crooked ways (Ps. cxxv. 5)—not good, but perverse. It saith they are naturally out of the good waymtliat they have not known it. (Prov. ii. 15. Rom. iii. 17.) Now, when a man thus thinketh of his ways—I say, when he doth sensibly, and with heart-humiliation, thus think—then hath he good thoughts of his own ways, because his thoughts now agree with the judgment of the word of God.
Ignor. What are good thoughts concerning God?
Chr. Even (as I have said concerning ourselves) when our thoughts of God do agree with what the word saith of him; and that is, when we think of his being and attributes as the word hath taught—of which I cannot now discourse at large. But to speak of him with reference to us: then have we right thoughts of God, when we think that he knows us better than we know ourselves, and can see sin in us when and where we can see none in ourselves; when we think he snows our inmost thoughts, and that our heart, with all its depths, is always open unto his eyes; also, when we think that all our righteousness stinks in his nostrils, and that therefore he cannot abide to see us stand before him in any confidence, even in all our best performances.
Ignor. Do you think that I am such a fool as to think that God can see no further than I or that I would come to God in the best of my performances?
Chr. Why, how dost thou think in this matter?
Ignor. Why, to be short, I think I must believe in Christ for justification.
Chr.' How! think thou must believe in Christ, when thou seest not thy need of him! Thou neither seest thy original nor actual infirmities; but hast such an opinion of thyself, and of what thou doest, as plainly renders thee to be one that did never see the necessity of Christ's personal righteousness to justify thee before God. How, then, dost thou say, I believe in Christ?
Ignor. I believe well enough for all, that.
