(3.) After conversion the children of God are very subject to it, to lessen their esteem of Christ by overvaluing their own righteousness. As long as we live in the world we are apt to set up a righteousness of our own. When the apostle would give us a catalogue of sins, pride of life is last mentioned, because, when other sins are subdued, pride lemains, it grows upon the ruin of other sins. Now of all the pieces of pride, this is the most dangerous, to pride ourselves in our own right- eousness. The apostle Paul doth not only say, I count my righteous- ness, when a pluuisee, loijs ; but now that I am a christian, I yet
Book I.] a. treatise of self-dental. 209
* account all things loss.' It is storied of Mr Fox, that he was wont to say he was more afraid of his graces than of his sins, as being in danger to be puffed up, lest they should tempt him to a self-confidence. Our Saviour prescribes it as a general rule, whenever we have done any- thing for God, he would still have us cherish thoughts of our own nothingness : Luke xiii. 10, ' When you have done all, say you are un- profitable servants ; ' herein I have merited nothing. And that pos- sibly may be the reason, why the children of God, in the fairest view of their graces, do so solemnly disclaim their own righteousness ; as 1 Cor. iv. 4, the apostle Paul saitli, ' I know nothing by myself, yet am I not thereby justified.' Paul knew no unfaithfulness and no negligence in himself in the work of the ministry, yet am ' I not justified for this before God.' When 3'ou have done your utmost, still run to grace, and make grace your claim : Xeh. xiii. 22, ' I caused the Levites to sanctify themselves ; remember me, 0 my God, concerning this also, and spare me, according to the greatness of thy mercy.' It was an excellent work, 'yet spare me,' saith he, ' according to the greatness of thy mercy.'
[2.] I shall show how dangerous it is to lean upon our own right- eousness.
(1.) We shall not prize Jesus Ciirist ; Christ is outed of the heart by the confidence that men have in their works. Because Paul dis- esteemed works and counted ' all tilings dung,' the more excellent did Jesus Christ seem to him — ' All is dung for the excellency of the knowledge of my Lord.' So, on the contrary, when men esteem works, they are sure to disesteem Christ. Now it is tho highest profaneness in the world not to esteem Christ. It is not only profaneness to be drunk, commit adultery, or steal, but not to prize the Lord Jesus Christ. And when the apostle speaks of not prizing Christ, 1 Cor. xvi. 22, saith he, ' Let him be accursed till the Lord come ; ' and Heb. xii. 15, ' Let there be no profane person, as was Esau, who despised the birthright' The birthright, it was a pledge of the grace we have by Christ, and therein lay E;^au"s profaneness, he did despise his spiritual privileges ; therefore nothing is mere dangerous than the con- ceit of our own righteousness.
(2.) It will certainly be a great loss to you -, it will deprive you of many precious experiences. God is very tender of the trust of the creature ; when men stand upon their own bottom, they turn the back upon their own mercies, they will soon grow dead and careless, and re- ligion will not be carried on in such a sweet and sensible way, because grace is obstructed, for that you depend upon yourselves. But now by disclaiming works you will lose nothing, but you will gain Christ, and in him find comfort and grace. When once we are interested in the righteousness of Christ, then we shall have the proof and virtue of the Spirit of Christ for the mortifying of sin and quickening the soul to holiness : see Phil. iii. 10, ' That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.'
(3 ) Dependence upon our own righteousness, it will draw the heart to demure hypocrisy, by making men contented with an imperfect re- semblance and dead picture of righteousness. There are none that- trust more in works than those that are most defective in them. \i
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210 A TUIOATISE OF SELF-DENIAL. [BuOK I.
we come to perform duties indeed, we cannot but be sensible of the weakness of them, and so we shall fly to mercy. None are so truly godly as those that cast their whole dependence upon grace ; none per- form duties with more care, and overlook them with more self-denial ; none have greater care of duty, and lower thoughts of it when it is performed. Who more strict and laborious than Paul? j'et all is nothing but dung and dog's meat. In the scheme of judgment, and at the last day, Mat. xxv. 37, when Christ saith to the sheep, ' Stand on my right hand, you have fed me,' &c., they say, ' Lord, when saw we thee an hungry, and fed thee ? ' &o. They wondered that God sliould take notice of such worthless services. The goats were apt to plead for themselves, but the sheep admire at God's thoughts of their charity. Carnal men, when they are pressed to strict duties, they choke con- science with maxims of grace ; but when they look for blessing, then they build upon works. Now the godly are quite contrary, they work as if there were no grace; and yet they expect all from grace, as if there were no works.