But what comes from us ?
That that aggravates to the utmost a sinful state.
' All our righteousness is as filthy rags.'
He doth not say we have filthy actions, but our best actions are stained ; and not one, but all. Mark how strong the place is, ' we all,' the people of God. He includes all, as Daniel saith, ' I confess my sins, and the sins of my people.' And there is no man in the church but he might have this confession in his mouth, ' we,' the people of God, and ' all we ;' in all our actions, ' all our righteousness,' &c. So all the actions of all the right- eous, the best actions of the best men, and all the best actions of the best men are defiled and stained. It is as great an aggravation as may be.
Some would have it to intend the legal righteousness, yet notwithstanding it is true of all. And when we now humble ourselves, it is good to think of all. So we may say, ' All our righteousness.' Whatsoever comes from us it is stained and defiled. As for their legal performances, there is no question of them ; for, alas ! they trusted too much to them. In Isaiah i. and Isaiah last, they thought God was beholding to them for them : ' Away with them, away with your new moons,' &c. They were abominable to God
192 THE church's complaint and confidence.
as ' the cutting off a clog's neck,' as it is Isaiah the last, Isa Ixvi. 3. So all their righteousness, their ceremonial performances, were abominable.
But I say we may raise it higher. It is not only true of them, but in greater matters, iu our best moral performances, they are all as tainted rags.
Ohj. How can this be ? It is strange it should be so. The papists cry out here that we discourage men from good works. If all our righteousness be as filthy rags, why should we perform good works ?
Ans. Put case a man be sick, all the meat he eats it strengthens his sickness, shall he therefore not eat at all ? Yes. He must eat somewhat. There is nature in him to strengthen as well as his disease. Thy best per- formances are stained ; wilt thou do none therefore ? Yes. Though they be stained, yet there is some goodness in them. Thou mayest honour God, and do good to others. Besides the ill there is good. There is gold in the ore. There is some good in every good action. Nay, there is so much good as that God pardons the ill, and accepts the good. So though our good actions be ill, yet for their kind, and matter, and stuff, they are good, they are commanded of God. For their original and spring they are wrought by the Spirit of God ; for the person, the workman, it is one in the state of grace ; and for acceptance God rewards them. But it is another thing when we come before God to humble ourselves. Then we must see what stains and sins are in them. There is no good action so good, but there are wants and weaknesses, and stains and blemishes in it as it comes from us. The Spirit of God indeed is effectual to stir us up to good actions ; but we hinder the work of the Holy Ghost, and do not do them so thoroughly as we should. Therefoi-e, besides our wants and weaknesses, there is a tainture of them. Either we have false aims, they are not so direct, or our resolutions are not so strong. False aims creep in for a while, though we do not allow them ; and then there are some coolers of our devotion. Our love is cold, our hatred of sin is not so strong, our prayers are not so fervent, our actions are not so carried without interruption, but are hindered with many by-thoughts. Who cannot complain of these things ? Who is not brought upon his knees for the weakness of his best actions ? Nay, I say more, a Christian is more humbled for the imperfections and stains of his best actions, than a civil* carnal person is for his outward enormities ; for he turns over all his outward delinquencies, and makes the matter but a trick of youth ; when a poor Christian is abased for his dulness, and dead- ness, and coldness, for false aims that creep into his actions, for interruptions in his duties, that his thoughts will not suffer him to serve God with that intentionf that he would, but puts him off with motions and suggestions and temptations in his best performances ; this abaseth him more than outward gross sins doth a carnal person. When we deal with God, ' our righteousness it is as menstruous cloths,' Isa. sxx. 22.
Know this for a ground, that there is a double principle in a Christian in all things that he doth. There is flesh and spirit ; and these two issue out in whatsoever comes from him. In his good words, there is flesh as well as spirit ; in his thoughts and desires ; in his prayer, his prayer itself stands in contraries. So everything that comes from him it is tainted with that that is contrary. The flesh opposeth and hinders the work of the Spirit, and so it stains our good works. Therefore contraries are true of a Christian, which seem strange to another man. A Christian at the same time is deformed and well-favoured. ' He is black and comely.' ' I am