290 Againfifpiritualwickednefp. work, not graco. When 1frael waited on the Lord at Mount Sinai, they had their bounds, not a man muft come up bfides Moles to treat with God, no, not touch the Mount left they die: thus all the graces of the Spirit wait onGod, but none come up to challenge any acceptanceof God befides faith, which is a grace that prefents the f cul not in its own garinents. But you will fay,what needs all this ? where is the man that trufis in his grace ? Alas, where is the Chriftian that doth fully nand clear, and freely come offhis own righteoufneffe ? he is a rare Pilot indeed, that can fteere his faith in fo dire& a couife, as not now and then to knock upon this duty, and run on groundup- on that grace. Abrahamwent in to Hagar ; and the children of e'fbrahams faith are not perfedly dead to the Law, and may be found fometimes in Hagars armes, witneffe the fluxe and re- fluxe of our faith, according to thevarious afpeft of our obe- dience: when this feems full, then our faith is at a fpring-tide, and covers all the mountains of our fears; but let it feem to wain in any fervice or duty, then the 7erdari of our faith flies back, and leaves the foule naked. The d evils fpight is at Chriff, and therefore fence he could not hinder his landing, which he endea . voured all he could, nor work his will on his perfon when he was come ; he goes now in a more refined way to darken the glory of his fufferings, and the Sufficiencyof his righteoufneffe, by blending ours with his ; this dotirine of juftification by faith, bath had more works and batteries made againft it, then any other in the Scripture. Indeed many other errours were but his the approaches to get nearer to undermine this ; and loft- ily, when he connot hide this truth, (which now Shines in the Church like the Sun in its flrength) then he labours to hinder the praffical impro vement of Jr, that we ;if he can help it) fhall not live up to our own principles, making us at the fame time,that in our judgement we profeffe acceptance only through Chrift, in our practice confute our felves. NoW there is a double pride in the foule hemakes ufe of for this end the one I may call a mannerly pride, the other a felF,applauding pride. Firft, a mannerly pride, which comes forth in the habit and guile of humility, and that difcovers it felf, either at the foules firf1coming to Chrift, and keeps him fromdoling with the pro- glifek or afterward in the daily courfe of a Chriilians walk-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=