An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

The Author hints, as if according to Mr. Shepherd, ¹a man must go to Christ indulging his Lusts, and wallowing in them, with all his sores running, ⟨p. 89⟩and filthiness allowed, but how untrue is this? Mr. Shepherd saith expressly, Thou canst not come to Christ, till thou art loaden, and separated from thy sins; thou canst not be engrafted into this Olive, unless thou beest cut off from thy old root; thou must be made willing, or rather not unwilling, that the Lord should take away thy sin: To come weary and sick, and naked to Christ, is not to come indulging our sins, but groaning under them; if there be no wants or sense of them, how or why should we come to Christ? Should we come to him, to show him the garments which nature made, the innate or acquisite virtue, and excellency which is in us? Should we open our treasures, and tell him that we are rich, and increased in Goods, and have need of nothing? this is the way to be spued out of his mouth: The Philosopher being asked, what God was a doing, could say, that he was busy in elevation humilium, & superborum dejection: We must go to Christ weary and heavy laden under our sins, but surely not stripped of them altogether; could we strip off the guilt and power of these without Christ, we might be our own Saviours and Sanctifiers, Christ would have little or ⟨p. 90⟩nothing to do for us: But saith the Author, We must receive Christ by Faith, and then what a blessed change is there in us! For, though we continue as we were, we have all in Christ: What! may we receive Christ, and be as we were? Doth he bring nothing at all with him? May we receive him, and not have his righteousness imputed, and his spirit imparted to us? It is utterly vain and impossible: But now a touch for worthy Mr. Watson.

The Author hints, as if according to Mr. Shepherd, ¹a man must go to Christ indulging his Lusts, and wallowing in them, with all his sores running, ⟨p. 89⟩and filthiness allowed, but how untrue is this? Mr. Shepherd saith expresly, Thou canst not come to Christ, till thou art loaden, and separated from thy sins; thou canst not be ingraffed into this Olive, unless thou beest cut off from thy old root; thou must be made willing, or rather not unwilling, that the Lord should take away thy sin: To come weary and sick, and naked to Christ, is not to come indulging our sins, but groaning under them; if there be no wants or sence of them, how or why should we come to Christ? Should we come to him, to shew him the garments which nature made, the innate or acquisite vertue, and excellency which is in us? Should we open our treasures, and tell him that we are rich, and increased in Goods, and have need of nothing? this is the way to be spued out of his mouth: The Philosopher being asked, what God was a doing, could say, that he was busie in elevatione humilium, & superborum dejectione: We must go to Christ weary and heavy laden under our sins, but surely not strip'd of them altogether; could we strip off the guilt and power of these without Christ, we might be our own Saviours and Sanctisiers, Christ would have little or