A49258:402
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.
Sixthly, sound comforts, and real assurance do engage the soul to walk before God in a course of holiness, Psal. 26.3. Thy loving kindness is before mine eyes; that is, I am assured, if I saw the thing with mine eye, that Gods loving kindness is towards me. What then? and I will walk in thy truth. I will walk before thee with a holy and sincere heart; and I will not haunt with vain persons, ver. 4, And I will wash my hands in innocency, ver. 6 &c. So that you see David would walk in a course of holiness, because he had an evidence and assurance of Gods love to him. So 1 John 3.3. He that hath this hope in him, purifieth himself, even as Christ is pure; that is, a man that doth nourish hopes and persuasions of heaven, his hopes will make him a Christian endeavouring to purify his own heart, and to be holy as Christ is holy. This is the nature of true assurance. But now for false assurance, the man that hath it, doth not look after holiness at all; he thinks himself well enough,1 that he hath attained that which every wise man should rest in, without meddling any further; nay, he is so far laying bonds upon himself to walk in a course of holiness, that he will rather take encouragement from thence to walk in a way of looseness and profaneness: Because grace abounds, ⟨p. 129⟩he will abound in sin; this is the ill use that false comfort makes of Gods grace. And therefore, Beloved, look over your hearts. Do the comforts you pretend to have, and the assurance you pretend to enjoy, make you more to pursue holiness? that you can say as David did, I see thy loving kindness is before me, and therefore I will love thy ways; and hate sinfulness; or can you say, you have comforts, therefore yo• will run into sin, and wallow in wickedness? this is an argument thy comforts are not true.
Sixthly, sound comforts, and real assurance do engage the soule to walk before God in a course of holinesse, Psal. 26.3. Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes; that is, I am assured, if I saw the thing with mine eye, that Gods loving kindnesse is towards me. What then? and I will walk in thy truth. I will walk before thee with a holy and sincere heart; and I wil not haunt with vain persons, ver. 4, And I will wash my hands in innocency, ver. 6 &c. So that you see David would walk in a course of holinesse, because he had an evidence and assurance of Gods love to him. So