N04231:217
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.
1 First; He will bestow them in his own Order, not thy Order. First, He will make thee fit, and make thee good, that thou mayest be able to digest them, and then he will bestow them on thee. Haply a poor Man is driven to desperate Hazard, and is brought miserably under, and therefore the Heart cries earnestly for some more Supply; and he calls and GOD answers not; and he labours to look up to the Promise, where GOD saith, Nothing shall be wanting to him, and yet it cometh not. I say, GOD will give these in his own Order-First, GOD will make thee fit for this Estate, and then give it. I never knew a good Man desperately poor, but his Heart was desperately proud; therefore the Lord will make him good, and make his proud Heart yield, and then bestow these Things: Look for that first, and then for the other.
1 First; He will bestow them in his own Order, not thy Order. First, He will make thee fit, and make thee good, that thou may'st be able to digest them, and then he will bestow them on thee. Haply a poor Man is driven to desperate Hazard, and is brought miserably under, and therefore the Heart cries earnestly for some more Supply; and he calls and GOD answers not; and he labours to look up to the Promise, where GOD saith, Nothing shall be wanting to him, and yet it cometh not. I say, GOD will give these in his own Order-First, GOD will make thee fit for this Estate, and then give it. I never knew a good Man desperately poor, but his Heart was desperately proud; therefore the Lord will make him good, and make his proud Heart yield, and then bestow these Things: Look for that first, and then for the other.
Again, Another Christian labours exceedingly for the Assurance of GOD'S Love, and cannot obtain it; and seeks to GOD in the Use of the Promises, and yet he cannot find it settled. Well, GOD will give thee Comfort and Consolation, but in his own Order. And know this, that commonly the Lord never debars the Soul of Comfort, but he sees the Heart is not fit for it. Thy Heart would be proud and careless, and GOD would hear no more of ⟨p. 122⟩thee, and thy Sail would overturn the Boat; therefore when God has abased thy Heart, and made thee content to want what he shall deny, then he will give thee Assurance, but it must be in his own Order. And this is the Reason why the most smoke out their Days in Discontent; the Reason is, There is a proud Heart and a sturdy Disposition of Spirit that will not come unto God's Terms. As it is with a Physician; he will not give a Cordial to his Patient, when he will: For if he were in a burning Fever, it were the next Way to send him going; but first he purges him, and makes him fit, and then gives him a Cordial: So it is in these Things which thou cravest; the Lord will give thee them, when thou shalt not surfeit of Comfort, and Assurance, and Prosperity; and when thy Heart is emptied and purged, and able to digest these Things, then the Lord will give them.