The Sincere Convert

First, by removing those sins which trouble the conscience; for a man may live in a sin, and yet never be troubled for that sin; for sin against the light of conscience only troubles the conscience; as children that are tumbling and playing in the dust, they are not troubled with all the dust, nay, they take pleasure to wallow in it; but only with that (whether it be small or great) that lights in their eyes. And hence that young man came boasting ⟨p. 197⟩to Christ, that he had kept all the commandments from his youth, but went away sorrowful, because that dust, that sin he lived in with delight before, fell into his eyes, and therefore was troubled: Now mark the plot of the Devil, when he can make a man live, and wallow, and delight in his sins, and so serve him, and yet will not suffer him to live in any sin against conscience, whereby he should be troubled, and so seek to come out of his woeful estate, he is sure this man is his own; and now a poor deluded man himself goes up and down, not doubting but he shall be saved; why? because their conscience (they thank God) is clear, and they know of no one sin they live in, they know nothing by themselves, that may make them so much as suspect their estate is bad, Matth. 9. 13. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, that is, such an one as in his own opinion, is fish whole; every sin being a child of Gods sickness, he is never without some kind of sorrow: but some sins ⟨p. 198⟩only being a natural mans sickness, they being removed, he recovers out of his former sorrow, and grows well again, and thinks himself sound: but, the Lord Jesus never came to save such, therefore Satan keeps possession of them. For the Lords sake look to this subtlety; many think themselves in a good estate, because they know not the particular sin they live in, whereas Satan may have stronger possession of such as are bound with his invisible fetters and chains, when those that have their pinching bolts on them may sooner escape.

First, by removing those sins which trouble the conscience; for a man may live in a sinne, and yet never be troubled for that sinne; for sinne against the light of conscience onely troubles the conscience; as children that are tumbling and playing in the dust, they are not troubled with all the dust, nay, they take pleasure to wallow in it; but onely with that (whether it be small or great) that lights in their eyes. And hence that young man came boasting