The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with…

1. See to your hearts that they be right in all that you do in your profession. If God mainly regards the heart, it concerns all that would approve themselves to him, to do so too. If you can once get them to be right, your main business is done, and till you have made this sure, you cannot do any thing well. See then to your through Conversion; that indeed is not all that you have to do, but it is the first thing, because there can nothing be done right without it. It is impossible that an unconverted heart, should be a sincere heart in Gods account and acceptance; till you have gotten a new heart, you can never go beyond formality in any thing you do; and if you would have such an heart as this, you must go to God for it: It is he alone who can give it to you, and you must ask it of him, Ezek 36.26. a new heart will I give you You must also call for your heart, every time that you go about any duty, and be sure to take it along with you, if you would be cordial in it; it will be away, if you do not heedfully look after it; and too often doth a Godly man perform this and that Service in formality, because of his inadvertency in this regard; or because ⟨p. 162⟩he trusts his heart too much, which a• often as he doth so, deceiveth him; how careful is David in this respect? Psal. 57.8. Awake my glory, awake psaltery and harp; I my self will awake early.

2. Set your selves ever in the presence of God, as of one who seeth and hateth Hypocrisy. We are indeed forbidden to do eye-service to men, as of a thing which proceeds from a false heart; but eye-service to God is every where approved; and there is nothing that can be a more powerful and awful consideration on our minds, to make us afraid of doing any thing in hypocrisy, than to think of those two things, and always carry the deep impression of them upon our hearts, viz. that God stands by, and looks on, and that he cannot abide dissimulation; for he is our Law giver, and our Judge, who will call us to an account, and he will judge righteous Judgment, and cannot be mistaken in it. Hence holy men on Scripture Record, have always been wary of this, when they were in a right frame, and made use of it as a caution to excite them to sincerity; thus did Job, Chap. 31.4. Doth not he see my ways, and count all