A treatise tending vnto a declaration whether a man be in the estate of damnation or in the estate of grace and if he be in the first, how he may in time come out of it: if in the second, how he maie discerne it, and perseuere in the same to the end. The points that are handled are set downe in the page following.

VIII

The second is the sight of sinne arising of the knowledge of the lawe. To this Iere∣mie* 1.1 exhorteth the Iewes of his time, say∣ing f 1.2 know thine iniquitie, for thou hast rebelled a∣gainst the Lord thy God. &c. The chiefe cause of the sight of sinne is Christ by his holie spirit, g 1.3 who detecteth the thoughts of manie harts and iudgeth the world of sinne. The manner of seeing our sinnes, must be to knowe them particularlie: for the vilest wretch in the world can generallie and confusedlie saie, he is a sinner: but that the sight of sin may be effectuall to saluation, it must bee more speciall and distinct euen in particular sins: so that a man may saie with Dauid h 1.4 my sins haue taken such holde of me that I am not able to looke vp: they are more in number, then the haires of mine heade: therefore my heart hath failed me. Againe a man must not barely see his parti∣cular sins, but hee must also see the circum∣stances of them, as namely the feareful cur∣ses and iudgements of God, which accom∣panie euerie sinne: for the consciences of

many tell them of their sinnes in particular, yet they cannot bee humbled for them, and leaue them: because they haue not seene that vgly taile of the curse of God, that eue∣rie sinne draweth after it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2 Sight of sinne.
• f 1.2

  Ier. 3. 13.
• g 1.3

  Luk. 2. 25 Ioh. 16. 8.
• h 1.4

  Ps. 40. 12.