Gospel-revelation in three treatises, viz, 1 The nature of God. 2 The excellencies of…

And yet one thing about this further, is, That you must come to a conviction, not only of your lost estate, but of your inability to save your selves, and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them; that thy fall from God is so dreadful, that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee, yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul; be convinced thoroughly of this: This was the way that Christ took with the young man, he tells him of the Law first, and then afterwards because he was conceited that he had fulfilled the Law, and done it, Christ puts him upon a duty (that might convince him to the contrary) which was required in the spiritual meaning of the Law, that forbids covetousness, and requires that we should be willing to part with all for God, when he calls for it; Go and sell all that thou hast, and follow me, and take up thy cross and follow me, saith Christ; I but the young man he had great possessions; but because ••e was no swearer, nor stealer, nor murderer, nor liar, he thought he had fulfilled the Law, but Christ by putting that to him, did as much as if he should say, poor young man, thou art deceived, thou thinkest that thou are able to do what God requires in his Law, but didst thou but understand the spiritual part of the Law, thou wouldest see that thou art so cast by it, that all that thou art able to do in thy obedience to the Law, cannot be sufficient (through the sinfulness of thy heart and nature) but thou must perish if thou takest such a course as that is, to think to be saved by the Law; certainly this it is upon which thousands of souls do perish, they think indeed they are sinners, but they hope they shall do better, and they are able, they think (though not without God, God must help them) to do that that the Word of God requires of them, whereby they may come to be saved; now certainly thou knowest not thy fallen condition, and how far off thou art from God, and what thy sinful estate is naturally, that hast such thoughts as these.

And yet one thing about this further, is, That you must come to a conviction, not onely of your lost estate, but of your inability to save your selves, and the inability that there is in all creatures in Heaven and Earth to save them; that thy fall from God is so dreadful, that all the created power in Heaven and Earth cannot help thee, yea and that thou thy self now art unable to help thy self to save thy soul; bee convinc'd thorowly of this: This was the way that Christ took with the young man, hee tells him of the Law first, and then afterwards because hee was conceited that hee had fulfilled the Law, and done it, Christ puts him upon a duty (that might convince him to the contrary) which was required in the spiritual meaning of the Law, that forbids covetousness, and requires that wee should bee willing to part with all for God, when hee calls for it; Go and sell all that thou hast, and follow mee, and take up thy cross and follow mee, saith Christ; I but the young man hee had great possessions; but because e was no swearer, nor stealer, nor murderer, nor lyar, hee thought hee had fulfilled the Law, but Christ by putting that to him, did as much as if hee should say, poor young man, thou art deceived, thou thinkest that thou are able to do what God requires in his Law, but didst thou but understand the spiritual part of the Law, thou wouldest see that thou art so cast by it, that all that thou art able to do in thy obedience to the Law, cannot bee sufficient (through the sinfulness of thy heart and nature) but thou must perish if thou takest such a course as that is, to think to bee saved by the Law; certainly this it is upon which thousands of souls do perish, they think indeed they are sinners, but they hope they shall do better, and they are able, they think (though not without God, God must help them) to do that that the Word of God requires of them, whereby they may come to bee saved; now certainly thou knowest not thy fallen condition, and how far off thou art from God, and what thy sinful estate is naturally, that hast such thoughts as these.