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

CHAP. I. Concerning Preparations of the Soul for Christ, in General.

Our worthy Divines have both by preaching and writing spoken much for preparations of the Soul, ¹before it will close with Christ savingly, and that not without cause. That abundance of Christians have a long time doubted of, and argued against the truth of their union with Christ, for want of their sensible experience of these preparative works, which they have learned and read, is well known to him who hath had any inward converse with Christians, if his own experience be not a witness of it: How many years have some Christians here stuck, and could not answer or help themselves. Hence, ⟨p. 2⟩when they feel corruptions working, and their hearts grow sluggish, not following after Christ as they should do, they impute the fault to the want of these preparations. Had I tasted more of the bitterness of sin in that legal work as others have done, sin would not have been so sweet, so powerful as now I feel it, my heart would have followed after Christ more close then now I do. It's true, Divines have spoken and printed some things to help Christians in this particular; but while they preach and print of such strong convictions, such dreadful legal terrors, deep sorrows and humblings, as being the common road through which men go that come to Christ, then put in a few words to ease troubled souls; because they cannot find them; alas, they little regard these words, being but particular exceptions from a general Rule. That soul which is tender and very inquisitive after the soundness of its own conversion, will not be satisfied unless it can find all that in its self which other Converts have.

OUr worthy Divines have both by preaching and writing spoken much for preparations of the Soul, ¹before it will close with Christ savingly, and that not without cause. That abundance of Christians have a long time doubted of, and argued against the truth of their union with Christ, for want of their sensible experience of these preparative works, which they have learned and read, is well known to him who hath had any inward converse with Christians, if his own experience be not a witness of it: How many years have some Christians here stuck, and could not answer or help themselves. Hence,