N01446:151
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.
Answ. 1. It may not be amiss while he is in this condition, to mind him that it is his duty to believe in Christ. And to set forth sometimes the Excellency and Sufficiency of Christ before him, it may be several ways beneficial to him; it may help him to take notice of the contrariety and opposition of his heart to this duty, and lead him into a further understanding of the corruption of his Nature; it may give some check to that spirit of self-righteousness that prevails in him, and make him sensible of the necessity of the Righteousness of Christ unto his Justification; it may serve ⟨p. 43⟩to encourage as to the possibility of his Salvation, and convince him, that he is capable to be brought into a state of Salvation.
2. Yet there is no ground to hope, that till he thoroughly sees himself, he will accept the offer of the Gospel. Men must be first humbled before they will believe. Invitations to come to Christ will never be successful, till men are driven out from all their false refuges; they may hear the most powerful arguments with a great deal of evidence and affection, but they will not be obedient; either they will be afraid to come to Christ, and have one thing or other to object; they will be fearful, because they see so much sin, or because they don't know that God means them, or they have not the inward Call of the Gospel. Under some notion or other they will not come, or else they will come in a presumptuous manner, and pretend to believe, when they do not indeed believe: Either they will be born down with Unbelief, or they will get a false Faith.
2. Yet there is no ground to hope, that till he thorowly sees himself, he will accept the offer of the Gospel. Men must be first humbled before they will believe. Invitations to come to Christ will never be succesful, till men are driven out from all their false refuges; they may hear the most powerful arguments with a great deal of evidence and affection, but they will not be obedient; either they will be afraid to come to Christ, and have one thing or other to object; they will be fearful, because they see so much sin, or because they don't know that God means them, or they have not the inward Call of the Gospel. Under some notion or other they will not come, or else they will come in a resumptuous manner, and pretend to believe, when they do not indeed believe: Either they will be born down with Unbelief, or they will get a false Faith.