The heart of man is the greatest impostor and cheat in the world. God Himself states it: The heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Some of the heart’s deceits are discussed in this book, which shows that every grace has its counterfeit and that the highest profession of faith may exist where true conversion does not.

The Word travels with life or death, salvation or damnation, and brings forth one or the other in every soul that hears it. Consider, then, how seriously we should regard the way we conduct ourselves under the gospel and the dispositions and affections with which we receive seasons of grace. This should weigh heavily upon us: with every ordinance under which we sit, we draw nearer to heaven or hell, to salvation or damnation.

My intent in this book is not to break the bruised reed, nor to quench the smoking flax. It is not to discourage the weakest believer, but rather to awaken those whose profession of Jesus Christ is merely formal. I do not want to sadden the hearts of any whom God would not have made sad (Ezekiel 13:22). Rather, my desire is simply to expose the dangerous state and condition of a professing hypocrite.

About the Author

Matthew Mead (c. 1629–1699) was an English Puritan and Independent minister known for his deep yet practical preaching. Educated at King’s College, Cambridge, he was ejected from his lectureship under the Act of Uniformity of 1662 and continued ministering as a dissenter amid persecution and periods of exile in Holland. In 1671, he became pastor of the Independent congregation at Stepney, which grew to be one of the largest dissenting congregations in London.