Saints are sweetly sensible that the sense of sin and the assurance
of pardon will make famous work in their poor hearts. Ah, what
meltings without guilt; what humility without casting down; and what
a sight of the creature's nothingness, yet without fear, will this
sense of sin work in the soul. The sweetest frame, the most
heart-endearing frame that possibly a Christian can get into while
in this world, is to have a warm sight of sin and of a Saviour upon
the heart at one time. Now it weeps not for fear and through
torment, but by virtue of constraining grace and mercy, and is at
this very time so far off of disquietness of heart by reason of the
sight of its wickedness, that it is driven into an ecstasy by reason
of the love and mercy that is mingled with the sense of sin in the
soul. The heart never sees so much of the power of mercy as now, nor
of the virtue, value, and excellency of Christ in all his offices,
as now; and the tongue is never so sweetly enlarged to proclaim and
cry up grace as now: now will Christ come to be glorified in his
saints and admired in them that believe.
Dost thou see in thee all manner of wickedness? The best way that I
can direct a soul in such a case, is to place a steadfast eye on Him
that is full, and so to look to him by faith as that thereby thou
mayest draw his fulness into thy heart.
The best saints are most sensible of their sins, and most apt to
make mountains of their molehills.