N04105:379
The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit,…
The sound believer. A treatise of evangelical conversion. Discovering the work of Christ's spirit, in reconciling of a sinner to God. / By Thomas Shepard, sometime of Emanuel-College in Cambridge, since preacher of God's word in New-England. ; [One line from Matthew]
Boston: printed by Green for D. Henchman, 1742
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE Sound Believer. › Chapter 1 › Section 5 › Explication 5: V. The special Ground of Faith.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. This Call honours Grace most, for what more free than for the Lord to say, Come and take of the Water of Life freely? What more free, than for a rich Man to enquire of his Debtor only to receive so many Thousands of him to pay his Debts, and to set him up again? Verily Brethren, as the Lord honours his Grace by commanding us to come, so we honour it, when through' the mighty Power of the same Call we do come.
4. This Call honours Grace most, for what more free than for the Lord to say, Come and take of the Water of Life freely? What more free, than for a rich Man to enquire of his Debtor only to receive so many Thousands of him to pay his Debts, and to set him up again? Verily Brethren, as the Lord honours his Grace by commanding us to come, so we honour it, when thro' the mighty Power of the same Call we do come.
Thus much for Explication of this Call; now let me put an End to it in a Word of Application.
USE. Let this persuade all Sorts of Persons, young and old, one and another, to whom the Gospel is sent, to come unto Jesus Christ; for those that God calls should come: But the Lord calls (at least outwardly) all Sorts of Persons; nay every individual Person to come in: Mark 16.15, 16. Paul told the stout Jailer, If thou believest thou shalt be saved: And look as the Law speaks particularly to every Man, Thou shalt have no other Gods, &c. so doth the Gospel also, Rom. 10.9. that so every Man might look upon himself as spoken to in particular. And indeed if there were not such a particular Call, then Men should not Sin by refusing the Gospel, nor should the Lord be angry for so doing, but their Sin and Condemnation is great that so do,