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…

¹Let this lastly be a use of thankfulness, to all those whose eyes the Lord hath opened to see, and so convinced you of your sins. When David was going in the heat of his Spirit to kill Nabal, and Abigail met him and stopped him, what said he? Oh blessed be the Lord for thy counsel;² so when thou wert going on in the heat and pursuit of thy sin, toward eternal death; that the Lord should now meet thee in thy way, and convince thee of thy folly, and so stop thee; what a world of sin else wouldst thou have ⟨p. 43⟩committed, how vile wouldst thou have bin? oh say therefore, Blessed be that Minister of the Lord, and blessed for ever be the name of the Lord that gave me that counsel. It is said, Christ will send the Comforter to convince of sin;³ is it a comfortable thing to see sin? yes, it shall one day be matter of unspeakable comfort to you that ever you saw sin; that ever he showed thee that mystery of iniquity in thy heart and life, those arcana imperii, those secrets of the power and dominion of sin over thee:⁴ Thou shalt not hate, but reprove thy brother. If the Lord should secretly keep thy sin glowing in his own bosom against thee, and never reprove thee for it, nor convince thee of it; no greater sign of Gods everlasting hatred against thee. Oh it is infinite love that he hath called thee aside and dealt plainly and secretly with thee, and will you not be thankful for this? The Lord might have left thee in thy brutish estate, and never made known thy latter end; never have told thee of thy sin or stood before it comes.

¹Let this lastly be a use of thankfulnesse, to all those whose eyes the Lord hath opened to see, and so convinced you of your sinnes. When David was going in the heat of his Spirit to kill Nabal, and Abigail met him and stopt him, what said he? Oh blessed bee the Lord for thy counsell;²