more to shew tlian thj'self, liave thrown away all and gone a begging to Christ. Read Paul's inventory, Phil, iii., what he had, what he did, yet all dross and loss : give him Christ, and take the rest who will. So Job, as holy a man as trod on earth, (God himself being witness,) yet saith, 'Though I were pei'fect, yet would I not know my own soul ; I would despise my life,' Job ix. 21. He had acknowledged his imperfection before ; now he makes a supposition (in- deed cjuod non est supponendum:) If I were perfect, yet would I not know my own soul; I would not entertain any such thoughts as should puff me up into such a confidence of my holiness, as to make it my ])lea with God. Like to our common phrase, we say, Such a one hath excellent parts, but he knows it; that is, he is proud of it. Take heed of knowing thy own grace in this sense ; thou canst not give a greater wound both to thy grace and comfort, than by thus priding thyself in it.
Section III. — First, Thy grace cannot thrive so long as thou thus rcstest on it. A legal spirit is no friend to grace ; nay, a bitter enemy against it, as appeared by the Pharisees in Christ's time. Grace comes not by the law, but by Christ ; thou mayest stand long enough by it, before thou gettest any life of grace into thy soul, or further life into thy grace. If thou wouldest have this, thou must set thyself imder Christ's wings by faith ; from his spirit in the gospel alone comes his kindly natural heat to hatch thy soul to the life of holiness, and increase what thou hast ; and thou canst not come under Christ's wings till thou comest from under the shadow of the other, by renouncing all expecta- tion from thy own works and services. You know Reuben's curse, that he should not excel, because he went up into his father's bed ; when other tribes increased, he stood at a little number. By trusting in thy own works thou dost worse by Christ ; and shalt thou excel in grace 1 Perhaps some of you have been long professors, and yet come to little growth in love to God, humility, heavenly-mindedness, mortification ; and it is worth the digging to see what lies at the root of your profession, whether there be not a legal principle that hath too much influenced you. Have you not thought to cany all with God from your duties and services, and too much laid up your hopes in your own actings ? Alas ! this is as so much dead earth, which must be thrown out, and gospel principles laid in the room thereof. Try but this course, and see whether the spring of thy grace will not come on apace. David gives an account how he came to stand and flourish, when some, that were rich and mighty, on a sudden withered and came to nothing. ' Lo,' saith he, ' this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God ; I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever,' Psa. Iii. 7, 8. While others trust in the riches of their own righteous- ness and services, and make not Christ their strength, do thou renounce all, and trust in the mercy of God in Christ, and thou shalt be like a green olive, when they fade and wither.
Secondly, Christian, you will not thrive in true comfort so long as you rest in any inherent work of grace, and do not stand clear of your own actings and righteousness. Gospel comfort springs from a gospel root, which is Christ. Phil. iii. 3: 'We are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.' Now, a soul that rests on any holiness in himself, he grafts his comfort upon himself, not Christ ; he sucks his own breast, not Christ's, and so makes Christ a dry nurse. And what comfort can grow on that dry tree 1 The Spirit is our comforter, as well as our teacher and counsellor. Now as the Spirit, when he teacheth, comes not with any new or strange truth, but takes of Christ's own, (what he finds in the word,) so, where he ctmiforts, he takes of Christ's own, his righteousness, not our own. Christ is the matter and ground of his comfort ; all cordials are but Christ distilled, and made u]) in several promises ; his acting, not ours. He doth not say, Soid, rejoice thou art holy ; but, Soid, triumph, Christ is right- eous, and is ' the Lord thy righteousness ;' not, Sold, thou prayest sweetly, fear not ; but. Thou hast an Advocate with the Father, Christ the righteous. So that the first stej) to the receiving of comfort from the Spirit, is to send away all comforters of our own. As in learning of the Spirit, he that will be taught by him must first become a fool ; that is, no way lean to his own understanding ; so he that would be comforted nnist first be emptied of all self-supports; must
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1 I o AGAINST SPIIUTUAL WICKEDNESS.