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

Secondly, It is in believers at all times. Take those who have lost their assurances, and lye bemoaning themselves in their dark desertions, examine them softly, prudently, you shall find them at last yielding to this; though when you come to gather up your discourse, and so would conclude their faith for them, then they may shuffle, thwart, and call back something they have yielded, when they come to see what you drive at. Sometimes they will give no answer at all, or deny all; frowardness doth too often attend these dark fits. Take other Christians, unless it be in the very heat of their Combat, when corruptions are raging, when they know not what to say of themselves, but they are plain Hypocrites; let but the storm cease, they will ⟨p. 207⟩give you a fair account of this work: for as union with Christ always hold, so this faith always hold, though not discernible to themselves always; yet others may help them to spell their lesson, and find it out, when they cannot.

Secondly, It is in believers at all times. Take those who have lost their assurances, and lye bemoaning themselves in their dark desertions, examine them softly, prudently, you shall find them at last yielding to this; though when you come to gather up your discourse, and so would conclude their faith for them, then they may shuffle, thwart, and call back something they have yielded, when they come to see what you drive at. Sometimes they will give no answer at all, or deny all; frowardness doth too often attend these dark fits. Take other Christians, unless it be in the very heat of their Combat, when corruptions are raging, when they know not what to say of themselves, but they are plain Hypocrites; let but the storm cease, they will ⟨p. 207⟩give you a fair account of this work: for as union with Christ alwayes hold, so this faith alwayes hold, though not discernable to themselves alwayes; yet others may help them to spell their lesson, and find it out, when they cannot.

But it seems we have not as yet got a sound definition of faith; the reverend Mr. Daniel Rogers hath put in one thing which creates much trouble to Christians, as you may see in the Epistle to the Reader. Mr. Shepherd, though he speaks not the same words, yet speaks the same sense, in his Sincere Convert, p. 123. where inviting the Soul to take hold of Christ, he thus speaketh, Go to him, and take hold on him, not with the hand of presumption, and love to thy self, to save thy self, but with the hand of faith and love to him to honour him. His ninth and last way that he numbers among the nine easy ways to Heaven (as men think) all which lead to Hell, seems fully to speak the same thing with Mr. Rogers, which you may compare with him in the beginning of this book. Ninthly,