An answer to the discourse of Mr. William Sherlock, touching the knowledge of Christ,…

The Author laughs at Mr. Shepherds particular call,¹ let us therefore consider it; there is a double call, a general external call reaching to all in the Church, and a particular internal call, vouchsafed to some: The first, is a command, a sufficient warrant to come to Christ; The second, is a special Act of Grace, which infallibly produces Faith ⟨p. 516⟩in those to whom it is given: This distinction is clearly founded in Scripture, all in the Church are called, but all are not drawn of the Father, all do not hear and learn of the Father, Joh. 6.44, 45. For these taught and drawn ones do all of them come to Christ, which all Men in the Church do not; all in the Church are called, but all are not called according to purpose, Rom. 8.28. for then all would love God, as those called ones do, and by consequence all would have that Faith, which works by love. We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness, but to them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and wisdom of God, 1 Cor. 1.23, 24. All of them had an external general call; those to whom Christ was a stumbling block and foolishness, had such a call; for an unknown, an unrevealed Christ could not be a stumbling block or foolishness: But besides this call there is another, an internal effectual call, such as makes Christ the power and wisdom of God to Men, such as works Faith and other Graces in Men: Hence the Apostle saith, That they are the called, called with a more internal and efficacious call than other ⟨p. 517⟩Men are. These things laid down, all things in Mr. Shepherd are very easy; all Men in the Church have an external call, and so a sufficient warrant to believe in Christ, it will be no presumption at all in them to do so. The Object, Jesus Christ is evidently set forth before their eyes, but that they may believe in him indeed, they must wait for a particular internal call, for that Grace which works Faith in the heart; if not, the work of Faith must be their own; they must believe of themselves: And this I fear, though the Object, Christ be free for them would be presumption, because the Scripture assures us, that Faith is the gift of God. All Men in the Church should come to Christ, for the Evangelical command makes it their duty;