To those who looked to some outward act for confirmation of a regenerate heart, the Puritans pointed to proper motives as well as proper conduct. To those who merely looked to their orthodox beliefs, the Puritans pointed out that demons are orthodox in their creeds, but not in their conduct. Always careful not to raise unnecessary doubts in weak believers, the Puritans, nevertheless, felt it was imperative to awaken the carnal hypocrite from his unmerited security.
In this book, Matthew Mead shows twenty ways a person can be deceived into thinking they are Christian when in reality they are only "almost Christian." Mead also explains important topics such as the need for self-examination, the signs of the unforgivable sin, and the reasons for the believer's lack of comfort. He concludes with three matters that every reader should be convinced of: the evil and filthy nature of sin, the misery and desperate danger of the unregenerate, and the utter insufficiency and inability of anything other than Christ Jesus to minister relief. This Puritan classic is intended to rouse nominal believers from their complacency and to comfort true believers. This edition contains the author's Scripture notes and a biographical introduction.
