Secondly, In the next place we are to enquire what those special truths are which believers hear and learn of the Father, when they come to Christ.
And there are divers great and necessary truths, wherein the Spirit enlightens men in that day. I cannot say they are all taught every believer in the same degree and order ; but it is certain they are taught of God such lessons as these are, which they never so understood before.
Lesson 1. First, They are taught of God that there is abundantly more evil in their sinful natures and actions, than ever they dis- cerned or understood before : " the Spirit when he cometh shall u convince the world of sin," John xvi. 8, 9. Men had a general notion of sin before ; so had Paul, when a Pharisee : but how vastly different were his apprehensions of sin, from all that ever he had in his natural state, when God brought home the commandment to his very heart ? There is a threefold knowledge of sin, viz. traditional, discursive, and intuitive. The iirst is the more rude and illiterate multitude. The second is more rational and knowing men. The third is onlv found in those that are enlightened and taught of God. And there is as great a difference betwixt this intuitive know- ledge of sin, whereby God makes a soul to discern the nature and evil of it in a spiritual light, and the two former, as there is be- twixt the sight of a painted lion upon the wall, and the sight of a living lion that meets us roaring in the way. The intuitive sight of sin is another thing than men imagine it to be : it is such a sight as wounds a man to the very heart, Acts ii. 37. for God doth not only shew a man this or that particular sin, but in the day of conviction, he sets all his sins in order before him, Psal. 1. 21. yea, the Lord shews him the sinfulness of his nature as well as practice. Conviction digs to the root, shews and lays open that original corruption, from whence the innumerable evils of the life do spring, James i. 14, 15. and which is yet more, the Lord shews the man whom he is bringing to Christ the sinful and mi- serable estate which he is in by reason of both, John xvi. 9. And now all excuses, pleas and defences of sin are gone, he shews him " how their iniquities have exceeded,"'1 Job xxxvi. 8, 9. exceeded in number, and in aggravations of sinfulness ; exceeding many, and exceeding vile ; no such sinner in the world as I ; can such sins as mine be pardoned? The greatness of God greatens my
THE METHOD OF GRACE. 311
sin ; the holiness of God makes it beyond measure vile ; the good- ness of God puts unconceivable weight into my guilt. O, can there be mercy for such a wretch as I ! If there be, then there will not be a greater example of the riches of free grace in all the world than I am. Thus God teacheth the evil of sin.
Lesson 2. Secondly, God teacheth the soul whom he is bringing to Christ, what that wrath and misery are which hang over it in the ihreatenings because of sin. Scripture-threatenings were formerly slighted, now the soul trembles at them : They once apprehended themselves safe enough, Isa. xxviii. 15. Psal. 1. 21. They thought, because thev heard no more of their sins after the commission of them, that therefore they should never hear more ; that the effect had been as transient a thing as the act of sin was ; or if trouble must follow sin, they should speed no worse than others, the generality of the world being in the same case ; and besides, they hoped to find God more merciful than sour and precise preachers repre- sented him. But when a light from God enters into the soul, to discover the nature of God, and of sin, then it sees that whatever wrath is treasured up for sinners in the dreadful threatenings of the law, is but the just demerit of sin, the recompence that is meet : " The wages of sin is death,'1 Rom. vi. 23. The penal evil of damnation is but equal to the moral evil of sin : So that in the whole ocean of God's eternal wrath, there is not one drop of in- justice ; yea, the soul doth not only see the justice of God in its eternal damnation, but the wonderful mercy of God in the suspen- sion thereof so long. O, what is it that hath withheld God from damning me all this while ! How is it that I am not in hell ! Now do the fears and awful apprehensions of eternity seize the soul, and the worst of sensitive creatures is supposed to be in a better condi- tion than such a soul. Never do men tremble at the threatenings of God, nor rightly apprehend the danger of their condition, until sin, and wrath, and the wages of sin be discovered to them by a light from heaven.
Lesson 3. Thirdly, God teaches the soul whom he brings to Christ that deliverance from sin, and wrath to come, is the gi'eatest and most important business it hath to do in this world. Acts xvi. 30. " What must I do to be saved ?" q. d. O direct me to some effec- tual way (if there be any) to secure my poor wretched soul from the wrath of God. Sin, and the wrath that follows it, are things that swallow up the souls, and drink up the very spirits of men : Their thoughts never conversed with things of more confessed truth and awful solemnity : These things float not upon their fancies as matters of mere speculation, but settle upon their hearts day and night, as the deepest concernment in aU the world : They now
312 THE METHOD OF GRACE. SERM. XXII.
know much better than any mere scholar, the deep sense of that text, Matth. xvi. 26. " What is a man profited, if he should gain " the whole world, and lose his own soul ? or what shall a man " give in exchange for his soul F"
Five things shew how weighty the thoughts and cares of salva- tion are upon their hearts.
First, Their continual though tfulness and solicitude about these things : if earthly nffairs divert them for a while, yet they are still returning again to this solemn business.
Secondly, Their careful redeeming of time, and saving the very moments thereof to employ about this work : Those that were prodigal of hours and days before, look upon every moment of time as a precious and valuable thing now.
Thirdly, Their fears and tremblings lest they should miscarry, and come short at last, shew how much their hearts are set upon this work.
Fourthly, Their inquisitiveness and readiness to embrace all the help and assistance that they can get from others, evidently disco- ver this to be their great design.
F\fthly, and lastly, The little notice they take of all other troubles and afflictions, tells you their hearts are taken up about greater things. This is the third lesson they are taught of God.