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[ 1850] The glasse of the Law, truly shewing Men what they are.
AS it is with some old, foul and wrinkled Dame, that is soothed up by her Parasites in an admiration of her beauty, to whom no glasse is allowed but the Picturers, that flatters with a smooth fair and young Image: Let such a one come casually to the view of a true glasse, she falls out first with that Miroir, and cryes out of the false representation;* 1.1 but after when upon stricter exami∣nation, she finds the fault in her self, she becomes as much out of love with her self, as ever her flatterers seemed to be enamoured on her. It is no otherwise with us, we easily run away with the conceit of our spiritual beauty, of our innocent Intergrity,* 1.2 every things feeds us in our overweening opinion; but let the glasse of the Law be brought once and set before us, we shall then see the shame∣full wrinkles and foul Morphews of our Souls, and shall say with the Prophet, We lye down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us, for we have sinned against the Lord our God, Ier. 3. ult.