A7 reatineof Gon, fcience. (29 Who can know it ? That is, Who elfe can know it but a man An/iv. himfelf? None under God can know the heart of man buta mans own conscience, the fpirit of man that is in him. I con- fefCe a man maybe ignorant of force fecret and particular de-. ceit in his heart; but who knoweth not the general ftanding of his own heart ? or may know the chief bent of his own foul. David in a particular deceit was ignorant : I fail in my prcfbe- Pfal.3.o. 6 rity,I 'hall never be moved, never diftruft God more, never be difquieted in my mind more. He was deceived in that particu. lar; but he knew very well the general and chief bent of his heart, that it was truly fet upon God and upon holinefre. 2. It is true, many men take it that their hearts are fet upon God when they are not ; but what is the reafon ? Not becaufe they do not or may not know the contrary, that they love the world molt : but becaufe they will not know it, they are un- w king to believe it, they are loth to have any bad conceit of tl!emfelves . So that when Jeremy faith, The heart is deceit- full above all things : who can know it? his meaning is, What carnall man can abide to know the wort} of himfelf ? 3. It is not becaufe they know it not, but becaufe they will not heare the teftimony ofconfcience : but when it telleth them truly how the cafe is with them , they gather all the rotten and broken pieces of arguments together to ffop the mouth of conscience, and to perfwade themflves to think well of themfelves, 4.Men feem not to know their own hearts , not becaufe they donot know what they are, but becaufe they are ignorant of Gods Law whereby they fhould judge of themlelves. They know their hearts are fe t on the world, and that the bent and frame of their affecions are placed on earthly things : but they hope an underaffec`Iion to God will be accepted,to loveGod in the fecond place will ferve the turn. They know they arecarnali; but they hope fuch carnality may be in a man and yet he be right. Yea, but a mans heart may fay on the contrary fide, that he ObjeE. 2. loveth the world more then he loveth God when he Bothnot: how then doth conscience bear right witnefie ? I anfwer, E 3 This
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