The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…

As for the Preaching of the Gospel before the Law to show our Misery; it is true, that the Gospel is to be looked at, as the main End; yet you must use the Means, before you can come to the End, by the Preaching of the Law, or Misery in despising the Gospel, End and Means have been ever good Friends, and you may join them well together, you cannot sever them without Danger. I do observe that the Apostles ever used this Method: Paul first proves Jews and Gentiles to be under Sin, in almost the three first Chapters of the Romans, before he opens the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ. I do not observe that ever there was so clear and manifest opening of Man's Misery, as by Christ and his Apostles, who brought in the clearest Revelations of the Remedy. I do not read in Moses, or in all the Prophets, such full and plain Expressions of our Misery as in the new Testament: The Worm that never dies; the Fire that never goes out; the Wrath to come, &c. and therefore assuredly they thought this no Back-Door, but Faith the Door to Christ, and this the Way to Faith. To say that a Man must first have Christ and Life, before he feel any spiritual Misery, is to say, that a Christian must first be healed, that he may be sick; cured, that he may be wounded; receive the Spirit of Adoption, before he receive the Spirit of Bondage; and that he may receive the Spirit of Bondage to fear again.

As for the Preaching of the Gospel before the Law to shew our Misery; it is true, that the Gospel is to be look'd at, as the main End; yet you must use the Means, before you can come to the End, by the Preaching of the Law, or Misery in despising the Gospel, End and Means have been ever good Friends, and you may join them well together, you cannot sever them without Danger. I do observe that the Apostles ever used this Method: Paul first proves Jews and Gentiles to be under Sin, in almost the three first Chapters of the Romans, before he opens the Doctrine of Justification by Faith in Christ. I do not observe that ever there was so clear and manifest opening of Man's Misery, as by Christ and his Apostles, who bro't in the clearest Revelations of the Remedy. I do not read in Moses, or in all the Prophets, such full and plain Expressions of our Misery as in the new Testament: The Worm that never dies; the Fire that never goes out; the Wrath to come, &c. and therefore assuredly they tho't this no Back-Door, but Faith the Door to Christ, and this the Way to Faith. To say that a Man must first have Christ and Life, before he feel any spiritual Misery, is to say, that a Christian must first be healed, that he may be sick; cured, that he may be wounded; receive the Spirit of Adoption, before he receive the Spirit of Bondage; and that he may receive the Spirit of Bondage to fear again.