The divine life in three treatises

7. And that you may have a saving interest in Jesus Christ, you must have sound Repentance for all your former life of wickedness, and a lively effectual faith in Christ: Neither sin nor Christ must be made light of. Repentance must tell you to the very heart, that you have done foolishly in sinning, and that it is an evil and a bitter thing that you forsook the Lord, ⟨p. 200⟩and that his fear was not in you: and thus your wickedness shall correct you and reprove you▪ Jer. 2. 19. And Faith must tell you that Christ is more necessary to you then food or life, and that there is no other name given under heaven by which you can be saved, Act. 4. 12. And it is not so easy, nor so common a thing to Repent and Believe as ignorant presumptuous sinners do imagine. It is a greater matter to have a truly humbled contrite heart, and to loath your selves for all your sins, and to loath those sins, and resolvedly give up your selves to Christ and to his Spirit for a holy life, then heartlessly and hypocritically to say, I am sorry, or I Repent, without any true Contrition or Renovation. And it is a greater matter to betake your selves to Jesus Christ as your only hope to save you both from sin and from damnation, then barely through custom and the benefit of education to say, I do believe in Christ. I tell you it is so great a work to bring you to sound Repentance and Faith, that it must be done by the power of God himself, Act. 5. 31. 2 Tim. 2. 25. They are the Gift of God, Eph. 2. 8. you must have his spirit to illuminate you, Eph. 1. 18. and show you the odiousness of fin, the intolerableness of the wrath of God, the necessity and sufficiency, the power and willingness of Christ; and to overcome all your prejudice, and save you from your false opinions and deceits; and to repulse the temptations of Satan, the world and the flesh which will all rise up against you. All this must be done to bring you home to Jesus Christ, or else you will have no part in him, his righteousness and grace: And can you think that you have not most important business with God, who must do all this upon you, or else you are undone for ever!