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

What then must we do now? Why, ¹the only remedy is to venture and try, God hath elected but few: Christ hath shed his Blood for few; therefore we ⟨p. 522⟩must venture (and a hard venture it is, where there is such great odds-against us, and yet our eternal happiness depends upon the success, too great a stake for such a venture) As many men among us do now, who hearing of a good living fallen; twenty will go for it, though but one can have it (though did they know it were irrevocably decreed, who should have it, none of them would stir, but wait for the news: Good God! what Merchant adventurers are poor sinners, who after all their seeking for Christ, are in such danger of missing him?) Or as the Lepers in Samaria, if we stay here, we must dye: If we go out to the Assyrians, we may live, Which is the resolution of desperate men, as it seems the Gospel condemns us all to be. No previous dispositions can give us encouragement to come to Christ, Humiliation cannot do it: After this we must expect a call still; we are but probationers, and may miss him; nay, assurance it self cannot do it, for if you come to Christ, because you have assurance, (That is, if you come to Christ, because you are sure you are come) or because you feel such Graces and Heavenly impressions of Gods Spirit in you, then you may many a day and year ⟨p. 523⟩keep at a distance from Christ, and live without Christ: This is an hard saying, though we come to Christ, we may be at a distance; nay, though we come because we are sure we are come already: It is time now to give over, when assurance is no security.

1. 1Mr. Sherlock.

What then must we do now? ¹We must venture and try, God hath elected but few: Christ hath shed his blood for few; therefore we must venture, and an hard venture it is, and great odds against us. Thus the Author: To which, I answer, God hath elected but few: But do secret things belong to us? May we pry into the eternal Rolls, and make them the measures of our acting? No surely, the Rule is before us in the Gospel, which we must not wave, because there are secret Decrees: A man, that would argue against himself; and his venturing upon Christ from these principles, must do it thus: If I am eternally reprobated, then it is to no purpose to venture upon Christ: but I am eternally reprobated; Ergo, it is to no purpose to venture: But how doth he know the Minor, or what reason hath he for it? What madness and desperate rashness is it to say that which he cannot know, and that against his own Soul and eternal