342 The twelfth Sign PART III. thoroughly fenrcb ou.t, and detest the Hypocrite ; are but fubtil to darken their own Minds, and the Minds of others ; their Refinings, and nice Dilcerning, is in God's Sight, but refined Eoolifhnels, and fagacious Delufion. Here are applicable thofe Words of Agur, Prov. So. 5, 6. Every Word of God is pure ; he is a Shield to them that put their Iruf in him: Add thou not unto his Words, left he reprove thee,and thou befounda Liar. Our Wifdom and Difcerning, with Regard to theHearts of Men,is not much to be trufted. We can fee but >i Iittle Way into the Nature of the Soul, and the Depths of Mans Heart. TheWays are fo many whereby PerfonsAffeetions may be moved with- out any fupernatural Influence, the natural Springs of the Affections are fo various and fo fecret, fo many Things have oftentimes a joint Influence on the Affe6tions, the Imagination, (and that in Ways in- numerable and unfearchable) natural Temper, Education, the com- mon Influences ofthe Spirit of God, a furprizing Concourfe of affect- ing Circumftances, an extraordinary Coincidence of Things in the Courfe of Men's Thoughts, together with the fubtil Management of invifible malicious Spirits ; that no Philofophy or Experience will ever be fufficient to guide us fafely thro' this Labyrinth and Maze, with- out our clofely following theClew whichGod has given us in hisWord. God knows his own Reafons why he infifts on fome Things, and plainly Pets them forth as the Things that we Ihould try our felves by, rather than others. It may be it is becaufe he knows that there Things are attended with lets Perplexity, and that we are lefs liable to be deceived by them than others. He heft knows our Nature ; and he knows the Nature and Manner of his own Operations ; and he belt knows the Way of our Safety : he knows what Allowances to make for different States of his Church, and different Tempers of particular Perfons, and Varieties in theManner ofhis o.wnOperations, how far Nature may refemble Grace, and how far Nature may be mix'd with Grace, what Affections may arife from Imagination, and how far Imagination may be mix'd with fpiritual Illumination. And therefore 'tis our Wifdom not to take his Work out of his Hands ; but to follow him, and lay the Strefs of the Judgment of our felves there, where he has dire6ted us. If we do otherwife, no wonder if we are bewilder'd, confounded and fatally deluded. But if we had got into the Way of looking chiefly at thofe Things, whichChrift and his Apoftles and Prophets chiefly infifted on, and fo in judgingof our felves and others, chiefly regarding pra6tical Exercifes and Effeas of Grace, not neglei.ting other Things ; it would be of manifold happy Confequence ; it would above all Things tend to the Convic`lion aof deluded Hypocrites, and to prevent the Delufion of thofe whole Hearts were never brought to a thorough Compliance with the 'trait and narrow Way which leads, to Life ; it would tend to deliver us from innumerable Perplexities, arifing from the various inconfiftent Schemes
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