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

Our Vocation or Calling is ever by some Word or Voice, either outward, or inward, or both; either ordinary or extraordinary; by the Ministry of Men, or by immediate Visions and Inspirations of God. I speak not now of extraordinary Call, by Dreams and Visions, and immediate Inspirations, as in Abraham, and others, before the Scriptures were penned and published: Nor of extraordinary Call, by the immediate Voice of Christ; as in Paul, and some other of the Apostles; for those are ceased now, Heb. 1.1. unless it be among People that want ordinary Means, & elect Infants, &c. whose Call must be more than by ordinary Means, because they want such Means; we speak now of ordinary Call by the Ministry of Men.

2. This Voice in ordinary calling home of the Elect to Christ, is not by the Voice of the Law, (for the proper End of that is to reveal Sin and Death, and to cast down a Sinner) but by the Voice of the Gospel bringing glad Tidings; written by the Apostles, and preached to the World. He hath called you by our Gospel, 2 Thes. 2.14. These Things are written that you might believe, John 20.31. By the Foolishness of Preaching, the Lord saves them that believe, 1 Cor. 1.21, with 26. I mean Preaching at the first or second Rebound, by lively Voice, or printed Sermons at the Time of Hearing, or in the Time of deep Meditation, concerning Things heard; the Spirit indeed inwardly accompanies the Voice of the Gospel, but no Man's Call is by the immediate Voice of the Spirit without the Gospel, or the immediate Testimony of the Spirit breathed out of free Grace without the Word, Eph. 1.12, 13. And therefore that a Christian should be immediately called ⟨p. 164⟩