The Morning exercise [at] Cri[ppleg]ate, or, Several cases of conscience practically resolved

2. Willingness to be deluded. You may know it thus: If a daubing Minister, or friend offers comfort, how greedily they catch it: They will receive comfort upon any grounds, nay upon no grounds, but upon the bare words, it may be of a time-serving and man-pleasing Minister. But let a serious and faithful Minister come to them, and show them their sad, and sinful, and hazardous condition, and demonstrate it by irrefragable arguments, they will not yield to it. But as St. Peter speaks, 2 Pet. 3.5. [Greek or Hebrew], this they willingly are ignorant of. You must possess them with the folly of such a temper, the unavoidable misery of self-deluding persons, &c. and the dread of disappointment when too late.

2. Willingness to be deluded. You may know it thus: If a dawbing Minister, or friend offers comfort, how greedily they catch it: They will receive comfort upon any grounds, nay upon no grounds, but upon the bare words, it may be of a time-serving and man-pleasing Minister. But let a serious and faithfull Minister come to them, and shew them their sad, and sinfull, and hazardous condition, and demonstrate it by irrefragable arguments, they will not yield to it. But as St. Peter speaks, 2 Pet. 3.5. 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, this they willingly are ignorant of. You must possess them with the folly of such a temper, the unavoydable misery of self-deluding persons, &c. and the dread of disappointment when too late.

3. Carelessness and listlessness; This is the temper of many, knowing the difficulty of believing, repenting, &c. and remembering their own guilt, they cast off the care of that, which they think will be to no purpose, &c. You must therefore possess them with the necessity of Christian carefulness; what madness it is to be careless now, which is the only season of caring to any purpose; &c. What folly it is to free themselves from the care of a few days, to ascertain to themselves everlasting care and torment, &c. Also you must possess them with the benefit of this care, and laying it to heart, &c. That it is Gods course in opening the heart, to stir up this care.