Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

When a man is persuaded of this, that Christ will take care of him, and provide better for him then ¹he can himself, he is willing to submit to Christ, and give himself to Christ. A man will never go off of his own bottom till he be assured of a better foundation.

When a man is perswaded of this, that Christ will take care of him, and provide better for him then ¹he can himself, he is willing to submit to Christ, and give himself to Christ. A man will never go off of his own bottom till he be assured of a better foundation.

1. 1Answ. To give our selves to Christ, what.

And partly also it is done by changing a mans opinion of himself: for every unregenerate man hath a different opinion of himself to that which he hath when he is regenerate. One man thinks that that which consists in his private, and outward happiness and safety, and therefore his profit, or credit, or whatsoever may make up that, that he reckons himself, and that he will build upon. But when a man is in Christ his opinion is changed, there is a new part, a regenerate part in him, and where that is in a man, that he reckons to be himself. What a man hath an opinion to be himself, whatsoever makes up that self that he will draw to himself. When a man reckons the regenerate part to be himself, he is willing to be a loser by all other things, so that that self may be a gainer: because he knows that all this while is no loser in himself, so long as he grows in grace, and keeps a good conscience; so long as he knows, and is persuaded that God will take care of him, far better then himself can do, so long the building up of himself goes forward, and he takes care for nothing else besides. This is for a man to give up himself to Christ.¹