Ignor. Why, I think of God and Heaven.
Chr. So do the devils and damned souls.
Ignor. But I think of them, and desire them.
Chr. So do many that are never like to come there. “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing.”
Ignor. But I think of them, and leave all for them.
Chr. That I doubt; for leaving all is a hard matter; yea, a harder matter than many are aware of. But why, or by what, art thou persuaded that thou hast left all for God and Heaven?
Ignor. My heart tells me so.
Chr. The wise man says, “He that trusts his own heart is a fool” .
Ignor. This is spoken of an evil heart, but mine is a good one.
Chr. 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.
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. Yea, 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 thing.
Ignor. What be good thoughts respecting ourselves?
Chr. Such as agree with the Word of God.
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.” It saith also, that “every imagination of the heart of man is only evil, and that continually.” And again, “The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” 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.