N04231:42
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.
2. Observe the Folly of this Plea: What Scripture ever said, that the Greatness of Man's Sin could hinder the Greatness of God's Mercy? No Scripture saith so; we see David prayeth to the contrary, Psal. 25.11. Have Mercy upon me, O Lord, and pardon my Sins, for they are great: Nay, God himself doth the quite contrary, Isai. 43.24, 25. Thou hast made me serve with thy Sins, and wearied me with thine Iniquities; yet I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for my Names Sake. When the Jews did tire God with their distempered Manners, and burdened him with their sinful Courses; then the Lord, for his own Names sake, would not so much as remember their Iniquities against them.
2. Observe the Folly of this Plea: What Scripture ever said, that the Greatness of Man's Sin could hinder the Greatness of God's Mercy? No Scripture saith so; we see David prayeth to the contrary, Psal. 25.11. Have Mercy upon me, O Lord, and pardon my Sins, for they are great: Nay, God himself doth the quite contrary, Isai. 43.24, 25. Thou hast made me serve with thy Sins, and wearied me with thine Iniquities; yet I am he that blotteth out thy Transgressions for my Names Sake. When the Jews did tire God with their distempered Manners, and burthened him with their sinful Courses; then the Lord, for his own Names sake, would not so much as remember their Iniquities against them.
3. Again observe, That Sins, tho' they be never so heinous of themselves, yet if the Soul can see them, and the Heart be burdened with ⟨p. 9⟩them, they are so far from hindering the Work of Faith, and from making thee uncapable of Mercy, that they fit thee the rather to go to Christ. The Truth is (which I pray you to take Notice of) it is not properly our Unworthiness, but our Pride and Haughtiness that hinders us from coming to Christ; for we would have something from ourselves, and not all from him. But to the distressed Soul, that sees the Vileness of his Sins; I say, suppose thy Sins were […]; yet upon such a Suppose, thou wouldst not go to Christ, as persuaded of the Freeness of his Grace; but because thy Sins are not many, and upon Conceit that thou hast a Worthiness in thy self, and wouldst bring something to Christ, and not receive all from him; therefore thou keepest back. And is it not plain (then) that it is thy Pride and thy Self-conceitedness that hinders thee? Thou thinkest thou must have thus much Grace and Holiness; and Christ must not justify the Ungodly, but the godly Man. But I tell thee, that, upon such Terms, he will never justify thee, or any Man while the World stands.