Alas, there is a company of poor, light, frothy professors in the
world, that carry it under that which they call the presence of God,
more like to antics than sober, sensible Christians; yea, more like
to a fool of a play, than those who have the presence of God. They
would not carry it so in the presence of a king, nor yet of the lord
of their land, were they but receivers of mercy at his hand. They
carry it even in their most eminent seasons, as if the sense and
sight of God, and his blessed grace to their souls in Christ, had a
tendency in it to make men wanton: but indeed it is the most
humbling and heart-rending sight in the world; it is fearful.

OBJECTION. But would you not have us rejoice at the sight and sense
of the forgiveness of our sins?

ANSWER. Yes; but yet I would have you, and indeed you shall when God
shall tell you that your sins are pardoned indeed, "rejoice with
trembling;" for then you have solid and godly joy: a joyful heart
and wet eyes in this, will stand very well together; and it will be
so, more or less. For if God shall come to you indeed, and visit you
with the forgiveness of sins, that visit removeth the guilt, but
increaseth the sense of thy filth; and the sense of this, that God
hath forgiven a filthy sinner, will make thee both rejoice and
tremble. O, the blessed confusion which will then cover thy face,
while thou, even thou, so vile a wretch, shalt stand before God to
receive at his hand thy pardon, and so the first-fruits of thy
eternal salvation. "That thou mayest remember, and be confounded,
and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am
pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord
God." Jer. 33:8, 9; Ezek. 16:63.