Wesley Corpus

9. Who then knoweth the hearts of all men Surely none but He that made them. Who knoweth his own heart Who can tell the depth of its enmity against God Who knoweth how deeply it is sunk into the nature of Satan III. 1. From the preceding considerations, may we not learn, First, "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool" For who that is wise would trust one whom he knows to be "desperately wicked" especially, whom he hath known, by a thousand experiments, to be "deceitful above all things" What can we expect, if we still trust a known liar and deceiver, but to be deceived and cheated to the end 2. We may hence, in the Second place, infer the truth of that other reflection of Solomon: "Seest thou a man that is wise in his own eyes there is more hope of a fool than of him." For at what a distance from wisdom must that man be who never suspected his want of it And will not his thinking so well of himself prevent his receiving instruction from others Will he no be apt to be displeased at admonition, and to construe reproof into reproach Will he not therefore be less ready to receive instruction than even one that has little natural understanding Surely no fool is so incapable of amendment as one that imagines himself to be wise. He that supposes himself not to need a physician, will hardly profit by his advice. 3. May we not learn hence, Thirdly, the wisdom of that caution, "Let him who thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" Or, to render the text more properly,) "Let him that assuredly standeth take heed lest he fall." How firmly soever he may stand, he has still a deceitful heart. In how many instances has he been deceived already! And so he may again. Suppose he be not deceived now, does it follow that he never will Does he not stand upon slippery ground And is he not surrounded with snares Into which he may fall and rise no more