N01446:80
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.
Besides the Temptations mentioned, there is ANOTHER SORT of Temptations that are very exercising to him, his Conscience being guilty, he is much subject to frights.
1. One Temptation is, That he shall be left to some great and dreadful sins. In this Case he may be told by the Minister,
1. That one special reason of these fears is that he sees more of the badness of his heart than formerly; Men under troubles of Conscience, are wont to see much of the Corruption of their hearts, and they see that which is sufficient to lead them to all sorts of wickedness; and because God is angry with them, they are afraid he will not keep them, but avenge himself on them, by leaving them to such wickedness.
2. That God is now striving with him in order to his Eternal Good; God is exercising ⟨p. 18⟩a great deal of mercy, and he has no cause to conclude that God will so leave him; though God might justly do it, yet he has reason to hope in God to preserve him.