A guide to godliness or a Treatise of a Christian life showing the dutiesA guide to godlynesse or a Treatise of a Christian life shewing the duties

The third means is to cast of all self-confidence, and opinion of our own wisdom and strength, as being altogether insufficient to preserve us from the least dangers. Which that we may do, let us consider, that we are never nearer falling, then when we rest upon the broken staff of our own strength; and never further from it, then when utterly despairing of all our own abilities, we cast these brittle reeds out of our hands, which do but trouble us and hinder our hold, and rely our selves upon the Lord, the sure and never failing pillar of our strength. And this we see in the example of David, who ¹in the strength of his prosperity growing confident, that he could not be moved, was presently troubled and foiled: But when finding ²his foot to slip, he despaired of standing in his own strength, then the mercy of the Lord did hold him up. But especially, let us wholly deny and reject our own worth and merits, the opinion our good natures, good meanings, and intentions; yea, of the strength of our spiritual graces, as though they were sufficient to deserve Gods protection, or to uphold and defend us against all perils. For this maketh us much the less to respect God and reverence his holy Majesty, and to sleep more deadly in our carnal security, when we lodge in the castle of our own strength and abilities, and have the keys of our safety and protection in our own keeping. Whereas if we see and acknowledge our own insufficiency, our want of wisdom and power to keep us from any danger, and defend us against tentations; our frailty to fall into sin, and inability to any good actions; our proneness to fall into perils, and want of power to recover out of them; our unworthiness of Gods least favour, and worthiness of his greatest Judgements: this would make us to shake off all security, and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, as the Apostle exhorteth;