N01446:98
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.
SOMETIMES he complains of a self-righteous Spirit; that he is ready to trust to every thing he does: that especially when he feels any affections, he is proud of them, and ready to make a righteousness of them: In this Case it may be profitable,
1. To convince him of the insufficiency of his own righteousness to save him: that his own righteousness will not bring him into favour with God; for his own righteousness is utterly imperfect, and so falls short of what the Law requireth. The Law stands for perfect Obedience, but he never did perform one perfect act of Obedience: all his Obedience is stained with Corruption. Besides, while he is in a ⟨p. 23⟩Natural Condition, he does nothing sincerely, but is an Hypocrite in all his performances; and accordingly God is so far from justifying of him for the sake of them, that he will not accept of him, but holds him guilty for the sake of them. Besides, his own righteousness han't the nature of satisfaction in it; there can be no satisfaction for sin, but by bearing the Curse of the Law. Obedience is a natural debt, and cannot satisfy for his contracted debts; if our Obedience would have procured our acceptance, there would have been no need of the Death of Christ: Christ's Death would be in vain, Gal. 2.21.
1. To convince him of the insufficiency of his own righteousness to save him: that his own righteousness will not bring him into favour with God; for his own righteousness is utterly imperfect, and so falls short of what the Law requireth. The Law stands for perfect Obedience, but he never did perform one perfect act of Obedience: all his Obedience is stained with Corruption. Besides, while he is in a ⟨p. 23⟩Natural Condition, he does nothing sincerely, but is an Hypocrite in all his performances; and accordingly God is so far from justifying of him for the sake of them, that he will not accept of him, but holds him guilty for the sake of them. Besides, his own righteousness han't the nature of satisfaction in it; there can be no satisfaction for sin, but by bearing the Curse of the Law. Obedience is a natural debt, and cannot satisfie for his contracted debts; if our Obedience would have procured our acceptance, there would have been no need of the Death of Christ: Christ's Death would be in vain,