General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1837 Original Publisher: Pickering Subjects: Sermons, English Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: CHAP. VII. Difference between good Men and others in Conflicts with Sin. BUT how doth it appear that this combat in David was a spiritual combat ? First, a natural conscience is troubled forsins against the light of nature only, but David for inward and secret corruptions, as discouragement and disquietness arising from faint trusting in God. David's conflict was not only with the sensual lower part of his soul, which is carried to ease and quiet, and love of present things, but he was troubled with a mutiny in his understanding, between faith and distrust; and therefore he was forced to rouse up his soul so oft to trust in God, which shows that carnal reason did solicit him to discontent, and had many colourable reasons for it. Secondly, a man endued with common grace, is rather a patient than an agent in conflicts; the light troubles him against his will, as discovering and reproving him, and hindering his sinful contentments, his heart is more biased another way if the light would let him; but a godly man labours to help the light, and to work his heart to an opposition against sin; he is an agent as well as a patient. As David here doth not suffer disquieting, but is disquieted with himself for being so. A godly man is an agent in opposing his corruption, and a patient in enduring ef it! whereas a natural man is a secret agent in and for his corruptions, and a patient in regard of any help against them; a good man suffers evil and doth good, a natural man suffers good and doth evil. Thirdly, A conscience guided by common light, withs...