N01625:174
Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Showing the virtue of Christs blood to…Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Shewing the vertue of Christs blood to…
Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Showing the virtue of Christs blood to cleanse from sin. II. That natural men are under the government of self-love. III. That the Gospel is the means of conversion. : To which a fourth is added, to stir up young men and maidens to praise the name of the Lord. / By Solomon Stoddard A.M. Pastor of Northampton.Three sermons lately preached at Boston. I. Shewing the vertue of Christs blood to cleanse from sin. II. That natural men are under the government of self-love. III. That the Gospel is the means of conversion. : To which a fourth is added, to stir up young men and maidens to praise the name of the Lord. / By Solomon Stoddard A.M. Pastor of Northampton.
printed by B. Green for Daniel Henchman, 1717
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
Of Examination, Whether you be Converted. It is a pain to a Man to be between hopes and fears about his Conversion, for his eternal Salvation doth depend upon his Conversion. Except a man be born again, he cannot ⟨p. 86⟩see the Kingdom of God, Joh. 3.5. And if a Man begins to rejoice in the apprehension of his Conversion, he is presently cast down with fears, whether he be not mistaken: He reads the promises that are made to Converted Men, and they are sweet and precious to him, he would fain take the comfort of them, but he stands quivering, but dare not apply them to himself. He thinks of those words, If a man thinks himself something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. And when he reads threatenings to Unconverted Men, he has an awful sense of the doleful condition of such Men, and he pities them with all his heart; he can't conceive how they will do to bear those miseries; he thinks their worldly felicities will be utterly forgotten after a while, and they will mourn at the last: but then it turns in his thoughts, that may be he is one of them, and he is frighted least they should be executed upon him; he says, that has been the portion of many Men, that have promised great things to themselves; many Mens hopes do utterly fail, when God takes away their Souls, and he says, if that should be his portion he should be undone. When his Neighbours know nothing of it, he is in anguish of Spirit, because he is in suspense, whether he shall hear those words, Come you blessed, or, Go you cursed. Some will be blessed, and some will be cursed, but he doth not know which number he doth belong unto. Therefore examine your selves; this doctrine gives ⟨p. 87⟩light into it: The Gospel is the instrument of Conversion, no body else can tell, how they were Converted; but if it were true Conversion, it was by the Gospel.
Of Examination, Whether you be Converted. It is a pain to a Man to be between hopes and fears about his Conversion, for his eternal Salvation doth depend upon his Convension. Except a man be born again, he cannot ⟨p. 86⟩see the Kingdom of God,