' The contrariety to sin, which is in a real Christian, arises from an inward gracioas nature, which is opposite to the whole species or kind of sin, as contrarieties of nature are to the whole kind ; as light is contrary to all darkness, and fire to all water. So that tliia contrariety to sin arising from the inward man is universal to all sin, &c.
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 319
David was as desirous to be cleansed of the leprosy of sin, as ever any poor leper was willing to be cleansed of his leprosy under the law. And so ver. 7, ' Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.' All the sacrifices of expiation of sin in the old law, were done by blood, and that blood was sprinkled upon the people by a bunch of hyssop, so called from the Hebrew word ezob, by reason of the nearness of the sound. In the legal sprinklings made with hyssop, was shadowed out the washing away of sin throuo-h the blood of Christ. The bride's garments are made white in the blood of the Lamb, and not by any washings in snow water, Eev. i. 14, Job ix. 30. When a gracious soul looks upon sin, he cries out, Lord, raze it, raze it down to the ground ; Lord, let not one stone be left upon another. In every gracious soul there is such a detestation and such an indio-na- tion against sin, that neither mountains of gold, nor rocks of pearl, nor honour, nor applause, nor favour on the one hand, nor frowns, nor threats, nor neglects, nor scorns, nor contempt on the other hand, can win the soul over to sin, or make the soul one with sin. Look how it was between the Lord and Amalek, so it is between a gracious soul and his sins. Now if you turn to that Exod. xvii. 16, you shall find how it was between the Lord and Amalek. ' Because the Lord hath sworn, that the Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to genera- tion ;' or, as the Hebrew has it, ' The hand upon the throne of the Lord': God^s hand is laid upon his own throne, as swearing to root out Amalek ;' or because Amalek 's hand is lifted up against God's throne, that is the church (so called in Jer. xvil 12, and crown of glory, Isa. Ixii. 3), therefore God will have perpetual wars with Amalek. God could as soon be reconciled to Amalek, as a gracious Christian can be reconciled to his sins. Others sense the words thus?, that Mo-ses had a solemn oath, as it were, laying his hand upon God's throne, for asseve- ration and assurance, that he and the people will have an irreconcileable war with the posterity of iVmalek. And so every gracious soul is re- solved to make an irreconcileable war with sin. But now, where there is only common grace, there a man deals by his sins as David did by his son Absalom, banish him his court for a time, and afterwards receive him into full favour, and court him as much or more than before. An unsound heart may fall out with his sin, and be very angry with its sin, for the consequence of it, for the shame it brings upon his pei'son, for the blot it leaves upon his name, and for the stinging guilt and con- vulsion fits which it causeth in his conscience, and yet this very person be in a very close and strict league with sin, and his heart inwardly and strongly adhering unto sin. But a gracious heart will be still a-re- straining of sin, a-curbing of sin, a-crossing of sin, a-making head against sin, and a-withstanding it in all its workings. Anger may be recon- ciled, but hatred cannot.
[8.] EightJdy, Where the very prevailings of sin are ordinarily made serviceable to high and holy, to gracious and spiritual ends, tliere cetiainly is a saving tvorh of God upon that man's soul, Ezek. xvi. 61, 63 ; Eph. ii. 5-7. As when they produce more soul-loathing, soul-humiliation, self-judging, self-abasement, self-abhorring ; or when they fill the soul with a greater admiration of the freeness and riches of grace ; or when they keep down pride, and prevent the despising- of
320 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.