The Fountain of Life Opened

Lastly,¹ If Christ hath made such a full satisfaction as you have heard, how much is it the concernment of every soul, to abandon all thoughts of satisfying God for his own sins; and betake himself to the blood of Christ the ransomer by faith, that in that blood they may be pardoned. It would grieve ones heart to see how many poor creatures are drudging and tugging at a task of repentance, and revenge upon themselves, and reformation, and obedience, to satisfy God for what they have done against him: and alas it cannot be! they do but lose their labour. could they swelter their very hearts out, weep till they can weep no more, cry till their throats be parched; alas they can never recompense God, for one vain thought. For such is the severity of the Law, that when it is once offended, it will never be made amends again, by all that we can do. It will not discharge the sinner for all the sorrow in the world. Indeed if a man be in Christ, sorrow for sin is something; and renewed obedience is something. God looks upon them favourably, and accepts them graciously in Christ: but out of him they signify no more than the entreaties and cries of a condemned malefactor, to reverse the legal sentence of the Judge. You may toil all the day of your life, and at night go to bed without a candle. To that sense that Scripture sounds, Isa. 50. ult. Behold all ye that kindle a fire, that compass your selves about with sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that you have kindled; this shall ye have of mine hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow. By fire, and the light of it, some understand the sparkling pleasures of this life, and the sensitive joys of the creatures: but generally it's taken for our own natural righteousness, and all acts of duties in order to our own justification by them before God. And so it stands opposed to that faith of recumbency, spoken of in the verse before. By their compassing themselves about with these sparks, understand their dependence on these their duties and glorying in them. But see the fatal issue, ye shall lie down in sorrow. That shall be your recompense from the hand of the Lord. That's all the thanks, and reward you must expect from him,