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

TO THE READER

That Preparation for Christ is necessary, before the Soul can be United to him by Faith, is an undoubted Truth. He came not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance. Men must be convinced of their being Sinners, or they will not be in bitterness for it: Sin must be bitter to them, or they will not forsake it. As long as they love their sins, it is impossible, that they should believe on Christ, Joh. 5.44. Nor will they come to Christ for Righteousness, and Life, except they have an humbling sense of their own unrighteousness, Ro. 10.3. These are Truths which cannot be denied. But whether there is any preparatory Work, which is saving before Faith, has been controverted among Divines. My Learned Tutor, (whom for honour's sake I mention) Mr. Norton (once a Famous Teacher in Boston) in his ^†Orthodox Evangelist has Elaborately proved the Negative, with whom the Worthy Author of the Ensuing Discourse does concur. It has been an Error (and a Tyrannical one) in some Preachers, that they have made their own particular experiences a Standard for all others. When as God is pleased to use a great variety in bringing his Elect home to Christ, although' ⟨p. vi⟩Conversion as to the substance of it, is the same in all, that are brought into a State of Salvation. Some have experienced such terrors, and distress of Conscience, as others have not been acquainted with, who nevertheless are true Believers on Christ. To that Question, What measure of preparatory Work is necessary to Conversion? Mr Norton ^*answers judiciously, As the greatest measure has no necessary connection with Salvation, so the least measure puts the Soul into a preparatory capacity, or Ministerial next disposition to the receiving of Christ. There is not the like degree of humiliation in all those, that are Converted, for some feel a greater measure of trouble, others a lesser, •not all that are truly Converted, are humbled: Nor can it be determined how long a man must be held under fears and terrors, before he is truly Conversed. To affirm, that men must be so many years or months under a spirit of bondage, before they can believe on Christ, is contrary to the experience of many Pious Souls, and to th Scriptures. The preparatory work of the Converts mentioned in the Sacred Writings, was not of long continuance. That super-eminent Divine Dr.