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

There are two sorts of natural men that are pretenders, not only to the belief of the truth of the Gospel, but also to trusting in Jesus Christ, which upon examination will be found to deceive themselves: one sort are, many unawakened sinners, some of whom are not so much as civilized, nor of moral conversation; yet they profess to place their trust in Jesus Christ: such as those the Apostle James expostulates with, Jam. 2 14. ad finem: but what ever such men say concerning their putting their trust in Christ: the real foundation of this hope is an ignorance that they have offended God: they may please themselves sometimes with the general notion that Christ has wrought out redemption for sinners: and make a little use of Christ dying for sinners to quiet their hearts; but the bottom of their confidence lies in this, that they are strangers to the provoked justice of God: they don't think that God is angry for their sins; they live a life of carnal security ⟨p. 9⟩Psal. 50.21.55. & 11.9, the other sort are self-righteous sinners, who say they put their confidence in Christ: but their great encouragement is, that they have attained somewhat that does draw the heart of God unto them: there are many self-righteous men, that do not profess any trust in their own righteousness: they have been so trained up in the contrary Doctrine that they could not quiet their own hearts if they knew that they did it: but yet under a notion of resting upon Christ they rest upon themselves: their religious qualifications are their main stay: they are far from putting themselves upon a strict Trial by the Law: but they imagine some excellence in themselves, and that is their encouragement to go to Christ: the Jews made account their works would do much towards their Salvation; the grace of God making up the defects thereof, Rom 9.32. so do those trust partly to their works, partly to Christ, making a mixture of the Law and Gospel: and both these sorts of men, notwithstanding their pretences are strangers to the safety of appearing in Christs righteousness.

There are two sorts of natural men that are pretenders, not only to the belief of the truth of the Gospel, but also to trusting in Jesus Christ, which upon examination will be found to deceive themselves: one sort are, many unawakened sinners, some of whom are not so much as civilized, nor of moral conversation; yet they profess to place their trust in Jesus Christ: such as those the Apostle Iames expostulates with,