A Christian Directory

§. 2. 1. They are commonly exceeding fearful, causelessly or beyond what there is cause for: every thing which they hear or see is ready to increase their fears, especially if fear was the first cause, as ordinarily it is. 2. Their fantasy most erreth in aggravating their sin, or dangers, or unhappiness: every ordinary infirmity they are ready to speak of with amazement as a heinous sin. And every possible danger, they take for probable, and every probable one for certain: and every little danger for a great one: and every calamity for an utter undoing. 3. They are still addicted to excess of sadness, some weeping they know not why, and some thinking it ought to be so: and if they should smile or speak merrily, their hearts smite them for it, as if they had done amiss: 4. They place most of their Religion in sorrowing and austerities to the flesh. 5. They are continual self-accusers: turning all into matter of accusation against themselves, which they hear, or read, or see, or think of: quarrelling with themselves for every thing they do, as a contentious person doth with others. 6. They are still apprehending themselves forsaken of God, and are prone to despair: They are just like a man in a Wilderness, forsaken of all his friends and comforts; forlorn and desolate: their continual thought, is, I am undone, undone, undone! 7. They are still thinking that the day of Grace is past, and that it is now too late to repent or to find mercy: If you tell them of the tenor of the Gospel and offers of free pardon to every penitent believer, they cry out still, too late, too late, my day is past; not considering that every soul that truly repenteth in this life is certainly forgiven. 8. They are oft tempted to gather despairing thoughts from the doctrine of Predestination, and to think that if God have reprobated them, or have not elected them, all that they can do, or that all the world can do, cannot sa•e them, and next they strongly conceit that they are not elected, and so that they are past help or hope: not knowing that God electeth not any man separatedly or simply to be saved, but conjunctly to believe, repent and to be saved; and so to the end and means together; and that all that will repent and choose Christ and a holy life are elected to salvation, because they are elected to the means and condition of salvation, which if they persevere they shall enjoy.

§. 2. 1. They are commonly exceeding fearful, causlesly or beyond what there is cause for: every thing which they hear or see is ready to increase their fears, especially if fear was the first cause, as ordinarily it is. 2. Their fantasie most erreth in aggravating their sin, or dangers, or unhappiness: every ordinary infirmity they are ready to speak of with amazement as a heynous sin. And every possible danger, they take for probable, and every probable one for certain: and every little danger for a great one: and every calamity for an utter undoing. 3. They are still addicted to excess of sadness, some weeping they know not why, and some thinking it ought to be so: and if they should smile or speak merrily, their hearts smite them for it, as if they had done amiss: 4. They place most of their Religion in sorrowing and austerities to the flesh. 5. They are continual self-accusers: turning all into matter of accusation against themselves, which they hear, or read, or see, or think of: quarrelling with themselves for every thing they do, as a contentious person doth with others. 6. They are still apprehending themselves forsaken of God, and are prone to despair: They are just like a man in a Wilderness, forsaken of all his friends and comforts; forlorn and desolate: their continual thought, is, I am undone, undone, undone! 7. They are still thinking that the day of Grace is past, and that it is now too late to repent or to find mercy: If you tell them of the tenour of the Gospel and offers of free pardon to every penitent believer, they cry out still, too late, too late, my day is past; not considering that every soul that truly repenteth in this life is certainly forgiven. 8. They are oft tempted to gather despairing thoughts from the doctrine of Predestination, and to think that if God have reprobated them, or have not elected them, all that they can do, or that all the world can do, cannot sae them, and next they strongly conceit that they are not elected, and so that they are past help or hope: not knowing that God electeth not any man separatedly or simply to be saved, but conjunctly to believe, repent and to be saved; and so to the end and means together; and that all that will repent and choose Christ and a holy life are elected to salvation, because they are elected to the means and condition of salvation, which if they persevere they shall enjoy.