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

USE, II.

ƲSE, II.

TO put you upon the Examination, whether you do put your trust in the righteousness of Christ: if so, then you are in a safe condition, and may stand before God another day with comfort: in the great day of the Lord, multitudes that have made a profession of Religion will miserably fail of their expectations: and that upon this account, that they want the Wedding Garment: but although you have many failings, yet if you believe in Christ, you shall not be confounded, 1 Pet. 2.6. all your Religion signifies nothing as to your salvation if you do not believe in Christ: if you would know then what you are like to meet withal at the day of judgment, whether ⟨p. 204⟩you shall find acceptance with the Lord, when thousands shall not: try your selves by this whither you do believe on Jesus Christ: there be some other ways of trial, from all those things that do accompany salvation; but this is the principal way to which indeed all others are reduceable: there be other properties that are evidential of a mans safety: but this is the foundation evidence, as that which gives him his right and title to salvation, 1 Joh. 5.13. I have written to you that believe on the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life: examine therefore whether you do indeed believe on the Son of God: there be many that say they have Faith, Jam 2.14. there be many pretenders to Faith: there is as much deceit in the heart about Faith as about any other grace: there are imitations and resemblances of Faith: such as the Scripture does give the name of Faith unto, Luk. 8.13 which for a while believe; all sorts of men that make profession of the Doctrine of salvation by Christ: profane men profess this, and self-righteous men profess this: men that were never sensible that God was indeed angry with them, and men that do imagine that they have pacified him, are both of them pretenders to Faith in Christ: men that do indeed trust in that that they never did much provoke God, and men that trust in that they have pleased him again, do both make profession of their Faith in Christ: therefore it stands you in hand strictly to examine whether you do indeed believe in the righteousness of Christ: