2 c6 h d it ff of Mar. 4.7 Math. i3. 7. T e eeeit u ne e Mans heart. 'cunning and crafty are our hearts ) man y, not flei gh 1,er infirmities onely , but even groffer deformities ialfo under force one, poore, petty, happily ¡hew of vertue, rather than vertue it Celle. Thus the civili Ì i man thinks his prophaneneffe and carelefnelle in re- ligion is fufficiently covered under his uprightnefí'e, and juft dealing in the things of this life. The glo- zing hypocrite thinkes his zeale in outward profef ling may beare him out in his uncharitable, unrigh- teous , and unleafonable dealing with men. As if Herod fhould have thought his hearing of/48a fuf- ficient priviledge to him for his inceft.Thus notably doe our hearts deceive us,making us beleeve that a great heape ofchaffe can lye hid under a little hand- full of corn, that a little dimme candle-light can chafe away the foggy palpable darkneffe ofEg,ypt, Whereas the contrary is the truth , that our little good is rather obfcured & ecclipfed with our many and great evils. As in the parable of the lower, the thorny ground is Paid to bring forth nofruir , Luke s. q.. and yet before , verfe feven , it was fiid that he thornes fprung up with the feede : fo that the feed did not perifh in the ground , but fpiou- ted forth , and yeelded Tome fruit ; and yet be- caufe, as Marke fayes,the thorns grew up, or af- cended,as Matthew fpeaketh,namely,above the fruit, therefore the fruit of this ground is no fruit : it lies buried under the thornes, it is overtopped, and choaked by them. Loe now the fruit does not co -; ver the t bornes,but the thorrres the fruit.lt is not laid there were no thornes,becaufe of forne hopeful be- ginnings offruit, but contrarily, no fruit becaufc of the
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