N01446:173
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. Warn him that he be not afraid to see the badness of his own heart. For persons that have been praying for it, are yet afraid of it when it comes to. It is such a doleful & uncomfortable Spectacle that they cannot bear to behold it; the sense of it is so cross to their pride, and stirs up such fears of Damnation, that they cannot tell how to away with it, and labour to hide it from themselves, and to get such affections as may comfort them; but they should be told, that there is no cause for them to fear to see their own hearts, for it is dangerous to be ignorant of them, but not dangerous to see them; the sight of the heart is awful, but not hurtful; the heart is bad whether they see it or no, and they must see it before it be better: The Chirurgeon must come to the bottom of the Wound before he heals it.
1. Warn him that he be not afraid to see the badness of his own heart. For persons that have been praying for it, are yet afraid of it when it comes to. It is such a doleful & uncomfortable Spectacle that they cannot bear to behold it; the sense of it is so cross to their pride, and stirs up such fears of Damnation, that they cannot tell how to away with it, and labour to hide it from themselves, and to get such affections as may comfort them; but they should be told, that there is no cause for them to fear to see their own hearts, for it is dangerous to be ignorant of them, but not dangerous to see them; the sight of the heart is awful, but not hurtful; the heart is bad whether they see it or no, and they must see it before it be better: The Chyrurgeon must come to the bottom of the Wound before he heals it.
2. Instruct him, that there is a necessity of his submission to God; for his opposition to that has made him to quench those Convictions of the Spirit which he had. He could not bear to yield himself a prisoner into the hands of God, and to lie at his foot waiting ⟨p. 52⟩for mercy, and that has put him upon it to deliver himself from those Convictions that led that way; but he must be instructed, that there is a necessity of submitting himself to God; he cannot help himself, & God is not bound to help him; God may leave him to perish if he will, and so long as he magnifies himself, and refuses to resign up himself to God, God will not discover Christ to him; he may pray, but he will not be heard: God resists the proud.