The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. Wherein the main hindrances, which keep men…

I will express this Particular more fully in this Manner. A rich Usurer that is sick of some Disease; tell him such a Physician can cure him, but he stands upon State, and will not come without a great deal of Charge. Charge (saith he) I do not stand upon that; I have Money enough by me, enough to fetch him hither. Such a Man now placeth all his Confidence in his Money. So when the Soul sees the Guilt of Sin is not removed, and that Conscience is still snarling, and that (the Law condemning him) Christ is the only Saviour, and he only that can satisfy and cure all. But now, How shall Christ be procured? Why? His Prayer, and Fasting, and Performances, may command so much, and that by the Power and Merit of the Work done. The Voice of a Pharisee, and proper Language of a Papist. But what Promise is there for it? Within-book none. But thus Fools rest on their own Performances, and so fall short of Christ and Salvation.

Object But oh (saith a poor Sinner) fain would I go out of my self. I see too well now, that I have rested, and do rest upon Duties done; but I cannot deny my self as I would.

Answ. I answer, It is Satan's Subtlety to keep us in ourselves, by endeavouring thus to make us go out of ourselves: For by our own Strength he would have us to do it; and persuades us we may. But this is a marvellous Deepness of his, wherein he shows both Malice and Cunning in the superlative. For here he makes us believe (and we, out of Ignorance are persuaded as he would have us) that we have the Staff in our own Hands, that is, the Power to get out of our selves. But is it so? Oh no, it is a supernatural Work to be quite out of our selves. The same Hand must bring us out of our selves, that must bring us to Christ: And this is Self-denial: And Self-denial is, when the Soul knoweth it hath nothing,¹ and therefore is so over-powered with the mighty Hand of God, and the Work of his Spirit, that it doth not so much as expect any Power or Ability from it self, or from the Creature, in the doing of any Good: For it knows it is dead, and therefore cannot help it self, much less can the Creature do it any Good, It therefore looks up to Heaven, and seeks all Sufficiency from God alone. For (observe it) whiles I thus think that I have Ability