This thou mayest verily think of thy self and yet be deceived, and damned,1 […] go to the devil at last▪ 2There is a way (saith Solomon) that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. For he is an hypocrite, not only that makes a seeming outward show of what he hath not, but also that hath a true show of what indeed there is not. The first sort of Hypocrites deceive others only; the latter, having some inward, yet common work deceive themselves too, James 1.26. If any man seem to be Religious (so many are, and so deceive the world) but it is added, deceiveth his own soul. Nay, thou mayest go so fairly, and live so honestly, that all the best Christians about thee may think well of thee, and never suspect thee, and so mayest pass ⟨p. 110⟩through the world, and die with a deluded comfort; that thou shalt go to heaven, and be canonized for a Saint in thy funeral Sermon, and never know thou art counterfeit, till the Lord b•ingeth thee to thy strict and last examination, and s• thou receivest that dreadful sentence▪ […] ye cursed. So it w•s with the five […] virgins, that were never discovered by […] wise, nor by themselves, until the gate of grace was shut upon them. If thou hast therefore no better evidences to show for thy self, that thine estate is good, then these; I will not give a pins point for all th• flattering false hopes of being saved. But it may be thou hast never yet come so far as to this pitch: and if not, Lord! what will become of thee? Suspect thy self much: and when in this ship-wrack o• souls thou seest so many thousands sink, cry out and conclude: It is a wonder of wonders, and a thousand to one, if ever thou comest safe to shear.
This thou mayest verily think of thy self and yet be deceived, and damned,1 〈…〉 go to the devil at last▪ 2There is a way (saith Solomon) that seemeth right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death. For he is an hypocrite, not only that makes a seeming outward shew of what he hath not, but also that hath a true shew of what indeed there is not. The first sort of Hypocrites deceive others only; the latter, having some inward, yet common work deceive themselves too, James 1.26. If any man seem to be Religous (so many are, and so deceive the world) but it is added, deceiveth his own soul. Nay, thou mayest go so fairly, and live so honestly, that all the best Christians about thee may think well of thee, and never suspect thee, and so mayest passe ⟨p. 110⟩through the world, and die with a deluded comfort; that thou shalt go to heaven, and be canonized for a Saint in thy funeral Sermon, and never know thou art counterfeit, till the Lord b•ingeth thee to thy strict and last examination, and s• thou receivest that dreadful sentence▪ 〈…〉 ye cursed. So it w•s with the five 〈…〉 virgins, th•t were never discovered by 〈…〉 wise, nor by themselves, until the gate of grace was shut upon them. If thou hast therefore no better evidences to show for thy self, that thine estate is good, then these; I will not give a pins point for all th• flattering false hopes of being saved. But it may be thou hast never yet come so far as to this pitch: and if not, Lord! what will become of thee? Suspect thy self much: and when in this ship-wrak o• souls thou seest so many thousands sink, cry out and conclude: It is a wonder of wonders, and a thousand to one, if ever thou comest safe to shear.
- 1Answ▪
- 2Prov. 13.12.
