N01446:244
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.
Such willingness is either only pretended; or if real, it must arise either from desperate rage and passion, or from some violent pang of false affection to God. The Spirit of God don't stir up such workings in the hearts of men.
SOMETIMES a Sinner does enquire, How he may come to know his own heart? He is told, that it is needful for him to know it, and enquires what he should do in order to it. In this Case he may be directed to these three ways.
1. To observe the sinful workings of his own heart. The hearts of men are often working in a way of pride, discontent, worldliness, envy, &c. And by observing these, a man may learn abundance of the badness of his heart, if he do consider with himself how far such a spirit would carry him, if God did not restrain it. As when a man sees the Fire burn the wood on the Hearth, he gathers that it would consume the House too, if not restrained.
2. To examine those shows of goodness that the ⟨p. 78⟩