Seventhly, Thy confidence of thy own good estate, is no infallible evidence. The world, as they are mistaken in Repentance, taking it to be only a little sorrow for sin, though no aversion from it, or detestation of it, be joined with it; so they are also in the nature of Faith, esteeming it to consist in the strength of persuasion, and that who ever can be confident that Christ died for him, and that he shall go to heaven, doth believe unto salvation; whereas the difference between a deceiving and a saving Faith, doth not consist in the strength of persuasion, but in the ground of it. Matth. 7.3, ult. the two buildings might be of equal height and beauty, the difference lay in the bottom and foundation: An Hypocrite may sail towards heaven with a full gale of confidence, nay the strength of that wind doth over-turn the vessel; for were he more dubious, he would be more anxious about his recovery, and so more likely to be saved. There is (saith the wise man) that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing, Prov. 13.7. That is, there are some that are full of confidence, rich in assurance, that the love of God, the blood of Christ, the undefiled inheritance are theirs, when indeed they have not one grain of ⟨p. 86⟩grace, nor any true ground of their joy and peace, but are very beggars. The Apostle Paul speaketh of himself, That he was alive without the Law, Rom. 7.9. (even then when he was liable to its curse and lash) he had high thoughts of his present holiness, and great hopes of his future happiness, He was a jolly fellow, cock-a-hoop, taking himself to be somebody; his motto was, Omnia bene, All is well, when indeed every thing was ill, and there was but a step between him and hell: he had much false peace, though he had no true purity; His way was right in his own eyes, but the end was the way of death, Prov. 14.12. He was alive without the Law; his ignorance was both the mother and nurse of his confidence; just like a blind man encompassed about with bloody enemies, or in a place full of Serpents and poisonous creatures, yet thinks himself safe because he doth not see them. Or as a man in a Lethargy, he feels no pain, though he be very near the pangs of death. Christ told the Jews, Ye say God is your Father, but ye have not known him: So these say, God is their Father, Christ is their Husband, Heaven their home, when they know neither.
Seventhly, Thy confidence of thy own good estate, is no infallible evidence. The world, as they are mistaken in Repentance, taking it to be only a little sorrow for sin, though no aversion from it, or detestation of it, be joyned with it; so they are also in the nature of Faith, esteeming it to consist in the strength of perswasion, and that who ever can be confident that Christ died for him, and that he shall go to heaven, doth believe unto salvation; whereas the difference between a deceiving and a saving Faith, doth not consist in the strength of perswafion, but in the ground of it. Matth. 7.3, ult. the two buildings might be of equal height and beauty, the difference lay in the bottom and foundation: An Hypocrite may sail towards heaven with a full gale of confidence, nay the strength of that wind doth over-turn the vessel; for were he more dubious, he would be more anxious about his recovery, and so more likely to be saved. There is (saith the wise man) that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing, Prov. 13.7. That is, there are some that are full of confidence, rich in assurance, that the love of God, the blood of Christ, the undefiled inherithnce are theirs, when indeed they have not one grain of ⟨p. 86⟩grace, nor any true ground of their joy and peace, but are very beggars. The Apostle Paul speaketh of himself, That he was alive without the Law, Rom. 7.9. (even then when he was liable to its curse and lash) he had high thoughts of his present holiness, and great hopes of his future happiness, He was a jolly fellow, cock-a-hoop, taking himself to be somebody; his motto was, Omnia bene, All is well, when indeed every thing was ill, and there was but a step between him and hell: he had much false peace, though he had no true purity; His way was right in his own eyes, but the end was the way of death, Prov. 14.12. He was alive without the Law; his ignorance was both the mother and nurse of his confidence; just like a blind man encompassed about with bloody enemies, or in a place full of Serpents and poisonous creatures, yet thinks himself safe because he doth not see them. Or as a man in a Lethargy, he feels no pain, though he be very near the pangs of death. Christ told the Jews, Ye say God is your Father, but ye have not known him: So these say, God is their Father, Christ is their Husband, Heaven their home, when they know neither.
