XV. does not fet about it immediately; for he SR Mi would no more put it off, than he would the fetching of Water when his House has taken Fire. A juft Sense of having offended God, and a real Apprehenfion that he is in danger of eternal Mifery, are Things that muft in their own Nature operate immediately, and will admit of no delay. The Advice of the Preacher would be needlefs to him under that Conviction, Whatsoever Eccl. 9. 10 thy Hand findeth to do, do it with thy Might, for there is no Work, nor Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wisdom in the Grave whither thou goeft; and where this is not the Effect, there is no Refolution, nor even Intention, but it is a meer Artifice to deceive himself, and amuse his own Conscience for the present. The proper Use to be made of this Dif courfe is fhort and obvious. When we hear of a notorious Cheat, every Man is upon his Guard; and when we happen to be outwitted and Circumvented, tho' it be in Matters of small Consequence, we are angry with our felves, because it reflects upon our Understanding and Prudence, and yet we carry at the fame time the greatest and most dangerous Deceiver of all in our own Bofoms, without Fear or Sufpicion, and this is our SER M. Own Heart: For the Heart we are told, is 19. XV. deceitful above all Things, and desperately Prov. 4. 23. Jerem. 17. wicked, who can know it? For this Reason the wife Man's Advice is, Keep thy Heart with all Diligence, for out of it are the flues of Life. The Original is more emphatical, above all Keeping, keep thy Heart, to denote the watchful and fufpicious Eye that every Man ought to keep on this treacherous Friend within the Garrifon, left he should betray him to his fpiritual Enemies that af fault him from without. And the fame wife Man has left us a most useful Caution upon this Subject, in Prov. 28. 26. He that trufteth in his own Heart is a Fool. Our natural Lufts and Paffions may deceive us in fpite of our utmoft Care and Caution, when Temptations come by Surprize, or work stronger than ordinary; but when we are deceived by falfe Notions and partial Reasonings, the Deception is wilful, and our own Act, and thus it is reprefented by the Prophet Ifaiah, and after him by our Saviour with regard to the Jews who would not receive him upon the cleareft Evidence, Matt.13.15. Their Eyes have they clofed, left at any Time they fhould fee with their Eyes, and hear with their Ears, and understand with their Hearts, and XV. and fhould be converted, and I should heal SER M. them: They were refolved to be deceived, and when this is the Cafe, the conftant Practice is for Men to place Things in false Lights, to examine them partially, and to put all the Strength they can on that Side of the Question which they favour most, in order to mislead their Reafon into falfe Conceptions of God and Religion; they will cheat themselves with foolish Excufes for doing what they know to be wrong while they are doing it; they will amuse themselves with a Sort of a half Refolution of fetting about the Work of Repentance and Reformation in a very little Time, when in Truth, if they were closely to ques ftion their Hearts, they cannot bring them to fix upon this Year, or the next, or any future Time, unless it be when their Powers of being wicked are gone, and then it is no Thanks to them that they reform. These are therefore Cheats and Abuses knowingly and wilfully put upon themfelves, which by a fair and honest use of their Reason, they might eafily detect if they pleafed. This is what I would entreat you all to do, and the fooner the better, for your eternal Salvation may poffibly deHh 2 pend SERM. pend on doing it immediately. Do not any longer hood-wink your own Reason, and impofe upon your own Confciences, those faithful Friends and Monitors who watch for your Safety, and will always warn you of Danger, if you do not blind their Eyes. But if inftead of probing your Hearts to the Bottom, you will ftill cherish Hypocrify, and carry on the Delusion, remember that it will not last long; for as you cannot deceive the Searcher of Hearts, fo neither can you long deceive even your own Hearts; for the Day will foon come when those very Hearts will become your greatest Accufers, and convince you too late, that you have been only cheating yourselves, and that you had been more wife, if you had John 3.20, been lefs cunning. For if our Heart condemn us, God is greater than our Heart, and knoweth all Things. SERMON HEBR. I. 13, 14. But to which of the Angels faid he T HE general Defign of this E-SER M2 pistle, being to perfuade the He- XVI. brews that the Chriftian Difpen fation was incomparably better than that which was established by Mofes, the Author makes ufe of many Arguments to that End. He begins with fhewing the Hh3 perfonal |