THE SECOND SERmon, of Justification.THE SECOND SERmon, of Iustification.

THE SECOND SERmon, of Justification.

THE SECOND SERmon, of Iustification.

Gen. Cap. 15. 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he counted that to him for righteousness.

Gen. Cap. 15. 6 Abram beleeued the Lord, and hee counted that to him for righteousnes.

WE began yesterday to handle which was the right way to learn how to please God by faith, that is, we must begin at our first estate and condition, and see what we were borne in Abram. In whom we see our selves to be all accursed, damned, and lost. And until such time as we know that aright, we shall never feel what it is to obtain the favour and mercy of God. Here then we see the true foundation whereon to build, which is, that after we have rightly examined what we are, and finding nothing in our selves but utter shame and confusion, we might seek for the remedy else where. And for the making of such a trial, we must of necessity come to the scriptures. In very deed if every man did consider himself without flattery, we should judge our selves without any further trial. We should not need to use long circumstances about the finding out of testimonies ⟨p. 128⟩enough against our selves: for every one of us hath an hot burning scar in himself, to imprint the curse of God upon us. But because we are subject to hide our sins and bury them, therefore hath God set his word before us as a glass, that we might therein behold how to learn to judge our selves thereby, and not after our own fantasies. And although we perceive not at the first our own misery, yet when we shall see the same laid open by the word of God, that were enough wholly to confound us. For if every one of us should trust to his own opinion, we would then be all righteous. For Solomon saith, That we are all so blinded with self-love, as that there is not one of us all but will make our selves believe that we are wonderful virtuous: