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

For the first: I shall show how the real Christian receives Christ; and opening this, I shall show what makes the heart unsound; for Rectum est Index sui, & obliqui.

For the first: I shall shew how the real Christian receives Christ; and opening this, I shall shew what makes the heart unsound; for Rectum est Index sui, & obliqui.

First, The Real Christian closeth with, embraceth, or receiveth Christ advisedly, he deliberates, ponders, observes well what he doth. It is a spiritual Marriage; she is but a fool who will give her consent, to take such a person for her Husband, before she hath advisedly considered the person she is to take, and the match she is to make: Rashness, inconsiderateness, do very ill in these cases: An error of the person nullifies the match; this is not the person whom I intended: Non consentit qui non sentit: They were wise Virgins who went in with the Bridegroom, Matth. 25. And in this, among other things, they show their wisdom, that they did advisedly consent to the Marriage; they knew what they did, they had weighed Reasons pro and con. In that glorious Marriage-covenant which God promiseth he will make with Israel, (such a Promise as never as yet was fulfilled, no not begun as yet, but shall be gloriously solemnized here upon the earth, as the verses that go before and follow show) in his description how he will betroth Israel unto him, he mentions this amongst the rest, I will betroth thee in judgment, Hosea 2.19. Several Interpreters give their judgments upon this Judgment, whom I leave: Mr. Burroughs (a man of a Gospel-spirit, and so the fitter to deal with a Gospel-text) seems to me to hit the joint: Thus he; In Judgment, i. e. there shall be good reason for what I do (saith God) that which I now do, in betrothing thee unto my self, shall not be out of rashness, it shall not be done unadvisedly, but with understanding, with good deliberation, I know what I do in it, and what glory I shall have by it: This is on Gods part: Then there must be Judgment also on our parts: I will put into you a judicious heart, to choose me out of Judgment: Thus he, quoting the Text which I made so much use of,