What is the reason that many go no further in the profession of religion, than to be almost Christians?
Reason 1. It is because they deceive themselves in the truth of their own condition; they mistake their state, and think it good and safe, when it is bad and dangerous. A man may look upon himself as a member of Christ, and yet God may look upon him as a vessel of wrath: as a child of God, by looking more upon his sins than his graces, more upon his failings than his faith, more upon indwelling lusts than renewing grace, may think his case very bad, when yet it is very good: "I am black," saith the spouse; and yet saith Christ, "O thou fairest among women!" [Song 1:5,8] So the sinner, by looking more upon his duties than his sins, may think he sees his name written in the book of life, and yet be in the account of God a very reprobate.
There is nothing more common than for a man to "think himself something when he is nothing;" and so he "deceives himself." [Gal 6:3] Many a man blesses himself in his interest in Christ, when he is indeed a stranger to him. Many a man thinks his sin pardoned, when, alas! "he is still in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity." [Acts 8:23] Many a man thinks he hath grace, when he hath none: "There is," saith Solomon, "that makes himself rich, and yet hath nothing." [Prov 13:7] This was the very temper of Laodicea; "Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not," (pray mind that,) "that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind and naked." [Rev 3:17]
"Thou knowest not;" as bad as she was, she thought her state good; as poor as she was in grace, she thought she was rich; as miserable and naked as she was, yet she thought she had need of nothing.
Now there are several rises or grounds of this mistake. I will name five to you.
First, The desperate deceitfulness of the heart of every natural man. "The heart is deceitful above all things." [Jer 17:9] The Hebrew word is the same with Jacob's name. Now you know he was a supplanter of his brother Esau: "He is rightly called Jacob," saith he, "for he hath supplanted me these two times." [Gen 27:36] So the word signifies, to be fraudulent, subtle, deceitful, and supplanting. Thus is the heart of every natural man, "deceitful above all things." [Jer 17:9]
You read of the deceitfulness of the tongue,
And of the deceitfulness of riches,
And of the deceitfulness of beauty,
And of the deceitfulness of friends;
But yet the heart is deceitful above them all. Nay, you read of the deceitfulness of Satan, yet truly a man's heart is a greater deceiver than he; for he could never deceive a man, if his own heart did not deceive him. [Matthew Mead-The Almost Christian Discovered]
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