N04231:105
The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. Wherein the main hindrances, which keep men…
The poor doubting Christian drawn to Christ. Wherein the main hindrances, which keep men from coming to Christ, are discovered. : With special helps to recover God's favour. / By Thomas Hooker. ; With an abstract of the author's life. ; [Four lines from Isaiah]
Boston: printed by Green for D. Henchman, 1743
Title page typeset from the transcription.
THE Poor doubting Christian Drawn to CHRIST. › Chapter 2 › How to see Sin aright.
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.
And here look as it is with a poor travelling Man, one that falleth among Thieves, who come and promise to carry him a nearer Way, but bring him into a Wood whither no Passengers come, and there they do what they will unto him: So it is with a poor Soul, when the Devil gets him into these unwarranted Disputes, as it were, large Wildernesses of God's eternal Counsel, where are no Passengers, and therefore he cannot but be void of Helps and Succour, and so as that Satan may now exercise his full Pleasure, and whole Malice, by terrifying his poor desolate Soul.
To avoid which Straits, observe these three Rules.
1. First; Let the Soul in this Case bear upon the Almightiness of the Power of God, who said to Abraham, I am God all-sufficient, Gen. 17.1. For if thou be persuaded of the All-sufficiency of God, that Assurance cannot but stay thee (slipping) from falling. And here remember that God can do more than thou canst think. He is able, and doth thee good, tho' thou know it not. And further, consider that the Soul cannot doubt of God's Will, but with that very Doubt makes some Question of his Power. This for the first Rule.
1. First; Let the Soul in this Case bear upon the Almightiness of the Power of God, who said to Abraham, I am God all-sufficient, Gen. 17.1. For if thou be perswaded of the All-sufficiency of God, that Assurance cannot but stay thee (slipping) from falling. And here remember that God can do more than thou canst think. He is able, and doth thee good, tho' thou know it not. And further, consider that the Soul cannot doubt of God's Will, but with that very Doubt makes some Question of his Power. This for the first Rule.