The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…

¹Do not judge of general and common workings of the Spirit upon the souls of any to be the beginnings of effectual and special conversion; for a man may have some inward and yet common knowledge of the Gospel and of Christ in it, before there be any sorrow for sin; yet it doth not hence follow that the Lord begins not with compunction and sorrow, because common work is not special and effectual work; when the Spirit thus comes, he first begins here, as we shall prove.

¹Doe not judge of generall and common workings of the Spirit upon the souls of any to be the beginnings of effectuall and special conversion; for a man may have some inward and yet common knowledge of the Gospel and of Christ in it, before there be any sorrow for sinne; yet it doth not hence follow that the Lord begins not with compunction and sorrow, because common work is not speciall and effectuall work; when the Spirit thus comes, he first begins here, as we shall prove.

1. 17. Rule.

¹The terrors, and fears, and sense of sin and death, be in themselves afflictions of soul, and of themselves drive from Christ; yet in the hand of Christ, by the power of the Spirit, they are made to lead, or rather drive unto Christ, which is able to turn mourning into joy, as well as after mourning to give joy:² and therefore tis a vain thing to think there is no need of such sorrows which drive from Christ; and that Christ can work well enough therefore without them; when as by the mighty power and riches of mercy in Christ, the Lord by wounding, nay killing his of all their carnal security and self-confidence, saves all his alive,³