The Sincere Convert

6. If they have no rest here, then they turn moral men, that is, strict in all the duties of the moral law, which is a greater matter than reformation or humiliation, that is, they grow very just and square in their dealings with men, and exceeding strict in the duties of the first Table towards God; as fasting, prayer, hearing, reading, observing the Sabbath, and thus the Pharisees lived, and hence they are called the strict sect of the Pharisees. Take heed you mistake me not, I speak not against strictness, but against resting in it, for except your righteousness exceed theirs, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. You shall find these men fly from base persons and places like the Pesthouses, commend the best books, cry down the ⟨p. 237⟩sins of the time, and cry against civill or moral men (the eye sees not it self) and cry up zeal and forwardness. Talk with him about many moral duties, that are to be done towards God or man, he will speak well about the excellency and necessity of it, because his trade and skill whereby he hopes to get his living and earn eternal life, lieth there; but speak about Christ, and living by faith in him and from him, & bottoming the soul upon the Promises (pieces of Evangelical righteousness) he that is very skilful in any point of controversy, is as ignorant almost as a beast when he is examined here; hence if Ministers preach against the sins of the time, they commend it for a special Sermon, (as it happily deserves too) but let him speak of any spiritual inward soul-working point, they go away, and say, he was in their judgement confused and obscure, for their parts they understood them not. (Beloved) pictures are pretty things to look on, and that's all the goodness of them; so these men ⟨p. 238⟩are (as Christ looked on and loved the natural young man in the Gospel) and that's all their excellency. You know, in Noah's flood, all that were not in the Ark, though they did climb and get to the top of the tallest mountains, they were drowned: so labour to climb never so high in morality, and the duties of both Tables, if thou goest not into Gods Ark, the Lord Jesus Christ, thou art sure to perish eternally.

6. If they have no rest here, then they turne morall men, that is, strict in all the duties of the morall law, which is a greater matter than reformation or humiliation, that is, they grow very just and square in their dealings with men, and exceeding strict in the duties of the first Table towards God; as fasting, prayer, hearing, reading, observing the Sabbath, and thus the Pharisees lived, and hence they are called the strict sect of the Pharisees. Take heede you mistake me not, I speake not against strictnesse, but against resting in it, for except your righteousnesse exceed theirs, you shall not enter into the Kingdome of Heaven. You shall finde these men fly from base persons and places like the Pesthouses, commend the best bookes, cry downe the