A guide to Christ. Or, The way of directing souls that are under the…

1. That it is generally so with men under the work of preparation. There's scarce any but has experience of it. Men can hardly bear outward afflictions, much less appearances of damnation: When awakened Sinners are called upon to submit to God, yield themselves prisoners to him, there are two courses that men take to avoid it; One is, to establish a righteousness of their own; they strive to pacify the anger of God, they would fain do something to engage the heart of God to save them. Upon that account they pray affectionately, they are exact in their outward carriage, they strive to make their hearts better: The Other way is, when they find that their danger continue after all their pains, they quarrel with God, object against his Dispensations, find fault with him; they are in a tumult, their hearts are in an uproar, and they are murmuring against Gods dealing.

1. That it is generally so with men under the work of preparation. There's scarce any but has experience of it. Men can hardly bear outward afflictions, much less appearances of damnation: When awakened Sinners are called upon to submit to God, yield themselves prisoners to him, there are two courses that men take to avoid it; One is, to establish a righteousness of their own; they strive to pacify the anger of God, they would fain do something to ingage the heart of God to save them. Upon that account they pray affectionately, they are exact in their outward carriage, they strive to make their hearts better: The Other way is, when they find that their danger continue after all their pains, they quarrel with God, object against his Dispensations, find fault with him; they are in a tumult, their hearts are in an uproar, and they are murmuring against Gods dealing.

2. That he may see much of his own heart in these murmurings. And indeed these murmurings ⟨p. 62⟩are a great occasion sometimes to bring men off from their own righteousnesses: Therefore it is good to lead him on this occasion into the sense of the wretchedness of his heart; he may see in these workings much of his own hypocrisy, he has owned many times the need he has of free mercy; and that he deserved Condemnation; yet now he murmurs as if God owed Salvation to him; he may see much of the Pride of his own heart, in rising up against God, and of his boldness, and of his enmity to God; these workings of heart does discover a dreadful fountain of Sin within.