A treatise of mans imaginations Showing his natural evil thoughtsA treatise of mans imaginations Shewing his naturall euill thoughts

Sect. 2. Mans thought of his own righteousness.

Sect. 2. Mans thought of his owne righteousnes.

The second evil thought concerning a mans self is this, I am sufficiently righteous, and I need no repentance. That this is the thought of every man naturally appeareth by the Lords commandment to the people of Israel, forbidding them to say in their hearts, when they were placed ⟨p. 130⟩in the promised land,^a that for their own righteousness the Lord brought them in to possess it. Whereby he giveth us to understand two things: First, that as the Jews did there, so every man thinks himself to be righteous. And secondly he thinks that God doth give his blessings unto him for his own righteousness: for the Lord useth not to forbid such a thought as men naturally have not in them: so in like manner when Jeremiah rebuked the people for their sins, they said,^b they were Innocent and guiltless, they had not sinned: And the Church of Laodicea saith thus of her self,^c I am rich and need nothing; that is, I abound in spiritual graces. This is the thought of the ⟨p. 131⟩proud^d Pharisee, who trusts in himself that he is just, and therefore braggeth unto God, that he is not such and such, but he doth this, and that, he fasteth, he giveth Alms, payeth tithes, &c. and in plain terms his heart saith this, I am righteous, I need no repentance: for of such Christ spake when he said,^e