N01446:237
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. When, notwithstanding their submission, they are still striving to make their hearts better. If you ask them whether they are striving to love God, and to do duties for his Glory? They say yes, they are labouring after it; you may be sure they don't submit to God, but are labouring to get some goodness of their own to commend them to God; they are not sensible of their own impotency. But if a man do indeed submit to God, he sees himself dead in trespasses and sins; ask him whether he be striving to make his heart better; he will say he can as easily remove a mountain as do it; that he has been striving after it a great while, but now he finds that he has no power; his heart is as dead as a stone, there is no disposition to any thing that is good in him, it is quite out of his reach; if God don't make him better, it will never be effected.
4. When men say they have been brought to that many a time. When some men are enquired of, whether they were brought to submit to God's Sovereignty? Yes, they say many a time. Sinners in trouble of Conscience say it has been so oftentimes with them; this shows it is not a right submission. Godly men after their Conversion, may submit many times to God, but that submission differs much from this; that is a gracious submission, and they don't see at the same time themselves utterly destitute of all grace; but that submission that goes before the closing with Christ, is never wrought any more than […]; when it's wrought it may continue some ⟨p. 76⟩little time, till God reveals Christ to a man; but this work is never wrought over and over again in the Soul.
4. When men say they have been brought to that many a time. When some men are enquired of, whether they were brought to submit to God's Sovereignty? Yes, they say many a time. Sinners in trouble of Conscience say it has been so oftentimes with them; this shews it is not a right submission. Godly men after their Conversion, may submit many times to God, but that submission differs much from this; that is a gracious submission, and they don't see at the same time themselves utterly destitute of all grace; but that submission that goes before the closing with Christ, is never wrought any more than ; when it's wrought it may continue some