The Sincere Convert

3. Balaam's way of good wishes, whereby many people will confess their ignorance, forgetfulness, and that they cannot make such shows as others do, ⟨p. 149⟩but they thank God their hearts are as good, and God for his part accepts (they say) the will for the deed; And, My son give me thine heart, the heart is all in all, and so long they hope to do well enough. Poor deluded creatures thus think to break through armies of sins, devils, temptations, and to break open the very gates of Heaven with a few good wishes; they think to come to their journeys end without legs, because their hearts are good to God.

3. Balams way of good wishes, whereby many people will confesse their ignorance, forgetfulnesse, and that they cannot make such shews as others doe, ⟨p. 149⟩but they thanke God their hearts are as good, and God for his part accepts (they say) the will for the deed; And, My sonne give me thine heart, the heart is all in all, and so long they hope to doe well enough. Poore deluded creatures thus thinke to breake through armies of sinnes, devils, temptations, and to breake open the very gates of Heaven with a few good wishes; they think to come to their journeys end without legs, because their hearts are good to God.

4. The way of formality, whereby §4men rest in the performance of most or of all external duties without inward life, Mark. 1. 14. Every man must have some Religion, some fig-leaves to hide their nakedness. Now this Religion must be either true Religion, or the false one; if the true, he must either take up the power of it, but that he will not, because it is burdensome: or the form of it, and this being easy, men embrace it as their God, and will rather lose their lives, than their Religion thus taken up. This form of