The Soules Vocation or Effectual Calling to Christ

Severall Treatises of this AUTHOUR.

1 THE unbeleevers preparing for Christ, out of

2 The soules preparation for Christ, or a Treatise of Contrition, on Acts 2.37.

4 The Soules vocation, or effectuall calling to Christ, on Iohn 6.45.

5 The Soules union with Christ, 1 Corin. 6.17.

6 The Soules benefit from union with Christ, on 1 Cor. 1.30.

7 The Soules justification, eleven Sermons on 2 Corin. 5.21.

8 Sermons

p. 33The Soules effectuall calling to CHRIST.

Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father, commeth unto me.

THE ingrafting of the humble and broken hearted sinner into Christ, as we have heard, consists of two particular passages: The first was being put into the stock; Secondly, the ingrafting into the some. As in ingrafting naturally so of implanting spiritually of the soule into Christ. When the soul is brought unto this, then a sinner comes to be partaker of all the spiritual benefits, all shall be communicated to us. Now the point at this present to be handled, is called by the streame of Divines Vocation, and I tearme it the putting in of the soule, when the soule is brought out of the world of sinne, to lye upon, and to close with the Lord Jesus Christ, and this hath two particular passages in it; partly the call on Gods part, partly the answer on ours. The call on Gods part is this, when the Lord by the cal of his Gospell doth so cleerly reveale the fulnesse of mercy, and certifies to the soule by the work of his sp◊rit, p. 34that the soule humbled returnes answer to Gods call.

In the first observe two passages: First, the meanes whereby God will call the sinner unto him; the sinner is afraid to appeare before God whom he hath offended, and may therefore proceed in justice against him for those sinnes which have beene committed by him. Now besides the Law which discovers a mans sinne unto him, hee now prepares another meanes, the voice of his Gospell; hee lets in many sweet inklings into the soule, of his love and kindnesse to allure him, to call him, and draw him to himselfe.

p. 34Secondly, the Lord doth not onely appoint the meanes, namely, the ministery of his Gospel, whereby the soule may be brought unto him, and receive communion with him; but by the worke of his Spirit hee doth bring all the riches of his grace into the soule truly humbled, so that the heart cannot but receive the same, and give answer thereto, and give an eccho of the subjection of it selfe to be governed thereby: that wee have finished already. There must bee hearing before comming; not of the Law, to terrifie a man; but of the Gospell, to perswade and allure a man to come unto the Lord, and receive mercy and kindnesse from him. The Gospell is the meanes ordained by God to call home the soule unto him. But this will not doe the deed; there must be something else, or the sinner will be at a stand, and cannot come on cheerfully, and receive the grace offered him; therefore besides the meanes, wee p. 35have the speciall cause expressed, which is the Lord. For when a man hath heard, that is one thing; but that is not all, for the principall cause is the Lord. God the Father alone can buckle the heart to receive the grace appointed, and the mercy offered to the soule: and without the principall cause, all other meanes, I meane the Ministers of the Gospell, although it be a savour of life unto life, yet it may be a savour of death unto death, unlesse the Spirit of the Lord goes with it. For when the Gospell is onely revealed to the understanding, and that onely conceives of the letter thereof, and it soakes not, and sinkes not into the heart: this we call an outward calling, that is the phrase of Divines: when some light flash is imparted and communicated unto the soule, and is not set on sufficiently, that is an outward calling. But when God the Father doth accompany the dispensation of the Gospell with the powerfull operation of the Spirit, and it puts its hand to the key of the Gospell, and unlockes a blinde minde, and a hard heart, there the soule learnes throughly and effectually the way of salvation. The Text saith, there must not onely be hearing, but learning of the Father, else the soule will not, nor cannot come. Now before I can collect the severall passages out of the words, there is some difficulty and obscurity in the phrase, therefore give me leave, as I am able, to discover the meaning and sense of the words, and then the collection will be cleere.

p. 35First, for the explication of the phrase, and I will discourse four questions unto you, which will p. 36be usefull for the cleere explication of the Text. [4. Questions.]

First, what the lesson is that a man must learne before he come.

Secondly, why the Father is said to teach, and not the Sonne, nor the holy Ghost.

Thirdly, what is the manner how the Father doth teach the soule, when he will call it home to himselfe.

Fourthly, what is the frame and disposition of the soule, how doth the heart behave it selfe when it hath in truth learned the lesson. When the Lord will propound unto, and learne the soules of his that belong to him, you must not thinke the truth tedious, because they will give us light into all the truth that shall bee hereafter discussed out of the word.

He that hath heard and learned of the Father, what is the lesson that he must learne before hee can come? that after he hath learned this lesson he may be able to see the path of salvation as propounded to him, so also neere at hand, that hee might walk therein, and receive comfort thereby.