N01446:142
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.
1. That so far as they are injected by Satan, they are not imputed to him. The heart of man, is very bad, and from that fountain of sin, exceeding wicked thoughts may arise; but when persons ⟨p. 39⟩are violently followed with such thoughts, they are usually injected by Satan, they are some of his fiery darts spoken of, Eph. 6.16. And when he casts them in, the man is no more guilty, than he that hears a man blaspheme: if a man were perfectly holy, that could not prevent such injections if God let Satan loose upon him.
1. That so far as they are injected by Satan, they are not imputed to him. The heart of man, is very bad, and from that fountain of sin, exceeding wicked thoughts may arise; but when persons ⟨p. 39⟩are violently followed with such thoughts, they are usually injected by Satan, they are some of his fiery darts spoken of, Eph. 6.16. And when he casts them in, the man is no more guilty, than he that hears a man blassheme: if a man were perfect'y holy, that could not prevent such injections if God let Satan loose upon him.
2. That his Nature is so corrupted, that those injections do less or more taint him. The heart is like tinder, and these, temptations will make some impression, though he has a detestation of those thoughts, and labours against them, yet there is a principle in the heart to fall in with them; and generally upon such occasions, persons do contract guilt; and it is but •re if ever, that men are merely passive at such a time: The Sin that is in men, does easily beset them, Heb. 12.1