358 Confidence zn errour. that their conceits are right, that they dare ceir- foare orfeparate or [corn or dejpi e, or ofit diffen- ters. It is a common thing to hear religious people (peak meanly and humbly of their o?vn uìhderftàn- dings in thegcneral ; Bat when it ,ometh to par ticralars , it is the rareft part of I mility in the world, to find : Very few do Thew any compe tent mode/iy ( except the grcfly ignorant who have no pretence to wifdome) : What abundance ofgood people of the darker fort,have I been fain to rebuke for their over-valuing me and my under- landing ; who when I have but croft their opinions about any thing, which moll groundlefly , they tea for a duty or a fin,have held as faft their vain conceits, and made as much of their moil fenfe- lefs reafonings, and as paffioriately and confident- ly rejeeted the molt uriqueftiónab1e proof which I have offered them, is if theyhad been infallible, and had taken me for an errant fob!. And this is not the cafe of one or two Sees only ; but naturally of aimJf 4l men , till God hath taught them that rare part of humil ty, tri have Htmb e Ulnderltandings, and low thoughts of theirown judgements,and ;due fufpicion of their apprehenfions: And their cure is the harder becaufe they know net how to have a humble fufpicion of themfelves without running into the contrary extreäm cf fcepticifm, and being cold and unfaithful to the truth; They krev not how to hold fall that which isgood, arLa to be conftar t in religioia, without holding fait all which they haveonce conceited to good, and being confiant in their errour: Efpeci-
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