The Soul's Conflict with Itself

It is a spiritual peevishness that keeps men in a perplexed condition, that they neglect these helps to judge of their estates by, whereas God takes liberty to help us sometime to a discovery of our estate by the effects, sometimes by the cause, &c. And it is a sin to set light by any work of the spirit, and the comfort we might have by it, and therefore we may well add this, a• one cause of disquietness in many, that they grieve the spirit, by quarrelling against themselves, and the work of the spirit in them.

It is a spirituall peevishnesse that keepes men in a perplexed condition, that they neglect these helps to judge of their estates by, whereas God takes liberty to help us sometime to a discovery of our estate by the effects, sometimes by the cause, &c. And it is a sin to set light by any work of the spirit, and the comfort we might have by it, and therefore we may well adde this, a• one cause of disquietnesse in many, that they grieve the spirit, by quarrelling against themselves, and the work of the spirit in them.

Another cause of disquiet is, th• men by a natural kind of Popery fe• ¹for their comfort too much in sanctification, neglecting justification, relying ⟨p. 29⟩too much upon their own performances; Saint Paul was of another mind, accounting all but dung and dross, compared ²to the righteousness of Christ. This is that garment, wherewith being decked we please our husband, and wherein we get the blessing. This giveth satisfaction to the conscience, as satisfying God himself, being performed by God the Son, and approved therefore by God the Father; Hereupon the soul is quieted, and faith holdeth out this as a shield against the displeasure of God and temptations of Satan: why did the Apostles in their Prefaces join grace and peace together, but that we should seek for our peace in the free grace and favour of God in Christ.