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

2. Because Faith is the first act of Grace. If the man had a gracious principle, he would immediately Entertain Christ and the Gospel; after a man has received a principle of Regeneration, the first way that it works in is by drawing the heart to Christ; when mens hearts are changed, and a new Nature put into them, it does not first work in a way of sorrow for sin, or thirsting after Gods Glory, or delighting in Holiness; but always the first act of Grace is to close with Christ: God leads him into the exercise of this, that he may be justified, Rom. 5.1. If he did any other gracious act before this, it could not be accepted, for the person is not accepted before Faith: All Sanctification is the fruit of Faith, Acts 26.18.

Soon after the Soul is brought to lye at Gods foot, he is wont to give an account of his Closing with Christ; that God has revealed Christ to him & drawn his heart to him, & he does accept of Christ. In this Case it is best, […]

Soon after the Soul is brought to lye at Gods foot, he is wont to give an account of his Closing with Christ; that God has revealed Christ to him & drawn his heart to him, & he does accept of Christ. In this Case it is best, 〈…〉

1. To examine whether his faith be right. And in this work there is no weight to be laid on it, whether it was in Hearing, Reading, Praying or Meditating, that God gave one right to him; God does not confine himself to any of those ways: neither is there any weight to be laid on it, whether it was by any particular word or without it; if it be according to the Word it is sufficient; nor must we lay weight upon it, whether it were by a word of promise, or some other passage of the Gospel, nor whether he had one word came to him or many Sometimes many promises flow in, one after another, in abundance; but special Enquiry is to be made, [1.] What condition he was in just before, whether he was wholly emptied of himself, or found any imaginary goodness in himself; if his humiliation was right, there as no doubt of hs faith: [2.] Whether by that light that was given him, he saw Christ and Salvation offered to him, or whether he saw that God loved him and pardoned him; for the offer of Grace, and our acceptance goes before pardon, and therefore much more before the knowledge of it: [3.] Whether he saw a glorious fullness in Christ, a sufficiency for the greatest sinners, so as to make him admire the excellency of Christ: [4.] Whether the Offer came with Divine Authority, whether he saw God calling of him so that he could not but accept thereof.