Series 3 > Early letters of Robert Wodrow, 1698-1709

WODROW CORRESPONDENCE
299
Imo. Secret sins, housoever understood, doe strick according
to their nature, degree, & agravations against that quhich the
Lord hath manifested of his holyness in the perfect rule, whither
they be heart sins or such as break out to the externall act (for
both may be secret and unknouen to the person himself and to
others). Neither doe I see quhat difficulty in point of doctrinall
sentiment can effect this matter. I doe indeed acknouledge
and have had the afflicting experience that many a time sins
continou secret i.e. unknouen to our selves, by reason of a
sinfull neglect on our part, and this rendereth the discovery a
great deal the more peircing and even overwhelming quhen
they come to be knouen. And I have observed a peculiar
subtility & malice of the tentation in abusing the discovery
towards the loadning of the conscience with heavy weights,
as if the ignorance or inadvertance had been a judiciall and
wrathfull stroak, & I knou cases quherin the understanding
the conduct of Providence in these matters, & a disintangle-
ment from invidiouse characters put upon it by lying spirits
and our unbeliving heorts, hath proven a field of many sharp
and lasting conflicts while this burden still continoued upon
the mind viz. quhat strange pouer of infatuation or fascination
hath possesed me that such plain and palpable evils should
have continoued hid soe long, for housoever unknouen they
may be before the convincing discovery, yet the manifestation
quhen it comes rendereth the enormity very plain and clear
as stricking against quhat I think you intend by the declarative
glory of God. I scarcely knou of any thing quhich throu grace
proves a more usefull document of humility and caution for the
future then the Lords discovering secret guilt, not only in the
evils themselves, but also in the secret springs thereof, subtile
contrivances, and quhatsoever otherwise aggravates the same.
2ly. As to their stricking (housoever understood) against
the declarative glory of God, as before explained, I think it is
plain, Imo that evry sin stricketh against it, whither unknouen
or knouen to our selves or others, yet 2do its likewise manifest
that sins continouing hid from the sinner strick not (for soe
long) against that quhich he knoueth of the divine declarative
glory, for other wise they would not be unknouen to him in their
sinfulness. I cannot represent more in answer to your query
except I hear further from you.
As to the other particulare in your letter, I acknouledge that
the note in the print is but short, yet it is the very same quhich
you received long before the printing, and I would hope that a
reneued veu of the hint would prove more satisfying. I question
not the solidity of scripturall comfort quhen given by the
Spirit of the Lord in a suitablness to the written word, and
shall be loath to bear to hard upon the exercised person be-