Thy sorrows outbid thy heart, thy fears outbid thy sorrows, and thy thoughts go beyond thy fears; and yet here is the comfort of a poor soul: in all his misery and wretchedness, the mercy of the Lord outbids all these, whatsoever may, can, or shall befall thee.
I confess it is beyond our power to awaken the heart, but ordinarily this way does good.
Look whether it be indifferently, as well for sins secret as open, what you find to be your best cordials to comfort you, whether God's Word, or natural means.
Nay, men are so far from musing of their sins, that they disdain this practise, and scoff at it: what say they, if all were of your mind; what should become of us? Shall we be always poring on our corruptions?
So that godly sorrow may be discerned by this train of graces wherewith it is accompanied, that worldly sorrow wants, at least in the truth of them, though it may have some shadows of them.
Brother, I am going to receive mercy.
But when particular application comes home to the heart, and a minister says; this is your drunkenness, and your adultery and profaneness, and this will break your neck one day: what assurance have you got of God's mercy? And what can you say for heaven? Then men begin to look about them.
Look what is that which sets our sorrow on work, whether it be the terrible nature of God's judgements, or the experience of his fatherly mercies. Consider of what continuance our sorrow is, whether of a fleeing nature, or more permanent, such as dwells with us, and does not only lodge with us for a night.
I confess it is beyond our power to awaken the heart, but ordinarily this way does good.
By these marks we may grow to some resolution to discover to ourselves, that we be not mistaken in some legal affrightments or worldly griefs instead of godly sorrow; which is a special part of repentance.
Look whether it be indifferently, as well for sins secret as open, what you find to be your best cordials to comfort you, whether God's Word, or natural means.
That we do not content ourselves to have sorrow for sin, but labor to find out, whether it be a godly sorrow or not.
There was never any convicting ministry, nor any man that did in plainness apply the Word home, but their people would be reformed by it, or else their consciences would be troubled, and desperately provoked to oppose God and his ordinances, that they may be plagued by it.
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