The souls vocation or effectual calling to Christ. By T.HThe soules vocation or effectual calling to Christ. By T.H

For the first, the manner of the Spirits work, how the Lord doth give this notice, and how the candle comes to be lighted, and the glimpse of Gods mercy comes in, as by so many crannies into the soul, it is discerned in three passages.

For the first, the manner of the Spirits worke, how the Lord doth give this notice, and how the candle comes to bee lighted, and the glimpse of Gods mercy comes in, as by so many cranies into the soule, it is discerned in three passages.

Passage. 1 The Spirit of the Lord meeting with an humble, broken, lowly, self-denying sinner, for of him I speak: he that is a proud stout hearted wretch, God give him notice of his mercy? no, God will give him notice of something else, he shall have notice of judgements & hell fire: let him have that which belongs unto him, Judgement to whom judgement belongeth: but I speak of an humbled sinner, through which he may be enabled, and by which he may be fitted to entertain the things of God. The natural man perceiveth not the things of God, neither can he; why? because they are spiritually discerned. So that there must be a spiritual light in him, before the soul can see spiritual things without, 1 Cor. 2.12. We have not received the spirit of the world, which is the spirit of ignorance and darkness, that possesseth all the world: the world lieth in darkness and in sin; there is the spirit of the Devil and terror in the minds of wicked men; but you have not received the spirit of the world to delude you and blind you, but you have received the Spirit of the Lord; as who should say, No man doth, no man can know the things of Gods free grace, rich mercy, boundless compassion in the Lord. No man can ⟨p. 75⟩see these colours, unless he hath a spiritual eye, Revel. 3.18. No (saith God) ye are blind, &c. but I counsel thee to buy of me eye-salve, that thou mayest see: and now the humbled sinner begins to see, like the man in the Gospel, some light and glimmering about his understanding, that he can look into and discern the spiritual things of God.