not that discourage thee indeed thou hast the more need to go to Christ by Faith who is the Fountain and Spring of all he hath enough and so fetch vertue and strength from him beleeve
have liberty to go sit with her God Her Closet work was no chambering and wantoness but a serious study to make heâ—â—â—â—lling and election sure To this end she reads with understanding observing and carefully transcribing the promises she had gathered up her Bonds and knew how much God was in his Word an accomptant to her Soul and was never in want but she had a Bond to put in sute knowing that he was faithful that had promised She was a consciencious attender upon God in his Ordinances and it was her practise not to hear as one that looks his natural face in a glass that presently goeth away and forgetteth what manner of man he was She would observe mater al passages and upon her retirements record them with her pen if in any thing â—â— doubted she ceased not till she was satisfied And whereas it is the too blame-worthy practise of Christians to seek cavils against themselves striving by their cavillings to unsettle their spirits she rather stadyed to make it her work to find what interest God had in her Soul then what she might have to say against her self nor in this was her labour without fruit Thou shalt read here what a writing she had drawn for Heaven to make it sure to her Soul and 〈…〉 had striven so the Lord had crowned her Souls endeavours with such an assurance as failed not her Soul in her dying hour It was my happiness to be a witness to the latter end of her life It pleased God to continue her holy day to the last hour in such a measure that Death had not an ill look from her There mightst thou haue seen Christian what a conquest Christ had made over Death and Hell Death had in her truly lost his sting and Hell was cheated of its victory Captivity was led Captive I shall commend to thee this little piece penned with her own hand by which thou mayst disâ—â—â—â— with what an excellency of Graces as well as Gifts the Lord had crowned her I commend it to thee not to be read only but that as by a true touchâ—â—one thou mayst try thy own Soul by it and find whether thou beest ready to dye or no. Thou shalt find this choice Servant of God dealing truly with her own heart neither presumptuously flattering nor unwarrantablâ— dejecting her own Spirit For what of â—â—ine is added I beseech thee take the goodwill that he that offers it bears to thy Soul I acknowledg there is nothing of a Schollar in it if there be the more of Christ let God have the Glory thy Soul the benefit and the Author thy prayers who is Thy true Servant in the work of the Lord Jesus John Collings From my study Aug. 27 1648. Infallable Signes OF Saving Grace Each one an Evidence for Heaven each Evidence an Antidote against the Fear of Death Death being to the Soul endowed with Grace only Heavens Gate to enter in by or through it to Eternal Glory and Happiness IT is a â—rrevokable decree of Heaven that all men must once dye yea it is the Law of the God of Nature and must be obeyed no avoiding it The Scripture faith it is appointed to all men once to dye Therefore oh my Soul seeing there is no escapâ—â—â— Death thy only way is to prepare for in get the sting of it taken away so shall it not hurt thee nor be terrible to thee no cause then to fear Death for it shall be but a messenger sent from God thy Father to fetch thee home to him and free thee from all sins which is thy greatest burden and all sorrows and miseries that sin occasioneth and carry thee to Heaven to Happiness and Glory to thy Saviour and Redeemer the Lord Jesus Christ to raign with him for ever in Heaven Now the only way to make Death thus to thee is to clear up thy evidences for Heaven Wherefore on my Soul get thee more Interest in Christ make that more sure to thy self that Christ is thine and thou art his and then no cause at all for thee to fear death As it is certain that Death will come even to thee as well as to others so is it most uncertain the time when it shall come Therefore my Soul defer it not for it stands thee as much upon as thy life may as thy eternal well being for evermore to make that sure to thy self even now while it is called to day and that upon good grounds that thou hast a sure title to Heaven art an heir of it and hast an Interest in Christ then it shall be well with thee after Death that shall be a happy change for thee no cause then to fear it Therefore oh my Soul why art thou so cast down And why art thou so disquieted within me And why fearest thou Death so much Hast thou not some Evidences of Truth of Saving Grace to prove thou art in Christ Darest thou deny it Thou canst not Oh therefore now clear them up view them well again meditate on them seriously bless God for them and let them support and comfort thee against the fear of Death at all times in all extremities or distresles whatsoever may befall thee Consider seriously with thy self hath not God promised to support thee in and deliver thee out of all afflictions and distresses in the best time and mean while that all shall work for thy good Therefore trust thou in him for he never fails any that trust in him rest thou on his promise and he will make it good to thee The first ground work of Grace in thee â—s this God hath given thee the sight of thy self thy sinful wretched and miserable yea damnable condition by nature thy sins both many and great as well thy inâ—â—nd corruption of which David complains Psalm 51. 5. As also thy continued actual transgressions all thy life along which are the fruits of that bitter root either outward or inward to wit thy natural aversness to all good pronness to evil perversness of heart rebelliousness of will disorder of affections and distemper of thy whole Soul in every part not as a meer natural disturbance only but as a spiritual disease a wicked and wretched disposition evil in it self of it self displeasing to God and deserving his curse and damnation of thy Soul and body although it should never break forth into any actual excess And now my Soul hath not God also in some measure humbled thee and broken thy heart too for thy sins Are they not a burden too heavy for thee to bear Wert thou not once in thirte own apprehension in a most desperate condition ready to sink under the load of them Therefore oh my Soul â—o Christ calleth thee to come to him and promiseth he will ease thee Mat. 11. 28. There is a promise for thy faith to rest on apply it to thy self to support thee Dost thou not confess thâ—â— to God bewailing 〈◊〉 with great grief and sorrow of heart
stand meerly by the latch When Adam had his mittimus made to the Gaol of the Grave Death turns the lock bolts up the door when he had gotten him but once in his custody never intending to part with the prisoner more Christ seeing the Gaoler so confident in his Tyranny Well saith he let him be good of his office for I will ransom them froÌ„ tho power of the grave I will make Death know he is but to keep his prisoner till further order Indeed this was decretally done before the beginning of the world by Christs Word given to his Father and Christ ever and anon in the time of the Jews let his elected ones know there was an evasion out of the grave by the resurrection of several persons but the time of Christs actual and full becoming the plague of death and the destruction of the grave was when he dyed and rose and led captivity captive Thus Christ is the plague of Death and the destruction of the grave for all men and women in the world but to his Elect only for good there is an escape-way out of the deepest grave already and at the last day there shall be an actual freedom Secondly He is to Beleevers the plague of this Death and the destruction of this Grave by taking away the cause of fear of this death out of all their hearts they can stand upon the top of the grave and sing O Death where is thy stiâ—g O Hell where is thy victory The Elect â—ad it noâ— been for Christ for â—eaâ— of death had all their life time been subjeâ—t to bondage Heb. 2. 15. â—â—rasmuch therefore as the children were partakers of flesh and blood he also took part with them v. 1â— that â—e might dâ—liver them The Saints of God can stand over the grave and say Surely the bitterness of death is past though they cannot say the time oâ— death is past 3dly Christ to his Elect is the plague of Death temporal â—n that he hath taken away the final evil of it and hath made that which would have been theiâ— maâ—â—eâ— for â—â—ine and evil to be their desire and servant for good Death thought to have been goâ—ler of the bodies of Gods Saints till the day of judgment and then Hell should have had them delivered up God says No their bodies shall be in thy custody but thou shalt deliver them up refined to Glory to Eternal Rest to be with me for ever So that now it is the voyce of Gods child I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ And in this we groan earnestly being burthened not for that we would be unclothed but clothed upon that mortality may be swallowed up of life Death is ease now to the Saints of God the hard stones are but pillows of doun The grave from a place of terror is turned into a retiring house from the busie sweating world O death Christ is thy plague O grave â—e is thy destruction Thirdly Christ is the plague and destruction of Eternal Death they shall never taste of that Beleevers are past from death to life He that is the Amen that was dead and is alive yea alive for ever more he hath the keyes of Hell and Death Rev. 1. 18. Christ is the Angel that came down from heaven Râ—v 20. 1. that hath the key of the bottomless pit and he that hath a part in the first resurrection on him the second death hath no power Rev. 2. 11. Overcoming Saints shall not be hurt by the second death Now this is our victory that overcometh the world even our faith Beleevers are Conquerors in and through Christ and Christ hath conquered hell for them for the lake which burns with fire and brimstone is the second death Rev. 21. 8. Christ now hath saved them from this this hath no power over them O death he is thy plague O grave he is thy destruction Thus I have opened the first and shewed you what Death what Grave Christ is a plague to Now let me shew you in the next place How Christ is the plague of death the grave of destruction To this I shall answer in three or four particulars briefly 1. By his enlivening Spirit 2. By his dying Love 3. By his rising Power 4. By his ascending and reigning Glory First By his enlivening power Thus he is the plague of spiritual death he comes and sees the soul that he hath chosen dead in â—respasses and sins it neither speaks nor hears nor sees nor moves spiritually it is more cold then the frozen earth Christ breathes into it the breath of life The Son quickeneth whom Joh 5 21. Iohn 6. 63 he will Christ doth it meritoriously The Spirit doth it instrumentally Joh. 6. 63. It is the Spirit that quickeneth He maketh the dead soul to begin to hear the voyce of the Son of God and live to begin to relish heavenly things and savor things which are above to stand upon its legs and walk a little in the ways of godliness Secondly By his dying Love Christs death was that which destroyed death He was the first of those that rose from the dead by power from himself to live for ever Christ dying shewed the grave his power Christs dying was the plague of death 1. In his own example He brake through the bolâ—ed door of the Grave though the stone was rolled and sealed He was he that was dead and is alive yea that lives for evermore O Death he was thy plague in himself he was â— Pâ—t 3 18 dead and is alive thy lock could not keep him 2. In the merit of it Christs death in the merit of it was the plague of death and the destruction of the grave The sting of death is sin saith the Apostle Christ dying satisfiâ—d his Fathâ—rs Wrath and Justice So that though death lives for a while yet he lives without a sting it can do no member of Christ hurt and it shall not live long neither for though it be the last enâ—my that shall be destroyed yet it shall dye too 1 Cor. 15. 26. Christs death was the graves destruction it destroyed sins life which is the spiritual death for Christ having dyed sin is dead too Rom. 6. 6. Our old man is cruciâ—ied wiâ—â— him that the body of sin might from henceforth be dâ—stroyed that henceâ—orth we should not serve sin Vers 9 10. In thâ—â— he dyed he dyed once unto sin Vers 11. Likewise râ—ckon you your selves to be dead indeed unto sin By Christs dâ—ath temporal death is destroyed in the power of it for he himself led captivity captive In the fear or it Fâ—rasmuch as â—â—e children were partakers of flesh and blood â—e also himself took part with them that through death â—e â—ight destroy him that had the power of dâ—â—th â—ven the devil And deliver them that through fear of death were all their life time subject to bondage Heb. 2. 13 14. In the bitterness of it for now we know
Yea dost thou not abhor thy self judg and pass on thy self the sentance of condemnatior to be thy due desert and that it were just with God if he had cast thee into hell long ago No no hypocrite ever was willing to have this filthy sink of his wholly laid open to God as thou my Soul art But did God leave thee in this miserable wretched desperate and damnable condition thou art in by nature since the fall of Adam whose 〈◊〉 thou wert then in and so guilty of his sin and not only so but deprived of that Image of God that there is in thee nothing that is good noâ— a strange averseness and unpâ—ness to all good and a pronness and readiness to all evil No no for ever blessed praised and magnified be my good God that out of his own free and unspeakable love infinite mercy and abundant goodness he hath found out a way and shewed thee a way and means to free thee from this misery save and make thee eternally happy that neither Angels not men could do no way whereby no â—â—eature no means in Heaven or Earth 〈◊〉 do it as Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvatioÌ„ in any other for there is no other name under Heaven given amongst men whereby we must be saved Even then God manifested his superabundant surpassing unsearchable unexpressable incomprehensible love to the utmost to give his only begotten and deerly beloved Son the Lord Jesus Christ the second Person in the Trinity God to take upon him our nature and dye and shed his most pretious blood for sinners of whom thou art chief and in the Gospel God offereth his Son Christ freely to all that will come and drink of this water of Life freely as Rev. 22. 17. therefore as freely to thee as any other Yet further to heighten this wonderful Love of God consider the time when he did this even then when thou desiredst it nor nor soughtst it nay when thou wert an enemy and traytor to him and then for God so infinite in Majesty so to condescend to poor wretched sinful man that had so falâ— and plunged himself into such a woful sinful and damnable condition Oh how great is the riches of his mercy and love Yet God 〈◊〉 not there but behold more in the Gospel he opens the worth Excellency All sufficiency and Fitness of Christ to save thee in particular and he helps thee with grounds and incouragements to beleeve in Christ though but weakly and he doth in some measure strengthen thee to rest and cast thy self on his mercy in Christ because of his promises yea at such times as there is a sense of the waâ—â— of him so David Psalm 42. 5 8 9 11. And now my Soul â—ast thou not not accepted of and imbraced this free offers or render of Christ made to thee by God thy Father in as much as the Gospel is preached to thee and that upon his own terms in all his offices applying him to thy self to be thy King and Soveraign Lord to rule and govern thee by his Laws his Word and his Spirit to be thy Prophet to discover the Counâ—ile of God to thee and reveal himself to thee in his Gospel and to guide and instruct thee in his Baths Dost thee not as much and heartily desire to have Christ rule thee as to love thee or â—oâ—he a Priest to offer up himself a Sacrifice for thee Thou darest not thou canst not deny it A second Sign or Evidence of Saving Grace â—o thy earnest and unsatisfied restless desire of Christ Nothing but Christ can satisfie my Soul I thrist after him my hearts pants for him as the Hart after the rivers of water so panteth my Soul for thee O Lord and I will never give thee rest but will wrastle with thee as thy Servant Jacob once did I will never let thee go thou that hast promised to give Christ to them that ask till thou give me Christ and make me to know that he is mine and I am his I can in truth say so for as I can search and know mine own heart if it do not deceive me as the Apostle saith Phil. 3. 7 8. The things that werâ— advantage to me I now account loss for Christs sake yea I esteem all things but as dung incomparison of Christ Dost not thou my Soul prize Christ sat afore all outward contentments Even in the height of them they are but as withered flowers to thee no pleasure not sweetness in them without Christ Nay no inward corruption but thou art right willing to part with for him It 's not the manner of Hypocrites to be thus willing to relinquish all outward contentments much less to â—aâ—don all inward corruptions for Christ but in them is still some private Reservation But the earnest desire of my Soul is to have all sin subdued in me Lord Lord by the power of thy holy Spirit mortifie and kill every sin Oh! let not any one sin rule in me that I should obey it in the lust of it though sin doe well in me yet let me overcome it truly it is my heavy burden that I am in yoked with sin therefore long I to go out of my self for in me is nothing that is good But in Christ is all ability to duty and against sin all life and profit from the Ordinances and Christ conveys all especially to his Members by their resting on him for it which we call beleeving Now Gods gracious invitations to come to Christ thou my Soul dost imbrace and upon the serious consideration of the all-sufficiency fitness and willingness of Christ to save thee and the infinite love of the Father to give his Son for thee and the unspeakable love of Christ in his condescâ—ntion to the Father so to dye and undergo all the wrath of God and all for thee and the freeness of the mercy of God offering Christ in the Gospel and his Commandment to beleeve as 1 John 3. 23. And this is his Commandment that we should beleeve in the name of his Son Jesus Christ Also the sweetness and freeness of his promises to them that beleeve Now in obedience to the one and confidence of the other thou my Soul are at length thereby imboldened and incouraged to repair to Christâ— and by the freeness of the promises art incouraged to apply them to thy self not daring to exclude thy self but dost beleeve though but weakly A third Sign or Evidence of Saving Grace is thy Faith thy full purpose of heart and setled resolutions and endevors still ever to rest and 〈◊〉 upon the Lord Jesus and his merits alone for the discharge of thy sins thy Sanctification Justification thy Souls safety and salvation this indeed is the very act of justifying Faith to which life and salvation is so oft in the word promised and shall unsailably be made good well therefore mayst thou rest satisfied in it yet I rest on him to strengthen my weak faith I
say not that Faith as my act doth justifie me but it is instrumental as it 's hand to receive Christ and unite thee to him those righteousness alone is the meritorious cause of thy Justification Now here is a promise for thee to rest on John 3. 16 36. Whosoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life And he that believeth in the Son hath everlasting life Now my Soul exercise thy Faith apply this promise to thy self I beleeve and therefore I shall have everlasting life Labor for that reflect act of thy Soul to know more that thou dost beleeve The sincerity whereof in thee is in some measure approved by thy resigning and giving up thy self wholly to him as the Apostle Gal. 2. 20. I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and thâ— life which I now live in the flesh I live by the Faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Desiring as well to be ruled and guided by him as saved by him purged as pardoned freed from the power as the punishment of sin cleansed from the filth as discharged of the guilt of sin What though thou art not able wholly to put it in practise but lost full of and come short in performance thereof was not this the Apostle Paul his own case which he so â—â—â—gely deploreth Rom. 7. 15. 23. I allow not that which I do for what I would that do I not but what I hate that do I. I see another Law in my members rebelling against the Law of my mind and leaving me Captive to the Law of sin which is in my members It sufficeth to warrant the sincerity of thee my Soul and Spirit in this case that with the same Apostle in the same place Thou takest notice of thy failings art grived for them there is in thee a nature or part that abhors them thou watchest against them endeavorest what thou canst to reclaim thy self upon discovery of falling laborest by carnest prayer to God against them and continuest constant in the use of the means sanctified by him for spiritual strength and abillity and restest on Christ and expectest from him power to overcome thy corruptions Therefore comfort thy self herein O my Soul and apply this to thy self for thou art but in the same case that Apostle Paul was then in who at that very time had truth of grace and was even then in a most happy and blessed condition Therefore fear not though thou findest many temptations either to despair or to think all thy hope but presumption none of the Saints or Servants of God was ever heard praying to be rid utterly of their corruptions forthwith and at once Suffice them and thee it may and must that he will one day rid them utterly of all and mean while to support thee Know that thy corruptions shall never so prevail against thee as to reduce thee again to the sway and soveraignty it once had in thee when it had its throne in thee these shew that there is a part in thee that is regenerated as Paul had Now to such as these are the promises of God made good Malla 3. 16 17. A book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name And they shall be to me saith the Lord of Hâ—sts in thee day a flock and I will spare them and man spareth his own son that serveth him 2 Chron. 30. 18 19 20. Hezekiah prayeth to the Lord to be merciful to him that prepareth his whole heart to seek the Lord God though he be not cleansed according to the purification of the Sanctuary And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people Psal 33. 18 19. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him and upon them that trust in his mercy to deliver their Souls from death and to preserve them in famine Psal 37. 40. The Lord shall help them and deliver them from the wicked and shall save them because they trust in him Psal 34. 22. The Lord redeemeth the Souls of his Servants and none that trust in him shall perish Oh my Soul set thy Faith a work lo here are promises for it to rest on apply them to thy self for they are precious Another Sign or Evidence of Grace is thy constant desire of and love to the Ordinances of God whereby these may be attained and that for this very end that thou mayst know what God requires of thee and be enabled to practise it and get strength against thy corruptions endeavouring to apply thy self thereto with delight in the use of them This evidently testifies the sincerity of thy desire love and affection to God as David urgetâ—â— oft and presseth the like for himself Psa 119. 11. I have hid thy promise in my heart that I might not sin against thee Also Vers 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors And Ver. 33. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I will keep it even to the and. Also Vers 40. Behold I desire thy commandments quicken me in thy righteousness Hypocrites desire the and only delight in them for by and sinister ends not enduring them where they find they cross their corruptions But the closer they come home to thee and most strike at thy corruptions the better thou likest and more lovest them thou dost not spare any sin I have sworn that I will Psa 119. 106 keep thy righteous judgments Another evidence of Saving Grace is thy hatred of every false way desiring God to discover to thee thine iniquity that thou art most prone or aptest to fall into by natural inclination custom or company This was made an argument of Davids integrity Therefore O my Soul make thou the same application to thy self also to uphold and comfort thee And dost thou not groan under the â—urthen of thy inward corruptions and thoughes as well as actual transgressions Wouldst not thou fain be rid of them Is it not thy greatest grief that thou dost dayly so sin against God who is so good so loving and merciful to thee Thou darest not deny it Oh that I might and could so live as never to commit any one sin more so long as I live to offend so good a God as he is to me not no more grieve nor quench his holy Spirit in the motions of it â— I resolve so to do Oh that I could do so Another sign of true Grace Hast thou not respect unto all Gods Commandments desiring universality of sincere obedience to all alike not shunning any one nor reserving any sin to thy self So David Psa 119. 5 6. O that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes Then should I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments And when fallen dost thou not loath thy self the more for that and renew thy faith in Christ and repentance as sin is renewed