An expository comment, doctrinal, controversial, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…An expository comment, doctrinal, controversal, and practical upon the whole first chapter to the…

In the next place, if they do understand what it is to be regenerated, how great a matter it is to be a New Creature, then such is their self-love, that they presently apply it to themselves, and do believe they are such ones. For this end is that duty so often commended, To commune with our own hearts, to try and search our own hearts. For this end we are informed of the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of the heart, that no man knoweth it, that God only knoweth it. Thou boastest of thy heart, thou trustest in thy heart. Ah poor deluded wretch, thou knowest not what a sea of evil thy heart is; till grace shine into that dark dungeon, thou canst never perceive the loathsome lusts that crawl there. Pray therefore to be delivered from this heart-trusting, as from hell it self. It is this that is the Beelzebub sin. This maketh thee shut thy eyes, stop thy ears, harden thy heart; and therefore till this root be pulled up, no preaching, no Ministry can do thee any good. For the first thing done by converting grace, is to take away this trusting in our selves, and in stead thereof to work an holy despair in our selves. This the Spirit of God doth by convincing of sin through the Law: by this we see our selves a sinful people, and a cursed people; we are also convinced of our impotency and insufficiency to help our selves. By this we are convinced that it must be the righteousness of another, even of Christ himself, and not our own, that we must appear in, when we approach unto God. Till therefore thou art in this heart-trusting way, as long as this good persuasion and secure thoughts are in thy self, thou art wholly out of the way to Heaven. This is not the way to Christ; if thou art not wounded, the good Samaritan will pour no oil into thee; if thou doest not judge all things husks, and seest thy self ready to famish, there will no entertainment be given to thee at thy fathers house. Oh then that the Spirit of God would in a mighty and powerful manner fall upon such sinful considers, that he would shake the very foundations of their souls. For as long as this self-trusting a bideth in thee, thy condition is incurable; if the heart be deceitful above all things, why doest thou believe it above all things? Thou believest thy own heart more than Gods word, more than the Ministers of God.

In the next place, if they do understand what it is to be regenerated, how great a matter it is to be a New Creature, then such is their self-love, that they presently apply it to themselves, and do believe they are such ones. For this end is that duty so often commended, To commune with our own hearts, to try and search our own hearts. For this end we are informed of the deceitfulnesse and desperate wickednesse of the heart, that no man knoweth it, that God only knoweth it. Thou boastest of thy heart, thou trustest in thy heart. Ah poor deluded wretch, thou knowest not what a sea of evil thy heart is; till grace shine into that dark dungeon, thou canst never perceive the loathsome lusts that crawl there. Pray therefore to be delivered from this heart-trusting, as from hell it self. It is this that is the Beelzebub sinne. This maketh thee shut thy eyes, stop thy ears, harden thy heart; and therefore till this root be pulled up, no preaching, no Ministry can do thee any good. For the first thing done by converting grace, is to take away this trusting in our selves, and in stead thereof to work an holy despair in our selves. This the Spirit of God doth by convincing of sinne through the Law: by this we see our selves a sinfull people, and a cursed people; we are also convinced of our impotency and insufficiency to help our selves. By this we are convinced that it must be the righteousness of another, even of Christ himself, and not our own, that we must appear in, when we approach unto God. Till therefore thou art in this heart-trusting way, as long as this good perswasion and secure thoughts are in thy self, thou art wholly out of the way to Heaven. This is not the way to Christ; if thou art not wounded, the good Samaritan will pour no oil into thee; if thou doest not judge all things husks, and seest thy self ready to famish, there will no entertainment be given to thee at thy fathers house. Oh then that the Spirit of God would in a mighty and powerfull manner fall upon such sinfull considers, that he would shake the very foundations of their souls. For as long as this self-trusting a bideth in thee, thy condition is incurable; if the heart be deceitfull above all things, why doest thou believe it above all things? Thou believest thy own heart more than Gods word, more than the Ministers of God.