The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

And hence it is if they cannot do any thing to ease themselves, then their hearts •ink, or it may be quarrel with God, that he makes them not better. But beloved, it is wonderful to see how many times men rest in a little they have, and do.

And hence it is if they cannot doe any thing to ease themselves, then their hearts •ink, or it may be quarrell with God, that he makes them not better. But beloved, it is wonderfull to see how many times men rest in a little they have, and doe.

2. But whiles it is thus with the soul, he is uncapable of Christ; for he that trusts to other things to save him, or makes himself his own Saviour, or rests in his duties without a Saviour, he can never have Christ to save him. Rom. 9.32. it is said, the Jews lost Christs righteousness, because they sought ⟨p. 128⟩it not by faith, but •ought salvation by their own righteousness. He that maketh flesh his arm, (as all duties and endeavours of man be, when trusted to) the Lord saith, Cursed be that man, Jer. 17.5, 6. Only the Lord doth not leave his Elect here; he that is married unto the Law, Rom. 7. cannot be matched unto Christ, till he be first divorced, not from the duties themselves, but from trusting to them, and resting in them. And therefore saith Paul, ¹I through the Law am dead to it, that I might live unto God. He that trusteth to riches cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven, no more then a Camel through a needles eye, because it is too big for so narrow a room: so he that trusteth to his duties and abilities, is too big to enter in by Christ, the Lord must cut off this spirit, and lay it low, and make it stoop as vile before God, before it can have Christ in this estate; the Lord must not only cut it off from this self-confidence in duties, but also so far forth as that the soul may lye under God, to be disposed of as he pleaseth. And the reason is, because such a soul as is unwilling to stoop, is unhumbled; and he that is so, doth not only on his part resist God, but the Lord also resists him,