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…

¹Do not think there is no compunction or sense of sin wrought in the soul, because you cannot so clearly discern and feel it, nor the time of the working and first beginning of it. I have known many that have come with complaints, they were never humbled, they never felt it so, nor yet could tell the time when it was so, yet there it hath been and many times they have seen it by the help of others spectacles, and blest God for it. When they in Isaiah 63.17. complained, Lord why hast thou hardened our hearts from thy fear; do you think there was no softness, nor sensibleness indeed? Yes verily, but they felt nothing but a hard heart, nay such hardness as if the Lord had plagued them with it by his own immediate hand, and not borne and bred with them only, as ⟨p. 51⟩with other men. Many a soul may think the Lord hath left it, nay smitten it with a hard heart, and so make his moan of it, yet the Lord hath wrought real softness, under felt-hardness; as many times in Reprobates there is felt softness, when within there is real hardness. The stony-ground-hearers were ploughed and broken on the top, but were stony at the bottom. Some men may be wounded outwardly and mortally, this may easily be discerned. The Lord may wound others and they may bleed out, their sorrow is more inwardly and secretly, and therefore cannot point with their finger to their wound as others can.

¹Doe not think there is no compunction or sense of sin wrought in the soule, because you cannot so cleerly discern and feele it, nor the time of the working and first beginning of it. I have knowne many that have come with complaints, they were never humbled, they never felt it so, nor yet could tell the time when it was so, yet there it hath been and many times they have seen it by the help of others spectacles, and blest God for it. When they in Esay 63.17. complained, Lord why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy feare; doe you think there was no softnesse, nor sensiblenesse indeed? Yes verily, but they felt nothing but a hard heart, nay such hardnesse as if the Lord had plagued them with it by his owne immediate hand, and not borne and bred with them onely, as ⟨p. 51⟩with other men. Many a soule may think the Lord hath left it, nay smitten it with a hard heart, and so make his mone of it, yet the Lord hath wrought reall softnesse, under felt-hardnesse; as many times in Reprobates there is felt softnesse, when within there is reall hardnesse. The stony-ground-hearers were plowed and broken on the top, but were stony at the bottome. Some men may be wounded outwardly and mortally, this may easily be discerned. The Lord may wound others and they may bleed out, their sorrow is more inwardly and secretly, and therefore cannot point with their finger to their wound as others can.