Outline 9.

1. Deceit begins at home.

Deceives self, excuses sin, magnifies, shows of good, puts light for darkness, calls evil GOOD. “I have a good heart!” Pharisee.

2. Deceives neighbours.

It appears honest, chaste, godly, kind, disinterested, to cheat others.

3. Tries to deceive God himself.

Hypocrite, formalist. - Heart far off, lips near. Body without soul.

4. Cheats God of his service, men of love, and self of a kingdom of grace and glory. Yea, it cheats his soul into hell. Foolish virgins. III. “Who can know it?”

Not the natural, learned, trading man; but God, the searcher of hearts. Christ, “who needed not that any one should testify of man.” The Spirit, “who searcheth the deep things,” &c, 1 Corinthians 2:10. And those who are taught by him.

INFERENCES. -

1. “He that trusteth his own heart is a fool.”

2. “Watch, and keep your heart with all diligence.”

3. How great the necessity of a new birth.

4. How glorious the promise of a new heart of flesh.

5. How do those who boast, show the deceitfulness of their hearts.

6. No change of life sufficient without a corresponding change of heart.

7. The fountain being bad, so are the streams.

8. The necessity of Christ’s heart being pierced, and the Spirit to open and change ours.

APPLICATION. - Study your hearts. Pray for light. Examine what passes in sudden temptations, in dreams, in thoughts.

OUTLINE 9.

“But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30. INTRODUCTION. - Know thyself and thy advantages, believer! I. “Ye are of him.”

Accepted, born, sons, heirs.

II. “In Christ Jesus.”

The second Adam, to whom you are united by faith and love. On his part, by water, blood, and the Spirit. He made himself man.

REFLECTION. - How noble the Christian! How should he despise earth and sin! Believe in Christ, walk in Christ, and you will be God’s. Wicked men are of the devil, in Adam.

III. “Christ is made of God.”

Christ is the masterpiece of Divine wisdom, power, love, mercy, justice. IV. “To us.’

Enemies, foolish, guilty, polluted, wretched as long as we are out of Christ. Who sees it?

V. Christ is our Magazine. - All fulness. Wisdom, brightness, righteousness. He did and suffered all for us.

Priest. - Sanctification. Holy in himself. Making us so by faith as physician. Redemption. - He redeemed himself and us, in rising from the dead. As King and Saviour he redeemed us from sin, misery, death. Christ not only offered, designed, but made.

APPLICATION. - Close with the bargain. Reject, neglect not Christ. Benighted, wandering ones, foolish slaves of sin, receive Christ as wisdom. Guilty ones, receive him as righteousness. Unclean ones, receive him as sanctification. Miserable ones, receive him as redemption. Observe the order. - Justification is before sanctification. A chain with four links, one draws the other. Believers, what a treasure! draw, buy out.