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

Use 1 First, Is Faith in Christ as a Mediator so acceptable to God even above all Obedience, so that as he said in some sense he would have Obedience rather then Sacrifice, so may we say in some respects, He will have Faith rather then Obedience. Then let it instruct us in the heinous and dangerous nature of that ⟨p. 219⟩close, secret and unperceivable sin of trusting in our own Righteousness; Let there be no secret depending upon thy good heart, thy good life, thy good duties, for if contraries are known by contraries, then as faith renouncing all we are and have to be found in Christ is of so great acceptance; Then to rely upon any thing we do, to have inward restings upon our own actions is a sin highly offending God; We can hardly commit a sin worse: The Publican in some respects is better then the Pharisee, as those Diseases which are quickly discerned are more curable then those that are not discovered, Ille morbus vix est sanabilis qui sanitatem imitatur; Our Saviour found this untoward disposition in the Pharisees, as that which was plainly their mortal disease, had not this besotted and benumbed them, they had sooner set open the gates of their soul for the Prince of Glory to come; The Apostle makes this desire and endeavour to set up their own Righteousness to be that which wholly undid them, and our Saviour himself looks upon this as the root of all bitterness, and therefore laid the Axe to it, when he told them, They were such as justified themselves, but what was highly esteemed amongst men was abomination before God, Luk 18. So that not only profane and gross sins, but the civil Pharisaical man who stands on his own bottom, and feeleth not the absolute necessity of faith in Christ, is in a perishing condition; And because this undoeth thousands as well as gross wickedness, Let us see whether we can pierce the Scales of this Leviathan, whether we may remove this Mountain and throw it into the Sea of Repentance and humiliation; The greatness therefore of this sin is seen in the unperceivablenesse of it; A man may with […] whole might trust in himself, and yet think the clean contrary; Paul said […] alive once, he was at hearts ease, Rom 7.

Ʋse 1 First, Is Faith in Christ as a Mediatour so acceptable to God even above all Obedience, so that as he said in some sence he would have Obedience rather then Sacrifice, so may we say in some respects, He will have Faith rather then Obedience. Then let it instruct us in the hainous and dangerous nature of that