7. Direct.

When thou hast done all this, and all that thou canst, say thou art an unprofitable Ser∣vant, and hast done no more; nay, not so much as was thy duty, Luke 17.10. And take heed of resting in, or trusting to any thing but Christ for Justification or Salvation; trust not to thy duties, for they will deceive thee; and prove like Egyp∣tian Reeds, not only break, but run into thy hand; they were never appointed for this end, to trust Page  42 to them; let the Papists brag never so much of their Works of Supererogation, or of their Me∣rits; let the Ignorant Person brag of his good meaning, his good heart, and his good serving God; let the Civil Man brag of his paying every Man his own, and upright dealing; and the al∣most Christian of his Repenting, Returning, and Reforming; alas! all this will deceive them, this is not the Blood of Christ, we must have some better shelter to keep off the storms of God's fiery Indignation: the Prophet tells us, all our Righte∣ousness is as filthy Rags, or a menstruous Cloath, Isa. 6.6. And will God, think you, delight in this? The Heart, which is the Fountain, is Corrupt, and never cleansed from Original Corruption; and can we think the streams thence issuing can be sweet? This bitter Root sends many branches of Actual sin, which mix themselves with our best duties, and make them abominable in the Eyes of God: These are the dead Flyes that spoyl all the Oyntment; we cannot do a duty, but we spoyl it in the doing: and if we could, unless we could do every duty thus to the end of our Lives, what Advantage should we have by that one? We must Live free from evil thoughts, vain words, and evil Actions, or we cannot stand approved by God; nay, if we could do so, and Live free from the least Transgression for the future, this will not dis∣charge us of our fore-past Debt; will the constant payment of Rent for the future, clear up the ar∣reares that are behind? 'Tis a vain thing to think to be saved by our own good works, or justified by our good duties: Alas! they are too much defiled with sin, and self to be satisfactory to God; and yet how ready are Men to lay hold upon any Page  43 thing that will give them the least hope, and trust to good hearts, and good duties, and good mean∣ings, when there is no such thing; and loath they are to come out of themselves, confess themselves to be such Bankrupts, as indeed they are; but the vanity of these hopes, I shall give you in the words of an able Divine, who speaks fully to my pur∣pose; who tells thee, that thou canst not bring in perfect Righteousness into the presence of God, and hast no Christ to trust unto; thou must desire and pray till Heaven and Earth shake; till thou hast worn thy Tongue to the stumps, endeavour as much as thou canst, and others commend thee for an exact Christian; mourn in some Wilderness till dooms day, dig thy Grave with thy nails, weep Buckets full of hourly Tears, till thou canst weep no more; Fast and Pray, till thy skin and bones cleave together; promise, and purpose with full resolution to be better; yea, reform thy Head, Heart, Life, and Tongue; leave some, nay, all sin; Live like an Angel, shine like a Sun, walk up and down the World like a distressed Pilgrim; so that all that see thee may commend, and admire thee; dye ten thou∣sand Deaths, lye at the Fire back of Hell as many millions of Years as there are Grass piles upon the Earth, Sands on the Sea shore, Stars in Heaven, or Motes in the Sun. I tell thee, not one spark of Gods wrath will be quenched by all these Duties, for they are not the Blood of Christ, &c. Shepherd, Sincere Convert.