N00357:891
The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ
The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ: opened and applied. By Solomon Stoddard Pastor to the church of North-Hampton in New-England. ; [Nine lines from Philippians]The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ: opened and applied. By Solomon Stoddard Pastor to the church of North-Hampton in New-England. ; [Nine lines from Phillipians]
Boston: printed by Samuel Green for Samuel Phillips, 1687
Title page typeset from the transcription.
The Safety of Appearing in the Righteousness of Jesus Christ. › Chapter 11
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.
3. God takes great delight in the acts of Faith at such a time when signs fail: acts of Faith at such a time put a great deal of honour upon God: and God does greatly approve of such a Faith: God don't reckon men bold and presumptuous for believing at such a time: God loves to see men with the shield of Faith, defending themselves from all temptations: this is a Faith very commendable in the sight of God, and God will eminently reward his people, for believing on him at such a time: a man cannot please God better than by exercising Faith under such circumstances: under this consideration Abraham's Faith is commended that against hope he believed in hope, Rom. 4.18 and Jesus Christ commends the Faith of the Woman of Canaan, when under great temptation, yet she would rely upon him, Matth. 15.28. O Woman great is thy Faith, be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
Direction 4.
Beware of frowardness and discontent: frowardness ⟨p. 345⟩is one great cause of discouragement and unbelief: men get into a discontented frame, and then they don't know how to believe: their spirits are disordered by the dispensations of God unto them; because God brings great and long afflictions upon them, don't hear their prayers, don't give them those inward comforts that he does unto others, and when their spirits are distempered with discontent, they are greatly disadvantaged to receive the encouragement that God offers unto them: discontent is an enemy unto •aith: therefore beware of a discontented spirit; when you are under any rebukes of Providence, look to your spirits, and labour against the first stirrings of a froward spirit; the workings of frowardness does prove a temptation to unbelief, and so do the workings of any other corruption, as the sinfulness thereof does fright a man from believing: but this is not all: a froward spirit leads a man into unbelief: it is a principle and cause of unbelief.