The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

1. Natural reason cannot apprehend that God can find in his heart to save sinners on the account of Christs righteousness: when men come to be enlightened, and have a sense of the guilt of sin, and wrath of God, it will not enter into them, that God can be free to forgive them, and save them on the account of Christs blood; they are strangers unto the merciful nature of God: and hence are seeking to get some worthiness of their own, to pacify God with: and can't conceive that God is willing to pardon them, who are so unworthy; except they were somewhat better: they think they must have something to commend them to God: they think it would be madness for them as bad as they are to venture on Christs blood. 1 Cor. 1.18. the preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness: they have strange and low thoughts of the mercy of God, Isa. 55.8. ⟨p. 117⟩2. Natural reason will not make men believe Gods testimony; natural reason will not beget saith: natural men are in Scripture described to be unbelievers, John 5, 46. natural reason will not lay weight on the testimony of God: no man will receive Gods testimony, and act faith thereupon, until he knows God, Paul says, I know him whom I have believed, 2 Tim. 1.12. and every man must know God before he will believe him: many men •o entertain some of the things that God says; so the Devils believe and tremble: but those persuasions rise from the convictions, and not from faith in Gods Word. No man will receive any thing merely on Gods testimony, until he know him: and therefore will not be assured of that which he can know no other way but by faith, and which carnal reason has many objections against. 3. The conviction of this Truth is by the Spirit of God: it is the work of Gods Spirit to satisfy the heart in this, that it is safe appearing in the righteousness of Christ: God does create light in the mind to discover this: the outward call of the Gospel presents the object before men, and the work of the Spirit is to give men eyes to see the truth of it: mens natural reason makes them understand the sense of the Proposition: and the Spirit of God puts a new light in them, whereby they understand the truth of the Proposition: their persuasion about this is the fruit of Divine Instruction.