A59669:543
The Sincere Convert
The sincere convert discovering the paucity of true believers and the great difficulty of saving conversion by Tho. Shepherd ....The sincere convert discovering the paucity of true beleevers and the great difficulty of saving conversion by Tho. Shepheard ....
London: printed by T.P. and M.S. for Humphrey Blunden, 1641
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Fifthly,1 if thy duties make thee sin more boldly, thou dost then rest in duties; for these duties which carry a man out of himself unto Christ, ever fetch power against sin; but duties that a man rests in, arm him and fence him in his sin, Isa. 1. 14. A cart that hath no wheels to rest on, can hardly be drawn into the dirt, but one that hath wheels, cometh loaded through it; so a child of God that hath no wheels, no duties to rest upon, cannot willingly be drawn into sin: but another man, though he be loaden with sin (even sometimes against his conscience) yet having duties to bear him up, goeth merrily on in a sinful course, & makes no bones of sin; when we see a base man revile a great Prince, & strike him, we say, surely he durst not do it, unless ⟨p. 253⟩he had some body to bear him out in it, that he rests and trusts unto: so when we see men sin against the great God, we conceive, certainly they durst not do it, if they had not some duties to bear them out in it, and to encourage them in their way, that they trust unto.
Fifthly,1 if thy duties make thee sin more boldly, thou dost then rest in duties; for these duties which carry a man out of himselfe unto Christ, ever fetch power against sinne; but duties that a man rests in, arme him and fence him in his sinne, Isa. 1. 14. A cart that hath no wheeles to rest on, can hardly be drawne into the dirt, but one that hath wheeles, commeth loaded through it; so a child of God that hath no wheeles, no duties to rest upon, cannot willingly be drawne into sinne: but another man, though he be loaden with sinne (even sometimes against his conscience) yet having duties to beare him up, goeth merrily on in a sinfull course, & makes no bones of sinne; when we see a base man revile a great Prince, & strike him, we say, surely he durst not doe it, unlesse ⟨p. 253⟩he had some body to beare him out in it, that he rests and trusts unto: so when wee see men sinne against the great God, we conceive, certainly they durst not doe it, if they had not some duties to beare them out in it, and to encourage them in their way, that they trust unto.