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Men talk bravely of believing while whole and ſound, but few know it. Chriſt is the myſtery of the goſpel. Grace is the myſtery of Chriſt. Believing is the moſt wonderful thing in the world. Put any thing of thine own to it, and thou ſpoileſt it; Chriſt will not ſo much as look at it for believing. When thou comeſt to Chriſt, thou muſt leave behind thee thy own righteouſneſs, and bring nothing but thy ſin, (O that is hard!) leave behind all thy holineſs, and bring nothing but thy wants and miſeries, elſe Chriſt is not fit for thee, nor thou for Chriſt. Chriſt will be a pure Redeemer, and thou muſt be an undone ſinner, or Chriſt and thou will never agree. It is the hardeſt thing in the world to take Chriſt alone for righteouſneſs; that is to acknowledge him Chriſt. Join any thing to him of thy own, and thou un-Chriſt him.
Whatever comes in when thou goeſt to God for acceptance, (beſides Chriſt) call it Antichriſt, bid it begone, make only Chriſt's righteouſneſs triumphant; all beſides that is Babylon, which muſt fall if Chriſt ſtand, and thou ſhalt rejoice in the day of the fall thereof. Chriſt alone did tread the wine-preſs, and there was none with him. Join any thing to Chriſt, he will trample upon it in fury and anger, and ſtain his raiment with the blood thereof. Thou thinkeſt it eaſy to belive: was ever thy faith tried with a thorough ſight of ſin? Was it ever put to the grapple with Satan, and wrath of God lying upon the conſcience? When thou waſt in the mouth of hell, then did God ſhew thee Chriſt a ⟨ranſom⟩? If then thou couldſt ſay, Oh I ſee grace enough in Chriſt! thou mayeſt ſay that which is the biggeſt word, thou believeſt; but ⟨untried⟩ faith is uncertain faith.
To believing, there muſt go a clear conviction of ſin, and the merits of the blood of Chriſt, and of Chriſt's willingneſs to ſave upon this conſideration merely, that thou art a ſinner: things all harder than
