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

1. Pride makes men desirous to live upon themselves, and to be beholden to the grace of God no more than needs must: proud man had rather be the author of his own happiness, than to have it in a way of free gift: most men had rather earn their living with their fingers end, than live upon the charity of other men: so in this case, men had rather compound with God for heaven upon the account of their own services than be beholden to free grace: it would please the haughty heart of man exceedingly, to have the honour of saving himself; that he might have that to boast of, that he had heaven as the fruit of his own labours. Boasting is excluded by the law of Faith, Rom. 3.27. and therefore the heart don't like ⟨p. 174⟩that way: mens spirits will very hardly come down to take life as a gift from a provoked God: men can hardly stoop to it, to come to the door of mercy, if they can make any other shift they will not do it: it is exceeding cross to flesh and blood to have nothing of his own to glory in; and to yield himself to be a poor, vile and unworthy creature, to be altogether helpless in himself; man was once set out with a good stock, and might have earned heaven, and tis very hard to him to yield himself a prodigal, he stomachs it to come for alms: it would be hard to one especially that has been rich so to do: this we may see in the Prodigal, Luk. 15.14, 15. he began to be in want, and went and joined himself to a Citizen of that Country: nothing but extremity would bring down his spirit, so as to make him return to his Father; he had rather work hard than come a begging to his Father.

1. Pride makes men desirous to live upon themselves, and to be beholden to the grace of God no more than needs must: proud man had rather be the author of his own happiness, than to have it in a way of free gift: most men had rather earn their living with their fingers end, than live upon the charity of other men: so in this case, men had rather compound with God for heaven upon the account of their own services than be beholden to free grace: it would please the haughty heart of man exceedingly, to have the honour of saving himself; that he might have that to boast of, that he had heaven as the fruit of his own labours. Boasting is excluded by the law of Faith,