A59685:233
The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs…The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs…
The sound believer, or, A treatise of evangelical conversion discovering the work of Christs spirit in reconciling of a sinner to God / by Tho. Shepard ...The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs spirit in reconciling of a sinner to God / by Tho. Shepard ...
London: printed for R. Dawlman, 1645
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.
1Of thankfulness, to all those whom the Lord hath truly humbled; Time was, when the Lord first convinced you, that so long as you could make any shift, find rest in any duties, you would never lye down at Christs feet, now the Lord might have left you to have stumbled at that stumbling-stone, and to have stuck in those bushes, but you may see that the Lord will save you even then when you would not be saved by him; and especially take notice of two passages of Gods dealings with you, wherein usually you find matter of discouragement, rather then of acknowledgement of Gods goodness to you therein.
1Of thankfulnesse, to all those whom the Lord hath truly humbled; Time was, when the Lord first convinced you, that so long as you could make any shift, find rest in any duties, you would never lye down at Christs feet, now the Lord might have left you to have stumbled at that stumbling-stone, and to have stuck in those bushes, but you may see that the Lord will save you even then when you would not be saved by him; and especially take notice of two passages of Gods dealings with you, wherein usually you find matter of discouragement, rather then of acknowledgment of Gods goodnesse to you therein.
- 1Use 3.Vse 3.
1. That the Lord hath withdrawn all feeling of any good, which it may be once you felt, and that the Lord hath let out more of the evil of your hearts then ever you imagined was in them, nay so much evil that you think there is none like unto you, who hast now no heart nor power to stir, think, desire, will, or do any thing that is good: oh bless the Lord for this, for this is Gods way to humble, and empty, and make thee poor; the Lord saw (though it may be you did not) that you rested in that good you felt, and was or would be lifted up by these, and therefore the Lord hath broke those crazy crtches, famished now, brought you down to nothing, made you like dry deserts; all the hurt the Lord aimeth at in this, being only to humble you, and though these desertions be bitter for the present, yet that by these he might do you good in your latter end: