Gospel reconciliation, or, Christ's trumpet of peace to the world

To that purpose I answer. First though it is true, we are dead in sins and trespasses and are not able to perform any true saving work by our own strength, yet first all those expressions of God and Christ in his word, and so of the ministers of God in their names, it may be of this use to stir up common gifts and graces of the spirit of God in us, and that is for to have them stirred up to the utmost that possible may be, people must not think (that because they cannot do any work that is indeed saving in it self, any work of spiritual life) that therefore there is nothing to be done by them, we are to know that though the saving works of God be more rare, yet there are common works of the spirit, that God doth dispense to many, yea to most, and in some degree or other to all, especially to those that live under the sound of the Gospel, there are none that live under the sound of the Gospel but they have some common gifts of the Spirit of God, in one degree or other. Now the Lord ⟨p. 358⟩would have these stirred up to the utmost, (though it cannot be in a sanctified way) and these expressions of God & Christ to sinners, have a great deal of efficacy in them to stir up what common gifts of Gods Spirit you have, and if sinners do not this they cannot expect that God should do much towards them. Consider what power God hath given them, and what common gifts they have already, and let that be acted to the utmost, and then they may wait still for more from God. This is a truth, that there are none that do perish, but God hath this to charge them with, that they did not stir up the common gifts of Gods spirit. Secondly, (though we cannot do any thing of our selves) yet God knows that that is the best way to convey true saving Grace unto them, a spirit of life into them, it is by this means rather than by others, the Lord chooses this way rather than others. You have received the Spirit, saith Paul to the Galatians, And how have you received it? by the preaching of the Law, or by the preaching of the Gospel? Which way was the conveyance of the spirit of God to you? Was it by the preaching of the Law, or the preaching of the Gospel? not by the one but by the other.

To that purpose I answer. First though it is true, we are dead in sins and trespases and are not able to performe any true saving work by our own strength, yet first al those expressions of God and Christ in his word, and so of the ministers of God in their names, it may be of this use to stir up common gifts and graces of the spirit of God in us, and that is for to have them stirred up to the utmost that possible may be, people must not think (that because they cannot do any worke that is indeed saving in it self, any work of spiritual life) that therefore there is nothing to be done by them, we are to know that though the saving works of God be more rare, yet there are common workes of the spirit, that God doth dispence to many, yea to most, and in some degree or other to al, especially to those that live under the sound of the Gospel, there are none that live under the sound of the Gospel but they have some common gifts of the Spirit of God, in one degree or other. Now the Lord