The crucifying of the world

5. Have you a living faith, and a soul abounding in the Love of God, and emptied of Self in Christian humility, and exercised in holy walkings, and conflicts for Christ, and looking with hope to the Joy that is set before you? What then shall I say to you? Glory in this blessed work of Grace: this image of Christ: this heavenly nature and conversation: and this foretaste and earnest of everlasting life. But sure I need not bid you give not your very Graces the Glory due to Christ. For this were to prohibit you a contradiction: it is the nature of them all to carry you to Christ, and to cause you to deny your selves: You cannot exercise these Graces but you must do it. Do I need to desire you that you make not your own faith the matter of that Righteousness which must answer the Law, when faith it self is a Receiving of another ⟨p. 253⟩for our righteousness? Or need I advise you that you trust not in your Love and Evangelical Obedience as a satisfaction to Gods Justice, or the matter of that righteousness which must answer the Law; when that Love and Obedience is nothing else, but a Love to him and an Obedience of him that hath satisfied for us and is become our righteousness? Do I need to persuade the humble so far as they are humble, not to be proud of their own graces or works? or the self-denying not to glory in themselves. The nature of the new creature, and the anointing that is in you, doth effectually teach you all these things; and you have already learned them. Yet because you are sanctified but in part, you have still need of warning; and therefore I require you, that you objectively abuse not these Graces of Christ (for actively you cannot; seeing Grace is that as Austin defineth it, qua nemo malè utitur.) Should you think you merit by denying merit? or should you think you have somewhat to Glory in with God, because you have denied your selves and your own worthiness? or should you trust in those acts as the matter of your Justification against that Law, whose nature is to distrust in all that is your own, and thus to trust in Christ alone; you would be guilty of the most sacrilegious robbing of Christ, and of an impious abuse of the most precious gra••s contrary to their nature and ends; and of the most absurd and senseless abuse of your very Reason by palpable contradiction.

5. Have you a living faith, and a soul abounding in the Love of God, and emptyed of Self in Christian humilty, and exercised in holy walkings, and conflicts for Christ, and looking with hope to the Joy that is set before you? What then shall I say to you? Glory in this blessed work of Grace: this image of Christ: this heavenly nature and conversation: and this foretaste and earnest of everlasting life. But sure I need not bid you give not your very Graces the Glory due to Christ. For this were to prohibit you a contradiction: it is the nature of them all to carry you to Christ, and to cause you to deny your selves: You cannot exercise these Graces but you must do it. Do I need to desire you that you make not your own faith the matter of that Righteousness which must answer the Law, when faith it self is a Receiving of another