The Sincere Convert

Eighthly,¹ Because men nourish a blind, false, flattering hope of Gods mercy: hence many knowing and suspecting that all is naught with them, yet having some hope they may be in a good estate, and God may love them; hence they lie down securely, and rest in their flattering hope. Hence observe, those people that seldom come to a conclusion, to a point, that either they are in the state of grace, or out of it, that never come to be affected, but remain secure in their condition; they commonly grow to this desperate conclusion; that they hope God will be merciful unto them; if not, they cannot help it: like the man that ⟨p. 223⟩had on his Target the picture of God and the Devil: under the first he writ, si tu non vis, if thou wilt not; under the other he writ, ipse rogitat, here's one will.

Eighthly,¹ Because men nourish a blinde, false, flattering hope of Gods mercy: hence many knowing and suspecting that all is naught with them, yet having some hope they may be in a good estate, and God may love them; hence they lie downe securely, and rest in their flattering hope. Hence observe, those people that feldome come to a conclusion, to a point, that either they are in the state of grace, or out of it, that never come to be affected, but remaine secure in their condition; they commonly grow to this desperate conclusion; that they hope God will be mercifull unto them; if not, they cannot helpe it: like the man that ⟨p. 223⟩had on his Target the picture of God and the Devill: under the first he writ, si tu non vis, if thou wilt not; under the other he writ, ipse rogitat, here's one will.

1. 1Reas. 8.