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

Take the Prodigal, who is set out for a pattern of a Soul converting or coming home to God: What was the turning Argument? There is bread enough in my Fathers house: Bread then is the business for a starving Prodigal; Salvation for a Soul under sense and sentence of damnation. Ay but Prodigal, you must set up the praise of your Fathers kindness, love and mercy, in taking you into his house, and giving you bread, Above your bread, and life thereby preserved. Ah, saith the poor Prodigal, I shall praise my Fathers love and mercy, if he doth; but whether above my life or bread, at this time, I cannot stand to decide that now, whether I do or not; pinched I am, almost starved I am, ready to famish, O, I pray, give me bread. Is not this the case of this poor Soul now, in a miserable, starving, dying, damning condition there is living bread, Jesus Christ to be had, with thee there is forgiveness, Psal. 130. Oh give me this bread, this Christ, and with him peace, pardon, redemption, grace, salvation from that misery now I feel: Yea, saith Mr. Rogers, [but not Christ nor his Apostles, blessed be God] salvation you may have, if you set up the glory of Gods Grace above it. O saith the Soul, I do admire his Grace, and shall adore it, but ⟨p. 218⟩whether I do above it now or no I cannot tell, I am pinched for a Christ, and for all the benefits he brings to lost undone Souls, such as I am, give me him.

When Sea-men fear Rocks, or Shoals, they go to their Plates, and look there whether they give notice of any Rocks or Shoals, if they do not in places well known, where Ships go frequently, on they go: Once it was our case, falling into a Current, where the water foaming, some suspected Rocks; to the Plates they went, and found no mention of any Rocks there, on we went boldly, and no danger. Conversion of Souls is a work wherein Ministers trade every day, Mr. Rogers, Mr. Thomas Hooker, Mr. Shepherd, have given us warning of Rocks, here is a selfish Rock will split the Soul, saith Mr. Rogers: We reverence the graces and abilities of these worthy men; but are there Rocks? Let us go to our Plates the holy Scriptures; Christ and his Apostles have gone this way oftentimes before us, and knew where dangers lay sufficiently; Do they give notice of these Rocks, which these worthy men do? Not the least mention of any such things: then let Souls go on boldly, O do not trouble them, and scare them with more fears than need; they will have fears enough of a shipwreck rise from other Rocks, though we do not make new ones.