The Sincere Convert, Title page – Table of contents
THE SINCERE CONVERT DISCOVERING THE PAVCITY OF TRUE BELEEVERS; And the great difficulty of Saving Conversion.
By THO. SHEPHEARD, sometimes of Immanuel Colledge in Cambridge.
MATTH. 19. 30. Many that are first, shall be last, and the last, shall be first.
LONDON, Printed by T. P. and M. S. for Humphrey Blunden, at the Castle in Cornhill. 1641.
To the Christian Reader.
IN these evill and perilous times God hath not left us without some choyce mercies. Our sinnes abound, and his mercies superabound. The Lord might justly have spoken those words of death against us, which of old he did against the Iewes; I have taken away my peace from this people, loving kindnesse, and mercies, which had he pulled from us, we had had cause enough to mourne with Rachel, and to refuse comfort, for all our happinesse lyes wrapt up in peace, loving kindnesse and mercy.Psal. 73. 1. But God is yet good unto Israel, he commands deliverances for Jacob,Psal. 44. 4 he over-rules all the powers of darkenesse,Psal. 76, 10. and tells the sonnes of Belial, (men of corrupt mindes and cursed practises) that they shall proceed no further,2 Tim. 3. 8, 9. but that their folly shall be manifest unto all. He makes all enemies, all devills, all creatures, to further his owne glory, and the good of his peculiar people.Esay 26. 20. When times are naught and dangerous, he saith, Come my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doores about thee, hide thy selfe as it were for a little moment till the indignation be over past. If troubles threaten life, he saith, Esay 4 32.When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee, and through the rivers they shall not over flow thee, when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not bee burnt, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee; for I am the Lord thy God, &c. When enemies are incensed, feare and sorrowes multiplied, he saith, Esay 41. …0, 11.Feare thou not, for I am with thee, be not dismayed, for I am thy God, J will strengthen thee, I will helpe thee, yea J will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse. Behold all they that were incensed against thee, shall bee ashamed and confounded, they shall bee as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish. Such words of comfort and life doth God speake unto his. And among other mercies he stirres up the spirits of his servants to write many precious truths and tractates to further the everlasting good of his beloved ones. If the bottomlesse pit be open,Revel. 9. 2 Revel. 1…. 19. and smoake rise thence, to darke… the ayre, and obscure the way of the Saints; Heaven also is opened, and there are lightnings, and voices, to enlighten their spirits, and direct their pathes. Had ever any age such lightnings as we have? Did ever any speake since Christ and his Apostles as men now speake? We may truely and safely say of our Divines and writers, the voice of God, and not of man: Such abundance of the Spirit hath God powred into some men, that it is not they, but the Spirit of the Father that speakes in them.
What infinite cause hath this age to acknowledgthe unspeakable mercy of God in affording us such plenty of spirituall Tractates full of Divine, necessary & conscience searching truths, yea precious soule-comforting, and soule-improving truths? such whereby Head, heart, and soule-cheating errours are discovered and prevented; such as soundly di…erence true grace from all seemings and paintings. No time, no Nation exceeds us herein; and shall we that abound in truths be penurious in praises?
Co…sider Reader, whether Spirituall truths be not worthy of thy choysest prayses. Every Divine truth is one of Gods eternall thoughts, it's Heaven-borne, and beares the image of the most High. Truth is the glory of the whole sacred Trinity. Hence the Spirit is called Truth. 1 Joh. 5. 6. Christ is called Truth. Joh. 14. 6. and God himsel…e is said to be the God of Truth, Deut. 32. 4. It is so delightfull to him, that his eyes are ever upon the Truth. Ier. 5. 1. and when the onelyonly wise God would have men make a purchase, he counsels them to buy the Truth. And is it not good cou…sell, is it not a good purchase? Can you bestow your paines or lay out your money better? If you bee dead in sinnes and trespasses, Truth is the seed of a new life, of a heavenly birth. Iames 1. 18. If you be in any bondage, Truth can make you free. Iohn 8. 32. If compassed about with enemies, Truth can shield thee, Psal. 91. 4. If you be full of fisthy thoughts and lusts, or any imp… rities, the Truth can sanctif…e you, Io…. 17. 17. If darkenesse and faintnesse possesse your soules, Truth is lumen & p… pulum animae, the light and life of the soule, Psal. 119. 105.
Let us then advance our thoughts of Truth, Iohn …1. 15, 16, …7and rate it a…ove all sublu…irie things, and buy it though it cost us all: it is no Simon…; it is not too deare, you cannot overvalue Truth. It is sister to the Peace of God which passeth all understanding: See how God himselfe estimates his word and truth, Psal. 138. 2. Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy Name. Whatsoever God is knowne by besides his word, is heneath his word. Take the whole Creation which is Gods Name in the greatest letters, it's nothing to his word and truth. Therefore Christ tells the Pharisees, it is easier for heaven and earth to passe, then one tittle of the Law to faile. If the least Jod or Tittle of the Law, be prized by God above all the world, let us take heed of undervaluing the great and glorious Truths of the Gospell, and settle it as a Law upon our hearts, that wee can never overprize or yeeld sufficient praise for any truth.
Men can praise God for the blessings of the field, the seas, the wombe, and of their shops; but where is the man that praises God for this blessing of blessings, for Truth, for good Bookes, and heavenly Treatises. Men seldome purposely lift up their hearts & voices to heaven to praise God for the riches of knowledge bestowed upon them. In good Bookes you have mans labour, and Gods truths. The tribute of thankes is due for both, that God inables men to so great labours, and that he conveyes such precious treasure through earthen vessels. David thought it his duty to praise God for Truth, Psal. 143. 2. and hath left it upon record for our imitation. He saw such excellency, and found so much sweet gaine by Truth, that hee must breake out into praises for it.
Reader, give over thy old wont of slighting and censuring mens labors. Experience hath long since told thee, that no good comes that way. Now learne to turne thy prejudices unto praises, and prove vvhat will be the fruit of honoring and praising God for Truths dispensed by his faithfull …ervants. Let me tell thee, this is a chiefe vvay to keepe Truth still amongst us. If …ruths be not received with the love of them, and God honoured for them, presently strong delusions come, and Truth must suffer or fly. God hath made good that promise in Jeremie, he hath revealed to us abundance of peace and truth, and we through ingratitude have ferfeited both. Our peace is shaken, and who can promise himself with Hezekiah there shall be peace and truth in my dayes; Peace may faile thee, but let not Truth. Every good Christian may and should say with the good King, there shall be Truth in my daies, if not peace and truth. I will so far honor truth, as to receive the love of it. I will hold it fast by faith, hold it forth by practise, praise God daily for it, and venture all in defence of it; So did the Martyrs, whose memory is sweete, and whose reward is great. It is better suffering for truth, then with truth: yet if Truth must suffer or can die, better it is to dye with Truth then out-live it.
But that Truth may live, and we live by truth, let us magni…ie God much for truth, for his word and good bookes that spring thence. Some p…obably may say, its en…ugh to prais… God for his word, other books are not …nti? Wilt thou praise God …or the Se…, and …e unthankfull for the rivers and springs? Wilt thou lift up thy voyce for the great Waters, and be silent for the silver drops and showers? If the former rai…e affect thee, be not ingratefull for the latter. God would have men to value his servants, and praise him for their labours.
But they have errors in them.
Be it so, shall we refuse to praise God for the Flowers and the corne, because there be some weeds in the garden, and thistles in the field? Prejudice not thy selfe, buy, reade, take thy delight, here is a garden without weeds, a corne field without Cockle or darnell, thorne or thistle. Art thou a Sincere Convert, here are truths sutable, solid, and wholsome, thou maiest feed and feast without feare.
The Authour is one of singular piety, inward acquaintance with God, skild in the deceits of mens hearts, able to enlighten the darke corners of the little world, and to give satisfaction to staggering spirits. His worke needs not the purple of anothers commendation to adorne it. But because custome, not necessity, for it's truths prorogative to travaile without a pasport) I say, because Customo causeth Truth to crave and to carry Epistles Commendatory; know that the worke is weighty, quick and spirituall, and if thine eye be single in perusing it, thou shalt find many precious soule-searching, soule-quickning, and soule-enriching truths in it: yea, be so warned and awakned, is that thou canst not but blesse God for the man and matter, unlesse thou be possest with a dumbe devill.
To conclude, Christian Reader, take heed of unthankfulnesse; spirituall mercies should have the quickest and fullest praises. Such is this worke, thou foresaw…est it not, thou contributedst nothing to the birth of it; It's a preventing mercy. By it and other, of the same nature, od hath made knowledge to abound, the waters of the Sanctuary are daily increased and growne deepe. Let not the waters of the Sanctnary put out the fire of the Sanctuary. If there be no praise, there is no fire. If thy head be like a winters Sunne full of light, and heart like a winters earth without fruit, feare Iest thy light end in utter darkenesse, and the tree of knowledge deprive thee of the tree of life. The Lord grant thou mayest finde such benefit by this worke, as that thy heart may be ravished with truth, and raised to praise God to purpose, and made to pray; Lord still send forth thy light and truth, that they may leade us.
So prayes,
Thine in Christ, W. Greenhill.
An Introduction to the Worke.
THe knowledge of Divinity is necessary for all sorts of men, both to settle and establish the good, and to convert and fetch in the bad. Gods principles pull downe Satans false Principles set up in mens heads, loved and beleeved with mens hearts, and defended by their Tongues; whilest strong holds remaine unshaken, the Lord JESVS is kept off from conquering of the soule.
Now Spirituall Truths are either such, as tend to enlarge the understanding, or such as may worke chiefly upon the affections. I passe by (in this knowing age) the first of these, and (being among a people whose hearts are hard enough) I being with the latter sort: For the Vnderstanding, although it may literally, yet it never savingly entertaines any truth, untill the Affections be therewith smitten and wrought upon.The principall heads infisted upon.
I shall therefore here prosecute the unfolding of these Divine Principles.
First, that there is one most glorious God.
Secondly, that this God made all mankind at first in Adam in a most glorious estate.
Thirdly, that all mankind is now fallen from that estate, into a bottomlesse gulfe of sinne and misery.
Fourthly, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the onelyonly means of Redemption out of this estate.
Fifthly, that those that are saved out of this wofull estate by Christ are very few, and these few are saved with much difficulty,
Sixthly, that the greatest cause why so many dye, and perish in this estate, is from themselves: either
1. By Reason of their bloudy Ignorance, they know not their misery: or
2. By reason of their Carnall security, they feele not, they groane not under their sinne and misery.
3. By reason of their Carnall confidence. they seeke to helpe themselves out of their misery by their own duties, when they see or feele it: or
4. By reason of their false faith, whereby they catch hold upon and trust unto the merits of Christ too soone, when they see and feele they cannot helpe themselves.
The Contents of this Treatise.
THat there is a God. Page, 3, 4.
That this God is most Glorious. p. 16.
The happinesse of them, that forsake all for this God. p. 15.
A Discovery of Atheisme. p. 10.
Whence terrors of Conscience arise. p. 8.
An Explanation of Gods Attributes, p. 17.
We should make God to be Our God. p. 14.
God made all Mankind at first in a glorious and happy estate. p. 25.
Wherein this glory or blessednesse of man did appeare. p. 26.
How Adams estate was Ours. p. 29.
Wee are more perfectly righteous in Christ, then we could ever have beene in Adam. p. 32.
How to get the Image of God, renewed in us. p. 40.
A Discovery of such as content themselves, with a certaine measure of holinesse. p. 34.
How justly God may require perfect obedience, to all the Law, of every man, and curse him if he cannot performe it. p. 30.
Mans misery in respect of Sin. p. 42.
Every naturall man is dead, while hee lives. p. 48.
The haynousnesse of Adams sin. p. 96.
Sinnes of the Heart, are worse then sins of the Life. p. 55.
Every Action of wicked men is sinfull. p. 57.
Whether good duties ought to be performed by naturall men, seeing their best Actions are si…nes. p. 61.
Mans misery in respect of the Consequents of sinne. p. 63.
Mans fearefull flavery under Sathan. p. 67.
How to prove there will be a day of Iudgement. p. 80.
The time and manner of that day. p. 81.
How Iesus Christ doth redeeme men. p. 98,
VVhom Christ doth redeeme. p. 108.
VponUpon what conditions Christ may be had. p. 110.
The great evill of rejecting Christ. p. 115.
Who they are, that reject him. p. 114.
The Paucity of true beleevers. p. 122.
The Difficulty of saving Conversion. p. 144.
VVherein a child of God, goes beyond a hypocrite. p. 139.
Every easie way to heaven, is a false way. p. 148.
Nine easie wayes to heaven. p. 150.
Foure streight gates to heavens p. 147.
The grand-cause of mans ruine, is from himselfe. p. 156.
How men do plot their owne ruines. p. 157.
A Discovery of unsound Professours. p. 158.
Ten false principles, by which men are deceived in their spirituall estates. p. 163.
The cause of mens mistake about their eternall condition. p. 164.
How false peace is bred in the soule. p. 195.
Whence Carnall Security arises. p. 213.
How Carnall Confidence ruines men. p. 228.
Meanes to get a broken heart. p. 225.
The danger of Resting in holy performances, p. 234.
Wherein mens resting in dutie app…ars. p. 229.
Why men doe rest in their duties. p. 242.
The insufficiency of all duties to save a man. p. 255.
Sixe signes of a mans resting in duties, p. 247.
We must use good duties, though we cannot be saved by them. p. 259.
How to know whether we make Christ our chiefe ayme, and end in all things. p. 191.