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and strong, sometimes under a temptation, weak and feeble; sometimes can pray, &c., and enjoy comfort, sometimes not. Now, none must conclude he is no Christian, because he is not in every thing like others, nor at all times like himself.

2. Trust not your own judgment or sense, in your own case: whosoever would understand, and be wise according to the Scripture, must deny himself, and not lean to his own sense or wisdom, Prov. iii. 5; but must be a fool that he may be wise, 1 Cor. iii. 18; you must bring your judgment to be ordered and framed by the Scriptures. You must not presume to put a sense of your own into the Scripture; but always take the sense and meaning out of it. It is presumption of a man's own opinion, and obstinacy in his own conceits, which spoils all in this case. And whence is this, but from his folly and pride? O, if you who are troubled in conscience could be every way nothing in yourselves; if you could be humbled, and not nourish this in you, you should soon know your state and comfort.

I know many of you will wonder that I should charge you with pride; you judging yourselves to be so base and vile as you do. Well, for all that, I will now prove to your faces, that it is humility you want; and that if you were not proud, you would judge of things otherwise than you do.

For you cannot believe in Christ, you say, because you cannot obey him, and be dutiful to him; if you could obey, then you could believe that he is yours, and you his; whereas, you must first believe in Christ, and take him for your Saviour and Lord, and believe he is yours, before you can obey him. Can a woman, or should a woman obey a man, and carry herself towards him as to her husband, before she believes that he is her husband? If you could obey as you should; O, then you think Christ would love you. It were well if you could love Christ, and obey him, as it is your duty. But to think he will not save you, because you have no goodness or worth in you to cause him to love you; is not this because you would