HR. But how dost thou prove that?

IGNOR. It comforts me in hopes of heaven.

CHR. That may be through its deceitfulness; for a man's heart may
minister comfort to him in the hopes of that thing for which he
yet has no ground to hope.

IGNOR. But my heart and life agree together, and therefore my hope
is well grounded.

CHR. Who told thee that thy heart and life agree together?

IGNOR. My heart tells me so.

CHR. Ask my fellow if I be a thief! Thy heart tells thee so! Except
the Word of God beareth witness in this matter, other testimony is
of no value.

{357} IGNOR. But is it not a good heart that hath good thoughts?
and is not that a good life that is according to God's commandments?

CHR. Yes, that is a good heart that hath good thoughts, and that
is a good life that is according to God's commandments; but it is
one thing, indeed, to have these, and another thing only to think
so.

IGNOR. Pray, what count you good thoughts, and a life according to
God's commandments?

CHR. There are good thoughts of divers kinds; some respecting
ourselves, some God, some Christ, and some other things.

IGNOR. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?

CHR. Such as agree with the Word of God.

{358} IGNOR. When do our thoughts of ourselves agree with the Word
of God?

CHR. When we pass the same judgment upon ourselves which the Word
passes. To explain myself--the Word of God saith of persons in
a natural condition, "There is none righteous, there is none that
doeth good." [Rom. 3] It saith also, that "every imagination of
the heart of man is only evil, and that continually." [Gen. 6:5]
And again, "The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth."
[Rom. 8:21] Now then, when we think thus of ourselves, having
sense thereof, then are our thoughts good ones, because according
to the Word of God.

IGNOR. I will never believe that my heart is thus bad.

CHR. Therefore thou never hadst one good thought concerning thyself
in thy life. But let me go on. As the Word passeth a judgment
upon our heart, so it passeth a judgment upon our ways; and when
OUR thoughts of our hearts and ways agree with the judgment which
the Word giveth of both, then are both good, because agreeing
thereto.

{359} IGNOR. Make out your meaning.

CHR. Why, the Word of God saith that man's ways are crooked ways;
not good, but perverse. [Ps. 125:5, Prov. 2:15] It saith they
are naturally out of the good way, that they have not know