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gospel, as if part did remain to thee to do and suffer, and Christ were but an half mediator; and thou must bear part of thine own sin, and make part satisfaction. Let sin break thy heart, but not thy hope in the gospel.
Look more at justification than sanctification. In the highest commands consider Christ, not as an exactor, to inquire, but a debtor and undertaker, to work. If thou hast looked at workings, duties, qualifications, &c., more than at the merits of Christ, it will cost thee dear; no wonder thou goest complaining; graces may be evidences, the merits of Christ alone, without them, must be the foundation of thy hope to rest upon. Christ only can be the hope of glory, Col. i. 27.
When we come to God, we must bring nothing but Christ with us. Any ingredients, or any previous qualifications of our own, will poison and corrupt faith. He that builds upon duties, graces, &c., knows not the merits of Christ; this makes believing so hard, so far from nature. If thou believest, thou must every day renounce as dung and dross, (Phil. iii. 7, 9,) thy privileges, thy qualifications, thy baptism, thy sanctification, thy duties, thy graces, thy tears, thy meltings, thy humblings, and nothing but Christ must be held up. Every day thy workings, thy self-sufficiency must be destroyed. Thou must take all out of God’s hand. Christ is the gift of God, John, iv. 10. Faith is the gift of God, Eph. ii. 1. Pardon a free gift, Rom. v. 16. Ah, how nature storms, frots, rages at this, that all is of gift, and it can purchase nothing with its actings, and tears, and duties; that all workings are excluded, and of no value in heaven!
If nature had been to contrive the way of salvation, it would rather have put it into the hands
