the soul can
look no where but see sin and uncleanness in its ornaments and duties. And
thus it appeareth before God without such a covering, openeth up its soul,
hideth not sin with the covering of duties, but seeth a necessity of
another covering for all. Now, therefore, let the most part of you
conclude, that you have never yet gotten your eyes open to see sin or
confess it, because when you sit down to count your sins, there are many
things that you call not sin,--you use not to reckon your praying and
repentance among sins. Nay, because you have so much confidence in your
repentance and confession, you have never repented. You must see a
necessity of a covering of Christ's righteousness above all, faith in
Jesus must cover repentance and itself both, with the glorious object of
it. But, alas! how soon are many at an end of confession! some particular
gross actions may come in remembrance, but no more. Sum up all your
confessions, they have never yet pitched on the thousandth part of your
guiltiness, no, not in kinds, let be in number.

But, _thirdly_, The spirit convinceth spiritually and particularly both,
it convinceth of spiritual sins, as we last said, of the iniquity of holy
things, and especially of the most substantial duties, faith and prayer,
John xvi. 8, 9. There are not many of you have come this length, to see
your want of prayer. No, your own words do witness against you, for you
use to say, I pray day and night, I believe in God with all my heart. Now
therefore, out of your own mouth shall you be condemned. When the Spirit
convinceth you of sin, you will see no faith, no prayer at the first
opening of the eyes. But I add, there is no true confession but it is
particular: the Spirit useth not to bewilder men's spirits in a general
notion only, and a wide field of unknown sins. And such are many of your
convictions. You mourn for sin, as you say, and yet you cannot condescend
on a particular that burdeneth your conscience; you grant you have many
sins, but sit down to count them, and there is a short count of them. Now,
do you not reflect back upon former humiliations in public, and former
acknowledgments of sins in private? Do you not yet return upon your own
hearts to lay home this sad challenge, I have never repented, I do not yet
repent? Must not all your solemn approaches be iniquity and abomination,
while your souls are not afflicted for sin, while you can see so few sins?
The fasting days of Scot