N04231:164
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.
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.
The poor Woman in the Gospel had spent all her Goods upon the Physicians, Matth. 5.26, 27. and if she had had but a little Means left, yea, but one Farthing-token (for any Thing that I know, or doth appear) she would never have gone to CHRIST: But when all these failed, then she was forced to seek to CHRIST, that was ready and willing to do that for her, and more than she desired. Our Souls must have something to bear upon, and they cannot subsist without some Under-Props. Hereupon therefore, when all our carnal Hopes are taken from us, we stay (as we must needs) upon the Promise, because we have nothing else to rest upon. Yet it is not required (tho' I thus speak) that a Man should cast away all outward Comforts, such as GOD affords him for the Interim here: Oh no: But only this; That (though he have much this Way) yet that he labour to get his Heart to see and acknowledge the Insufficiency and Nothingness of them all, 'till he have the superlative Comfort, CHRIST, above ⟨p. 80⟩above all; and not to repose in them (having them) as some do, making them our whole Contentment, and sole Rest: For then they are but lying Vanities, and broken Staves, which will not only cozen us, but pierce us too, and that deeply.
The poor Woman in the Gospel had spent all her Goods upon the Physicians, Matth. 5.26, 27. and if she had had but a little Means left, yea, but one Farthing-token (for any Thing that I know, or doth appear) she would never have gone to CHRIST: But when all these failed, then she was forced to seek to CHRIST, that was ready and willing to do that for her, and more than she desired. Our Souls must have something to bear upon, and they cannot subsist without some Under-Props. Hereupon therefore, when all our carnal Hopes are taken from us, we stay (as we must needs) upon the Promise, because we have nothing else to rest upon. Yet it is not required (tho' I thus speak) that a Man should cast away all outward Comforts, such as GOD affords him for the Interim here: Oh no: But only this; That (though he have much this Way) yet that he labour to get his Heart to see and acknowledge the Insufficiency and Nothingness of them all, 'till he have the suparlative Comfort, CHRIST, above ⟨p. 80⟩