A history of the work of redemption. Containing the outlines of a body of…

Alas! how blind are natural men! how sottish are the thoughts they have of things! and especially how vain are the thoughts which they have of themselves! How ignorant of their own littleness and pollution! How do they exalt themselves up to heaven! What great things do they assume to themselves!

3. You that trust to your own righteousness, arrogate to yourselves the honour of the greatest thing that ever God himself did; not only as if you were sufficient to perform divine works, and to accomplish some of the great works of God; but such is your pride and vanity, that you are not content without taking upon you to do the very greatest work that ever God himself wrought, even the work of redemption. You see how God's works of providence are greater than his works of creation, and that all ⟨p. 166⟩God's works of providence, from the beginning of the generations of men, were in order to this, to make way for the purchasing of redemption. But this is what you take upon yourself. To take on yourself to work out redemption, is a greater thing than if you had taken it upon you to create a world. Consider with yourself what a figure you a poor worm would m•ke, if you should seriously go about to c•eate such a world as God did▪ should swell in your own conceit of yourself, should •eck yourself with majesty, pretend to speak the word of power, and call an universe out of nothing, intending to go on in order, and say, "Let there be light; Let there be a firmament▪" &c. But then consider, that in attempting to work out redemption for yourself, you attempt a greater thing than this, and are serious in it, and wil• not be beat off from it; but strive in it, and are full of the thought of yourself that you are sufficient for it, and always big with hopes of accomplishing it.