A41331:315
The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…
The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God is drawing the soul to Christ ... : to which is added, in the epistle to the reader, a few words concerning Socinianism ... / by Giles Firmin ...The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God is drawing the soul to Christ ... : to which is added, in the epistle to the reader, a few words concerning Socinianisme ... / by Giles Firmin ...
London: printed for Dorman Newman, 1670
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
I shall give the Reader my mind briefly.
First, Though man be now lost, miserable, undone, and hath Convictions that his case is naught, yet he hath no such Principle ⟨p. 95⟩in him naturally, that carries him directly to Christ for healing.
This is obvious to any man, who hath laboured to be acquainted with the state of the Souls of his people under his Ministry: Ask them, are they sinners? Yes, they deny it not, who is not? But how then? How do you hope to be saved, and get out of this condition? Let them alone, and let them tell their own story, and open their minds freely to you; they will tell you many things they do, how they live, how they carry themselves towards God and men; but I have observed not one word of Christ all this while, no mention of him, nor of any thing he hath done; at last I have asked, What is Christ no body with you? O yes, yes, Christ is somebody: when I had put the question to them, they have heard of Christ, and they are called Christians, so they must say they have need of him, else it were a shame; but had not I mentioned him, they had not done it: very like to those Women, Isai. 4.1. Seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, we will take our own bread, and wear our own apparel, only let us be called by thy name, &c. So do most of those who are Christians (so called) they take hold of him, that is, they make an outward profession of him, called by his Name, they cannot tell what to profess else, it would be a reproach to them else, (as those Women pleaded) in such a Nation as this: they do not like to be called Jews or Heathen: but they eat their own bread, and wear their own apparel; they live not at all upon Christ, they will not trouble him for that; they have righteousness to clothe themselves, a web of their own home-made cloth; they are beholding to him only for a name. This hath not been my own observation alone, but of other Ministers also, who have told me they have observed the same in their people.