N04231:78
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.
And know, this is one of the greatest Sins thou committest, to say thy Sins cannot be forgiven.
2. Secondly; As this Sin is injurious to God, so it's dangerous to thy own Soul. It is that which takes up the Bridge, and cuts off all Passages, and there can no spiritual Comfort or Consolation come into the Soul of a poor Sinner, Luke 3.5, 6. Every Valley (or Ditch) shall be filled, and then all Flesh shall see the Salvation of the Lord. What are these Ditches? Why nothing else but those deep Gulfs and Ditches of Despair: And unless these be filled, no Man can see the Lord Jesus Christ. The ⟨p. 32⟩Truth is, this Despair of the Soul is that which cuts the Sinews of Man's Comfort, and takes off the Power & Edge of all the Means of Grace; it daunts all a Man's Endeavours; nay, it plucks up Endeavours by the very Roots: For that which a Man despairs off, he will never labour after. It's here, as with a Man in the Pangs of Death: Unto such a Man, as all Things are unavailable for his Good: His Bed will not ease him, Meat will not refresh him, chafing will not revive him; at last we say he is gone, he is a dead Man; Friends leave him, Physicians leave him: They may go and pray for him, and mourn for him, but they cannot recover him. So this Despair of Soul makes a Man cast off all Hope, and lie down in a forlorn Condition, expecting no Good to come. Alas, saith the poor Soul, what skilleth for a Man to pray? What profiteth it a Man to read? What Benefit in all the Means of Grace? The Truth of it is, the Stone is rolled upon me, and my Condemnation is sealed for ever, and therefore I will never look after Christ, Grace and Salvation any more. Let him come to hear the Word, and mark how he casts off the Benefit of it. It was marvellous, seasonable and profitable, it was the good Word of God unto such as have share therein: Why then may not you expect Benefit therefrom? No, saith the Soul, the Time of Grace is past, the Day is gone. If Ministers would pray for ⟨p. 33⟩