The great lmpojlor. A everyway bmmtable; For hence it comes to paffe thac many a one hach had his hearc in keepin<> fony, fifty, threefcore yeares,and more,and yet is not acquainted wi<hit1 andall b:::au{e ehis craft hath kept it at the PrHcillianills locke,T• omnts,tt mmo; It affeCls eo bealearcher ofall men,nomanis allowed to come aboard ofit;And ifa man whether out ol curiofity, or confcience, be defirous eo inquire into ic(as it is a lbamc for amaneo be a ftranger at home; Knorv yte notyour owne he.,t?faith the Apoll le;) it calls ic felfe,Prm"' -like,inco fo many formes,thac it is very hard to apprehend ic. One while the man bath no hnrt,( o? N?) faith Salomon; Then he hatll (0~, . ·,)an heart,and an hem,faith D•vid;and one of his hearts concraditls another;and then how rr~. "· knowes he whetherto beleeve~ and what certainty, what fafi:ty can it be for aman to live unacquainted wich himfelfe~ 0 fthis unacqnaimance,fecondly,arifes a dangerous mifprifon ofamans felfe,in che nature and quantiryofhis fin, in the quality of his reB pemance,in his peace •nd intireneffewith God,in his right to heaven,and(in aword) in his whole fpricuall efiace. Of this mif.prifon, thirdly, arifes afeorefull difappointment ofall his hopes, and a plunging into unavoidable torments:Wherein it is miferlble to fee, how cunninglythe traiterous heartsofmany men beare chemin hand all their liveslong; foothingthem in all their courfes, promifing themfucceffe inall their waies, fecuring them from feare ofevills, affuring chem of che favour of God and poffellionofheaven,(aslome fond Bigot would bragofhis BuU,orM((/AII,or AgnU<Dti, or as thofe Priefts, that Gerf~n • taxes, who made the people beleeve thac the Maffe • i!Mip•blici was good for the eye·fight, for the mawe, for bodily health, and prefervarion) rill '::);:;.~·:.;.~t they come to their death-beds; Bur then when they come to call forth the comforters '"" ' ' ' '"', theymull cruft eo, they finde them like to fomeunfaithfull Capt•ine,thar bath all the ~;-::J.J,~~:"" while in Garrifon filled his purfe with dead payes, and made upthenumberofhis ;a, 1,;~"" companies with borrowed men; and in cime ofeafe lhewtd. faire; hue when he ,.,.,_,.,,.,,;. C is called fonh by a fudden alarum, bewraies his lbame and wcakeneffe, and (i!iles his ""'"'''"fubiGenerall when he bath moft need of him ; right rhus doe the perfidious )leaccs of {".:;t::,:,[.fi~ many,afterall the glorious brags.oftheir fecurity, onthe bed oftheir lall reckoning, '"""'· &c. find nothingbut a cold defpaire, and a wo(ull horror of cpnfcience; '&nd therefore roojufilymaytheirheartsfayco them, >S the heatt of Ap1Uorlmu the Tyrant feemedtoayunto him; who dreamed one night that b; was JleacdbytbeScytbians, and boyled in a Caldron;and thac his heart fpake to him ouc of the kettle ( ;,.:~1 .-;7 ~.Tt.)lt<s I that have drawnetheetoall this. Certain! )I never man was, or /ball be frying in hell, buc cries out ofhis owne heart, and accufes tbot deceitfull Pf'ece ~s guilty ofall bistorments: For let Satan be never fo malicious,andall the world never fo parafiticall, ytt if his owne heart had been true to him, none oftbcfe could )lave hurt him. Letthe reftofourenemies doe their worll, onelyJrom cbe evillof our owne beans,goodLorddeliver us. D It were now timefor our thoughts eo dwell a little upon the meditation and deploracion ofourownedanger and mifery, who are every way fo i.nvironed with fubtilty. lfwclookc at Sac.1o; his old title is, that old Strptnt; who mull needs therefore no'! •?Y folongrime and experieoce,be both more old aod more Serpent.Ifwe look at fin,tt lS as crafty ashe;Lefl any oj~P" be hardmed;hrough tbt dmitfolm((t of in : If ac our o'!ne hearts, we bear~ (that whiCh we may feele)t/Jat the heart is JtceitfitU above all thmgs. Oh wretebedrnentbat weare, how arewe befet with Impoftorson all hands· If it were more feafonablefor us to bewaile our eftace,then to leek the redrdfe oflt; Butlince ic is not 10much worth our labourto knew howdeepe the pit is inco which we are fallen, as h~w to~ome out of.i,t, bearc mhcr ( I be(eech you ) for a'conclulion, how we may avo1d '.he danger of the deceit of our falle heart; even jull fo as we would prevent the rumble feats of fome cheating J ugler; Search hlin, watch him, E Trufth1mnot. Loo~e well into hishands,pocke.cs,boxes,Oeeves; yea,under his very tongue it felf; T_bere 1S no fraud fo fecm,but may be dcfcried1 were our hearts ascrafty as cbe devill h•rofelle,they may befoundout; We are not ignorant (faith Saint PaNt) ofSatans "'~"'~ •.m devices; much m~re the~ may we know our owne ; Were the beans ofmen (as sa/1 • monfpeakcsof Kmgs ) like unto deepe waters, chey have a bottome, and may be . fathomed:
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