N01446:171
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.
3. To possess them that God is very angry with them, notwithstanding the pains they take. For one great reason why they make no more proficiency is, because they live upon their Duties; though they don't think that their Duties do justify them, yet they do pacify their Consciences with them; and they think that God will have a respect to the pains they take: they do what they can, and they do more than some others; and they hope they stand upon better terms with God than formerly; and though they speak of their own badness, yet they imagine so much of their own goodness, as that they think it will be an hard case for God to damn them: Therefore they should be convinced upon what terms they stand with God; that as there is no merit in their duties, so there is nothing to move God to pity them, nor to abate the anger of God towards them; but their best duties are provocations, and imputed to them as sins.
3. To possess them that God is very angry with them, notwithstanding the pains they take. For one great reason why they make no more proficiency is, because they live upon their Duties; though they don't think that their Duties do justifie them, yet they do pacifie their Consciences with them; and they think that God will have a respect to the pains they take: they do what they can, and they do more than some others; and they hope they stand upon better terms with God than formerly; and though they speak of their own badness, yet they imagine so much of their own goodness, as that they think it will be an hard case for God to damn them: Therefore they should be convinced upon what terms they stand with God; that as there is no merit in their duties, so there is nothing to move God to pity them, nor to abate the anger of God towards them; but their best duties are provocations, and impated to them as sins.
SOMETIMES a man that has been in a very hopeful way quickly to get through the work of Conversion, returns again to his old postures; he had of late great Convictions of the badness of his own heart, the hypocrisy of his duties, the insufficiency of any thing of his own to gain Gods favour, and has such workings of heart as are wont immediately to procure submission ⟨p. 51⟩