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

Object. But the world will say, Then a man may live as he list, and do what he will, if grace be free.

Object. But the world will say, Then a man may live as he list, and doe what he will, if grace be free.

Answ. No, no; the Lord will pull down thy proud heart, and lay thee in the dust; the Lord will abase thee and humble thee, before thou shalt receive any mercy from him; he can as well sit thee for mercy, as bestow it upon thee.

Answ. No, no; the Lord will pull downe thy proud heart, and lay thee in the dust; the Lord will abase thee and humble thee, before thou shalt receive any mercy from him; hee can as well sit thee for mercy, as bestow it upon thee.

The abundance of the riches of Gods goodness, that exceedeth all the baseness and vileness of man: though thou hast sinned against heaven, and the Lord in heaven, yet there is mercy above the heaven: be thy sins and rebellions for the nature of them, for the number of them, for the continuance of them, never so heinous, yet they may be pardoned. Here the soul saith, My sins are so many, so great, of such a nature, what, shall I beg mercy, and oppose it? shall I desire grace, and resist it? as that place clearly showeth, Rom. 5.20. Where sin abounded, grace superabounded; he is the Father of mercy, and the God of all consolation; Jam. 2.13. there the holy Ghost saith, mercy triumph above justice: justice cannot be so severe to revenge thee, as mercy is gracious to do good unto thee; if thy sins be never so many, Gods justice never so great, yet mercy is above all thy sins, above all thy rebellions; this may support the soul. So then you have the first ground to stir up hope, thy sins are pardonable, this is possible; what thy sins be, it skilleth not; what thy iniquities be, it mattereth