CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

judged himself in a secure safe condition because of his spiritual estate, but when his eyes were opened, and he awakened by grace, those things that were once a gain and a privilege he accounted dung and dross; But Paul while in that Pharisaical Righteousness was as senseless of any such spiritual confidence in himself as any dead man of the greatest burden upon him; Oh then what hopes have we to make such men see the black dungeon they are in, and the cursed opposition they stand in to Christ; For the principium is loesum, Christ came not to call the Righteous but sinners to Repentance, Mat. 9.13. The Righteous are such as the Pharisees who trusted in themselves, thought all well with them, Now such can never hunger and thirst after Christ; They are full of themselves, as they say in Philosophy, the sensible Object put upon the sense hinders all sensation, as in the eye or ear; Thus it is also in Divinity, our own Righteousness, our own good thoughts they cleave so close to us, and so we are not able to put forth any spiritual sense; But as even the Ethiopians think the flattest nose and the blackest colour to be the best beauty, and the Persians the contrary, and all because that they are so; It's a National property, So it is here, because our heart is ours, our works ours, our duties ours, therefore we think them good, and so put secret hopes therein, and though in this high bloody sin, yet our Consciences do not, cannot smite us, therefore fear Security more then all despair and trouble of Conscience, for this is felt and discovered, and thereby the better prevented, but the other is a secret Impostume never manifesting it self but when immediately killing.

judged himself in a secure safe condition because of his spiritual estate, but when his eyes were opened, and he awakened by grace, those things that were once a gain and a priviledge he accounted dung and drosse; But Paul while in that Pharisaical Righteousnesse was as senceless of any such spiritual confidence in himself as any dead man of the greatest burden upon him; Oh then what hopes have we to make such men see the black dungeon they are in, and the cursed opposition they stand in to Christ; For the principium is loesum, Christ came not to call the Righteous but sinners to Repentance, Mat. 9.13. The Righteous are such as the Pharisees who trusted in themselves, thought all well with them, Now such can never hunger and thirst after Christ; They are full of themselves, as they say in Philosophy, the sensible Object put upon the sence hinders all sensation, as in the eye or ear; Thus it is also in Divinity, our own Righteousnesse, our own good thoughts they cleave so close to us, and so we are not able to put forth any spirituall sence; But as even the Ethiopians think the flattest nose and the blackest colour to be the best beauty, and the Persians the contrary, and all because that they are so; It's a National property, So it is here, because our heart is ours, our works ours, our duties ours, therefore we think them good, and so put secret hopes therein, and though in this high bloudy sinne, yet our Consciences do not, cannot smite us, therefore fear Security more then all despair and trouble of Conscience, for this is felt and discovered, and thereby the better prevented, but the other is a secret Impostume never manifesting it self but when immediatly killing.