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

2. By convincing of the strictness of the Law: this is another thing that helps to make him yield: God convinces him of the rigour and exactness of the Law: he imagined before, that his duties would make amends for his sins, that God would be at peace with him, because of his affections: but God shows him ⟨p. 214⟩that the Law stands for perfect righteousness; the Law must be fully satisfied, that the Law pronounces a curse for every sin: that it can neither be abrogated nor moderated, but must be fulfilled: that the law curses every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them, gal. 3.13. and hereby the sinner sees the insufficiency of all his duties, and is brought to despair in himself.

2. By convincing of the strictness of the Law: this is another thing that helps to make him yield: God convinces him of the rigour and exactness of the Law: he imagined before, that his duties would make amends for his sins, that God would be at peace with him, because of his affections: but God shews him ⟨p. 214⟩that the Law stands for perfect righteousness; the Law must be fully satisfied, that the Law pronounces a curse for every sin: that it can neither be abrogated nor moderated, but must be fulfilled: that the law curses every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them, gal. 3.13. and her•by the sinner sees the insufficiency of all his duties, and is brought to despair in himself.

3. By leaving a hope in the heart that God may yet help him: this conduces much to make the sinner yield there is a secret hope that God leaves in the heart: that God will have mercy upon him: God leaves an apprehension in men of the possibility of their salvation: if they don't yield, there is certain death, but there is some hopes that God may spare them, they have some hopes arising from the power of God, he can make dry bones to live: and from the mercy of God, whose thoughts are not as mens thoughts, nor his ways as mens ways, but high above them as the heavens are above the earth, that also begets some hope that there is a way of salvation by Christ: that others have found help; when they have been in such a case: that there are promises of taking away the heart of stone, Ezek, 11.19. this hope helps the soul much, in submitting to God.