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

This Question, fall it which way it will, makes no trouble to a sound Christian in examining of its work; Separation from Sin must be, Christ only can separate from Sin: The will must take Christ as King, and so must be separated from Sin: So then, the thing be done, whether it were begun under Compunction, before union with Christ, or after union, it matters not; the truth of our Conversion depends not upon the priority in the Question: yet (with submission to other learned Divines) I cannot see that Mr. Shepherd in this point is mistaken, there seems to be clear Reasons on his side. For,

First, I cannot see how it is possible the Soul can hold married affections to two, and those contrary. The Crown and the Bed admit but one. Can the Soul be married to Christ while it is married to its lusts, at the very same time? Will Christ admit this? Or will he not first have a Divorce to be consented to, at least not resisted? How Christ should ingraft or implant the Soul into himself, who grows upon the old Stock, and will not be cut off from it, I cannot tell.

Secondly, If a man be called from one Term to another, surely in order of nature he must first turn from the Term in which he was when he was called, before he can come to the Term to which he was called. In effectual calling, the Term from which the Soul is called is not primarily and properly Hell; all are willing enough to turn from that, [though some, Monsters of men, have it often in their mouths, God damn me] but Sin, Creature-idolizing, Inordinate-self, which Hell attends, this is the proper Term from which we are called, and Hell is a strong Argument to make us attend to the Call, if that be the wages of Sin; Must not then a man in order of nature first turn from Sin, before he can turn to God? Can he come to this Term, and not move first from the other?