“Can such a one as I am live in glory?  Can a holy, a just, and a righteous God think, with honor to his name, of saving such a vile creature as I am?  Saved I would be; and who is there that would not, were he in my condition?  Indeed I wonder at the madness and folly of others, when I see them leap and skip so carelessly about the mouth of hell.  Bold sinner, how darest thou tempt God by laughing at the breach of his holy law?  But, alas, they are not so bad one way, but I am worse another; I wish myself were any body but myself.  And yet, here again I know not what to wish.  When I see such as I believe are coming to Jesus Christ, Oh I bless them.  But I am confounded in myself, to see how unlike I am to a very good many in the world.  They can hear, read, pray, remember, repent, he humble, and do every thing better than so vile a wretch as I.”

Thus the sense of unworthiness creates and heightens fears in the hearts of them that are coming to Jesus Christ.  But indeed it should not, for who needs the physician but the sick?  Or whom did Christ come into the world to save, but the chief of sinners?  Wherefore, the more thou seest thy sins, the faster fly thou to Jesus Christ.  As it is with the man that carrieth his broken arm in a sling to the bonesetter, still, as he thinks of his broken arm, and as he feels the pain and anguish, he hastens his pace to the man.  And if Satan meets thee, and asketh, “Whither goest thou?” tell him thou art maimed, and art going to the Lord Jesus.  If he objects thine own unworthiness, tell him, that even as the sick seeketh the physician; as he that hath broken bones seeks him that can set them; so thou art going to Jesus Christ for healing for thy sin-sick soul.

But it ofttimes happeneth to him that flies for his life, he despairs of escaping, and therefore delivers himself up into the hand of the pursuer.  But up, up, sinner; be of good cheer; Christ came to save the unworthy one.  Be not faithless, but believing.  Come away, man.  The Lord Jesus calls thee, saying, “.And him that cometh to me, I will in nowise cast out.”

4.  Thy fear that Christ will not receive thee, may arise from a sense of the exceeding mercy of being saved. Besides, the Holy Ghost hath a way to greaten heavenly things to the understanding of the coming sinner; yea, and at the same time to greaten, too, the sin and unworthiness of that sinner.  Now, the soul staggering by wonders, saying, “What! to be made like angels, like Christ; to live in eternal bliss, joy, and felicity!  This is for angels, and for them that can walk like angels.”

Thus doth the greatness of the things desired quite dash and overthrow the mind of the desire.  “O, it is too big, it is too big, it is too great a mercy.”