That this is a great work of Gods Spirit to convince men and assure them that it is safe appearing in the righteousness of Christ: it is a matter of exceeding great difficulty to give entertainment unto this truth: and hence it is that many men are never satisfied in it all their days, they continue all their lives long under the means of grace, and yet never come unto the knowledge of this truth, and many others whom God has persuaded of it have been long before they were satisfied, though they have been full of inward troubles ⟨p. 125⟩and fears and thereby put upon it to be inquisitive into the way of salvation, yet were long before they came to Christ, their hearts were unsatisfied about their safety in so doing: and after prevailing and clear conviction, doubts are ever and anon arising in their hearts, and this difficulty must needs be very great, considering these things:
1. That Man in his natural state is an enemy to this way of salvation: as man is an enemy to the Law of God, so to the gospel of Jesus Christ: the heart don't like this way of salvation, man had rather be saved in another way; man is proud and can't endure to go a begging and be beholden to the free grace of God for his salvation: he had rather earn it himself, than take it as a gift of God: hence men set their wits on work to descry another way that is more suitable to their honours, and to find exceptions against this way of salvation by Christ: he don't like the method, and so is inventing of cavils to turn off the calls of God.
2. That man is ignorant of the gracious nature of God: men don't understand how merciful God is; are apt to measure the compassions of God by their own; and make a judgment of God by themselves: hence they are full of carnal reasonings against this way of life: they think it is a great deal more probable that they should be accepted on the account of some worthiness in themselves: they think it utterly unlikely that God should accept of them, till their hearts are better; they think it would be desperate presumption to venture upon Christ before they are better; they think God is so angry with them that he cannot find in his heart to pardon them: they take notice of the severity of God upon others, and conceive of him as ⟨p. 126⟩very difficult to pardon, they imagine there must be something considerable in them to commend them to God, and draw the heart of God unto them.
That this is a great work of Gods Spirit to convince men and assure them that it is safe appearing in the righteousness of Christ: it is a matter of exceeding great difficulty to give entertainment unto this truth: and hence it is that many men are never satisfied in it all their dayes, they continue all their lives long under the means of grace, and yet never come unto the knowledg of this truth, and many others whom God has perswaded of it have been long before they were satisfied, though they have been full of inward troubles ⟨p. 125⟩and fears and thereby put upon it to be inquisitive into the way of salvation, yet were long before they came to Christ, their hearts were unsatisfied about their safety in so doing: and after prevailing and clear conviction, doubts are ever and anon arising in their hearts, and this difficulty must needs be very great, considering these things:
1. That Man in his natural state is an enemy to this way of salvation: as man is an enemy to the Law of God, so to the gospel of Jesus Christ: the heart dont like this way of salvation, man had rather be saved in another way; man is proud and can't endure to go a begging and be beholden to the free grace of God for his salvation: he had rather earn it himself, than take it as a gift of God: hence men set their wits on work to descry another way that is more suitable to their honours, and to find exceptions against this way of salvation by Christ: he don't like the method, and so is inventing of cavils to turn off the calls of God.
2. That man is ignorant of the gracious nature of God: men don't understand how merciful God is; are apt to measure the compassions of God by their own; and make a judgment of God by themselves: hence they are full of carnal reasonings against this way of life: they think it is a great deal more probable that they should be accepted on the account of some worthiness in themselves: they think it utterly unlikely that God should accept of them, till their hearts are better; they think it would be desperate presumption to venture upon Christ before they are better; they think God is so angry with them that he cannot find in his heart to pardon them: they take notice of the severity of God upon others, and conceive of him as ⟨p. 126⟩very difficult to pardon, they imagine there must be something considerable in them to commend them to God, and draw the heart of God unto them.
