The Sincere Convert

First,¹ Those that never yet saw they rested in them, they that never found it an hard matter to come out of their duties. For it's most natural for a man to stick in them, because nature sets men upon duties; hence it is a hard matter to come out of resting in duties. For two things keep a man from Christ.

First,¹ Those that never yet saw they rested in them, they that never found it an hard matter to come out of their duties. For it's most naturall for a man to sticke in them, because nature sets men upon duties; hence it is a hard matter to come out of resting in duties. For two things keepe a man from Christ.

1. 1Sign 1.Signe 1.

1.¹ Sin; 2. Self. Now as a man is broken off from sin by seeing and feeling it, and groaning under the power of it: so is a man broken from himself. For men had rather do any thing than come unto Christ, there is such a deal of self in them; therefore if thou canst not tell the time when thou didst rest in thy duties, and then diddest groan to be delivered from these entanglements, (I mean not from the doing of them, this is familism, and profaneness, but from resting in the bare performance of them,) thou dost rely upon thy duties to this day.

1.¹ Sinne; 2. Selfe. Now as a man is broken off from sinne by seeing and feeling it, and groaning under the power of it: so is a man broken from himselfe. For men had rather doe any thing than come unto Christ, there is such a deale of selfe in them; therefore if thou canst not tell the time when thou didst rest in thy duties, and then diddest groane to be delivered from these intanglements, (I meane not from the doing of them, this is familisme, and prophanenesse, but from resting in the bare performance of them,) thou dost relye upon thy duties to this day.