thing. (1.) In that you then put yourself in God's room. His glory
those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men, is an abomination in the sight of God." Let this scare you from seeking yourself.
4. Consider, that seeking your own glory is a dreadful and abominable thing. (1.) In that you then put yourself in God's room. His glory should be what you should aim at, but then your base self must be sacrificed too. O tremble at this, O my soul, and split not on this rock, otherwise you shall be dashed in pieces. (2.) In that it is the most gross dissembling with God that can be. You pretend to preach Christ to a people; but seeking your own glory, you preach yourself, and not him. You pretend to be commending Christ and the ways of God to souls, and yet in the meantime you commend yourself. Will Christ sit with such a mocking of him? O my soul, beware of it; look not for it, but for his glory. Who would not take it for a base affront, to send a servant or a friend to court a woman for him, if he should court her for himself? And will not Christ be avenged on self-preaching ministers much more? (3.) In that it is base treachery and cruelty to the souls of hearers, when a man seeks to please their fancy more than to gain their souls, to get people to approve him more than to get them to approve themselves to God. This is a soul-murdering way, and it is dear-bought applause that is won by the blood of souls. O my soul, beware of this. Let them call you what they will; but seek God's glory and their good.
5. Consider that so to do is a shrewd sign of a graceless, Christless, and faithless heart, John 5:44. How can you believe, that receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that comes from God only? A grain of faith will cure this lightness of the head and heart.
6. Consider, my soul, your own vileness? What are you but a poor lump of clay, as to your body, that will soon return to the dust, and be a sweet morsel for the worms that now you trample upon! Have you not seen how loathsome the body is many times in life, by filthy boils and other noisome diseases, and after death what an ugly aspect it has? Forget not the sight that you saw once in the churchyard of