The truly blessed man

4. The way in which we come to place this trust in God is by Christ. This is the only Evangelical way of believing, nor can fallen man in any other way rightly place his trust on God: for,

1. We are made to see that God out of Christ is a consuming fire. Man in the first Covenant had to do with God immediately, but he can no more come at him according to the tenure of that Covenant; for mans Apostasy hath armed the Justice of ⟨p. 543⟩God against him with Vengeance: and now God appears to the convinced sinner to be a devouring fire, and everlasting burnings, and he dares not approach him lest he be Consumed.

2. We are also convinced that we cannot atone him to us by any Righteousness of our own. There is a fond opinion which vain men are ready to take up about themselves, as if they might satisfy God, and obtain his favour by their own works; so that when Conscience is awakened, they take up a course of legal duties, and lay out much cost and pains about them: but when God comes to bring us to the faith of the Gospel, he makes us to reject […] this, and acknowledge the raggedness & filthiness of it, Isa. 64.6. Phil. 3.8, 9. The proud sinner would make money of this, but he now sees it is but dross.

2. We are also convinced that we cannot atone him to us by any Righteousness of our own. There is a fond opinion which vain men are ready to take up about themselves, as if they might satisfy God, and obtain his favour by their own works; so that when Conscience is awakened, they take up a course of legal duties, and lay out much cost and pains about them: but when God comes to bring us to the faith of the Gospel, he makes us to reject this, and acknowledge the raggedness & filthiness of it,