of us, at one time or
other, are more or less misled by confounding the suggestions of the
understanding with the impulses of the will, the assent which our
judgment gives to religious and moral truths, with a hearty belief and
approbation of them.

There is another frequent source of self-deception, which is productive
of so much mischief in life, that, though it may appear to lead to some
degree of repetition, it would be highly improper to omit the mention of
it in this place. That we may be the better understood, it may be proper
to premise, that certain particular vices, and likewise that certain
particular good and amiable qualities, seem naturally to belong to
certain particular periods and conditions of life. Now, if we would
reason fairly in estimating our moral character, we ought to examine
ourselves with reference to that particular "sin which does most easily
beset us," not to some other sin to which we are not nearly so much
liable. And in like manner, on the other hand, we ought not to account
it matter of much self-complacency, if we find in ourselves that good
and amiable quality which naturally belongs to our period or condition;
but rather look for some less ambiguous sign of a real internal
principle of virtue. But we are very apt to reverse these rules of
judging: we are very apt, on the one hand, both in ourselves and in
others, to excuse "the besetting sin," taking and giving credit for
being exempt from others, to which we or they are less liable; and on
the other hand, to value ourselves extremely on our possession of the
good or amiable quality which naturally belongs to us, and to require no
more satisfactory evidence of the _sufficiency_ at least of our moral
character. The bad effects of this partiality are aggravated by the
practice, to which we are sadly prone, of being contented, when we take
a hasty view of ourselves, with negative evidences of our state;
thinking it very well if we are not shocked by some great actual
transgression, instead of looking for the positive signs of a true
Christian, as laid down in the holy Scripture.

But the source of self-deception, which it is more particularly our
present object to point out, is a disposition to consider as a conquest
of any particular vice, our merely forsaking it on our quitting the
period or condition of life to which that vice belongs; when perhaps
also we substitute for it the vice of the new period or condition on
which we are