The Sincere Convert

Thus, all they have or do are sins; For, how can he do any good action whose person is filthy? A corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit; thou art out of Christ, therefore all ⟨p. 60⟩thy good things, all thy kindnesses done unto the Lord & for the Lord, as thou thinkest, are most odious to him. Let a woman seek to give all the content to her Husband that may be, not out of any love to him, but only out of love to another man, he abhors all that she doth. Every wicked man wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ, and therefore, though he •eekes to honour God never so much, all that he doth, being done out of love to himself, God abhors all that he performs All the good things a wicked man doth, are for himself, either for self-credit, or self-ease, or self-contentment, or self-safety: He sleeps, prays, hears, speaks, professeth for himself alone; hence, acting always for himself, he committeth the highest degree of idolatry, he plucks God out of his throne, and makes himself a God, because he makes himself his last end in every Action; for a man puts himself in the room of God aswell by making himself his finis ⟨p. 61⟩uttimus as if he should make himself primum principium. Sin is a forsaking or departing from God. ¹Now every natural man remaining always in a state of separation from God, because he always wants the bond of union which is Faith, is always sinning, Gods curse lies upon him,² therefore he brings out nothing but briers and thorns.

Thus, all they have or doe are sins; For, how can hee doe any good action whose person is filthy? A corrupt Tree cannot bring forth good fruit; thou art out of Christ, therefore all ⟨p. 60⟩thy good things, all thy kindnesses done unto the Lord & for the Lord, as thou thinkest, are most odious to him. Let a woman seeke to give all the content to her Husband that may be, not out of any love to him, but only out of love to another man, he abhorres all that shee doth. Every wicked man wants an inward principle of love to God and Christ, and therefore, though hee eekes to honour God never so much, all that hee doth, being done out of love to himselfe, God abhorres all that hee performes All the good things a wicked man doth, are for himselfe, either for selfe-credit, or selfeease, or selfe-contentment, or selfesafety: Hee sleepes, prayes, heares, speakes, professeth for himselfe alone; hence, acting alwayes for himselfe, hee committeth the highest degree of idolatry, hee pluckes God out of his throne, and makes himselfe a God, because hee makes himselfe his last end in every Action; for a man puts himselfe in the roome of God aswell by making himselfe his finis