Directions and persuasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…Directions and perswasions to a sound conversion for prevention of that deceit and damnation…

So did the Bereans, Act. 17. 11. and the Text saith, that therefore they believed. We come not to cheat and deceive you; and therefore we desire not that you should take any thing from us, but what we can prove to you from the Word of God, to be certainly true. We desire not to lead you in the dark, but by the light to lead you out of darkness: and therefore we refuse not to submit all our Doctrine to an equal trial. Though we would not have you wrong your souls by an unjust distrust of us; yet would we not desire you to take these great and weighty things, merely upon our words: For then your Faith will be in man; and then no marvel if it be weak, and uneffectual, and quickly shaken: If you ⟨p. 42⟩trust a man to day, you may distrust him to morrow; and if one man be of greatest credit with you this year, perhaps another of a contrary mind may be of more credit with you the next year. And therefore we desire no further to be believed by you, then is necessary to lead you up to God, and to help you to understand that Word which you must believe: Our desire therefore is that you search the Scripture, and try whether the things that we tell you be the truth. The Word will never work on you to purpose, till you see and hear God in it, and perceive that it's he and not man only that speaks to you. When you hear none speaking to you but the Minister, no marvel if you dare despise him: for he is a frail and silly man like your selves: When you think that the Doctrine which we preach to you, is merely of our own devising, and the conjecture of our own brain, no marvel if you set light by it, and will not let go all that you have, at the persuasion of a Preacher. But when you have searched the Scripture, and find that it is the Word of the God of Heaven, dare you despise it then? When you there find that ⟨p. 43⟩we said no more then we were commanded, and God that hath spoken this Word will stand to it; then sure it will go nearer you, and you will consider of it, and make light of it no more. If we offered you bad wares, we should desire a dark shop; and if our gold were light or bad, we would not call for the Balance and the Touchstone. But when we are sure the things that we speak are true, we desire nothing more then trial. Beauty and comeliness have no advantage of loathsome deformity, when they are both together in the dark: