The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

By these experiences which I had found, the Books of these worthy men being in the hands of many Christians, I thought there might be many whom I knew not, that had met with the same afflicting thoughts from them, which my self and others had done; upon which grounds, and partly being moved thereto long since by some godly Divines, I have brought their works, and with them my self, to the trial; professing, if they be right, then must I go look for another work then ever yet I met withal in my own heart: As to Mr. Daniel Rogers, what he met with in the close of his life I was a little acquainted with it: He was a man of great parts, great grace, and great infirmities: My Father Ward would often say of him, My Brother ^*Rogers hath grace enough for two men, and not half enough for himself: A most woeful temper, or rather distemper in his constitution, which hindered much the lustre of that grace which was-in him: By one passage we may judge of his grace; he dined one day at a Knights Table, what company was there I knew not, but he had not that liberty to be seasoning his meat with savoury and spiritual discourse, as he was wont to do; to sit at meals, and not one word for God, was to him strange: The next day he comes to my house, the man was sadly dejected, in such a manner, that those who fall into gross sins scarce know so much sorrow: What is the matter, said I? This was the reason, that he was a man of such a base dastardly Spirit, that he could not speak for God. I told him, your Father would say, in such companies, if you cannot sow any good, you do ⟨image 8⟩well if you can keep out evil. Much ado I had to get, up his Spirit. Though he was a man of such grace yet in the last year of his life coming to my house, he threw himself upon my bed in a great Agony, with this expression to me, Cousin, I would change with the meanest Christian-in Wetherfield, that hath but soundness of grace. God did handle him strangely beat him about in such a manner, that had it been another person I should have pitied him more than I could pity him, who had troubled so many sincere Christians with his Doctrine, and being one of such a Spirit, that such poor Creatures as I am, must not have lived by him, nor had communion with him, had he not been sorely beaten, and kept under: A quartan Ague had so shaken his head, that he scarce ever recovered it again.

By these experiences which I had found, the Books of these worthy men being in the hands of many Christians, I thought there might be many whom I knew not, that had met with the same affticting thoughts from them, which my self and others had done; upon which grounds, and partly being moved thereto long since by some godly Divines, I have brought their works, and with them my self, to the tryal; professing, if they be right, then must I go look for another work then ever yet I met withall in my own heart: As to Mr. Daniel Rogers, what he met with in the close of his life I was a little acquainted with it: He was a man of great parts, great grace, and great infirmities: My Father Ward would often say of him, My Brother