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

Answ. I answer, thus it is, when the Spirit of the Lord in the promise lets in some intimation of Gods love into the soul, the weight lieth upon these two words; lets in some inkling, conveyeth some relish of the love of God into the soul. I beseech you, mark it, when the Lord doth express his favour and goodness in that same powerful manner unto a heart humbled, longing for his favour, that it doth force the soul to be affected with it, and doth prevail with the soul, and by a holy kind of might prevaileth, and makes the soul to be affected with the relish of his favour; this is the ground: A possible good stirs up hope, a necessary excellency in that good settleth desire, and a relish in that good settled, kindles love: So that in the promise there is a fullness to take up the whole frame of the heart. The phrase is admirable in the Psalms; The Lord shall command his loving kindness in the morning; ¹(a strange passage) it is a phrase taken from Kings, and Princes, and great Commanders, whose word is a law. So that the Lord shall send forth his loving kindness with a command; as if he should say, Go love and everlasting kindness, take thy commission, and I charge thee, go to ⟨p. 218⟩the poor humble sinner, go to the poor, hungry, and thirsty sinner, go and prosper and prevail, and settle my love upon his heart, whether he will or no, and let my kindness be settled upon his soul that hath longed for it. Experience tells us this, the Lord doth by an Almightiness give a charge, and put a commission into loving kindness hands, that he shall do good to a poor soul, even then when he sinks under the burden of his sins, and under the apprehension of his weakness. What, shall I have mercy? No, no. Will the Lord Jesus Christ accept me? No surely. Could I pray so, and had I those parts, and could I perform duties after this and this manner, then there were some hope; but, alas! there is no mercy for me. But hearken, I beseech you, what the word discovers your estate to be; is it thus and thus with you? yes; then I speak from the Lord, mercy is yours, and heaven is yours; No, no, saith the soul, I cannot believe it, such a wretch as I go to heaven? No, heaven shall rather fall than I come there. Thus the discouraged sinner knocks off mercy, and shuts the door against it.

Answ. I answer, thus it is, when the Spirit of the Lord in the promise lets in some intimation of Gods love into the soule, the weight lieth upon these two words; lets in some inckling, conveyeth some rellish of the love of God into the soule. I beseech you, marke it, when the Lord doth expresse his favour and goodnesse in that same powerfull manner unto a heart humbled, longing for his favour, that it doth force the soule to bee affected with it, and doth prevaile with the soule, and by a holy kinde of might prevaileth, and makes the soule to be affected with the rellish of his favour; this is the ground: A possible good stirres up hope, a necessarie excellencie in that good setleth desire, and a rellish in that good setled, kindles love: So that in the promise there is a fulnesse to take up the whole frame of the heart. The phrase is admirable in the Psalmes; The Lord shall command his loving kindnesse in the morning;