8. Again, unconverted persons especially are prone to another idolatry, to set up their own trits and icills instead of God's. So as there is not a greater enemy to religion than our own conceits and wills, which will have a model of religion of our own brain, which must stand, let what will come of it. This is the fault especially of great learned persons, who take upon them conceits and apprehensions of things, and then doat upon these brats of their own brain. And so for will, to have our own will in all things ; as the speech is, ' My mind to me a kingdom is.' I will have my will, what- soever come of it. This is idolatry ; for whosoever will come to heaven must deny his will. The first lesson in Christ's school is self-denial. Mat. xix. 21, 24 : denial of wit and will, to have no more wit and wisdom, especially in divine things, than God will teach us ; and no more will, which is distinct and opposite to Christ's will, but to bring our wills to his in all things. When men will go about great affairs, and set upon things in their own wit and strength, never praying nor depending upon God for a bless- ing, this is a kind of idolising of parts to work out things by policy, strength, wits, and parts. As that heathen atheist could say, ' Let cowards pray, if they will ;' but his success was answerable. So is it not the common atheism of the world ? They go about things in confidence of their wit and parts, and so hope to attain a glorious issue ; whereas God, who over- throws Babels, takes delight to confound all their devices. It is his daily practice ' to send the rich empty away, and exalt the humble and meek,' Luke i. 52. Those who set upon things rashly without prayer, as though they were lords of all, and without dependence upon God, promising them- selves good success, they make idols of themselves. As a proud man is an idol, ' he worships himself,' whilst he leans to his own wit, plots, and parts. Carnal men thus idolise themselves.
9. Again, you have some who are none of the worst who commit this great sin of idolatry, bi/ trusting to the outward performances and tasks of religion, thinking that God must needs be bound unto them, when they have done so many tasks, read, and prayed, or heard so many sermons, or done a good deed. But here heth the spiritual subtlety, in that they set up these things too high, when, if they find not that success they look for, then they inwardly murmur against God ; when rather all these things should be done with a spirit of humility and subjection, using them only as means whereupon we expect God's blessing, craving his assistance and strength to do them in a holy and a self-denying manner. When we do otherwise, and trust to the outward tasks and performances we do, we make them idols. And you have many that go along with outward performances who never come to a dram of grace, because they trust to the out- ward performances, and look not to the life and soul of them, which is the Spirit of God assisting, quickening, strengthening, blessing them. The life of a Christian is a pei*petual dependence upon God in the use of means, and not an idolising of them, to be careless when he hath done his task.
HOSEA XIV. 8.] THE EETURNING BACESUDER. 885
10. But a more subtle idolatry than this is of another kind, when ue iriist too much to the work of y race, and rely not upon (rod in Christ, in the matter of justification and acceptation to life everlasting, which is a fault, both,
1. Before conversion.
2. After conversion.
FLi'st, before conversion. When we think we have not done so much good, and been sufficiently humbled, and therefore that God will not be merciful to us, as if Christ must take us vdth dov.'ry of good deeds, or else he cannot ; whereas all grace is promised upon our entry and coming into the covenant of grace, upon our believing, when we come ■ndth empty hearts and hands. ' The poor,' saith Christ, ' receive the gospel ; and those that are lost, Christ is sent to save them, and to call in the weary and heavy laden,' Mat. xi. 5, ix. 13, xi. 28.
2. And after conversion. Those that are in the state of grace oftentimes want that comfort in the main point of justification and acceptation to Kfe everlasting, which they should have, because they look into their imperfec- tions, seeing this and that want, and so are swallowed up of discomfort ; whereas, if we had all the graces in the world, yet we must Hve by faith, relying upon the merits of Chi-ist. For our good works bring us not to heaven, as a cause, but only are helps and comforts to us in our walking to heaven. For if we had all the sins of all men, yet Christ's all-sufficient righteousness is sufficient for to do them all away, if we can go out of our- selves, and cleave to that. Therefore, in trouble of conscience we must not look either to our good or our ill, but to God's infinite mercy, and to the infinite satisfaction of our blessed Saviomr the Lord Jesus Christ ; there, as it were, losing ourselves, seeing our sins as mountains drowned in the in- finite sea of his mercy. The blood of Christ ! That will pacify and stay the conscience. Nothing else can give rest to our souls. If we look to our works and to the measure of our sanctification, what saith holy Paul in the like case ? ' Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have sufl'ered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may wm Christ,' Phil. iii. 8, even his righteousness and best works. Therefore there is no regard to be had of them in that case. Wherefore when we would speak comfort to a distressed conscience, we must not look to his ill or good, but to the command, ' This is his command, that we believe,' 1 John iii. 23. And look to the all-sufficiency of God in Christ, and the promises, wherebj^ we honour God in giving him the glory of his truth, and depart with comfort. Therefore, though we hate gross idolatry, yet we see there are many ways wherein the soul may be seduced, whereby we may come very near that sin which our soul hateth, by trusting too much to something out of God.