Those who, by putting off repentance and living in their sins, lose their souls, shall, instead of having the least measure of comfort when they come into Hell, have their ill-spent life always very fresh in their remembrance! While they live here — they can sin and forget it; but when they depart — they shall have it before them; they shall have a remembrance, or their memory notably enlightened, and a clearer, and a continual sight of all their wicked practices that they wrought and did while they were in the world. 'Son, remember,' says he; then you will be made to remember:

The stricken soul, crushed under a sense of sin, naturally endorses these insinuations. "It is true," says he, "though it is Satan who says it; I am just such a sinner as he describes." Then the poor soul fears whether pardon can be possible for such an offender; and, probably, he thinks of some gross sin that he has committed, — the blasphemer recollects his profanity, the unchaste man remembers his lasciviousness, and Satan whispers in his ear, "If thou hadst not committed that particular sin, there might have been hope for thee, but that transgression has carried thee over the verge of hope.

"The prophet was bemoaning the failure of all his efforts to glorify God, and the obstinate determination of his people to continue in their apostasy. It was thus he spent his time in the cave at Horeb, brooding over his disappointment, and lashing himself, by reflecting upon the conduct of the people. A solitary place, with nothing to do, might be congenial with such a disposition; it might foster it, but would never heal it: and thus Elijah might have succumbed to a settled melancholy or raving madness.

Interesting updates given to me by Monergism. And the discussion of revivals and guarding against spiritual backsliding.

"Now these pilgrims, as I said, must needs go through this fair. Well, so they did; but, behold, even as they entered into the fair, all the people in the fair were moved, and the town itself, as it were, in a hubbub about them, and that for several reasons: For, 1. "First, The pilgrims were clothed with such kind of raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in that fair. The people, therefore, of the fair made a great gazing upon them! some said they were fools; some, they were bedlams; and some they were outlandish men.

Every believer may ordinarily find this in himself; for even though this disposition may be variously weakened, opposed, or interrupted by indwelling sin and the power of temptation; though it may be impaired by a neglect of stirring up and exercising the principle of spiritual life, in all requisite and graces, on all occasions — it will still be working in the believer, and will fill the mind with a constant discontent38 with itself when it is not observed, followed, and improved. No believer will ever have peace in his own mind, if he does not have some experience of a universal disposition toward all holiness and godliness in his mind and soul.

When the howling tempest has played out its strength, it soothes itself to sleep. Then comes a season of calm and quiet, so profound in its stillness, that only the monstrous tempest could have been the mother of so mighty a calm. So seems it with us. Deep waves of trial, high mountains of joy. But the reverse is almost as often true; from Pisgah's top we pass to our graves; from the top of Carmel we have to go down to the dens of lions, and to fight with the leopards. Let us be on our watch-tower, lest like Manoah, having seen the angel of God, the next thing should be that we say we shall surely die, for we have seen the Lord.

Wherever faith exists in sincerity,53 it will constantly labor, endeavor, and strive to fill up all duties of divine worship with the living, real, heart-acting of grace; and where it does not do so, where this is not attained, it will never allow the soul to take any rest or satisfaction in such duties, but will cast them away like a defiled garment. The one who can pass through such duties without a sensible54 endeavor for the real exercise of grace in them, and without self-abasement on performing them, will find hardly any other clear evidence of saving faith in himself.