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either our duty or our desire, and remind this often, that we may not be
in hazard to be drunk with self love and self deceit in this particular.
Besides, are there not many Christians who, having been once illuminated,
and had some serious exercises in their souls, both of sorrow for sin and
fear of wrath and comfort by the gospel, and being accustomed to some
discharge of religious duties in private and public, sit down here, and
have not mind of further progress? They think, if they keep that stance,
they are well, and so have few designs or endeavours after more communion
with God, or purification from sin. Now this makes them degenerate to
formality. They wither and become barren, and are exposed by this to many
temptations which overcome them. But, my beloved, is not this really and
indeed to say, "we have no sin?" Do not your walking and the posture of
your spirits import so much, as if you had no sin to wrestle with, no more
holiness to aspire unto, as if ye had no further race to run to obtain the
crown? Do not deceive yourselves, by thinking it sufficient to have so
much honesty and grace, as in your opinion may put you over the black
line, in irregeneration, as if ye would seek no more than is precisely
necessary for salvation. Truly, if ye be so minded, you give a miserable
hint, that you are not yet translated from the black side of darkness. I
do not say that all such are unconverted, but, if you continue thus,
without stirring up yourselves to a daily conversion and renovation, ye do
too much to blot out the evidence of your conversion and at length it may
prove to some a self destroying deceit, when they shall find themselves
not passed over that line that passeth between heaven and hell, which they
were studying to find out, only that they might pass so far over it, as
might keep their soul and hell asunder, without earnest desires of
advancement towards heaven in conformity to God. Now, for the generality
of professed Christians, though there be none who have that general
confession of sin oftener and more readily in their mouths, yet, I
suppose, it is easy to demonstrate that there is much of this self deceit
in them, which declares that the truth is not in them. You know both God
and man construct(246) of men by their ways, not by their words, and the
Lord may interpret your hearts by their dispositions, and raise a
collection of atheism out of all together. "The fool hath said in his
heart," &c. Eve