ion, "the imagination of his heart only evil continually." Now, I
say, here is the great business and labour of religion,--to bring a man to
the clear discerning of his own nature,--to represent unto him justly his
own image, as it is painted in the word of God, and presented in the glass
of the law, and so by such a surprising monstrous appearance, to affect
his heart to self abhorrency in dust and ashes and to have this
representation, however unpleasant, yet most profitable, continually
observant to our minds, that we may not forget what manner of persons we
are. Truly I may say, if there be a perfection in this estate of
imperfection, herein it consists, and if there be any attainment of a
Christian, I account this the greatest,--to be truly sensible of himself,
and vile in his own eyes.

It was the custom of Philip,(248) king of Macedonia, after he had overcome
the famous republic of Greece, to have a young man to salute him first
every morning with these words, _Philippe homo es_,--Philip, thou art a
man, to the end that he might be daily minded of his mortality, and the
unconstancy of human affairs, lest he should be puffed up with his
victory, and this was done before any could have access to speak with him,
as if it were to season and prepare him for the actions of the day. But O
how much more ought a Christian to train up his own heart and accustom it
this way, to be his continual remembrancer of himself, to suggest
continually to his mind, and whisper this first into his ear in the
morning, and mid day, and evening,--_peccator es_, thou art a sinner, to
hold our own image continually before us, in prayer and praises, in
restraints, in liberties of spirit, in religious actions, and in all our
ordinary conversation, that it might salt and season all our thoughts,
words and deeds, and keep them from that ordinary putrefaction and
corruption of pride and self conceit, which maketh all our ointment stink.

"If we say we have no sin, we make him a liar." Why is this repeated
again, but to show unto us, even to you Christians who believe in Christ,
and are washed in his blood, how hard it is to know ourselves aright? If
we speak of the grosser sort of persons, they scarce know any sin, nor the
nature and vileness of any that they know, therefore they live in security
and peace, and bless themselves in their own hearts, as if they had no
sin. For such, I say, I shall only say unto them, that your self deceiving
is no