Dyke, Daniel, -1614. The mystery of self-deceiving : being some extracts from a discourse on the deceitfulness of mans heart ... / written by the late faithful minister of Gods word, Rev. Daniel Dyke : manuscript, 1796. MS Am 923. Houghton Library,

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The civil justiciary values himself on his civil righteousness. Because he is righteous towards men, threfor he thinks himslef righteous towards God - & that his spiritual state is good, tho' he does not render to God his due in works of piety & devotion. another sort is

The lose Libertine, or common carnal gospellers (or gospel spillers) are those who turn the grace of God into wantonness, yet value themselv on their gospel privileges, crying, " The temple of the Lord etc our Sa :viour shews how many such shall be reject :ed at the last day, who shall (plead) that they have eat & drank in his presence etc & (shews) that a man, wanting the wedding garment, may be taken (even) from the very feasting table to the gallows with Haman - that a man's flee :ing to the horns of Gods Altar with not pro :tect him from Gods Sword if he be wicked. Of this deceit the Apostle James speaks, w.n :ers only, deceiving your own selves. James 22 shewing, that many did then, repute them :selves in the number of Gods people, merely because they went to Church, heard the word & presented to him th outward sacrifices of their prayer, & praises, tho' their lives were otherwise most vile & vitious. But he afterwars tells these Deceivers - their religi on was vain. And Solomon stick, not to call

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them fools - {Ecclesiastes} 5. be more ready to hear, th to offer the sacrifice of fools. God thunders awfully against such in the fiftieth psalm "consider this ye that forget God, lest I you in pieces. Such are indeed no better th ({Psalms} 54.3) - heathen. Therefore David is not afraid to the Eiphims Strangers, & Sauls courtiers h (5g.5). :then, & Saul himself Cushi, or an Aethiopian (7.1.) tho' all living in the visible church, as memb thereof. The enjoyment of Church privilege will therefore be but a silly plea before God. the plea of preaching sermons will not be a :ted. - God will judge thee to so much sore :nishment, by how much thy means of rep have been greater. But here the libertine say, that beside his outward formall Chur service, he hath faith in the merits of Christ.

Ans. His faith is a mere fancy : for, 1. faith com by hearing, but he neither hears, nor prays the proper scripture Sense. (therefore has no faith) 2. True faith copulative, it joins together the whole wo of God: it believes one promise as well as those of the life to come. But in temporal da gers & outward wants, the libertines faith can uphold itself. He can believe for eternal :vation, because that is with him but a mere fancy (as his faith is) but he cannot believe or temporal good, because that is with hi substantial reality, & he can believe no far than he can see of feel. again, true faith bel the threatenings as well as promises: but these libertine does not believe, but in the infidel his heart, says no such things shall befall tho' I allow myself in sin. Therefore fears no

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The fourth & last sort of person who are deceived in thinking their state to be good when it is bad, is the temporary believer. who receives the word with joy, but endu :reth only for a while. The other sorts failed only in the ground on which they built their argument, not in the application -The argument of the rich worldling is "Whosoever hath outward prosperity is in Gods favor; But I have outward prospe :rity. Here the deceit is in the proposition not in the assumption: for he truly assumes to himself outward prosperity; but his po :position is false, that outward prosperity is an argument of Gods favor. So the civil man errs not in the application of civil & outward righteousness to himself but in his ground, that this civil rights. is enough to get salvation. And so the lose professor rightly applies to himself outward profession, hearing the word etc but his ground is deceitful, that this is sufficient to make one a good Christian. But here it is otherwise. The ground of the temporary believer, argument is most certainly agreeable to the word, name by "That whosoever hath true faith repen tance & obedience, is in a state of grace; all the deceit is in the application: for the tem porary, when he assumes those things to himself, presumes. His assumption, "but I have true faith etc" is nothing but mere presumption. And therefore he is harder

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harder to be delivered from this (his) deceit, than the other from theirs: for with them there needs no more, than to shew the falseness of their grounds, which may easily be done: but the falsness of the application of their grow must be discovered: which is very hard cause of the near affinity, & likeness betwix the faith, repentance & obedience of the true temporary believer; which is so great, th even the most judicious & discerning Chri cannot perfectly distinguish betwixt the Hence Judas among the disciples, & Anna & Saphira & Nicolas the deacon, among the in the primitive Church, till God detected went for true believers: for this differenc of these two faiths, how so ever in general know it, as it is revealed in the word; yet special we know it not, as it is in men, so that we can say, before the event declare it "This man is only a temporary". This is discernable only to him, that is greater th our hearts, & therefore knoweth our hearts better than ourselves. Nevertheless the temporary himself if he woud deal impartially trying of his own heart, by the rule of th word, he may easily spy out the deceit of And first as to his faith, it is evident, it not sound: as may appear, first from th parts of faith. secondly, the Signes of it. The parts of faith are two, first knowlege the word in general with assent: secondly application of the promises in special to self. Both these, the temporary thinks he ha

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& therefore that he hath faith.

First for knowlege, it cannot be denyed but he may have an excellent measure of it even so as to be a teacher of ohers; yet the deceit & unsoundness of it may be seen both in the ground of it, & in its effects.

The ground of it, is not the testimony of scripture, or experience, as in the true be :liever. therefore such are said to have no root - their knowlege is not a root & well settled knowlege. tis neither founded on the authority of the scripture, nor nourished by an holy practice. They have not a prac :tical, a feeling & experimental knowlege, so wherein indeed the knowlege of faith, ex:cells the knowlege even of Devils. for tho they excell us, as in all other knowlege, so also in divine, yet they knoweth not the chief points thereof such as are faith, repentance love, the presence of the spirit, what they be by their own experience, as doth the mean est christian; Such, if sound, do herein go beyond the profoundest Ministery that are not sanctified, in that they have their own heart instead of a commentary to help them understand even the most needful points of the scripture. the know lege therefore of the temporary is but shallow to that of the true christian: whose privilege it is not only to know the things themselves uttered, but also the intent & meaning of God therein The secret of the Lord saith David, is with them that fear him, but is hid from ye. wicked