The Soul's Preparation for Christ

For it is not sorrow for sin, nor humiliation, nor faith it self, that can justify us in it self, but only these must make way for us to a Christ, and through him we must receive comfort: for these two be the special extremes, that the Devil seeks to drive a man into: If a man presume of a mans own sufficiency, then he thinks he is well, and he will not go to Christ, because he thinks, he doth not stand in need of Christ; and if he despair of his own ability, he will not go to Christ neither, and here is the ground why a sinner despairs, it is not by reason of any sin, excepting only the sin against the holy Ghost, despair is not grounded there, for Cain despaired, yet Manasseh committed greater sins then Cain and despaired not; but the soul despairs out of stoutness of heart, ⟨p. 117⟩because it hath not sufficiency in it self, it will not look out for help and comfort from another: presumption saith, I have sufficiency in my self, and need not go unto Christ; and despair saith, I have not sufficiency, and therefore will not go to Christ: here is the property of despair, to cast away hope, when a man hath no hope that God will help him, now all the while the soul looks for sufficiency from Christ, there is hope; for though our sins be never so heinous; that's nothing, all the question is, whether we can hope in Christ; For if all the sins that ever were, are, or shall be committed, ran into one man, as all Rivers run into one Sea, Christ could as easily pardon his sins, as ever he pardoned the sins of any Saints in heaven: but here is the ground, when we look into our selves, we can see there is no sufficiency to comfort us, and we will not go to Christ, that we may be comforted, and so we come to be void of hope, and to despair: a despairing heart, is a proud stubborn heart; because he cannot have what he would of his own, therefore he will not go to another to receive it, and so sinks down in his sins. And therefore let this be the period and stint of meditation, when the soul so far seeth sin and the punishment deserved by it, that the hart is resolved that none but Christ can take away these sins and the punishments due to them, and is resolved to seek to Christ, and be beholden to him for all;

For it is not sorrow for sinne, nor humiliation, nor faith it selfe, that can justifie us in it selfe, but onely these must make way for us to a Christ, and through him we must receive comfort: for these two be the speciall extreames, that the Devill seekes to drive a man into: If a man presume of a mans owne sufficiency, then he thinkes he is well, and he will not goe to Christ, because he thinkes, he doth not stand in need of Christ; and if he despaire of his owne abilitie, he will not goe to Christ neither, and here is the ground why a sinner despaires, it is not by reason of any sinne, excepting onely the sinne against the holy Ghost, despaire is not grounded there, for Cain despaired, yet Manasses committed greater sinnes then Cain and despaired not; but the soule despaires out of stoutnesse of heart,