N04231:69
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.
Now when the Lord Jesus is pleased to present himself to the Soul, now Desire hath met with the Lord.
It is in this Case with a Sinner, as it is with a Traitor who is pursued, and takes a strong Hold, and is there besieged: And now he seeth no hope of Favour, nor no hope of Escape; therefore he is content to submit, and lay his Head on the Block, that he may receive Punishment for his Offence: Now coming to Execution, he hears an inkling from the Messenger there is yet Hope he may be pardoned. The poor Traitor in the Prison, with that is stirred up to hope. Nay, then he hears by another Messenger from the ⟨p. 26⟩King himself, if he will come to the Court, and seek to his Majesty, and importune his Grace for Mercy and Favour, it's like he shall be pardoned. Then he makes haste, and Desire carries him to the Court to sue for Favour from the King. So that now he will be listening and enquiring of every one there, Did you hear the King speak nothing of me? How stands the King's Mind towards me? Pray how goes my Case? Then some tell him, the Truth is, the King hears you are humbled, and that you are sorry for what you have done: At last the King looks out of the Window, and sees the Malefactor, and says, Is this the Traitor? One says, Yes, if it please your Highness, this is the Man that is humbled and pleads for Mercy, and desires nothing so much as Favour. Hereupon, the King being full of Mercy, tells him, The Truth is, his Pardon is a drawing, and coming towards him. With that his Heart leaps in his Bowels, and his Heart is enlarged towards his Majesty; and he says, God bless your Majesty; never was there so favourable a Prince to so poor a Traitor. His Heart leaps for Joy, because his Pardon is coming towards him. Haply it is not sealed yet: Now when it is sealed, and all done, the King calls him in, and delivers it.
It is in this Case with a Sinner, as it is with a Traytor who is pursued, and takes a strong Hold, and is there besieged: And now he seeth no hope of Favour, nor no hope of Escape; therefore he is content to submit, and lay his Head on the Block, that he may receive Punishment for his Offence: Now coming to Execution, he hears an inkling from the Messenger there is yet Hope he may be pardoned. The poor Traytor in the Prison, with that is stirred up to hope. Nay, then he hears by another Messenger from the