A Gospel Glass, Treatise · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Their want of Deſpair in Self.
IF Men are ſenſible of their ſinne and miſerie, Few humbled Souls. Rom. 10.3yet how many are going about to eſtabliſh their own righteouſneſs? Though ſome are convinced of the uglineſs of ſin, of …he miſerie by ſin; yet they are not fully convinced, that the covenant of works requires perfect, perſonal, and corſtant obedience, that it admits not of repentance, that it accepts not of the will for the deed; Gal. 3.10.but Curſeth every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the Book of the Law to do them, ſo that if there be a failer by a vain thought, the conditions of that covenant are broken; and nothing, ſave fearful expectations, ſhould ſeize on ſuch a Soul. Few (I ſay) believe this; but though they are bankrupt Children of Adam, yet they hope by their pedling Wares to ſet up again, and maintain themſelves, without being beholden to any other, for the procuring of their ſalvation; hence they pray, who were prayerleſs before; hear, and (perhaps) with much diligence, who were wont to play away the Sabbath and Sermon time; and reform in many things; and now, Soul, take thine eaſe, thou haſt go…ds laid up for many years, yea for eternity; thou art converted ſure, and ſo think all the Neighbour-hood; O! what a change is here? The man was a Drunkard, not ſo now; an Adulterer, a prophane Belial; but now civilized, yea a devout man: Serious, that was flaſhy before; and touching the righteouſneſs which is in the Law, Phil. 3.6.blameleſs. Now he is alive indeed; his Conſcience is pacified, which before troubled him; he can hear the Word gladly, which before was burthenſome to him; he can pray with affection, and with ſome delight, when before all the Ordinances of Heaven were tedious and intollerable burthens to him. Now he thinks, Sure I have life within me, I am not dead. He ſees not all this while, that he muſt have life from without, and ability from without: He doth not yet ſay, Pſal. 38.4.Mine iniquities are gone over mine head, as an heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. Pſa. 40.12Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, ſo that I am not able to look up. No, no he can look up with confidence, and call God Father; Job 12.6.and though ſometimes he provokes God, yet he is ſecure. He doth not ſee that he is dead, i. e. damned, 2 Cor. 3.5.and inſufficient as of himſelf to think any thing as of himſelf, but all his ſufficiency is of God. He thinks he is not utterly unable to make amends for his ſins, not quite dead, for he can pray, &c. He ſees not, that it is as eaſie to make new Worlds, as to put up one acceptable Prayer to God. He ſees not, that he needs an Almighty power to enable him to perform his duties, and infinite ſatisfaction to diſcharge him of his debts. He is ſomewhat ſenſible of his danger by ſin, Iſa. 63.1.but he eyes not him that is mighty to ſave. He looks for help within, but not without. He ſees no abſolute neceſſity of Chriſt all this while. He ſees not, that all his righteouſneſſes are as filthy raggs in Gods ſight, Iſa. 64.6.and that all his duties fill up the Catalogue of his ſins. He ſees not, that there is no Salvation in any other, ſave Jeſus Chriſt, Acts 4.12.becauſe there is no other Name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we muſt be ſaved. He hopes to goe to Heaven through doors of his own, the door of Repentance, the door of Reformation, the door of good Works, &c. hence he takes hold of the mercy of God, and the promiſes of pardon, Iſa. 55.7.Let the wicked forſake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, yea he will abundantly pardon. Thus have I done, (ſaith this awakened perſon) and now my Caſe is good. O! I would not be in mine old myres for a World: O! what a change is here? I was a careleſs Wretch, careleſs of God, and my Soul, careleſs of praying, reading, hearing, &c. not ſo now. And now that the houſe, Matth. 12.43, 44, 45.out of which the unclean Spirit is gone, is ſwept and garniſhed, he carrieth it high, and little thinks he, that ſeven worſe Spirits are entring in. This is the caſe of multitude of Profeſſours, whom Chriſt will never ſeek nor ſave, Luke 19.10.for that they are not loſt, they are not ſuccourleſs and helpleſs, they think they may ſave themſelves from wrath to come. They ſee not, that there is a Satisfaction to be made to Divine Juſtice, which they cannot make; wherefore their hopes are from their reformations, not from Chriſt; their peace is from their performances, not from Chriſts blood of attonement: All theſe have I kept from my youth up. Luke 18.21.Hence he is conſident, not from Chriſts coming under the Law: hence he is diligent in Prayer, &c. but careleſs of the way of Faith; hence he bleſseth himſelf in his own performances, and is no way taken up with what Chriſt hath done and ſuffered for him. Moſes is magnifyed, and Chriſt is ſlighted: Duties are ſet up, and Faith neglected: Works advanced and cryed up, and Faith is little heeded or look'd after. How few are there, who count themſelves wholly deſtitute of every good thing, that ſhould make them acceptable unto God? They lay not the weight of Salvation upon the grace of God by Jeſus Chriſt, but upon ſomewhat that comes from themſelves: they will have a Bridge of Duties, that ſhall carry them over the Gulph of eternal miſerie: they hope to quench Hell Fire by their tears Alaſs! ſome years agoe, you might as well have drawn Water out of the Flint, as tears from them; but the caſe is altered: I was blind, but now I ſee the deſerts of ſin, which I ſaw not before; I ſee it is a fearful thing to ſin againſt God, and now I bewail my ſins, and am ſorry at heart for them; ſure my condition is monded, I thank God I am not as other men, nor as once I was my ſelf, I hope by my tears to waſh away my ſins. All the while Chriſt lieth without doors, the Soul is a ſtranger to Faith in Chriſt, he ſees not his inſufficiencies, he ſees not his unworthineſs to goe to Heaven and Glory, he ſees not his inability to think a good thought, he hopes without a Chriſt he can do ſomething. If he did judge his condition hopeleſs, he would tremble, and have no reſt in himſelf, till God hath delivered him; he would ſee an abſolute neceſſity of obtaining Chriſt and his righteouſneſs, and he would be put off with nothing elſe. But O! how hard a work do Miniſters find it, firſt to take off men from their ſins, and then from conſidence in their duties? We tell men, Chriſt will have no ſharer in the glory of ſaving loſt man; but people will at leaſt have their works and Chriſt to divide the ſpoyles, to ſhare in the glory of bringing back loſt Souls to God. We adviſe men to lay no weight on their duties, b…t to lean alone on Chriſt's merits; but in vain. Chriſt ſaith, If yee ſeek me, let theſe go their way, theſe duties as well, as theſe ſins; but the deaf eare is turned, and we find it much eaſier to perſwade men, their ſins will damn them, then their duties, whilſt Chriſt is thereby neglected.