N01446:101
A guide to Christ. Or, The way of directing souls that are under the…
A guide to Christ. Or, The way of directing souls that are under the work of conversion. Compiled for the help of young ministers: and may be serviceable to private Christians, who are enquiring the way to Zion. / By Solomon Stoddard, A.M. and Pastor of the church in Northampton. ; With an epistle prefixed, by the Reverend Dr. Increase Mather.
Boston: printed by J. Allen for N. Boone, 1714
Directions How to guide Souls through the Work of Conversion.
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.
SOMETIMES he complains that he does every thing from a spirit of self-love: he don't aim ⟨p. 24⟩at the Glory of God in any thing; but fear of Hell, and desire of Salvation, are the great things that do set him on work: were it not for fear of Hell he should leave off. In this Case he may be told,
1. That it is impossible he should act from at higher principle. He has no principle of love to God, Job. 5.42. Self-love is the reigning principle in him, and therefore it is no wonder that he does all in Religion from that spirit; it was his weakness that he formerly thought he did any thing out of love to God. No Natural man ever did act with an higher spirit, then a spirit of self-love: A bad Tree cannot bring forth good fruit.
2. That he should make use of this for Humiliation, and not for Discouragement. There is no reason that he should be discouraged because of this, for every one is an Hypocrite at first; and many that have sought God for a while with a selfish-spirit, have afterward been turned, and have had another spirit given to them: but he should make use of this to his Humiliation, and learn hereby his own badness, the insufficiency of his own righteousness, and the justice of his Condemnation, and that he has no cause to think much that God does reject his Services, and not give peace unto him.