The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

¹Whether the cause of all that counterfeit coin and hypocrisy in this professing age, doth not arise from this root, viz. not having this wound at first, but only some trouble for sin without separation from it, sore throws without deliverance from sin? is not this the death of most, if not all wicked men living? how many are there that clasp about Christ, and yet prove enemies to the cross of Christ; fall from Christ scandalously or secretly afterward? what is the reason of it? Certainly if the Lord had cut them off from their sin, they had never fallen to everlasting bondage in sin again; but there the Spirit of God forsook them, the Lord not owing so much love to them. Consider seriously why the stony and thorny-ground-hearers, Mat. 13. came to nothing in their growth of seeming faith and sanctification; was the fault in the seed? No verily, but only in the ground; the one was broken, but not deep enough, the other was broken deep, but not through enough, the roots of thorns choked them, the lusts and cares of the world were not destroyed first, & therefore they destroyed that ground.

¹Whether the cause of all that counterfeit coyne and hypocrisie in this professing age, doth not arise from this root, viz. not having this wound at first, but onely some trouble for sinne without separation from it, sore throwes without deliverance from sinne? is not this the death of most, if not all wicked men living? how many are there that claspe about Christ, and yet prove enemies to the crosse of Christ; fall from Christ scandalously or secretly afterward? what is the reason of it? Certainly if the Lord had cut them off from their sin, they had never falne to everlasting bondage in sinne againe; but there the Spirit of God forsook them, the Lord not owing so much love to them. Consider seriously why the stony and thorny-ground-hearers, Mat. 13. came to nothing in their growth of seeming faith and sanctification; was the fault in the seed? No verily, but onely in the ground; the one was broken, but not deep enough, the other was broken deep, but not through enough, the roots of thorns choked them, the lusts and cares of the world were not destroyed first, & therefore they destroyed that ground.