The Sincere Convert

Fourthly,¹ those that gain no Evangelical righteousness by duties, re•t in duties; I say, Evangelical righteousness, that is, more prizing of acquaintance, with desire after, loving & delighting in union with the Lord Jesus Christ: for a moral man may grow in legal righteousness, (as the stony and thorny ground seed, sprang up and increased much, and came near unto maturity,) and yet rest in duties all this while. For, as it is with tradesmen, they rest in their buying and selling, though they make no gain of their trading: now Jesus Christ is a Christians gain, Phil. 1. 21. and hence a child of God asks himself after Sermon, after prayer, after Sacrament, what have I gained of Christ? have I got more knowledge of Christ, more admiring of the Lord Jesus? Now a carnal heart that rests in his duties, asketh ⟨p. 251⟩only what he hath done, as the Pharisee, I thank God I am not as other men, I fast twice a week, I give alms, and the like, and thinks verily he shall be saved, because he prays, and because he hears, and because he reforms, and because he sorrows for his sins, that is, not because of the gaining of Christ in a duty, but because of his naked performance of the duty, and so they are like that man, that I have heard of, that thought verily he should be rich, because he had got a wallet to beg: so men, because they perform duties, think verily they shall be saved. No such matter, let a man have a bucket made of gold, doth he think to get water, because he hath a bucket? No, no, he must let it down into the well & draw up water with it: so must thou let down all thy duties into Christ, & draw life and light from his fullness, else though thy duties be golden duties, thou shalt perish without Christ. When a man hath bread in his wallet, and got water in his bucket, he may boldly say, so long as these last, I shall ⟨p. 252⟩not famish: so mayst thou say, when thou hast found and got Christ, in the performance of any duty, so long as Christs life lasteth, I shall live, as long as he hath any wisdom or power, so long shall I be directed and enabled in well doing.