A49258:338
A treatise of effectual calling and election In XVI. sermons, on 2 Peter 1.10.…
A treatise of effectual calling and election In XVI. sermons, on 2 Peter 1.10. Wherein a Christian may discern, whether yet he be effectually called and elected. And what course he ought to take that he may attain the assurance thereof. Preached by that faithful servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Laurence Jury, London.A treatise of effectual calling and election In XVI. sermons, on 2 Peter 1.10. Wherein a Christian may discern, whether yet he be effectually called and elected. And what course he ought to take that he may attain the assurance thereof. Preached by that faithfull servant of Christ, Mr. Christopher Love, late minister of Laurence Jury, London.
London: printed for John Rothwell, 1655
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
First, (saith a doubting Christian) I do hear in Scripture what effects will follow, and what will accompany a man effectually called, and I find them not wrought in my soul. As now first, I apprehend that when a man is effectually called, he shall be enabled by God to call upon him in prayer: I find in Scripture, 1 Cor. 1.2. That all that are called to be Saints, they shall call upon the Lord in every place; but alas, woe is me, I do not find this in my soul. I find I have a dull, dead, listless, unpraying ⟨p. 102⟩heart all the days of my life; and therefore I doubt whether I am effectually called or no. Now to this I shall lay down three things for answer.
First, (saith a doubting Christian) I do hear in Scripture what effects will follow, and what will accompany a man effectually called, and I finde them not wrought in my soul. As now first, I apprehend that when a man is effectually called, he shall be inabled by God to call upon him in prayer: I finde in Scripture, 1 Cor. 1.2. That all that are called to be Saints, they shall call upon the Lord in every place; but alas, woe is me, I do not finde this in my soul. I finde I have a dull, dead, listlesse, unpraying ⟨p. 102⟩heart all the daies of my life; and therefore I doubt whether I am effectually called or no. Now to this I shall lay down three things for answer.
First, peradventure you judge that you are not enabled to pray, because you want expressions in prayer, though you have affections. Now if you judge your inability to pray, because you want expressions only, you judge amiss, because prayer is to be judged by the affections, not by the expressions. Expressions they are but the breath of nature, a natural voluble tongue may tumble out expressions; whereas affections in prayer, they are the breath and fruit of the holy Spirit. Therefore do not judge you cannot pray, because you have not such fluent expressions as others use, for the very essence of a prayer lies in the heart, and therefore it is said, when the Spirit of God teacheth men to pray, it teacheth them not only in expressions, but with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered.