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So it is in this cafe, if a man come into a profeffion of religion, but be not right born; if he be not begotten of God, and born of the fpirit. John iii. 5. If there be not a thorough work of grace in his heart, all his profeffion of religion will never mend him; he may be bolstered out by a life of duties, but he will be an hypocrite at laft, for want of a through work at firft; a form of godliness may cover his crookedness, but will never cure it.

A man can never be a true Christian, nor accepted of God, though in the highest profeffion of religion, without a work of grace in the heart.-For,

I. There must be anfwerableness in the frame of that man's heart that wou'd be accepted of God to the duties done by him: His spirit and affections within, muft carry a proportion to his profeffion without: Prayer without faith, obedience to the law given, without fear and holy reverence of the law-giver, God abhors. Acts of internal worship, must answer the duties of external worship..

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Now where there is no grace wrought in the heart, there can never be any proportion or anfwerablenefs in the frame of that man's heart to the duties done by him.

2. Thofe duties that find acceptance with God, must be done in fincerity. God doth not take our duties by tale, nor judge of us according to the frequency of our performances, but according to the fincerity of our hearts in the performance. It is this that commends. both the doer and the duty to God; with finN 3 cerity,

cerity, God accepts the leaft we do. Without fincerity, God rejects the most we do, or can do. This is that temper of spirit which God highly delights in. Prov. xi. 20. "They that are of a froward heart, are an abomination to the Lord; but fuch as are upright in their way, are his delight." 1 Chron. xxix. 17. The Apostle gives it a great epithet, he calls it, 2 Cor. i. 12. elikrineia Thea, the fincerity of God, that is, fuch a fincerity as is his fpecial work upon the foul, fetting the heart right and upright before him, in all his ways.This is the crown of all our graces, and the commendation of all our duties; thousands perish and go to hell in the midft of all their performances and duties, merely for want of a little fincerity of heart to God.

Now when there is not a change of state, a work of grace in the heart, there can be no fincerity to God-ward; for this is not quid proveniens a natura, it is not a herb that grows in nature's garden; the heart of man is naturally deceitful, and defperately wicked. Jer. xvii. 9. more oppofite to fincerity than to any thing; as things corrupted carry a great diffimilitude to what they were, than to any thing else which they never were. God made man upright; now man voluntarily lofing, this is become more diflike to himself, than to any thing below himself; he is more like a lion, a wolf, a bear, a serpent, a toad, than to a man in innocency.

So that it is impoffible to find fincerity in

any

any foul, till there be a work of grace wrought there by the fpirit of God; and hence it is that a man is but almost a Christian, when he hath done all.

4.

THE FOURTH QUESTION.

What is the reason that many go no further in their profeffion of religion, than to be almoft a Christian?

1. It is because they deceive themselves in the truth of their own condition: They miftake their ftate, and think it good and fafe, when it is bad and dangerous, A man may look upon himself as a member of Christ, and yet God look upon him as a veffel of wrath; as a child of God by looking more upon his fins than his graces, more upon his failings than his faith, more upon indwelling lufts than renewing grace, may think his cafe very bad, when yet it is very good, I am black, faith the fpoufe, Cant. i 5. and yet faith Chrift, O thou fairest among women, verfe 8. So the finner by looking more upon his duties than his fins, may think he fees his name written in the book of life, and yet be in the account of God a very reprobate.

There is nothing more common than for a man to think himself fomething, when he is nothing, and fo he deceives himself. Gal. vi. 3. Many a man bleffes himself in his intereft in Chrift, when he is indeed a stranger to him: Many a man thinks his fin pardoned, when alafs he is ftill in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity, Acts viii. 23. Many a

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man thinks he hath grace, when he hath none: "There is (faith Solomon) that makes himfelf rich, and yet hath nothing." Prov. xiii. 7. This was the very temper of Laodicea, "Thou fayeft I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knoweft not (pray mind that) that thou art wretched and miferable, and poor, and naked." Rev. iii. 17.Thou knoweft not, as bad as she was, she thought her state good; as poor as she was in grace, the thought fhe was rich; as miferable and naked as she was, yet fhe thought she had need of nothing.

Now there are feveral rifes and grounds of this mistake. I will name five to you.

1. The defperate deceitfulness of the heart of every natural man: "Supplantativum cor pre omnibus. Jer. xvii. 9. The heart is deceitful above all things; the Hebrew is, Gnakob chalach mical." The word Gnakob, is the fame with Jacob's name: Now, you know, he was a fupplanter of his brother Efau He is rightly called Jacob, (faith he) for he hath fupplanted me those two times.Gen. xxvii. 36. So the word fignifies to be fraudulent and fubtile, deceitful and fupplanting. Thus is the heart of every natural man deceitful above all things.

You read of the deceitfulness of the tongue, Pfal. lii. 4. and of the deceitfulness of riches, Matth. xiii. 22. and of the deceitfulness of beauty, Prov. xxxi. 30. and of the deceitfulnefs of friends, Job vi. 15. But yet the heart

is deceitful above them all; Nay, you read of the deceitfulness of Satan, Rev. xx. 3. yet truly a man's heart is a greater deceiver than he; for he could never deceive a man, if his own heart did not deceive him. Now it is from hence that a man prefumes upon the goodness of his cafe, from the defperate treachery of his own heart.

How common it is for men to boast of the goodness of their hearts? I thank God, tho' I do not make fuch a fhew and pretence as fome do, yet I have as good a heart as the best. O do but hear Solomon in this cafe; he that trusteth in his own heart, is a fool. Pro. xxviii. 26. Will any wife man commit his money to a cut-purfe? Will he truft a cheat? It is a good rule, Memneto apiftein, remember to diftruft: And it was Auguftine's prayer, Domine, libera me a me ipfo. That man that trufts to his own heart, fhall be fure to find himfelf deceived at laft.

2. This mistake arifes from the pride of a man's fpirit: There is a proud heart in every natural man: There was much of this pride in Adam's fin, and there is much of it in Adam fons. It is a radical fin, and from hence arifeth this over-weaning opinion of man's ftate and condition. Solomon faith, be not righteous overmuch. Ecclef. vii. 16. Auguftine fent. 365. Speaking occafionally of those words, faith, it is not jufticia fapientis, but fuperbia prefamentis, not meant of the righteousness of the wife man, but of the pride

of

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