A61663:16
The trial of assurance set forth in a sermon preached at Boston upon a…The tryal of assurance set forth in a sermon preached at Boston upon a…
The trial of assurance set forth in a sermon preached at Boston upon a lecture day July 7th. 1698 / by Solomon Stoddard ...The tryal of assurance set forth in a sermon preached at Boston upon a lecture day July 7th. 1698 / by Solomon Stoddard ...
printed by B. Green, 1698
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.
2. It is harder to know an holy walk than one act of grace: it is harder for any man to discern ⟨p. 8⟩that he leads an holy life, then that he performs a gracious act: for an holy life does consist of many gracious actions; and it is harder to discern that a man has done many, then that he has done one: it is harder to find out many profitable herbs in the field than one; harder to discern many trains of Wheat among the Chaff, than one: it is harder to find many Evidences of a good Estate than one; to the discerning of many acts of trace, there is required more observation and examination, then to the discerning of one act of grace; if it be difficult to find one, it will be more difficult to find two, ten, an hundred: therefore he that don't know that he has performed one act of grace, does not know that he leads an holy life. I may allude to that, Jer. 12.5. if thou hast run with the foot men and they have wearied thee, how wilt thou contend with horses.
3. If the holiness of mens actions can't be discerned severally, it can't be discerned in conjunction: if a man looks upon his actions severally, and cannot say that this or that or any one was an holy action; he cannot say concerning any action, that it was an act of saving faith, or saving love; how can he when he looks upon his carriages together, say they are holy, if there be no one action that he can say is sincere; how can he say that his walk is sincere: if a man sees an heap of corn, how can he say, it is an heap of wheat, when he does not know, that there is one grain ⟨p. 9⟩of wheat there: the sincerity of his walk depends upon the sincerity of particular actions; and if that be hidden from him, how can he say his walk is sincere: if for ought he knows every prayer and duty be done in hypocrisy; then for ought he knows, his whole life is a life of hypocrisy: if he can instance in no action that is certainly otherwise, it may be so for ought that he knows; if he can't answer to this question.