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

3. If you do no not come to Christ, you will lose all the pains that you have taken in religion: you had need be careful that you lose not the things that you have wrought: the labour that you have taken in religion is all lost with respect unto some expectations of yours therefrom, as to the mortifying of sin thereby, the getting of the good-will of God, the purchasing of pardon, &c. and if you do come to Christ you must see it to be lost in this respect, Phil. 3.7 those things which were gain to me, those have I counted loss for Christ: but yet in some respect the pains you have taken may be of advantage unto you, in as much as you are nearer to salvation than before you began to seek after God: you have been travelling in the way towards heaven; some men are nearer the Kingdom of God a great deal than others, Mark 12.34. Thou art not far from the Kingdom of God: you have been taking a great ⟨p. 288⟩deal of pains, have withstood temptations, have got much knowledge, have broken off your sinful practices, come to understand somewhat of the plague of your own hearts: you are got over many bars that lay in the way of your salvation, you have escaped many rocks, upon which some souls have split in pieces, are in a fairer way to get to heaven than you were sometime since; and it would be sad to perish upon the borders of Canaan, after sore travel in the wilderness: to sink at the mouth of the harbour, after you have rid out many Storms, to lose all your care and labour and sorrows, after all to go down to hell, among those that never took any pains for salvation; and this you will certainly do, if you do not come to Christ: though you are past the straight of reformation, yet if you don't enter and go through the gate of humiliation and faith, if you do not cast away your carnal confidences, you will not enter into life, when the Galatians were carried away with opinions of their own righteousness, Paul says to them: have you suffered so many things in vain, if it be yet in vain, gal. 3.4. all your labour will be in vain, and your souls will be lost if you come not to Christ.

3. If you do no not come to Christ, you will lose all the pains that you have taken in religion: you had need be careful that you lose not the things that you have wrought: the labour that you have taken in religion is all lost with respect unto some expectations of yours therefrom, as to the mortifying of sin thereby, the getting of the good-will of God, the purchasing of pardon, &c. and if you do come to Christ you must see it to be lost in this respect,