Whatsoever is of nature’s putting on, Satan will come and plunder it, and leave the soul naked and open to the wrath of God. All that nature can do will never make up the least dram of grace that can mortify sin, or look Christ in the face one day.
3. Thou goest on hearing, praying, and receiving, yet miserable mayst thou be. Look about thee; didst thou ever see Christ to this day in distinction from all other excellencies and righteousness in the world, and all of them falling before the majesty of his love and grace!
*If thou hast seen Christ truly, thou hast seen pure grace, pure righteousness, far exceeding all sin and misery. If thou hast seen Christ, thou wouldst not do a duty without him for ten thousand worlds. If ever thou sawest Christ, thou sawest him a rock, higher than Satan or sin; and this rock doth follow thee, and there will be a continual dropping of honey and grace out of it to satisfy thee. Examine, if ever thou hast beheld Christ as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Be sure thou art come to Christ, that thou standest upon the rock of ages, hast answered to his call to thy soul, hast closed with him for justification.
*4. Men talk bravely of believing; but few know it. Christ is the mystery of the scripture. Grace the mystery of Christ. Believing is the most wonderful thing in the world. Put any thing of thine own to it, and thou spoilest it; Christ will not so much as look at it for believing. When thou comest to Christ, thou must leave behind thee thy own righteousness, and bring nothing but thy sin. (Oh that is hard!) Leave behind all thy holiness, and bring nothing but thy wants and miseries, else Christ is not fit for thee, nor thou for Christ. Christ will be a pure Redeemer, and thou must be an undone sinner, or Christ and thou will never agree. It’s the hardest thing in the world to take Christ alone for righteousness: that’s to acknowledge him Christ. Join any thing to him of thy own, and thou un-Christ’s him.
Whatever comes in when thou goest to God for acceptance, (besides Christ) call it anti-christ; bid it be gone; make only Christ’s righteousness triumphant; all besides that, is Babylon, which must fall if Christ stand; and thou shalt rejoice in the day of the fall thereof. Christ alone did tread the wine-press, and there was none with him. If thou join any thing to Christ, Christ will trample upon it in fury and anger, and stain his raiment with the blood thereof. Thou thinkest it easy to believe: was ever thy faith tried with a thorough sight of sin? Was it ever put to grapple with Satan, and the wrath of God lying upon the conscience? When thou wast in the mouth of hell, then did God shew thee Christ a ransom? If then thou couldst say, Oh I see grace enough in Christ! Thou mayst say that which is the biggest word in the world, thou believest; but untried faith is uncertain faith.
*5. To believing, there must go a clear conviction of sin, and the merits of the blood of Christ, and of Christ’s willingness to save upon this consideration merely, that thou art a sinner: things all harder than to make a world. All the power in nature cannot get up so high, in a storm of sin and guilt, as really to believe there is any willingness in Christ to save. When Satan chargeth sin upon the conscience, then to charge it upon Christ, that is gospel like. That is to make him Christ, he serves for that use. To accept his blood alone for salvation, that is the sum of the gospel. When the soul, in all duties and distresses, can say, nothing but Christ for justification, sanctification, redemption; not humblings, not duties, not graces, that soul hath got above the reach of the billows.
All Satan’s advantages are laid in self-righteousness. God pursueth this by setting Satan upon thee; this must be torn from thee; this alone hinders Christ from coming in; and till Christ come in, guilt will not go out; and where guilt is, there is hardness of heart.
6. When guilt is raised up, take heed of getting it allay’d any way but by Christ’s blood. Make Christ thy peace, not thy duties, thy tears: Christ thy righteousness, not thy graces. Look at Christ and do as much as thou wilt. Stand with all thy weight upon Christ’s righteousness; take heed of having one foot on thy own righteousness, another on Christ’s. Till Christ come and sit on high upon a throne of grace, there is nothing but guilt and terror, the soul hanging between hope and fear, which is an un-gospel state.
He that fears to see the utmost hell of his own heart, suspects the merit of Christ. Be thou never such a sinner, try Jesus Christ the righteous. In all doubtings, fears, storms of conscience, look at Christ continually. Do not argue with Satan (he desires no better) bid him go to Christ, and he will answer him; it is his office to be our advocate, his office to answer justice, and he is sworn to that office. Put Christ upon it. If thou wilt do any thing thyself, as to satisfaction for sin, thou renouncest Christ the righteous.
*7. Satan may alledge scripture, but he cannot answer scripture. It is Christ’s word of mighty authority; Christ foiled Satan with it. In all the scripture there is not an ill word against a poor sinner, stript of his own righteousness. Nay, it plainly points out this man for the grace of the gospel, and none else. Believe but Christ’s willingness, and that will make thee willing. If thou find thou canst not believe; remember it is Christ’s work to make thee believe. Put him upon it. He works to will and to do. Mourn for thy unbelief, which is setting up guilt above Christ; an undervaluing the merits of Christ, accounting his blood an unholy, a common, and unsanctifying thing.