of God working in him; as it is written, "In my wrath I smote thee." "Thou wast angry with me, but thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me." "His anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee, but in great mercies will I gather thee." Which leads me to the

Ninth head, namely, A backwardness or reluctance to all that is good. The scripture, in many places, speaks against such a soul, who cannot exercise faith on the promises. His heart is shut up, the Bible is a sealed book to him, and therefore it gets out of favour with him. "Repent, and do thy first works," &c.

The ordinances are a dry breast. He cannot mix faith with the good tidings, and therefore comes with reluctance, rather driven with terror than drawn by love. "I have somewhat against thee; thou hast left thy first love."

The cheerful countenances of lively saints are rather a grief and trouble to him than otherwise. He cannot help envying them even in the house of God; he looks at them with a jealous eye; and often concludes that he is like Saul, who, when left of God, hated David. Every sermon I hear," saith such a soul, will rise up in judgment against me, and occasion my greater damnation.' And, were it not for the strong hand of God upon him, the ways of Zion would be unoccupied by him,

As to Christian conference, it only discovers his nakedness; instead of well-set hair, he appears in baldness, and chooses at times to sit solitary, like a sparrow alone upon the house-top, like a pelican of the wilderness, or an owl of the desert; yea, he had rather get behind a corner, or cross the street, than meet a child of God who walks in the light of the Lord's countenance.

Family and closet prayer brings nothing in; he therefore goes with reluctance to it, and performs it with grief, under slavish fear and sensible displeasure; and, not finding nearness of accces, nor success, in praying, he is backward to it. "But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob, and thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.”

His love being chilled, and waxed cold, his heart is shut up to the cause of God, and to the poor and needy of the Lord's household; he is not a cheerful giver; far from it; and, if coveteousness was one of his constitutional sins, it will hover over him again, and cleave to him, though he is ashamed of it; and, as he can get no comfort from his God, nor any with the saints, he is cold and indifferent both to God and to his people. I come now to discover,

Tenthly, His legal strivings against sin and corruption while under this spirit of bondage. He finds his soul bitter, and his temper peevish. He murmurs, and inwardly frets, at every thing that makes against him; and indeed nothing seems to go well with him; his spirit is stiff and stubborn;

God, in a way of providence as well as grace, seems to walk contrary to him, and he walks contrary to God. He is froward; and God shews himself froward. His enmity against God is stirred up; and hard thoughts of God possess him, which at times are unadvisedly spoken with hiş lips; or, as the prophet says, his tongue muttereth perverseness. Against these corruptions he strives hard; but they stir not a whit the less for that. He goes forth in the morning, determined to watch his conduct more narrowly, and to be more upon his guard than ever: but, when he balances his books at night, he is just where he was, or rather worse. He then resolves, he promises, and he vows; but all in vain; he breaks through all in thought, word, and deed; for there is no spiritual might communicated to strengthen the inward man by the law; no help but from the sanctuary; no strength but out of Zion.

He now determines, like Job, to give all up, come on him what will; or else to harden himself in sorrow; when another cloud of sensible displeasure rolls over him; fears, terror, and expectations of worse to come, move him again; tọ work he goes afresh, and soon finds himself plunged into the same ditch again, till his own clothes abhor him. He stands amazed at what is come upon him; he cannot make a judgment of himself, nor of his state; nor does he know what to say. "If I say I am perfect, it shall prove me perverse; and if I am righteous, I will not know

my soul." He weeps, melts, and confesses; his eye pours out tears unto God. Another billow rolls over him, and he is again hardened, feeling himself as stubborn as an ass, and as rebellious as Satan. "Let me alone," says he, "that I may take comfort a little; let me alone, that I may swallow down my spittle. Thou fillest me with bitterness and givest me the waters of gall to drink." He wishes to examine his former profession carefully by the word of God; but he is too dark to make a proper judgment, and too confused to come to any point of certainty. Have I any claim upon God, or have I not? Is my faith genuine, or is it presumption? If the latter, I have committed the unpardonable sin. His heart and flesh fail at the thought, and the spirit of heaviness sinks him. A ray of light shines into him, which is eclipsed in a moment. A promise comes, but brings no power nor deliverance. Hope moves, and the soul melts; but that passes away as a cloud. One single word at the latter end of a sermon, and that is all; and sometimes even that is coyly put away, and in thought applied to another, who is more worthy. He cannot please conscience, nor will conscience be reconciled to him. He is in himself miserable, and he makes all miserable about him, Cheerfulness is singing songs to a heavy heart; he therefore hates it. He is a companion for nonę but those in the hospital; and if he meets one more miserable than himself, he will set to work

to comfort him, and hold forth that consolation to his patient which he cannot take to himself.

He will sit down and quarrel with God; but if he hears another at it, he will reprove him for his rebellion. He cavils at the word of God; but he cannot bear that another should. In his heart he will rail at the preacher, and at his sermon too; but he will not suffer any body else to speak evil of either. He wants ease, but he is afraid of it; he wants comfort, but refuses to take it; and he wants healing, but hates them that try to heal him, lest it should be done slightly, and lest they should cry, Peace, when God had not spoken peace. He diets himself, he fasts, he eats herbs; he scruples this and that; taste not, touch not, handle not; but he is barren still. I come now to the

Eleventh head, which is, The miserable success that attends this legal labour. All his striving against sin in his own strength is like Peter's resolution, only betrays him into sin, and into the sieve of Satan; for without Christ he can do nothing. And every time he sins there is something fresh for the wrath of the law to work on, and fresh matter for conscience to accuse of; both which awaken his fears, and summon all his terrors about him. "If I sin, then thou markest me, and wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, and increasest thine indignation upon me: changes and war are against me."

Hardness of heart always attends this labour in