A Saint Indeed

The Epistle Dedicatory.

To my dearly beloved and longed for, the Flock of Jesus Christ in Dartmouth, over whom the Holy Ghost hath made me an Overseer: sound judgment, true zeal, and unstained purity is heartily wished.

My Dear Friends.

There are three sad sights with which our eyes should continually affect our hearts. The (1) Is to behold in every place, so many profane and dissolute ones who bear the very image of Satan: the face of whose conversation plainly discovers, what they are, and whither they are going, Philip. 3. 18. 19. These look like themselves, the Children of wrath: The (2) is to see so many cursed hypocrites artificially disguising themselves, and with marvellous dexterity acting the parts of Saints, so that even a judicious eye may sometimes mistake the Similar Workings of the Spirit on them, for his ⟨image 3⟩saving workings on others: to hear such a person conferring, praying; bewailing his corruptions, and talking of his experiences; would easily persuade a man to believe, that he hath the heart as well as the face of a sincere Christian: For Sic oculos, sic ille manus, sic ora ferebat. So the people of God do speak, so they pray, and even so they open their conditions: these look like Saints, but are none. The (3) Is to see so many real Saints in whom the Spirit of truth is, who get through the impetuous workings of their corruptions, and neglecting of the watch over their hearts, do often fall into such scandalous practises, that they look like hypocrites though they are not so.