As fallen beings, we humans are, regardless of relative intelligence, ignorant and stupid. Nowhere (in my opinion) is this stupidity displayed more plainly than in our opinions of ourselves and our fellow humans. Those opinions are consistently higher than they ought to be. How often have you heard it said that “there is some good in everyone”? Yet Scripture describes us in somewhat less glowing terms (Isaiah 64:6; Romans 3:10–18). If we are overly generous in our opinions of mankind in general, we are especially kind to ourselves. Even when confessing a fault we will usually impute to ourselves sincere, good intentions. As William Gurnall writes, we ought not to make that assumption. Rather, we should hold our hearts suspiciously at all times.
It behoves thee thus to try thy ways when you consider how hypocrisy lies close in the heart. If thou beest not very careful, thou mayest easily pass a false judgement on thyself. They who were sent to search the cellar under the parliament, at first saw nothing but coals and winter provision; but, upon a review, when they came to throw away that stuff they found all [to be] but provision for the devil’s kitchen; then the mystery of iniquity was uncased, and the barrels of powder appeared.* How many are there, that from some duties of piety they perform, some seeming zeal they express in profession, presently cry omnia benè—all things are well, and are so kind to themselves as to vote themselves good Christians, who, did they but take the pains to throw these aside, might find a foul hypocrite at the bottom of them all. Hypocrisy often takes up her lodging next door to sincerity, and so she passes unfound—the soul not suspecting hell can be so near heaven. And as hypocrisy, so sincerity, is hard to be discovered. This grace often lies low in the heart, hid with infirmities, like the sweet violet in some valley, or near some brook, hid with thorns and nettles, so that there requires both care and wisdom, that we neither let the weed of hypocrisy stand nor pluck up the herb of grace in its stead.
—William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002), 1:346–347.
* Gurnall refers here to The Gunpowder Plot of 1605 (a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland). The Gunpowder Plot was still recent history, having taken place a scant twelve years before Gurnall’s birth in 1617.
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