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

Now these men that never had any sound desires, I will refer to three ranks: ¹the lazy hypocrite, the stage hypocrite, and the terrified hypocrite: All these it shall appear there was never any true desire in their souls.

Now these men that never had any sound desires, I will referre to three rankes: ¹the lazy hypocrite, the stage hypocrite, and the terrified hypocrite: All these it shall appeare there was never any true desire in their soules.

1. 1Unsound desires discovered.

First then it shall appear that your lazy kind of professor never came to attain this saving work of God, to have a desire soundly set on in his soul, he will be content to give you the hearing, say what you will, and enjoin him what you please, be the duty never so exact, the course never so strict, nay if you will reprove him sharply, and deal roughly with him, he is made of even metal, his resolution is this, he will thank you for your counsel, and bless God for the means, and hopes he shall amend; he confesseth the evils you discover should be reformed, and the duties you command should be discharged, and he desires he may, and he hopes he shall, and when you have him here, you have the best of him, when he hath brought you hither he can go no further, but stands still where he was, he will fill your ears full of talk, but he will not endeavour as he should; the former doctrine casts him ⟨p. 162⟩out as one that was never partaker of this sound desire, for he that endeavours nor desires not, his desires are flashy, and his labour is answerable, it was so in Balaam, it was hammered in Balaam's forge; Oh, saith he, that I may dye the death of the righteous: but wishings and wouldings keep no house (as we use to say) this was just Balaam's fashion, Oh that I might dye the death of the righteous! but yet he would not set one foot forward to walk with care and conscience before God: these desires are bred in the brain and understanding of a man out of some terrifyings of conscience, because knowledge saith, a man should do so, therefore he thinks he doth so, but this is not desiring, it is lying and dissembling; I beseech you be your own Judges, you that are masters of servants, will you say that servant desires the furtherance of your estate, when he will not set his hand to do your work; will you say, that messenger desires to do your message faithfully, that will not stir one step forward? you are so wise you will not be cozened after this fashion, you will not be thus deluded: the master saith, if you desire my furtherance, why do you not labour then? and if you desire to do my message faithfully, why do you not go about it then?