N04231:97
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.
THE Poor doubting Christian Drawn to CHRIST. › Chapter 2 › How to see Sin aright.
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,1 The second Means of Cure is this, Take heed of judging thy Estate by carnal Reason without the Rule, which is commonly the Fashion and Fault of poor distressed Spirits, who pass fearful Sentence against themselves upon groundless Arguments, and say, I never found it, I feel no such Thing, and I fear it is not so. But in this we hear but carnal Pleas, coming out of Satan's Forge, and by his Help, from our selves, against our selves, for we judge our selves by them. But, I say, Take heed of this Wile of Satan's,2 and make Conscience of this as much as of any other Fault, as much as of Swearing, Stealing, Whoring, or Murder; for it is as truly Sin as those, tho' not so great; yet a far greater Sin than you imagine. Consider this thou humble-hearted Christian, for ⟨p. 43⟩to thee I speak. Therefore when upon these Grounds thou concludest that thy Case and Estate is naught; see and consider against how many Commandments thou offendest.
- 12. Help.
- 2The Danger of judging ourselves rashly.
First, Thou dishonourest God, and the Work of his Grace, by denying that which God hath done for thee: Also, and speakest unreverently against him; besides thou art a Murderer, for that thou woundest thine own Soul. Further, thou robbest thy self of much Comfort, and so art a Thief; and thou barest false Witness against thy self, yea, against Christ, and the Spirit of Christ, and the Work of Grace already wrought in thee. Also thou joinest with the Devil against the Lord Jesus Christ. Are these no Sins?