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

but many men that make this pretence, do make them the foundation of their Faith: for they take their first encouragement from hence to come to Christ: and dare not come when they can see nothing in themselves to encourage them. 3. They pretend that they are not seeking salvation by their own righteousness, but they are only labouring after a work of Humiliation, to prepare them for Christ: they have all along been instructed that there can be no true Faith without a foregoing work of Humiliation; and therefore they only wait for that work in order to their coming to Christ: but men do greatly deceive themselves in this thing: a natural man may have a work of Humiliation, but a natural man cannot heartily seek after it; for every unhumbled sinner is striving against the work of Humiliation: they are opposing of it, either by endeavours to set up a righteousness of their own; seeking in that way to escape condemnation, instead of yielding to God they are flying to their strong holds, sheltering themselves in their prayers, reformations, desires, &c. or else by wrangling, as a person pursued runs away till overtaken and then he fights; so the sinner when he sees that he can't save himself, is contending with God objecting against divine proceedings, thinks that Gods dealings are very hard measure, Rom. 9.19. in both ⟨p. 190⟩these methods they oppose the work of Humiliation: and when a sinner thinks that he is seeking after the work of Humiliation he is opposing it: he is indeed striving against the work of Humiliation, when he is seeking of it, as much as when he is seeking to strengthen and increase his desires and affections: for indeed he is making a righteousness of Humiliation, he labours after it, that that may commend him to God: he thinks that would ingratiate him with God, he looks at Humiliation as an eminent piece of righteousness; as a castle that would shelter him from the wrath of God: he looks upon Humiliation as a choice frame of spirit: he looks on at it as a great attainment; so that those that stay away from Christ under pretence that they are not humbled, and are waiting for a work of Humiliation, are seeking salvation by their own righteousness.

but many men that make this pretence, do make them the foundation of their Faith: for they take their first encouragement from hence to come to Christ: and dare not come when they can see nothing in themselves to encourage them. 3. They pretend that they are not seeking salvation by their own righteousness, but they are only labouring after a work of Humiliation, to prepare them for Christ: they have all along been instructed that there can be no true Faith without a foregoing work of Humiliation; and therefore they only wait for that work in order to their coming to Christ: but men do greatly deceive themselves in this thing: a natural man may have a work of Humiliation, but a natural man cannot heartily seek after it; for every unhumbled sinner is striving against the work of Humiliation: they are opposing of it, either by endeavours to set up a righteousness of their own; seeking in that way to escape condemnation, instead of yielding to God they are flying to their strong holds, sheltering themselves in their prayers, reformations, desires, &c. or else by wrangling, as a person pursued runs away till overtaken and then he fights; so the sinner when he sees that he can't save himself, is contending with God objecting against divine proceedings, thinks that Gods dealings are very hard measure,