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

Discouragement 1.

The unspeakable greatness of the blessings that are offered in the Gospel: he has a sense upon his heart that it is a wonderful privilege to be brought into a state of acceptance with God, the favour of God is better than life: to be saved and translated from a mean condition in this world, into the highest heavens to behold the face of God for ever, to enjoy pleasures ⟨p. 316⟩for evermore at the right hand of God, to be made like the Angels of God; 'tis so great a thing, that it will scarce enter into him, considering how mean and unworthy he is: if God had spoken of some little thing, of some more mode rate felicity, he should not have stuck so much at it: but this is so inconceivably great, that he is jealous whether God be willing to bestow it upon him: the greatness of it puts him to a stand, and makes it more unlikely in his eyes: sometimes when he begins to rejoice in it, his heart checks him, and he fears it is too good news to be true: as the Disciples believed not for joy, Luk. 24.41 and as it is spoken of them, Psal. 126.1. when the Lord turned again the captivity of his people, we were like them that dream: the heart does not so stagger at lesser mercies, but the sense of the greatness of salvation makes it recoil and proves a temptation to unbelief: he doubts of it, and says, will God in very deed do this thing? when he would rejoice in the thoughts of it, he is pulled back by fears, that it will not be so: the greatness of it begets a secret damp upon his soul, least it should not be true: it seems incredible:

The unspeakable greatness of the blessings that are offered in the Gospel: he has a sense upon his heart that it is a wonderful priviledg to be brought into a state of acceptance with God, the favour of God is better than life: to be saved and translated from a mean condition in this world, into the highest heavens to behold the face of God for ever, to enjoy pleasures