The Sincere Convert

4. If their good hearts cannot quiet them, but conscience tells them, they are unsound without, and rotten at core within, then men fall upon reformation; they will leave their who•ing, drinking, cozening, gaming, company-keeping, swearing, and such like roaring ⟨p. 233⟩sins, and now all the Country saith, he is become a new man, and he himself thinks he shall be saved, 2 Pet. 2. 20. they escape the pollutions of the world, as swine that are escaped and washed from outward filth, yet the swinish nature remains still, like Mariners that are going to some dangerous place, ignorantly, if they meet with storms, they go not backward, but cast out their goods that endanger their ship, and so go forward still: so many a man going towards hell, is forced to cast out his lusts and sins, but he goeth on in the same way still for all that. The wildest beasts (as Stags) if they be kept waking from sleep long, will grow tame: so conscience giving a man no rest for some sins he liveth in, he groweth tame; He that was a wild Gentleman before, remains the same man still, only he is made tame now (that is) civill and smooth in his whole course, and hence they rest in reformation: which reformation is commonly but of some troublesome sin, and it is because they think it is ⟨p. 234⟩better following their trade of sin at another market, and hence some men will leave their drinking and whoring, and turn covetous, because there is more gain at that market; sometimes it is because sin hath left them, as an old man.

4. If their good hearts cannot quiet them, but conscience tells them, they are unsound without, and rotten at core within, then men fall upon reformation; they will leave their who•ing, drinking, cozening, gaming, company-keeping, swearing, and such like roaring ⟨p. 233⟩sinnes, and now all the Countrey saith, he is become a new man, and he himselfe thinkes he shall be saved,