A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

!AFFLICTED CONSCIENCES. 331spite of the malice of all, both mortal and immortal rage,there is still life in the root, which in due season will springout again and grow up to everlasting life.In the present instance, all purity and cleanness of heartwas not utterly extinguished and abolished in David :lor,(1.) Some little at least was left, which descried and discoveredthose spots and pollutions of tilthiness and impuritywhich had lately overgrown it. For grace discoverscorruption, not nature. A sensible complaint of hardnessof heart, and an earnest desire after softness, is a signthat the heart is not wholly hard. A sincere crying outagainst impurity, and hearty endeavours after purity, arguesthe presence of the punfying Spirit(2.) And how was this holy ejaculation, " Create in mea clean heart, () God, and renew a right spirit within me,"created, but by the Spirit of grace and supplications ?Which blessed sanctifying Spirit was all the while rootedand resident in David's heart, by a saving existence there,though not so fully by an eft'ectual operation and exercise.TMvines about this point consider : First, The infinite,free, and eternal love and favour towards his child, withwhich whom he loves once, he loves for ever. The giftsand calling of Ood; that is, as best interpreters affirm,the gifts of effectual calling, effects of his free grace, aresuch as God never repenteth of, or taketh away. Secondly;His sanctifying Spirit, which he gives unto him.Thirdly ; The habits of graces created in his heart bythat blessed Spirit, justification, regeneration, adoption.Fourthly ; The feeling exercises and acts of those graces,with many sweet and glorious refreshings of spiritual joyspringing thence, 'i he three first, after we be once Christ's,are oius for ever, the last may be suspended, and ceasefor a time.(3.) By way of interpretation, in the latter part of theverse he calleth the creation of the grace of sanctificationin his heart, a renovation and raising thereof to the samedegree wherein it was in former time.(4.) He cries unto the Lord, " Not to take his holySpirit from him" (ver. 11); and therefore that blessedSpirit was not gone. It were very absurd and incongruousto desire the not taking away of that tiling which we havenot. He certainly hath the Holy Spirit, who heartily desireshe may not be taken away from him.David's desire then of a clean heart did not argue thatit was utterly unclean, and wholly turned into a lump offilth (Sanctity and cleanness of heart is never wholly extinguishedin any one once truly sanctified, it was not in