were his enemy and would slay him and now he was willing to do it so the Lord deals with a stubborne soul if it belongs to him he will overcome his heart and make him let fall his sinnes he will make as though he would slay him he will make him a weary of keeping his lusts before he hath done with him The Lord deales in this case as he dealt with the Philistins they would not send home the Arke what course did he take to make them send it home and send it home in pomp and great respect God did fling down Dagon which was their chief Idoll and the Lord smote them with Emerods And now they think with themselves let us send home the Arke of the Lord and how shall we send it home Let us provide golden Mice and Emerods they sent it home with cost and offerings So the Lord deals with those that belong to him he tires them in their own ways and makes them willing to come out at last Lastly the Lord doth it to knock his people quite and cleane off from all every man naturally hangs upon something and above all hangs upon his good works and good prayers and performances and this keeps his heart from seeing what a miserable creature he is this keeps him from mourning and zeal and fervency and all this while that he hangs upon these his heart is hard'ned he will never stoop and yield to God now when the Lord means to do a man good he knocks him quite off and plucks out of his hands all his works and makes him let all go not that he ceaseth to work but as the Apostle speaks Rom 4.14 He makes him as a man that worketh not not as though he worketh not for there is no carnal man works more then this poor soul in this estate he keeps a great deal of stir to find out mercy and obtaine grace from God there is none that mournes and laments more and goes to Sermons more but yet he is no worker now he is faine to go to his father to him that justifies the ungodly all his wayes are loathsome and abominable he seeth nothing to trust upon but is driven to him that justifies the ungodly he sees he is a vile wretched creature he sees no worth no reason why God should look upon him he is now pennilesse and worthlesse and miserable in himself the Lord makes him a very bankrout he thought he was a rich Merchant but now he makes him a very bankrout and makes him appeare to be naked First here all Dawbers are to be reproved that preach nothing but mercy and the promises of the Gospel many love alife to be upon such theames O say they the promises are best to humble a man and bring him out of his sins whom shall we believe God or man This not the way Ezek. 13.22 the text saith Ye have strengthened the hands of the wicked that he should not turne from his wicked wayes by promising him life When a man preacheth the promise of God before wicked and ungodly men this hardens their hearts and strengthens them that they will not returne from their wicked wayes because the promises are propounded to them and the Minister makes no distinction between the precious and the vile this strengthens them in their sinnes and makes them think they are not so vile but they hope they are in a good case for all this therefore Saint Austine calls such men desolatores not consolatores such work desolation in their hearers and no sound consolation such Ministers as make their Sermons to be pillowes under peoples elbowes they make themselves guilty of the peoples blood and their souls shall be required at their hands they are the cause of peoples miscarriage when a Minister thinks to do people good by crying peace peace when the Prophet saith there is no peace to the wicked this rather drives people further off from God may be it may make them seeme outward professors but it will never make them sound in the faith rebuke them sharply saith the Apostle that they may be sound in the faith Tit. 1.13 sharp rebuking the powerful delivering of the Law and Gospel is the meanes to mahe men sound in the faith the more humble a man is made to be the more faith he comes to have our Saviour saith of the Centurion he had not found the like faith in Israel how came this the text shewes plainly that we shall hardly heare of a man so humble in an age as he was he did even grudge to think that Christ should come into his house he thought he was unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe though he were in the dayes of his humiliation in the forme of a servant his heart was employed and brought low he had no hope in himself all the worth he saw was in Christ this helps a man to the more faith the more a man is emplyed the more may be poured in Wherefore serve all those texts in Scripture The wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all unrighteousnesse tribulation and anguish shall be upon the soul of every one that doth evill flesh and blood can never enter into the Kingdome of God that which is borne of the flesh is flesh and such a one can never please God while the world stands Wherefore serve all these texts of Scripture when Gods flings balls of fire upon men that live in their wicked wayes Why do we not open them and presse them upon mens consciences Why do we not apply them to those to whom they belong are they not in the Bible were the Prophets fooles were the Holy Pen-men of the Scripture mistaken in putting such texts into the Bible If they be there they ought to be utâ—â—red and applied and if they be to be applied to whom but to those to whom they belong Then such persons had need to look to themselves and we that are Ministers woe unto us if we do not preach terrour to whom terrour belongs as well as mercy to whom mercy belongs but you will say are not we Ministers of the Gospel 't is true and so was Christ yet mark what he saith repent and then believe first he discovers their miserable conditions and breaks their hearts and then bids them lay hold upon the Gospel of peace this is the Method that we that are the Ministers of God should take first wound and then heale first lance and then bind up first detect mens sinnes and shew them their miseries and then shew them a remedy first let them see what they are and then see how they may be better Then you must be content to let us go up upon Mount Eball and pronounce the curses of God upon those that go on in their sinnes you must be content to have your estates and conditions ripped up be not ready to be snappish and murmuring against the revelation of the Law and the
at all you have heard saith he how in times past beyond measure I persecuted the Church c. I confesse I had goodly things in me and I profitted in the jewish Religion above many my equals in my own nation being more qealous for the traditions of my fathers I was marvellous strict and forward and for the letter of the law I was marvellous zealous and blamelesse there were excellent good things in me but I had nothing of Christ all this whyle but when it pleased God who seperated me from my mothers womb and called me by his grace c. as who should say now here was the first dawning of that blessed light in my heart now begun that to appeare when God called me by his grace and first revealed his Son in me then was the deed done and never till then so also he shews that he was a cursed creature living in iniquity it may be himself and his companions took him to be as good a man as any was in all Israel but see how he casts his own water Tit. 3.3 We our selves also were sometimes foolish serving divers lusts c. but after that the kindness and love of God appeared c. from thence he began to be in the estate of grace when God called him out of that bad estate when God made a breach between him and his old courses when he made the first rent and division and revoke then grace began to appeare from that time forward I was in Christ thus you see that effectual calling is the first work of God in a mans soul it is the first bringing of a man to Christ and the first making of a man to put him on Secondly Because before effectual calling all was within God what God would do with this or that man may be he meant to save him may be he meant to dam him may be he meant to open his eyes may be he meant to let him go on and live and dye in blindness may be he meant to turne his heart may be he meant to let him go on with the world all was within his own bosom there was no inkling that ever this man should have grace and eternal life nor man nor Angel nor himself could perceive any such thing a man might have vaine hopes and false conceits but no inkling from heaven but he was as faire to be a reprobate as the devils in hell but when God effectually calls a man then he begins to declare what he intends to this or that man he begins to open his brest and shew what purpose he had in himself from all eternity as Eph. 1.9 having made known unto us saith the Apostle the mystery of his will which he purposed in himself c. it was all in himself before shut up in his own secret and privy bosom but when God did effectually call us saith he then did he make known unto us the mystery of his will it was a mystery locked up it was a secret thing that ever he had a purpose to bring us to such things to let us see such mercies now here was the breaking open of this seale now it began to shew it self now the Lord declared what purpose he had in himself now he makes it appeare that we are his elect and chosen and his beloved ones as Paul saith of the Romans to all that are at Rome beloved of God called to be Saints c. Rom. 1.7 you will say how do you know we are beloved ones If you be called to be Saints I dare be bold to say you are beloved of God God hath made it to appeare that he loves you I could not speak thus before you were as vile drunkards and profane persons as any were in Rome but now I dare be bold to say you are beloved of God nay more grace and peace be to you from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ you are called to be Saints and if you are once called then it doth appeare you are the beloved of God it is Gods golden scepter no man could tell whom the King would call to him no man could tell this or that man should be called rather then another till he held out his golden scepter Hest 4.11 So it is with God when God doth hold out this golden scepter to a man now a man hath an inkling that the Lord hath chosen him and will be good to him and hear him and help him in all his wayes and pardon him and do every good thing for him as Mark. 3.13 I use it onely as a similitude our Saviour Christ was there in the mount and the people were below in the vally now saith the Text he called unto him whom he would and they came unto him he was in the mount and all his Disciples were in the vally now no man could tell who should be an Apostle Andrew saith Christ come up now he was one who should be next no man could tell Peter come up then they knew he was one too c. Therefore this calling was the first intimation of Christs purpose to them it was secret in his own bosom whom he would make Apostles before but when he called them it came forth Andrew sees he is the man and Peter sees he is the man c. Thirdly Because all other works follow this work of effectual calling there be abundance of works that God doth work upon his people that he hath chosen to his Kingdom and glory he doth justifie them and pardon their sins and sanctifie and cleanse them from iniquity makes them grow in grace hears their prayers makes them depend upon him in all their needs and necessities he makes them deny themselves and works the grace of humiliation more and more and a trade of godlinesse and a course of holiness and piety now not one of these works are till a man is called all things work together for the best to those that are called Rom. 8.28 this is a leading work now all works come in now the word works and prayer works and the Sacrament works and afflictions work and sinne works when a man is effectually called this is the great wheele of motion now all things work together for the good of him that is called according to Gods purpose this is the first ground work the first breaking of the ice the first setting of a man forth towards heaven therefore we shall see when the Apostle is to write to any man or Churches commonly before ever he bids them do this or that the first thing he speaks to them about is this he tells them they are effectually called as Rom. 1.7 afterwards he bids them yield their members as weapons to righteousness and adviseth them to walk in the Spirit and give up their bodies and souls as a living sacrifice to God not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed in the spirit of their minds and to walk in love
reason that so many become very unsavoury and unfruitful in their lives the reason is because they do not watch what drowsie thoughts have we to be delivered from the wrath of God what lumpish heartlesse care have we to doe good duties This is the reason of the vanity of our minds and the hardness of our hearts and that so little good is done by preaching among us because people doe not watch When you sow your corn you set hullers to drive away the fowls so why doe you not set up hullers a watch over your own hearts that so it temptations come to pick away the Word and the benefit of it you may resist them how should we labour to hide the Word in our hearts that it may do us good The second Use is to exhort us all to take up this duty of watchfulnesse Vse 2 nay to watch in all things as the Apostle speaks 2 Tim. 4 5. to watch in our eating and drinking that we may not eat and drink our bane to watch in company that if they be good we may get good by them if evill we may get no hurt from them we should watch in good duties for we shall meet with the Devil there too every one that hath the fear of God before his eyes whatsoever grace he hath he should watch over it whatsoever good work he hath to doe he should watch that he may goe on in it for watchfulnesse is an helpfull duty watch and pray it is helpful to prayer and so for all other duties it is a duty destinated to another duty so that we can doe no other duty without watchfulnesse therefore we had need to watch First Consider the misery of them that doe not watch they must needs decline and wax worse and worse you see the Church of Sardis here for want of watchfulness grew dead nay the very good things in her were ready to die Secondly Consider the good of watchfulnesse if we watch we shall be satisfied with grace if we have grace we shall increase it Prov. 20.13 Slothfulness keeps a man in poverty but he that openeth his eye shall be satisfied with bread It is true as in outward things so in spiritual things let a man be drowsie and slothful he shall be a poor man and a beggar and shall have nothing to shew for eternal life but if thou wilt open thine eyes and look about thee thou shalt be satisfied with bread with the bread of life with the image of God with righteousness and holiness the more thou watchest the more abundantly will God bless thee Thirdly Consider that men in their outward callings are watchful the shepherds watch their flocks and the husbandman his seasons when to sow and when to reap his corne when to sell it and when to buy it how much more should we for the good of our souls Fourthly We should consider the examples of Gods Saints David he watched at midnight I will arise and praise thee he would rise out of his bed in the night and pour out his heart before God and bless God for his goodness he would not doe it in his bed but he would goe out of his bed and doe it by his bedside upon his knees how should this stir us up to watchfulnesse Now I come to the second Remedy and that is to strengthen the things that remain and the rather because they are but remainders and ready to die and their deeds are not perfect before God These words are diversly interpreted by Divines some understand them personally Strengthen those persons that remain as if he should say to the Angel of the Church Thy people are generally cold and dead and drowsie there is hardly any life in them now those that do remain strengthen them that they may be awakened they are ready to die there are hardly any of thy hearers that are upright and sincere before God therefore strengthen them thus Pareus and many others interpret it and this is a very good sense for a Minister is bound to strengthen all his people if any be drowsie to awaken them if any be dead to quicken them and the Lord complains against Ministers when they doe not doe thus Ezek. 3.4 The diseased have they not strengthened c. But then there is another Exposition of these words given by Divines that understand it of things and not of persons and so it is in the Original Strengthen the things that remain that both Minister and people would strengthen the good things that were in them for the Minister was grown weak and remiss and the people weak in all good things Now the Spirit calls upon the Angel of this Church and in him upon all the Congregation to strengthen the good things that were in them So that the point of Doctrine is this that it is every Christians duty to labour that he might be strengthened specially if he hath had more grace formerly then now he hath it is every Christians duty to strengthen the good things that are in him For the opening of this word strengthen it hath an opposition to weakness Now there is a double weakness First Of those people that are unconverted that are weak to the resisting of sin and doing any that is good they have some principles in them to resist sin and doe good but they are weak as common illuminations and natural conscience and fear of wrath and hope of Heaven and shame of others and the good example of others and living under the means and restraining grace and the like these things may do a great deal of good but they are weak and cannot make them resist sinne and doe good soundly thus unconverted people are weak This is not properly the weakness that is opposed to strength that he would have them get out of the weakness of unconverted people Therefore secondly There is another weakness and that is of the children of God themselves they have weakness to resist sinne and doe good and this is twofold First There is a weakness of Beginning Secondly of Declining First In beginning when a childe of God is a beginner in grace and is but a babe Heb. 5.12 When for the time ye ought to be c. Such as are babes have need of milk they cannot digest strong meat they are too weak for that as may be a new beginner hath gotten faith but it is weak he is not able to apprehend the promises of salvation and the assurance of Gods goodness and mercy towards him he hath much ado to apprehend Christ himself and uphold his heart so a man may have some knowledge but it is weak and some resolutions and endeavours but they are weak corruptions bear him down and his mortification is weak he cannot master many of his heady and mighty lusts Now such people as these are to be exhorted to strengthen these good things that God hath begun in them Hath God begun any good things in
4 Fourthly To exhort that we would consider of this the Gospel doth call for works as well and as strongly yea and more strongly then the Law and there be necessary uses of holiness and obedience and all manner of pious works under the Gospel as the Apostle saith Tit. 3.4 let us mainâ—ain good works for necessary uses c. We are barren trees whatsoever we are we are barren and dead Christians and have no life of God in us if we bring not forth good works for good works are necessary for many uses Motive 1 First They are for signs to shew us what estate and condition we are in we may know what estate and condition we are in by our carriage and conversation whither it be earthly or heavenly holy or prophane so is our condition either happy or damned First They are signs of a mans election 2 Tim. 1.20 this is a sign and a badge and a token whereby we may know that we are vessels of honour if we be sanctified and made meet for our masters use and furnished and prepared for every good work if we do not deny all ungodly lusts and live righteously and soberly in this present world we have rather badges and tokens of reprobation then election we cannot say that God hath appointed us to attain salvation by Jesus Christ but have rather marks of hell and destruction upon us and what is the reason that men that profess Christ do so much question their election no wonder when we are so scanty in our holiness and obedience to God and so backward to do good there is no nickling of Gods everlasting favour breaking out whereas if we were plentiful in good works it would break forth as the Sun out of a cloud Secondly They are signs of effectual calling Jude 1. if a man be called of God he is sanctified also and kept in an holy course preserved in Christ 2 Pet. 1.3 you are an holy Nation a peculiar people to shew forth the vertues of him that hath called you 1 Pet. 2.9 so that we may be sure that we yet abide in darkness and are under the power of sin and Satan if we have not given over our sinful courses and conformed our selves to the Gospel of God we were never called according to Gods purpose but lie under the wrath of Heaven to this day it is holiness and righteousness that is a sign of our effectuall calling Thirdly They are signs of justification also as the Apostle sheweth but you are washed c. 1 Cor. 6.11 you see if we be justified we are also sanctified so 1 Joh. 1.7 if we walk in the light as he is in the light c. We have not one drop of the blood of Christ sprinkled upon our souls by Gods eternal spirit through faith unless we walk in the light and bring forth the works of the light Fourthly They are signs of adoption John 8.39 If you were Abrahams children you would bring forth the works of Abraham so if we were Gods children we would do the works of God the will of God The Apostle having spoken of the adoption of Saints behold what love the Father hath shewed to us c. presently he tells us that holiness and righteousness follows from hence he that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure So Rom 8.14 As many are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God this is an infallible sign if we be the sons of God we are led by the spirit of God so that we have no mark that we are the children of God but rather of the Divel unlesse we walk in purenesse of conversation from day to day Fifthly They are the marks of our love to God as Christ saith if you love me keep my commandements John 14.15 we love not God except we keep his commandments as ever you would be able to say in truth you love me keep my commandments look that you yield not to the corruptions of the world look that you renounce the Divel and all his works I will conclude you love me not at all if you keep not my commandments and he that loves not Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha saith the Apostle Secondly Consider this that the reason why we cannot pray better is Motive 2 because we are no more abundant in good works not only because we want faith but because we want good works for certainly this is a great help to prayer a great support to the soul a great encouragement to go to the Throne of grace and a great sign that God means to hear a man when God hath given him an heart to fear him and love him and make conscience of his wayes as the Apostle saith 1 John 3.22 Whatsoever we aske we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do the things pleasing in his sight As who should say when we go to God and intreat him to be merciful to us and intreat such and such favours that we stand in need of we know that we shall receive them because we keep his commandments These are admirable supports to hold up the hands to the Throne of grace and to make us importunate in prayer and confident because we know God hath poured forth his gracious good will and pleasure into our hearts and hath given us a mark he loves us and beares us good will indeed Why can we pray no better our hands are weake and our knees feeble there is no power in our supplications to the Almighty the spirit of grace is departed from us why the spirit of holiness is gone there is the reason of it when people are loose and do not mortifie their lusts when they are not abundant in following God in fearing God and serving God and obeying the commandments of God they cannot have confidence at the Throne of grace Thirdly Consider this would be a great chearing and rejoycing in the Motive 3 evil day whatsoever afflictions come upon us in this world if we can carry letters testimonial in our own conscience that we do serve God with a pure conscience in this world as Paul saith 2 Cor. 1.12 God knows what evil may befal us before we are a little older what temptations may await us what distresses and calamities may fall upon us happy are we if we have the testimony of a good conscience that we walk in the wayes of God and fear him and love those things that are beloved of God if we love his children his Ordinances his glory and are tender of it a good conscience tender of the commandments of God and his wayes is the best comfort a man can have in the world setting aside his faith in God and this is an evidence of his faith too how can we tell what may be may be the best of us may come to Davids pass you know how he was put to it once in the time of his misery and affliction he was fain to look if he
not know it so it is with a man that is a new beginner in Religion he is a new man though he doth not know it he hath that in him that let him have but time let him but grow he will quickly be able to look upon it and be able to see what it is so it is with the people of God they are at first very ignorant what God hath given them as the Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians Eph. 1.17 that God would let them be no longer children but that God would open the eyes of their understanding that they might know what the hope of their calling was that he would let them know what he had given them they hardly knew what they had at the first they had an effectual calling from God and they had a thousand hopes they might hope to be strengthened against corruptions to be delivered in six troubles and in seaven they might hope when they died to be translated into the Kingdome of immortallity and glory for evermore they had this hope now saith he the Lord of heaven and earth open the eyes of your understanding that you may see the hope of your calling and the exceeding riches of those things that God hath bestowed upon you Againe they may be ignorant of the voyce of the Spirit they do not understand the Spirits language when a child of God is first effectually called he comes into a new world and meets with a new language he is a Barbarian to it and that is barbarous to him he cannot understand the language of the Spirit the Spirit speaks many comfortable things and there are many works of the Spirit whereby the Spirit doth speak to a man for his comfort and consolation if he could take them as a man that comes into a strange Countrey he lives a very uncomfortable life at first he hears them speak but he cannot understand them they speak strange language he cannot tell what to make of it but the longer he is there he comes to understand such a word and then such a word and it may be a sentence now and then and so in the end he understands them plainly so at the first when God calls his people into a new world the Spirit speaks many things to them but yet it is in an unknown tongue it is gibberish to them they cannot tell what to make of it but when they come to understand the dialect they come to rejoyce Againe the children of God are ignorant of the work of grace they think certainly never could any of the children of God that were aright be in that estate that I am they never find their hearts so like a log in prayer when I go to the Sacrament sometimes I behave my self like a block and cannot behave my self in any competent manner as I ought certainly none of Gods people can be thus as I am they are ignorant what may be in the people of God what may stand with the truth of God and so they question their estates and conditions out of ignorance afterwards when they come to more experience and finde the wayes of God in them and come to have a knowledge of their owne corruptions and of the goodness of God in purging them out more and more in the end they are able to speak it to Gods glory and their own consolation Againe the knowledge of a mans effectual calling may be hindered by being unresolved of a mans Christian liberty when there be Christian liberties that a man hath need of every day and yet notwithstanding a man is not resolved upon it many a man thinks verily if he should finde any delight in the good creatures of God if he should be merry or chearful at any time if he should be talking of his calling in the world and speak of it in his communication and follow his calling diligently if he should be angry and let bitter words fly at any time though his nature make him so he thinks verily and concludes that he hath no grace he is a very worldly carnal man he savours of these things here below he savours of the creature and he is carnally merry though a man may take care for outward things moderately and be chearful so for anger a man may be angry be angry saith the Apostle but sin not now if he be angry at any time though the thing be lawful and he hath Christian liberty in the thing yet not knowing his Christian liberty this doth exceedingly trouble a man many times and makes him question his effectual calling there be abundance of Christian liberties that we have need of every day and have need of the knowledge of and when the soul and conscience doth not know his Christian liberty I do not speak of this in regard of the world they had need have straight limitations curbs and we had need put in all the caveats that can be for they are apt of their own accord to take too much elbow-roome every man is ready to stand upon his liberty what he may lawfully do but though wicked men damne their own soules in these things yet it is fit the children of God should have their portion and know it and the want of this knowledge hinders a man from the knowledge of the things given him of God Againe a man may be ignorant of the tenderness of Jesus Christ and of the infinite bowels of the Sonne of God and how chary he is over his people and that he regards a graine of wheat under an heap of chaffe it is very probable that the son of Jeroboam had a taint of the family he was taken from which was marvelous soule yet notwithstanding God takes notice of the good things that were in him though in the Churches in the Revelation foule and grievous things were found yet the Lord notwithstanding takes notice of any thing that was good in them if there be but a drop of true saving grace in the heart God will take notice of it though a man be but smoaking flax God will be tender of it now many a child of God doth not know the tender compassions of Jesus Christ and that he will accept them notwithstanding a thousand weaknesses and though they have but a little hold and a little strength to put forth in the wayes of God and they see how many thousand things they can say against themselves when they see not the tender compassions of Jesus Christ and what a tender Saviour he is the tender mercies of our God as it is Luke 1. This hinders them from the knowledge of that which otherwise they might know Againe it may be hindered very much through melancholy it is the very coach that the devil rides in as Divines speak it corrupts a mans imagination and fills it with groundlesse fears and doubts and makes a man speak he knows not what and he saith he doth not do those things he doth when
great matter is not this a great matter for a man to be sure never to fall away but he shall stand and hold out for ever what a mercy is this yet this is not all for saith he so shall an entrance be made unto you into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as who should say your effectual calling is the very entrance into the Kingdom and glory of Jesus Christ it is the very first entring into the way of eternal life if you are assured of this you are in a faire way you are in the gates of heaven you are in an excellent way if you have made this sure therefore make that pastlal peradventure that you were called indeed of God to partake of Jesus Christ Reas 1. The reason to urge this is first because effectual calling is such a first work that as God doth it at first so it stands for all a man shall never be called more God doth it once and will never do it againe look what God gives a man at first he gives him once for all you may see it Jud 1. saith he I would have you earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered to the Saints when God did effectually call his Saints he delivered to them faith and he delivered it to them then once for all never to give it to them againe but then they had it once for all as it is said of Christ he was once offered for all Heb 9. So when God doth effectually call a man he doth give him this call once for all he gives him faith once for all and grace once for all but you will say when God gives grace he reneweth it every day and affoards new helps and new assistances 't is true and without this no man can stand without supply from God continually the very elect could not persevere unto the end but yet God gives them no new graces he gives them more of the same love to God and more of the same faith and more of the same desires and endeavours after goodness but the thing is never to do againe as Christ saith to the woman of Samaria 1 Joh. 4.14 Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst when Christ brings a man to this well and gives him the first draught he shall never thirst more he shall never have it to do againe God doth it once for all that is that man that is once effectually called is never uncalled if he hath once faith given him he is never totally deprived of it it is once delivered to him for all times afterwards now this shews us that it concerns us nearly to be assured of this when a man hath done a thing that can be but once done it must stand for all and the thing is good and necessary would he not be sure of it such a thing is effectual calling Secondly Because all the promises meet here as all the streams meet where the fountaine opens its self so all the promises of God meet in a mans effectual calling when God effectually calls a man he saith take my Son come unto me cast thy self upon me and be ruled by me he doth this effectually and saith thus to him thou shalt have my Son and with him all things pardon of thy sins the peace of a good conscience I will give thee power against all thy lusts the gates of hell shall not prevaile against thee I will keep thee here in this world through faith unto salvation take my yoak upon thee and learne of me and thou shalt have all these things and therefore Rev. 19.9 Blessed is he that is called to the supper of the Lamb these are the true sayings of God as who should say though you may question it and doubt it and call it into controversy I tell you it is true these are the true sayings of God and you may build your self upon it you are blessed if you be once effectually called of God all the promises of God belong unto you Acts 2.39 the promises belong to you and to your children to as many as God shall call all that are called of God all the promises of God belong unto them as soon as ever Christ hath effectually called a man he opens his liver-veine and le ts out all his heart blood upon him all belongs to that man it is like the first joyning of hands between man and wife with all my goods I thee endow when God first takes a man out of the world to live unto him and seek his Kingdom and labour to please him and from this time forward to believe in his name with all his goods he him endows he gives him title to eternal life to all the helps and furtherances that ever he shall need for this life or eternal life he shall have all now what a needful thing is it when all the promises meet here as at a fountaine head here is the spring let forth how needful is it I say that a man should labour that he be effectually called of God we should look for it every day and pray to God to have it and strive to have it appeare unto us that our calling is sound here is the very in-let of all the comforts of the holy Ghost and all the hope that the soul can have here is all the satisfaction and content of the soul of man they are bestowed upon a man when he is effectually called there is a way set open unto him that he may have the same Thirdly Because this is the first of all obedience a man cannot obey God till he be effectually called nay it is not obedience till he be called if a man should heare Sermons come to the Sacraments give to the poore it is no obedience till a man be effectually called when once a man is bound apprentice and his indentures are drawn his running of errands and all he doth is service to his Master when thou art bound apprentice to Christ and thy indentures are sealed and thou art called to be a servant unto him now all thy works are obedience to him Come saith Christ learne of me c. Mat. 11.28 first he would have them come to him and beare his yoak and then learn of me then be meek as I am meek and humble as I am humble and then bear my burthen then it is obedience and you are able to go through Faithful is he that hath called you who will also do it effectual calling is the fill-horse of the cart that bears up the cart this is the first draught a Painter cannot lay any colour till the first draught be made this is the very ground of a mans workings this is the ground of all obedience of all prayer and hearing here is the ground of doing all aright otherwise God will say what hast thou to do to take my name into thy mouth unlesse thou wilt submit to my Covenant and be bound