of the prefumptuous man. Now in this fenfe, every carnal man is righteous overmuch, tho' he had none of that righteousness which commends him to God, (to wit, the righteousness of Chrift) yet he hath too much of that righte oufnefs which commends him to himself, and that is felf righteousness. A proud man hath an eye to see his beauty, but not his deformity: His parts, but not his fpots; his feeming righteoutfnefs, but not his real wretchednefs. It must be a work of grace that must show a man the want of grace.→→ The haughty eye looks upwards, but the humble eye looks downward; and this is the believer's motto, the leaft of faints, the greatest of finners. Eph. ii. 8. But the carnal man's motto is, "I thank God, I am not as other men." Luke xviii. 11. 3. Many deceive themselves with common grace instead of faving, through that refemblance that is between them. As many take counterfeit money for current coin, fo do too many take common grace for true: In fimilibus facilis eft deceptio. Saul took the devil for Samuel. 1 Sam. xxi. 14. So many take common grace for faving, because it is like faving grace: A man may be under a fupernatural work, and yet fall fhort of a faving work; the first raifeth nature, the fecond only reneweth nature: Though every faving work of the fpirit be fupernatural, yet every fupernatural work of the fpirit is not faving: and hence hence many deceive their own fouls, by taking a fupernatural work for a faving work. 4. Many mistake a profeffion of religion for a work of converfion, and an out-side reformation for a fure fign of inward regenerati-. on. If the out-fide of the cup be washed, then they think all is clean, though it be never fo foul within. This is the common rock that fo many fouls fplit upon to their eternal hazard, taking up a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. 2 Tim. iii. 5. 5. Want of a home application of the law of God to the heart, and conscience to difcover to a man the true ftate and condition he is in. Where this is wanting, a man will fit down fhort of a true work of grace, and will reckon his cafe better than it is. That is a notable paffage which the Apoftle hints concerning himself; "I was alive without the law once, but when the commandments came fin revived, and I died." Rom. vii. 9. Here you have a different account of the different apprehenfions Paul had of his condition, with and without the word. I. Here is his apprehenfion of his condition without the word; I was alive (faith he) without the law. Paul had the law, for he was a Pharifee, and they had the form of knowledge, and of the truth of the law, therefore when he faith, he was without the law, you muft not take him literally, but fpiritually; he was without the power and efficacy of it upon his heart and confcience, convincing and awakening wakening and difcovering fin; and fo long as this was his cafe, he doubted not of his state, he was confident of the goodness of his condition; this he hinted, when he faith, I was alive. But then, ; 2. Here is his apprehenfion of his condition with the word, and that is quite contrary to what it was before, "When the commandment came (faith he) then fin revived, and I died." When the word of the Lord came with power upon his foul, when the spirit of God fet it home effectually upon the confcience, that is meant by the coming of the commandment; then fin revived, and I died that is, I faw the defperatenefs of my cafe, and the filthinefs of all my felf-righteousness. Then my hope ceafed, and my confidence failed, and as before I thought myself alive, and my fin dead; fo when God had awakened confcience by the word, then I faw my fin alive and powerful, and myself dead and miferable. So that this is the first reason why men go na farther in the profeffion of religion, than to be almoft Chriftians. It is because they mistake their state, and think it good, when it is not, which mistake hath a five-fold rife. A deceitful heart. A proud fpirit. Taking common grace for faving. tion. Want of a home application of the law of God to the heart and confcience. Reaf 4 Reaf. 2. It is from Satan's cunning, who if he cannot keep finners in their open profanenefs, then he labours to perfuade them to take up with a form of godlinefs.. If he cannot entice them on in their lufts, with a total neglect of heaven, then he entices them to fuch a profeffion as is fure to fall fhort of heaven; he will confent to the leaving fome fin, so as we do but keep the reft; and to the doing fome duties, fo as we neglect the reft: Nay, rather than part with his intereft in the foul, he will yield far to our profeffion of religion, and confent to any thing but our converfion, and clofing with Chrift for falvation: He cares not which way we come to hell, fo as he gets us thither at laft. Reaf. 3. It is from worldly and carnal policy; this is a great hinderance to many; policy many times enters caveats against piety: Jehu will not part with his calves, left he hazard his kingdom. 1. We are commanded to be wife as ferpents. Matth. x. 16. Now the ferpent is the fubtileft of creatures. Gen. iii. 1. But then, we must he as innocent as doves: If piety be without policy, it wants fecurity; if policy be without piety, it wants integrity: Piety without policy, is too fimple to be fafe; and policy without piety, is too fubtle to be good. o. Let men be as wife, as prudent, as fubtile, as watchful as they will, but then let it be in the way of God, let it be joined with holiness and integrity, That That is a curfed wisdom that forbids a man to launch any further out in the depth of religion, than he can fee the land, left he be taken in a storm, before he can make fafe to fhore again. Reaf. 4. There is fome luft efpoused in the heart, that hinders a hearty close with Chrift; Though they bid fair, yet they come not to God's terms: The young man would have eternal life, Matth. xix. 20. and he bids fair for it, a willing obedience to every command but one; but only one, and will not God abate him one? Is he fo fevere? Will he not come down a little in his terms, when man rifes fo high? Must man yield all? Will God yield nothing? No, my brethren, he that underbids for heaven, shall as furely lofe it, as he that will give nothing for it: He that will not give all he bath, part with all for the pearl of price, Matth. xiii. 45, 46. fhall as furely go without it, as he that never once cheapens it. The not coming up to God's terms, is the ruin of thousands of fouls; nay, it is that upon which all that perifh, do perifh: A naked finner to a naked Chrift, a bleeding broken finner to a bleeding broken Chrift; these are God's terms. Most perfons are like iron between two equal load-ftones; God draws, and they propend towards God, and the world draws, and they incline to the world; they are between both; they would not leave God for the world, if they might not be engaged to leave the world for God. But |