The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

1. Be duly affected with your Guilt. Till we rightly apprehend that, we shall never kindly confess our sin; the want of this is the reason why some confess not at all, and others do it so slightly: whereas, when once the Soul is under the burden of this, and finds himself justly condemned, this will draw forth a free and full Confession, Psal. 51. 3.

2. Know your own impotency to remove this Guilt. This is the undoing of many a convinced Sinner, who finds himself under Condemnation, and not being humbled, but acted by a legal spirit, hopeth to make up all by a Righteousness of his own, and so, instead of duly confessing, falls to his Reformations, sets upon abstinence from sin, and takes a task on him, to perform moral duties, hoping so to make up ill, and thus deceiveth himself. Know that you cannot do any thing to purchase Gods favour, Isa. 64. 6.

2. Know your own impotency to remove this Guilt. This is the undoing of many a convinced Sinner, who finds himself under Condemnation, and not being humbled, but acted by a legal spirit, hopeth to make up all by a Righteousness of his own, and so, instead of duly consessing, falls to his Reformations, sets upon abstinence from sin, and takes a task on him, to perform moral duties, hoping so to make up ill, and thus deceiveth himself. Know that you cannot do any thing to purchase Gods favour, Isa. 64. 6.

3. Renounce all other hopes of pardon, but what must derive to you through the free Grace of God. If you expect it may come in any other way, it will spoil your Confession: either it will prevent it, or make it a mere legal thing: it will lose its direct end, which is to carry us off from every other bottom, to cast our selves upon the mere mercy of God in Christ: and if we have our hope on any other thing, our pride will keep us from this. Resolve then as, Hos 14. 3. Ashur shall shall not save us, &c Conclude positively, if Grace save us not, we perish for ever.