First, I have considered the characters specified in the Bible, to whom the promises and invitations belong: these persons are described clearly by such terms, and couched in such words as the very weakest believer may comprehend, sometimes as expressive of his feelings, and the views which he has of himself, in himself; so that when faith is too weak to apprehend what we are in Christ, it is busied about what we are in ourselves, as described in the word, and as we are led to _feel_, _see_, _lament_ and _acknowledge_ the same before God and man. For instance, the word of God has set forth our state as dead, blind, captive, alienated from God, filled with enmity, rebellion, pride and unbelief. An acquaintance with these things as inherent in our nature is peculiar only to God’s people: all men are by nature in this state, but the children of God are the only persons who see it, feel it and lament it, and prize the remedy God has provided. When I have heard or read sermons and authors speak of the dignity and excellency of human nature, I have felt disgusted, because I know, first, what the Bible has declared of human nature, and secondly, I have had the painful feelings of these things; I have felt my deadness, I have seen my blindness, I have felt my bondage, and saw, with horror, my distance and want of conformity to God. I have been brought into such circumstances as to feel my rebellion against a holy and a just God, his law, his gospel, his people and his sovereign dispensations: the Lord has shown me my pride of heart, and I have felt shut up in unbelief; I have seen my weakness, and been led captive by sin, satan and the world; and to this day feel the tyranny of sin; though, blessed be God, sin is not my sovereign, it _rages_, but it does not _reign_. A view, a deep heart-felt acquaintance with these things is feeling the plague of the heart; and deep as our knowledge may be of this desperate sore, not one half can ever be known by us. It was a good saying of Mr. Whitfield’s, “There are two mysteries we can never comprehend, the mystery of Godliness, as set forth in the gospel, and the mystery of iniquity which works in the heart.” No one can possibly prize the holy person and precious work of Christ, but those who are led by the Spirit into an acquaintance with their own hearts. This knowledge of the human heart distinguishes a believer from an hypocrite, and a mere carnal professor; it is the most painful part of our experience, but it is very useful. The full loatheth an honeycomb, but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet; and as the ever blessed Spirit leads us on to know our desperate vileness, so we see the justice of God in our condemnation, by the holy law which we have violated; we see the sin of Adam in a most awful light, and view it imputed to us, and condemning us. These things are better understood than it is possible to write them. I beg leave to