N04231:48
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.
Object. But woe to me (saith the poor Soul) you are now come to the Quick; this very Word is like a Millstone about my Neck, and I in the Sea, ready to be sunk for ever. This is the Depth of that Baseness that lies on me, even this, that all the Means can do no better upon me. Why, what tho' Paul and the Jailer were bad enough, so bad as you say? Yet they were made better by the Means: But this is my hopeless Condition, that the Means of Grace prevail nothing on me. Oh, is there such an heart in Hell as I have? For how bad must it needs be, ⟨p. 12⟩when all the Means in the World can do it no more Good! And now, methinks I feel my Heart more hard and inexorable under all God's Ordinances, than when at first I believed. My Condition therefore is (most certainly) hopeless, seeing the Means that should soften me, do but harden me, and make me worse.
Object. But wo to me (saith the poor Soul) you are now come to the Quick; this very Word is like a Milstone about my Neck, and I in the Sea, ready to be sunk for ever. This is the Depth of that Baseness that lies on me, even this, that all the Means can do no better upon me. Why, what tho' Paul and the Jaylor were bad enough, so bad as you say? Yet they were made better by the Means: But this is my hopeless Condition, that the Means of Grace prevail nothing on me. Oh, is there such an heart in Hell as I have? For how bad must it needs be, ⟨p. 12⟩when all the Means in the World can do it no more Good! And now, methinks I feel my Heart more hard and inexorable under all God's Ordinances, than when at first I believed. My Condition therefore is (most certainly) hopeless, seeing the Means that should soften me, do but harden me, and make me worse.
Answ. This is the last Plea whereby the Devil keeps in, and possesseth the Heart of a poor heartless Sinner. But let me answer thee, and for Answer, I say: This hurts not neither: For here at least thou mayst have Hope of Mercy? And here observe the three Things by Way of Answer; and know that.