Directions and persuasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…Directions and perswasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…

2. Another mistake to be carefully avoided, is, The placing of your Humiliation, either only, or principally, in the Passionate part, or in the outward expression of those Passions. I mean, either in pinching grief, and sorrow of heart, or else in tears. But you must remember that the Life of it is, as was said before, in the Judgment and the Will. It is not the measure of Passionate sorrow and anguish, that will best show the measure of your sincere Humiliation: much less is it your tears, or outward expressions. But it is your low esteem of your selves, and contentedness to be vile in the eyes of others: And your displacency with your selves, and willingness to mourn, and weep for sin as much as God would have you: with the rest of the acts of the Judgment and Will before described.

2. Another mistake to be carefully avoided, is, The placeing of your Humiliation, either only, or principally, in the Passionate part, or in the outward expression of those Passions. I mean, either in pinching grief, and sorrow of heart, or else in tears. But you must remember that the Life of it is, as was said before, in the Judgment and the Will. It is not the measure of Passionate sorrow and anguish, that will best shew the measure of your sincere Humiliation: much less is it your teares, or outward expressions. But it is your low esteem of your selves, and contentedness to be vile in the eyes of others: And your displacency with your selves, and willingness to mourn, and weep for sinne as much as God would have you: with the rest of the acts of the Judgment and Will before described.

Two great dangers are here before you to be avoided. First, some there be that have terrible pangs of sorrow, and are ready to tear their own hair, yea or make away themselves as Judas, in the horror of their Consciences: and these ⟨p. 156⟩may seem to have true Humiliation, and yet have none. And some can weep abundantly at a Sermon, or in Prayer, or in mentioning their sin to others: and therefore think that they are truly humbled: and yet it may be nothing so. For if at the same time their hearts are in love with sin, or had rather keep it then let it go, or have not an habitual hatred to it, and a predominant superlative Love to God, their Humiliation is no saving work. That which is in the Passions, and tears may be even forced against your wills: And it signifieth scarce so much as a common Grace, where you are not willing of it. Many a one can weep through a passionate, womanish, tender nature; and yet not only remain unhumbled, but be Proud in a very high degree. How many such do we ordinarily see; especially women, that can weep more at a duty or conference, then some that are truly broken hearted could do in all their lives: and yet be so far from being vile in their own eyes, and willing to be so in the eyes of others, that they will hate, and reproach, and rail at thoe that charge them with the faults, which they seemed to lament; or at least, that