A86531:397
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…
The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. / Delivered in several sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. / Delivered in severall sermons: by that reverend divine, Thomas Hooker, late preacher in New-England.
London: printed by G.D. for Francis Eglesfield, 1651
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Yea, but the soul replieth, alas, should a man content himself with a blind persuasion that his estate is good, and not try his title to heaven, or search whether his interest in Christ be such as will not deceive him at the last?
Yea, but the soul replieth, alas, should a man content himself with a blind perswasion that his estate is good, and not try his title to heaven, or search whether his interest in Christ be such as will not deceive him at the last?
I say, Yes, a man should look into himself, and examine himself whether he be in the faith or no; but always let the Lord be Judge, let his word only pass sentence upon thee: Never Judge thy self barely by what either Satan seems to suggest, or thy own sinful weakness would persuade thee unto: but when the Word of God is revealed, and his truth manifested unto thee; when the Minister out of the Scripture hath settled thy conscience, and declared thy case good, by such assured Evidences, as thou mayest safely build upon, then hold there, and believe nothing to the contrary; search your selves, but still do it by the word of God. If this course were taken and well observed, where there are thousands of complaints among Christians, there would be scarce one. For, my brethren, the ground of all our feebleness, and distrust, and distemper lieth especially in this, that we neglect our grounds, and do not fix upon those truths which God hath revealed and made known unto us, either publicly or privately. Hold this therefore for ever, as the best direction I can give thee: If my soul shall be condemned, the word of God shall condemn it; If I must judge my self to have no grace, the Word of God shall say it; If I must conclude salvation as yet belongeth not unto ⟨p. 145⟩me, it shall be, because the Word saith so, and not because Satan, or my own imagination saith so. This carrieth thousands of poor souls into manifold distempers, because they settle not themselves upon the truth of God, which always standeth as mount Zion unmoveable, and would make them rest in abundance of peace, in the midst of all those disquiets that are raised by Satan, and our own distrustful hearts.