Sermon 37

Isaiah 53:10. When you shall make his soul an offering for sin, He shall see his seed, He shall prolong his days, And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

Whatever the men of the world think of it, it is not an easy matter to get the justice of God satisfied for sin, and to get the wrath and curse that men, by sin have drawn on themselves removed. Offerings of bullocks, and goats, thousands of rams, and ten thousand rivers of oil, will not do it; the redemption of the soul is so precious, that it ceases forever that way, and by all such means. Therefore the Lord in His wisdom has found out the means, and in His grace and love has condescended, that His own dear Son, His fellow, shall as a lamb without spot, be a sin-offering, to take away the sins of His elect world; and this is the great consideration under which we should take up the death of Christ, as making Himself therein an offering for sin; and interposing Himself to satisfy divine justice, that forgiveness might be made forthcoming to us.

The doctrine which we proposed to be spoken to, the last day was this: That Jesus Christ is the only sin-offering, by which sin can be taken away, and God so satisfied, as to forbear the punishment of the sinner, and to admit him to peace, and friendship with Him. If we would enumerate all things imaginable, and invent ways and means without number to remove sin, or to make a sinner's peace with God; there is no other means but this, that will do it. As we have it in Hebrews 10, Christ Jesus by his once offering up of himself, perfects forever these who are sanctified; and in Acts 4, there is no other name given under heaven, whereby sinners can be saved, but the name of Jesus.

The use is, to commend, and to demonstrate to us all, the necessity of the use-making of this one offering of Christ; if He be the one offering to take away sin, and if no other will be accepted; then there is a necessity, that He, in His offering of Himself be made use of. If all be under sin, and if by the law, sin and death, be knit inseparably together (as it is said, the wages of sin is death) and if freedom from sin and wrath, and peace with God, be necessary; then there is a necessity, that sinners be serious in this matter, to get a title to, and interest in this one offering, and sacrifice of Christ.

In the prosecuting of the use, we shall speak a little to these four things. 1. To some grounds or reasons, to show the necessity of sinners' use-making of Christ's sacrifice, or offering. 2. To this, what it is to make use of this offering. 3. We shall give a word of caution, as to some mistakes that are about it. 4. We shall give some differencing characters, or evidences, of a person that is making right use of this offering, for obtaining of pardon, and for making of this peace with God.

For the first, that is, the reasons to prove the necessity of it, the first of them is that which we hinted at just now: if men were not lying under sin, and liable to wrath, and if there were any other sin-offering, or any other way or means to escape the curse and wrath of God due for sin, there were no such necessity. But seeing that all men are under sin and under the curse of God and His wrath, because of it, and seeing there is no other thing that can take away sin, then there is an absolute necessity seriously to make use of, and to have an interest in, this sin-offering. 2. Consider that the great part of men in the world, and even of them that hear this gospel, do not indeed make use of this offering, though they be somewhat under the conviction that they are sinners, and that this is the only sin-offering to take away sin. And we suppose, if you were all put to it, you could not deny that you are sinners, and that nothing can take away sin but Christ's offering up of Himself as a sacrifice to satisfy justice. Though some be that grossly ignorant that they will speak of some other thing, yet generally those that own and maintain the truth of the gospel are under a conviction that no other thing can take away sin. And yet even among these there are many that never make use of Christ, and of His sacrifice to take away their sins, to remove wrath, and make their peace with God. There were many Jews, who by the daily sacrifices, which typified this one offering of Christ, were taught that there was no other way to come by pardon and peace with God, but by use making of it; and yet the most part of them, in going about these sacrifices, were slighters of this one sacrifice. Therefore the Apostle says of them (Romans 10:3) that being ignorant of God's righteousness, they went about to establish their own righteousness and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God. It is as certain that many that hear this gospel and profess Christ to be the only sin-offering will be disowned by Him on this account. Therefore many are brought in saying (Luke 13), "Did we not hear you preach in our streets, have we not eaten and drunk in your presence?" — to whom He will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity." Because (as if He had said) whatever you professed, you never made peace with God through and by me. And what is the reason, I pray, that so many perish under the gospel who in word acknowledge this one offering, and that it is the only thing which takes away sin, but because notwithstanding that conviction and acknowledgement, they are never brought actually to make use of Christ, and of this His sacrifice and offering? And if you think and acknowledge that there are many that go to hell who have the knowledge and conviction of this truth, you must also grant that it is because they make not conscience to make use of it. 3. Consider that though there be many of the hearers of the gospel who do not rest on Christ, yet it is very hard to convince any of them that they are ready to slight Christ's sacrifice. I am sure that both the former will be granted: first, that nothing but Christ's sacrifice can satisfy justice; second, that many do not rest on it, and so perish. But if we come to the third, scarcely shall we find one that will grant (except it be a tender soul) that they make not use of Him. They will easily be convinced that adultery is a sin and that they are guilty of it if they be so indeed, that drunkenness and sabbath-breaking are sins — yes, possibly (which is more) that wandering of the mind in duties of worship is a sin, and that they are guilty of it. But it is not so easy to convince them that they are guilty of the sin of not making use of Christ and of His sacrifice. No, they are so puffed up with a good opinion of themselves that they will laugh at such a challenge. And hence it is that so few make use of Christ's sacrifice and of His righteousness, because so few are convinced that they believe not on Him. Therefore, when the Spirit comes (John 16), it is said that He shall convince the world of sin — not because they did [reconstructed: whore, drink, swear, etc.]; convictions for these sins will not be wanting — but because they believe not in Christ. And hence it is (Luke 13:25) that these will not take Christ's first answer, "I know you not." "What," (as if they said) "do you not know us? we have eaten and drunk in your presence, we have professed faith in you and our hope to get heaven by your righteousness." And yet He shall answer them again peremptorily, "Depart from me, I know you not." Not that there will be much to do, or any great difficulty to convince people in that day, or any room left to debate the business; but He would tell us by this that many die in this delusion. And if it be a thing that people are so hardly convinced of, had they not need to be seriously solicitous that they be not deceived and disappointed? 4. Consider how sad the disappointment will be to sinners one day, when they shall be brought to acknowledge that they knew that there was no other name given whereby sinners could be saved, but the name of Jesus, and yet that they slighted and rejected Him. You that never seriously minded reckoning with God, do you think on this — that the passing of the sentence will be upon this ground: to wit, whether you have fled to Jesus Christ and made use of His sacrifice, or not? Will it not be a sad disappointment to meet with a doleful "Depart from me" on this ground, because though there was some conviction that this was the only sacrifice and sin-offering that takes away sin, it was yet not made use of, nor made the ground of your peace with God?

But to the second point: What is it then to make use of this offering? I know no better way than to explain it from the typical sacrifices that were under the law, and we may take it up in these three points. 1. It implies a thorough conviction of people's liability to the justice of God for sin, and an utter inability in ourselves, and an utter emptiness and impotence in all other means to satisfy for sin; thus they that brought the sacrifice to the priest laid their hands on the head of the beast, by which they acknowledged that death was due to them. So then, to have the lively sense of the due desert of sin — that is, to have the sentence of death carried about in our bosom, to have the thorough conviction of the emptiness of all other means of relief — is requisite to the right use-making of Christ's offering. 2. It implies this: that there be a look had to the institution and ordinance of God, appointing this sacrifice to be the means of the redemption of sinners; therefore in these sacrifices that were offered for sin, there was a respect had to God's covenant, wherein were not only promises relating to external cleansing and to admission to church privileges, but promises also relating to inward cleansing and to the pardon of sin, which was the great end of these sacrifices; and the looking to the institution of this sacrifice is the ground that leads us in to take up the end of Christ's sufferings, and is a warrant for our faith in the use-making thereof, being the only sacrifice that expiates sin and holds off wrath. And if these two things be not carried along in the use-making of this sacrifice — to wit, the conviction of sin and of the liability to wrath, and God's institution and appointment of this sacrifice to take away sin and to avert wrath — our use-making of it is but will-worship. 3. It implies this: that when the sinner is walking under the sense of his sin and of the emptiness and ineffectualness of all other things to remove sin and wrath (as David has it, Psalm 51:16, "You desire not sacrifice, you delight not in burnt offerings"), there must be a looking to the worth of Christ and of his sacrifice, that is appointed to take away sin and hold off wrath, and the soul's actual applying of itself to his offering, and the applying of his offering to itself. As we may see in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and sixteenth chapters of Leviticus, where there are several sacrifices appointed to be offered for several sins, and particularly that of the scapegoat, on the head whereof the priest for the people was to lay his hands — in which was implied not only their acknowledgment of sin and of their deserving of death and of God's appointment of that to be a typical offering for the typical taking away of sin, but these two things [reconstructed: further] were implied. 1. That they did take the burden of their sins, which neither they themselves nor any other could bear, [reconstructed: and] laid it on Christ; when justice did press them for their debt (to speak so) they drew a bill on Christ, as their guarantor, to answer it; and as they did put the debt in his hand to be paid by him, so they trusted and relied the weight of their souls to him and to no other. So that when God was pursuing them for their debt, saying as it were, "I will have payment of you, or else you must die," they brought the sacrifice to the priest to please God typically, with an eye to Christ typified thereby. Even so, for sinners to make use of Christ's sufferings is, in the thorough conviction of sin and of deserved wrath, to flee to Jesus Christ and to put him in their room, being content and desirous that he be their guarantor and undertake for them and satisfy for their debt — yes, putting him actually to it to pay their debt — so that they have no other answer to any challenge for sin but this: the guarantor that I have betaken myself to and put in my room will pay this debt and answer for it. The second act of faith is this: when they have betaken themselves to him and to his sacrifice, they acquiesce in and rest upon it alone for obtaining the sentence of absolution, which was also implied in the people's laying their hands, by the priest, on the head of the sacrifice. For as it implied their acknowledging that they could not please nor satisfy God of themselves, nor by any other way or means, so it implied that according to God's covenant they expected his absolving of them because of that sacrifice, and that, though they were desperate by themselves to satisfy, yet they had faith in God's covenant that the sacrifice they offered would typically satisfy him. Even so the believer draws the conclusion from Christ's sacrifice, according to the terms of the covenant, that he has absolution, and rests on and acquiesces in it. And this is called trusting or confiding in Christ, when not only he casts himself on him but has confidence that the bill which he has drawn on him will be answered by him, which is founded on the covenant, in which it is said of all that come to me, "I will put none away," as it is, John 6:37: "Him that comes to me I will in no ways cast out." And Zechariah 13: "There is a fountain opened in the house of David for sin and for uncleanness," on which ground believers expect the benefit of washing on their performing of the condition of the covenant. And when David, Psalm 51:7, prays, "Purge me, wash me," it holds out the act of faith drawing the bill on Christ; and when he says, "I shall be clean and white as snow," it holds out his confident resting on and acquiescing in Christ for cleansing. And this is the reason why some express [reconstructed: faith] by cleaving to Christ, others by confident resting on him or by assurance, and there may be a truth in both, because the one looks on faith according to the first act of cleaving to him, and the other takes up faith according to the other act of assured resting on him, or confiding in him and on or in his sacrifice offered up once for all. In a word, to make use of this once-offering for sin is so to make use of him as to put him in our room and ourselves some way in his room — [reconstructed: not] to dare to reckon and reckon with justice, no, not to dare as it were to reckon with Christ, but leaving Christ in the thick of it (to speak so) and running away from reckoning with justice, to hide ourselves under him who can count to the utmost farthing. Even as when God commanded Abraham to offer up his son Isaac, and when he was lifting his hand to slay him, there came a voice from heaven, "Abraham, hold your hand," and a ram is provided, [reconstructed: and] Isaac is loosed and taken down from off the altar, and the ram is put in his stead and place. So there is here a changing of rooms with Christ, according to that sweetest word, 2 Corinthians 5:21: "He was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that we who had no righteousness might be made the righteousness of God in him."

3. If it be so very difficult, and yet so absolutely necessary to make use of Christ; and especially in His offering up of Himself, for the sin of His people; there is ground here for warning, and advertisement, to walk tenderly in this matter, that this sacrifice be not slighted, that this one offering be not neglected, as we would not have sin lying at our door. And here we shall point at three sorts of persons, who may be counted slighters and neglecters of this offering. The first sort are these, who think to make their peace with God, without minding the necessity of the intervening of any thing between Him and them; and these go on several grounds, or are of several sorts. 1. Some are utterly careless how their peace be made, or whether it be made or not, they hope for it, and think to come at it, but cannot give an account whether they will come at it or not; and they are careless to know the way. 2. Others go upon their presumption; they think God loves them, because they love themselves; and though they know they have sin, yet they think God will not be so ill as to reckon with them; they think they are sure that God loves them, but they cannot give a ground for it. 3. Others think, God is merciful, and therefore they conclude, that they will be pardoned; they cannot conceive God to be like man in His mercy; but to be far beyond him (as indeed He is infinitely, in some respect) and therefore, because, when man is merciful, he sometime seeks no satisfaction; so neither will God think they; not considering, that though God be merciful, that yet He will not show mercy to the prejudice of His justice; but will needs have it satisfied. Such think on the matter at least, that they would have gotten mercy, though Christ had never died; it is true, if God had not been merciful, never a sinner had gotten mercy; yet that is not the ground of His showing mercy. Otherwise all the world might expect mercy; for He is, and ever was gracious and merciful in Himself; and therefore there must be some other ground and way for obtaining of pardon; else it cannot be expected, because of the alone simple, and abstract consideration of His mercy; and yet many will needs expect it on this ground, without respect to the Mediator's purchase. A second sort, are they that take a legal way for making of their peace with God; not, as if they thought to appear before God without sin, and holy, as the covenant of works requires; but if they sin, they will make amends; and it's either something negative, that they have not done, or something positive, that they have done; or some internal qualification, that they rest upon. 1. Something negative, they have not been so ill as other folks, and if they go to hell, they think few will go to heaven; they have done wrong to none; and if they were about to die, they think, and it may be say, that they will leave a good name behind them, on the account of their harmless walk; like that Pharisee they can say, Lord I thank you, I am not like other men, nor like this publican: they are no drunkards, no oppressors, they neither curse nor swear; and when they see any profane persons, they are puffed up, with a good opinion of themselves, because they are not as profane as they. Or 2. they will come a further length, and positively do many duties upon which they rest, and whereof they are ready to boast, with that same Pharisee who vaunted, I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all I possess; if any duty be performed, or any good be done by them; their fingers are ready (to say so) to stick to it. But 3. and especially, if there be any inward work, as if there be any liberty, or motion of the affections in prayer, if there be at hearing the word, some convictions sharper at one time than at another, if there be any sort of repentance, ruing, and sadness for sin, etc. these they think will do their turn. It is most certain, and might be cleared, both from the word of God, and from experience, that many hundreds of professors dash, and perish on this stumbling block (Isaiah 48:1-2), where the Lord is speaking of a people, that made mention of his name, and swore by him, but not in truth, nor in righteousness; of whom He says, that they call and count themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; and the ground of it is, their resting on external duties of fasting and prayer, and the like: expectations of happiness, grounded on some feckless performances, cut the throats of many civil and discreet men, that are not grossly profane. A third sort, do not altogether slight and neglect Christ Himself, but they slight and neglect His offering; as if they would in a manner make use of Himself, but not of His sacrifice, as (Matthew 19 and Mark 10), there is a man spoken of, that comes to Christ, would fain be at heaven; and asks, good master, what shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life; and yet he was going on the grounds of his own righteousness. This is exceeding subtle and deceitful; and therefore you would take the better notice of it; and how it is fallen into. A man may come to Christ, as God for pardon of sin; (and some think though most ignorantly, and erroneously, that Christ the Son is more compassionate, and ready to pardon than the Father) and may seek pardon from Him; but not for His sake, or on His account; for there is a difference between making Christ the object of our worship; and making use of Him as Mediator. There are many that have prayed to Christ as God, and sought pardon of sin from Him; who never prayed to obtain pardon, by virtue of His offering. Folks may also desire help from Christ, to enable them to do duties, that they may thereby work out the work of their own salvation; and be helped this way to make their peace with God; who do not ground the making of their peace with God on His offering alone. These things are exceeding frequent in people's practice; who will pray to Christ for such and such things, and yet not found their expectation of them upon His offering, or His righteousness. If we would make use of Christ's offering, singly and rightly we would eschew these, and all other wrong ways.

4. It may be asked then, what are the evidences that may give a person some clearness that he is making use of Christ's righteousness aright, and that it is not his own righteousness, nor the making use of Christ only as He is God, that sustains him. I answer, that this is indeed a mystery, and will require searching and watching to observe our own condition. And more things concur than one or two to make a full discovery of it. In speaking to this, as we desire to strengthen the presumption of none, so we shall labor to shun the weakening of the faith of any sound believer. There are then these six or seven differencing evidences, or characters of a person that is rightly making use of Christ's offering, which difference him from others. And first, one that truly makes use of Christ's offering has not only been brought to see his need of it, but his natural propensity and readiness to overlook it, and rest upon other things beside it for the making of his peace. Whereas another man, who does not rightly make use of it, though he may see his sin, and so his need of it, yet he sees not, neither will take with the tendency, propensity, and inclination of his heart to rest upon some other thing beside it. See this difference in Paul, before and after conversion (Philippians 3). Before he was converted, he studied, as he thought, all the righteousness of the law, and no doubt offered sacrifices which implied the acknowledgment of sin, and he thought that all was well with him. Therefore he says, touching the righteousness of the law, he was blameless. And verse 6, these things that were gain to me — or these things that I placed my righteousness in — I thought the more sacrifices that I offered, I had the more to buy my peace by. He sees that in his studying of holiness he was seeking to make a stock in himself. But after his conversion, he casts all these, as to leaning to them or making them any ground of his peace with God or of his justification before Him, and he betakes himself only to Christ's righteousness, and counts them to be but loss. I would think it a good evidence for folks, not only to see the looseness of [reconstructed: their] hearts in duty, and that to be a sin, but to see when anything went well with them, the inclination of their hearts ready to account that to be gain, and to rest upon it. There is such a humor and natural inclination in all, and it is a good token when it is discovered and becomes a binder and the ground of a challenge — not only that they have sinned in this and that and the other duty, but that they have gone whoring after their feckless performances, to the prejudice of their esteem of Christ and of His righteousness. Before the law came, (says Paul, Romans 7) I was alive; I thought I had a stock to do my own turn. But when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. There are many that will be convinced of sin in their performances that will not be convinced of this sinful inclination to put these in Christ's room. A second difference, or evidence, is this: one that aims to make use of Christ's offering and righteousness — not only their sins will be an exercise to them, how to win over them to Christ, but it will be their exercise also how to win over their graces and duties to Him. It will be an exercise to them, not only to have such a sin in their duty taken away, but how to win over the duty itself, that they stumble not on it to the prejudice of their trusting to Christ. Whereas another man, when his duties go well with him, it is easy to him to win over them, as he thinks, because he rests satisfied with them. Paul (Philippians 3) sees not only while he was in nature that he counted something [reconstructed: gain] beside Christ, but after conversion he finds an inclination to it. And therefore in opposition to this inclination, he does with a doubtless cry down all things, and counts them but dung and loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ — taking in his gracious actions as well as others. For the words in the text and context tell us that he is speaking of duties performed by him even after conversion, and that he found a necessity to cast away the good as well as the bad in the point of justification. As a man that is in a storm at sea has a greater reluctance to cast overboard silks, satins, velvets, and other such fine things than that which is more base and of less worth, so he found it more difficult and was put to some harder exercise to be quit of his duties — that they should not stick to him — than to be rid of his sins. Is there any such exercise as this among folks? To be put to wrestling with their duties, not as being angry at them as such, but how to get them as it were cast overboard, to be jealous of any good in them or done by them, that it prejudge not their esteem of Christ. To be busy in well doing all the day, and in the evening to count all their doing but loss, and to renounce it utterly, as to any puffing up by it, or as to the making of their peace with God thereby. A third evidence is this: one that is single in making use of Christ's sacrifice will be exercised and disquieted when his duty is done, till there be for acceptance a staying and resting on Christ's righteousness. There are two sorts that utterly fail and fall short here. First, some that are content with sin and make lies their refuge. Second, others that are satisfied with duty if it go well with them, and promise themselves acceptance on that alone account, neglecting Christ. But the believer has (as I just now said) an exercise of faith, how to be quit of sin, and another new exercise of it, how to be freed from resting on duty, and how to be singly engaged to and to rest upon Christ. His mind is not quiet in all his duties till he come here, even to be found in Christ, not having his own [reconstructed: righteousness], but His. It is a good token when folks are not only exercised to have sin mortified and duties going with them, but also to have their peace with God grounded on Christ, and not on duty. Hence it is that a Christian will sometimes be taken up a whole day in duty, and yet have but little or no peace, because he would be over and through all duties to resting on Christ, which he wins not at to his satisfaction. Fourthly, one that is single in use making of Christ and of His offering has a fear of mistaking this offering of Christ, and that some other thing be put in His room, and He overlooked or neglected. There will not be only a fear lest he sin and come short in the suitable performance of such a duty, and lest he fall under wrath, but also fear and jealousy lest in his unbelief and selfishness he go wrong in the use making of Christ and of His sacrifice. As is implied in the word (Hebrews 4:1), where the Apostle, having spoken of many of the Israelites and their unbelief in the former chapter, says in the beginning of this: Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to come short of it — to wit, through unbelief. Be holily jealous (as if he had said) lest, as it is (Hebrews 3:12-13), there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. In a word, he will be suspecting the exercise of his faith as much as anything. A natural man will sometimes, it may be, suspect his duties, but hardly will he be brought to suspect his faith — otherwise he could not have the peace that he has, such as it is. This may also be confirmed from that poor man's prayer to Christ (Mark 9): Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. He dare not well trust his own faith. Fifthly, they that are single in their use making of Christ's offering not only see themselves sinners, but they carry along with them the discovery of the naughtiness of everything that is best in them. When they see that to which others rely on so much, so very unsuitable, and that they are far short of that which they should be at, they dare not own nor look on it to boast of it, but it is a burden to them to see so much sin in it. It is nothing to see sin in some outward actions and in that which is directly contrary to God's law, but it is much to see sin in our best things — as in our faith in God, in our love to Him, and in our ends in holy duties. A legal man will confess, it may be readily, that he sins in everything, but he covers all with this: that he has a good heart to God, or a good end. The believer, on the contrary, sees all his good so naughty that it is tasteless to him. He never gets anything to rest on, or that can bear his weight to confide in, till he come to Christ's sacrifice.

6. Such as are aiming rightly to make use of Christ's offering and sacrifice, esteem, and think exceeding much of it; therefore they venture heaven, and their eternal salvation on it. It's that which cheers and delights them most, that Christ has stepped in and engaged to do that for them, which neither themselves nor any other person or thing could do. The life (says the Apostle, Galatians 2) that I now live in the flesh, is by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. And (1 Timothy 1:15) this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, that Jesus Christ came to the world to save sinners, of whom I am the chief. And John heartily, (Revelation 1:7) to him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, etc. But they that endeavor not, neither aim rightly to make use of Christ's sacrifice, think little or nothing of it; they are not made glad, nor are their hearts lifted up with spiritual joy, because of it. The good and glad news of a slain Savior are not the chief ground of their consolation, as they are to the believer. This evidence is somewhat general, yet sure as well as the former. O! but it's matter of much wonder, to the believer, when he thinks how that when the stroke of justice was ready to come on him; Christ should have interposed between him and that fatal, and deadly blow. But others esteem not of it, and therefore cannot make use of it. 7. They that are rightly making use of Christ's sacrifice, find it to be a difficult thing, and that which will cost them wrestling to get it made use of aright: they breathe after it, and yet do not attain to that which they would be at in it. O! as David cries, (Psalm 51) purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean, wash me, and I shall be white as snow. They know not well what way to make use of it to their satisfaction, they would make so much use of it; or how to vent and exercise their faith on it; and when it comes to actual believing, and to the acting of their faith, they find it to be like a smooth and slippery stone, that they cannot easily hold their feet on. So Paul says, (Philippians 3) I count all things but dung, that I may win Christ and that I may be found in him. He cared not what he cast overboard, that he might attain to that land, even to Christ and his righteousness: like seamen in great hazard, who cast all overboard, to reach the shore. It's even so with the believer, he sees that there is such hazard to go wrong, and that it's so difficult to be right, even to make the heart submit to the way of faith, and to abide by it singly, that he is content to suffer the loss of all things, if he may be right here. But on the contrary, a man that rests on his own righteousness, be a difficulty what will to him, faith is no difficulty to him: he may have fear to come short of heaven sometimes; but he thinks that he is always exercising his faith. In a word, the believer ordinarily believes best, when he has the deepest, and most genuine impression of his sin, as for the legal man, he can believe well, as he thinks, when he has no challenge for sin; but when he is challenged for sin, his faith fails him. Now from all that has been said, you may see the necessity of making use of this sacrifice: and how warily, and cautiously it should be done; that you may steer a straight course between gross profanity, and presumption, either of which will ruin and destroy the soul. The Lord Jesus himself be your steersman, and pilot, that you by his skillful conduct may stem the port, and hold off these rocks, on which thousands of souls split, and make shipwreck.