SERMONS ON SELF-DECEPTION. SERMON THE FIRST. I COR. iii. 18. LET NO MAN DECEIVE HIMSELF. WE meet with numerous warnings of this nature in the facred scriptures. The divine oracles frequently and earneftly exhort men to take care that they do not deceive themselves, nor fuffer others to deceive them. These repeated, and ftrongly inculcated admonitions, we may depend upon it, are not inferted in the books of heavenly wisdom without fufficient reafon : they evidently evidently fuppofe the liableness of mankind to deceive themselves in matters of the highest confequence to their felicity, and the neceffity of the utmoft circumfpection, and a continual caution to prevent it. And indeed experience fhows it. Nothing is more common, than to deceive and be deceived, especially in religious matters: and religious deception is therefore the worst, because it affects not only the prefent, but the future condition of men. That there is such a thing as felf-deception, or impofing upon a man's felf, will be readily granted: it is a plain and evident matter of fact, and, probably, there are very few who are not in fome inftances or degrees guilty of it.. There are two things which it is of the utmost importance to every man to be well fatisfied that he is right in: I mean that he understands, and that he practises true religion, and that he does not deceive himself in either of thofe refpects, that - he does not take up with a falfe fpecies of religion, nor flatter himself that his temper and conduct are agreeable to what real religion requires, when they are not. And yet, notwithstanding the perfonal and unfpeakable importance of the thing, many are very apt to deceive themfelves in both thefe refpects. Though religion is the proper concern of every man, and a concern of a more interefting nature than any other can poffibly be; yet there is not any one thing in the world which mankind in general are more ignorant about. Multitudes, Multitudes, through a fordid neglect to use their own difcerning powers, from one caufe or other, entirely mistake it, and esteem that to be religion, which is of no value at all in the fight of God, or of wife men. They often lay great ftrefs upon things, under the notion of religion, which are not only foreign to, but tend to the deftruction of the real thing itself. How many are there whofe religion does not befriend, but prejudice their virtue! in whose scheme of religious doctrine, a good life, the habitual practice of virtue, and fincere obedience to God's moral eternal law, either has no fhare at all, or a very inconfiderable one! How many who imagine that certain expedients of a religious kind, will balance the want of virtue, cause them to ftand well in the divine favour, and fecure their admiffion to the heavenly felicity, whatever have been their life and conversation in the world! I propofe then in what follows to purfue this exhortation, "let no man deceive himself," in these two refpects. 1. To confider it as an exhortation to guard against felf-deception with reference to the nature of religion, the requirements of the divine law, and condition of our acceptance with God, and 2. To confider it as an exhortation to guard against that kind of felf-deception which relates to men's own characters, and leads them to think well of their temper, conduct and ftate when. there is no folid ground for it: to fatter themF felves felves into the fond thought, that they are fuch as religion requires and God approves, when, in reality, they are not. Firft then, let us guard against deceiving ourfelves with reference to the nature and require-` ments of religion: and there is more reason to be particularly watchful and cautious in this respect, because falfe religion is fo prevalent in the world. As religion is natural to man, there are few but regard it in one shape or other: there are perfons of very bad morals, who yet make great pretences to religion; though in fuch a cafe, it is not poffible their religion fhould be of any value. A great many, notwithstanding their determination to indulge themselves in criminal practice, and to gratify their darling propenfities against the plain rules of reason and justice, would very gladly at the same time have the safety and benefit of religion. Thus they aim at the groffeft abfurdity and contradiction in nature, to be both religious and vicious. And for this purpofe they explain religion to themselves, in fuch a manner, (or readily fall in with fuch reprefentations of religion given by others) as may not be inconfiftant with their beloved vices, nor give any interruption to their guilty pursuits and by the frequently repeated practice of fuch kind of grofs impofition upon themselves, they ftupify their minds, darken their understandings, fear their confciences, and come at laft to fettle in a course of felf |