The Sincere Convert

1. The soul of a poor sinner, if ignorantly bred and brought up, rests confidently in superstitious vanities. ⟨p. 229⟩Ask a devout Papist, how he hopes to be saved; he will answer, By his good works. But enquire further; what are these good works: why, for the most part superstitious ones of their own inventions (for the Crow thinks her own bird fairest) as whipping themselves, pilgrimage, fasting, mumbling over their Paternosters, bowing down to Images and Crosses.

1. The soule of a poore sinner, if ignorantly bred and brought up, rests confidently in superstitious vanities. ⟨p. 229⟩Aske a devout Papist, how he hopes to be saved; he will answer, By his good workes. But enquire further; what are these good workes: why, for the most part superstitious ones of their owne inventions (for the Crow thinkes her owne bird fairest) as whipping themselves, pilgrimage, fasting, mumbling over their Paternosters, bowing downe to Images and Crosses.

2. Now these being banished from §2the Church and Kingdom, then men stand upon their titular profession of the true Religion, although they be Devils incarnate in their lives. Look up and down the Kingdom, you shall see some roaring, drinking, dicing, carding, whoring in Taverns and blind Alehouses; others belching out their oaths, their mouths ever casting out like raging Seas filthy frothy speeches: others, like Ishmaels, scoffing at the best men, yet these are confident they shall be saved. Why, (they say) they are no Papists, hang them, they will die for their Religion, and rather ⟨p. 230⟩burn than turn again by the grace of God. Thus the Jews boasted, they were Abraham's seed: ¹