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SERMON IV.

2 SAMUEL Xii. 7. ft part.

And Nathan Said unto David thou art the

THERE

man.

is no historical paffage in scripture, which gives a more remarkable instance of the deceitfulness of the heart of man to itself, and of how little we truly know of ourselves, than this, wherein David is convicted out of his own mouth, and is led by the prophet to condemn and pronounce a fevere judgment upon another, for an act of injustice, which he had passed over in himself, and possibly reconciled to his own confcience. To know one's felf, one would think could be no very diffi

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for who, you'll say, can

cult lesson;

well be truly ignorant of himself and the true difpofition of his own heart. If a man thinks at all, he cannot be a stran

ger to what paffes there

he must be

confcious of his own thoughts and defires, he must remember his past pursuits, and the true springs and motives which in general have directed the actions of his life: he may hang out false colours and deceive the world, but how can a man deceive himself? That a man can - is evident, because he daily does fo. Scripture tells us, and gives us many historical proofs of it, befides this to which the text refers that the heart of man is treacherous to itself and deceitful above all things; and experience and every hour's commerce with the world confirms the truth of this feeming paradox, "That though man is the

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only creature endowed with reflection, " and consequently qualified to know "the most of himself - yet so it hap

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pens, that he generally knows the " least - and with all the power which "God has given him of turning his

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eyes inwards upon himself, and taking " notice of the chain of his own thoughts " and defires - yet in fact, is generally " so inattentive, but always so partial " an observer of what passes, that he is " as much, nay often, a much greater

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stranger to his own disposition and "true character than all the world be" fides."

By what means he is brought under fo manifest a delusion, and how he suffers himself to be so grosly imposed upon in a point which he is capable of knowing so much better than others, is not hard VOL. I.

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to

to give an account of, nor need we feek further for it, than amongst the caufes which are every day perverting his reafon and mifleading him. We are deceived in judging of ourselves, just as we are in judging of other things, when our paffions and inclinations are called in as counsellors, and we fuffer ourselves to fee and reason just so far and no farther than they give us leave. How hard do we find it to pass an equitable and found judgment in a matter where our interest is deeply concerned ?- and even where there is the remoteft confiderations of felf, connected with the point before us, what a strange bias does it hang upon our minds, and how difficult is it to disengage our judgments entirely from it? with what reluctance are we brought to think evil of a friend whom we have

long loved and esteemed, and though there

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there happens to be strong appearances against him, how apt are we to overlook or put favourable conftructions upon them, and even sometimes, when our zeal and friendship transport us, to affign the best and kindest motives for the worst and most unjustifiable parts of his conduct.

1.

We are still worse casuists, and the deceit is proportionably stronger with a man, when he is going to judge of himfelf that dearest of all parties, - fo clofely connected with him - fo much and fo long beloved - of whom he has fo early conceived the highest opinion and esteem, and with whose merit he has all-along, no doubt, found so much reafon to be contented. It is not an easy matter to be severe, where there is such an impulse to be kind, or to efface at

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once

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