N03999:140
Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety
Captives bound in chains, made free by Christ their surety: or, The misery of graceless sinners, and their recovery by Christ their Saviour. By T. Doolittel [sic]. ; [Three lines from Isaiah]
Boston: printed by Rogers & Fowle for J. Edwards, 1742
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Liberty to the Captives. › Chapter 6: The Fourth Chain is Presumption.
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.
6. Another Link in this chain of false hopes wherewith these Captives are bound, is on the contrary, in that they have strong parts, great knowledge in the things of God, are very full of good discourse; for the Devil hath several Fetters for his several Prisoners; and several Chains for several Captives, various ways and wiles to keep them in Captivity; and this is not the meanest nor the weakest, when men take gifts for grace, and common grace for special. But towards the cutting of this chain, consider,
There might be notional knowledge of the things of God, where a man never had any experimental taste and relish of them. A man that never yet repented, might be able to tell you what Repentance is; and a man that is not converted, might tell you ⟨p. 114⟩much of the Method of the Spirit in converting of a sinner. Many can talk of God, that never tasted any sweetness in him; and many can discourse of Heaven, that shall never enter into Heaven. The Head might be full of knowledge, when the heart is empty of Grace; might talk of faith, of the nature of it, of the actings of it, of the excellency of it, of the necessity and effects of it, and yet have no Faith; and so of Love, and other graces, and yet have no Love, nor any other grace. The greater is your knowledge, the greater is your sin, and the greater will be your misery if it be separated from practice and obedience, Luk. 12.47, 48.
There might be notional knowledge of the things of God, where a man never had any experimental taste and relish of them. A man that never yet repented, might be able to tell you what Repentance is; and a man that is not converted, might tell you ⟨p. 114⟩much of the Method of the Spirit in converting of a sinner. Many can talk of God, that never tasted any sweetness in him; and many can discourse of Heaven, that shall never enter into Heaven. The Head might be full of knowlege, when the heart is empty of Grace; might talk of faith, of the nature of it, of the actings of it, of the excellency of it, of the necessity and effects of it, and yet have no Faith; and so of Love, and other graces, and yet have no Love, nor any other grace. The greater is your knowledge, the greater is your sin, and the greater will be your misery if it be separated from practice and obedience,