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be something in yourself, for which Christ should bestow his love upon you? Christ marries you, not because you are good, but that he may make you good, and that you may know him, &c. Hosea ii. 19, 20.

But you do not see his work of grace in you, that he has made you good, therefore you doubt.

I answer, Though it may be in you, yet Christ hides it from you, because you would not renounce your own righteousness, and believe his mercy, power, and faithfulness. Bring your heart to this, and you have reason for it, for the Father gives him, and he gives himself to you in the word and sacraments; then you will love him, and obey him abundantly. Is not she a proud and foolish woman, who may have a king's son, upon condition that she strip herself of all her own goods, and let him endow her at his pleasure, yet will be whining and discontented with herself, because she has nothing of her own to bring to him, for which he should love her?

But you will still say, Christ has not endowed you with so much grace, as to be able to do as you would.

Content yourselves; if you could but see that he has married you to himself, you then would use the means which he has appointed, whereby he gives his graces; you would be thankful for what you have, you would pray and wait his pleasure for more, relying on his wisdom for how much, and when. If you do not thus, then you show your pride in preferring your own wisdom before his.

Let it be supposed that you are not proud, nor standing upon terms of having any goodness in you, for which Christ should love you; but you would with all your hearts be all that you are in him, and would be beholden to him for taking you, poor and base, as you are. Is there no other pride, think you, but when you judge well of yourselves, or would be thought well of for your goodness? Yes, there is another kind of pride, still as dangerous in this case of causeless doubting; and that is, to be well conceited of, and wedded unto your own knowledge, and to your own opinion in