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many natural men think themfelves free of many fins and grofs immoralities, which take place in the genera tion; and fo, who more religious than they? They think they have not fuch and fuch corruptions, becaufe they feel not the powerful operation of them; and it is only God's reltraining hand, but no renewing grace, that makes it fo; but a lion is no lefs a lion, when in fetters, than when he is loofe.

Tais felf-conceit; whereby men judge that they are not fo bad as they are, it looks not only thus to prefent circumstances, but it looks fometimes backward, to for. mer times, faying with the Pharifees, "If we had lived in the days of our fathers; we would not have murdered the prophets," Matth. xxiii. 30. when yet their bloody perfecution of Chrift, difcovered the fame fpirit to be in them: Even fo, many will fay, "Fy upon the perfecu"ting high priests, that crucified Chrift! Fy upon Ju

das that betrayed him! if we had been living, we "would have taken Chrift's part against the Jews; we "would have taken the Martyrs part against their pers "fecutors." And yet their spiteful and malicious mind against the people of God, whom they mistake, reproach and mifreprefent, fhews that they would have been as ready, as the forwardeft, to execute all these villanies and butcheries. If one had afked Herod, concerning the conduct of Ahab and Jezebel towards Elias, and what he would have done, in the like cafe; no doubt. he would have condemned them; and declared, he would never have been guilty of the like; and yet he did the fame thing to the new Elias, [viz. John, the Baptif,] that came in the fpirit and power of Elias; and fo difcovered that he would have done the fame thing to the old Elias.

Again, Sometimes it looks forward to future times, faying, with Hazael, when the prophet told him he would cruelly rip up the women with child, and dafh their children against the ftones, 2 Kings viii. 13. "What! am I a dog?" He thought better of himself than that ever he fhould break out into fuch wickednefs. All the fons of Adam are, in their vitious qualities, worfe than dogs, bears, and tygers; and there is no fin fo odious, to Ff2

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which we are not inclinable; for, original fin hath in it the feed of all other fins: hence it is, that Chrift adref fes that admonition, even to difciples, that they take heed of furfeiting and drunkennefs, Luke xxi. 24. For they had in them the common poifon of nature; and so were obnoxious, even to the moft thameful and reproachful evils: and yet many think themselves far enough from thefe and fuch like enormous fins. What! am I a dog, to do fo and fo! Men perfuade themselves, through felf-conceit, that their nature is not fo far venomed, that it fhould break forth into fuch wickedness. Indeed, there may be fome fins that we are not fo much tempted to as others: fo Luther faid of himself, That ' he never was tempted to covetoufnefs.' Yet there is no fin but we may both be tempted to, and, through temptation, even fall into, if the everlafting arms do not under-prop; this is fuppofed in that motive adduced, Gal. vi. 1. "Brethen, if any man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are fpiritual, reftore fuch an one in the fpirit of meeknefs; confidering thyfelf, left thou also be tempted." We need to fufpect our own hearts, if we knew our nature; however they may be tamed by edu cation, civility, good example, and the like. As you would readily fufpe&t a bear, or wolf, or lion, or any fuch like beaft, and be loth to truft himself to it, though never fo well tamed, knowing its natural voracious dif pofition : even fo, "He that trufleth in his own heart, is a fool; and he that leaneth to his own understanding, is not wife." Fear even thofe fins which ye leaft fuf pect, and to which you find not yourfelves fo pronely carried.

[2.] Another part of felf-conceit is, when they fuppofe they have that good, which indeed they want; and when they imagine themselves in a good state, when they are in a very bad, miferable one. This is a very fad deceit; "He that thinketh himself to be fomething, when he is nothing, deceiveth himself," Gal. vi. 3. And, as was formerly obferved, felf-conceit is felf deceit. And here we might condefcend on a variety of perfons who thus deceive themselves.

(1.) The rich worldling deceiveth himself, because of

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his outward profperity: but, though riches be the gift of God, yet we mult confider with what God reaches, them; whether with the right-hand, in his love, or with the left-hand in his anger. I have read of a king that heaped up riches upon thofe whom he molt heated; that, together with their riches, he might crufh them with a heavy burden of cares. God puts fome into fat paftures, that he may feed them for a day of flaughter.

(2.) Civilians deceive themfelves, and think their flate good, becaufe they live honeftly without fcandal, saying, Whofe ox or afs have I ftolen? Whom have I wronged? But, what fort of a religion is that, which confifts only in honefly towards men, while there is not alfo devotion towards God? A negative and external religion, without fomething pofitive and internal, will never bear a perfon out in the fight of God: "Except your righteoufnels exceed the righteoufnefs of the Scribes and Pharifees, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven."

(3-) Libertines deceive themselves; even thefe who turn the grace of God into wantonnefs, and apprehend their cafe to be good. Why, they have been born in the church, and enjoy the privileges thereof; they have been washed with holy water, and fed with the fpiritual manna of the word and facraments; they cry, "The temple of the Lord:" we have gone to church and heard fermons; yea, we believe, fay they; though yet the means of faith, the word, and powerful miniftry thereof, are what they defpife.

(4) The temporary believer deceives himfelf with a falle faith, repentance, and obedience; apprehending it to be true faith, true repentance, true religion; nay, hence concludes he fhall be faved; and this is more dangerous than the former, becaufe he thinks his argument is certain, and agreeable to the word. And, indeed, his graces may be fo like the true believer's, that the moft difcerning Chriftian cannot diftinguifh between them; although in fact his faith fails both in the knowledge and application of it. It fails in the knowledge of it, in that it is not grounded and rooted in the teftimony of the word and Spirit: and in experience, in that it is

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not a heating and warming knowledge, working love in the heart to the truth known; and in that it is not humble and abafing, making him to loath and abhor him elf. Yea, his faith fails in the application of it; in that the application of it is not mutual; the believer takes hold of Chrift, because Chrift takes hold of him. True faith conflicts with unbelief; the believer finds much ado to believe, and to live by faith. The hypocrite finds it very ealy: Satan doth not try his faith; for he begat that prefumptuous faith in him. The true believer believes againft fenfe; and, like the woman of Canaan, can pick comfort out of the reproachful name of a dog; and with Jonah, even in the whale's belly, look towards God's holy temple: can fee heaven in the very extremity of mifery. But, in fuch a cafe, the temporary believer's jolly confidence fails him. And fo I might inftance how his repentance and obedience fail him. But however, herein the man apprehends his ftate good, while yet he is in the gall of bitternefs, and bond of iniquity.

There are two extremes of judging of ourfelves. Some judge their ftate worse than it is; as when the children of God judge themfelves to be Satan's; and their faith to be no faith, their repentance to be no repentance, Some again, are in the other extreme, and judge better of themfelves than they are, even to be the children of God, when they are Satan's; to have faith, when it is but prefumption; to have religion, when it is but hypocrify. So men may be puffed up with a conceit of knowledge; as of faith, repentance, love, and other graces and furely, of thefe two, the laft is moft dangerous, as well as the moft common deceit and error. It is better for a good man to think he hath no faith, no religion; than, on the contrary, for an ill man to judge that he hath them: for, to judge the worst of ourselves, is a mean to awaken us out of fecurity, and to ftir us up to make our calling and election fure; but to judge we have grace, when we have none, this lulls us afleep, and fends us fecurely to hell.

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III. The third thing propofed was, To fpeak of the grounds, caufes, and fprings of this felf-conceit. The

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grounds of this great and epidemical diftemper are many; fuch as,

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1. The deceitful and defperately wicked temper of the heart; for, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked," Jer. xvii. 9. As Jacob cheated Efau out of his earthly inheritance; fo doth the hearts of the children of men cheat them out of their eternal inheritance. There are many deceitful things in the world; riches are deceitful, favour is deceitful, beauty is deceitful, enemies are deceitful; but the heart is deceit. ful above all things; yea, above the devil himself: and this doth in nothing more palpably appear, than in making people believe that they are going to heaven, when they are going the flraight road to hell. O Sirs, do not truft your own hearts.

2. Ignorance is another caufe of felf-conceit. Many, through ignorance, cannot diftinguish between good and evil; but take common grace for faving grace, as Saul took the devil for Samuel. Many do not know or confider what it is that brings the foul to heaven; that they must be born again, and go thro' the pangs of the new birth, and the hardships of mortification. We muft not think to lie in Delilah's lap all our days; and then betake ourselves to Abraham's bofom when we die. Ignorance is fo far from being the mother of devotion, as the Papifts affirm, that it is the mother of pride and prefumption. "Thou thoughteft that thou wait 'rich, and increafed in goods: Why? Thou kneweft not that thou art poor, wretched, miferable, blind, and naked," Rev. iii. 17. Men are proud, becaufe they know not their misery; it is impoffible that a man, who truly knoweth his mifery fhould be proud. True, the apolle faith, "Knowledge puffeth up; that is, unfanctified knowledge, notional knowledge; but true knowledge humbleth; and none more proud and arrogant than the brutifhly ignorant man. I will get you an ignorant man, that will truly imagine he can keep the whole law: "All thefe things have I done from my youth up; what lake I yet?".

3. Negligence and floth is another caufe of pride and felf-conceit. Many are at no pains to confider where their landing fhall be, when the fhadows of the everlaft

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