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

The Major is plain. It is Disobedience to a Command which only destroys the Soul, crossing of the preceptive Will of God, when self sets up something against God; that good which I choose and seek for my self, and God stand Opposites. Thus self-love setting up something against God, placeth it self Above God in his Command.

The Major is plain. It is Disobedience to a Command which only destroyes the Soul, crossing of the preceptive Will of God, when self sets up something against God; that good which I chuse and seek for my self, and God stand Opposites. Thus self-love setting up something against God, placeth it self Above God in his Command.

The Minor: But mans salvation, and the glory of Gods Grace, cannot be made Opposites; this is plain, for no man can possibly seek the exalting of Gods Grace, but he must seek his own salvation: So that there lies an absolute necessity that I must thus love my self, as to seek my own salvation, else there is an impossibility of my serving this end, the exalting the glory of Grace. Hence this word, Above, the setting up or loving any thing above God, hath place only there in Scripture, where the thing set up, or loved by my self, may stand in opposition to God; then self-love proves destructive indeed. But where doth Mr. Rogers find this Command in Scripture, that though the Soul doth so seek its own salvation, as it willingly embraceth Christ upon his own terms, yet that in believing and closing with him, it sets up the glory of Gods Grace above its salvation, and so self-love, not obeying, but crossing this Command, ruins the Soul eternally? Let any man observe the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, how they preached, and see through the whole Scripture, if this were not their way ⟨p. 221⟩to draw men to repentance, to believing in Christ, with these Arguments of salvation, and good things to us: but as for the glory of Gods Grace, that honour which he hath in our repentance, in our believing, that is mentioned nothing so much as the others; though he hath glory it is true in it, and will have it more, yet that Argument is little inculcated; but to command or move with this, the setting up this glory above salvation, I find it not: nay, we see how vile we are, that though the Lord doth follow us, and press us to repentance, to faith, to walking with him, from Arguments that concern self, our own salvation and happiness, yet how little did these Arguments, and do they at this day prevail? O gracious condescension of God! O vile heart of man! Did Mr. Rogers, and do Ministers now find that people are so eagerly set to seek their own salvation according to the Gospel? Do crowds of people come in so thick, that he had need stave them off, and keep them out, with this puzzling notion? I am sure I could observe no such thing when I lived by him, though there were some, blessed be God, in the place, yet more would have been welcome, I am sure very few in his latter days came in, if any.