FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   >>  
ee things:-- 1. By its rise; it is caused by saving convictions for sin. 2. It driveth the soul to lay fast hold of Christ for salvation. 3. It begetteth and continueth in the soul a great reverence of God, his Word, and ways, keeping it tender, and making it afraid to turn from them, to the right hand or to the left, to anything that may dishonour God, break its peace, grieve the Spirit, or cause the enemy to speak reproachfully. HOPE. Well said; I believe you have said the truth. Are we now almost got past the Enchanted Ground? CHR. Why, art thou weary of this discourse? HOPE. No, verily, but that I would know where we are. {371} CHR. We have not now above two miles further to go thereon. But let us return to our matter. Now the ignorant know not that such convictions as tend to put them in fear are for their good, and therefore they seek to stifle them. HOPE. How do they seek to stifle them? {372} CHR. 1. They think that those fears are wrought by the devil, (though indeed they are wrought of God); and, thinking so, they resist them as things that directly tend to their overthrow. 2. They also think that these fears tend to the spoiling of their faith, when, alas, for them, poor men that they are, they have none at all! and therefore they harden their hearts against them. 3. They presume they ought not to fear; and, therefore, in despite of them, wax presumptuously confident. 4. They see that those fears tend to take away from them their pitiful old self-holiness, and therefore they resist them with all their might. {373} HOPE. I know something of this myself; for, before I knew myself, it was so with me. CHR. Well, we will leave, at this time, our neighbour Ignorance by himself, and fall upon another profitable question. HOPE. With all my heart, but you shall still begin. CHR. Well then, did you not know, about ten years ago, one Temporary in your parts, who was a forward man in religion then? HOPE. Know him! yes, he dwelt in Graceless, a town about two miles off of Honesty, and he dwelt next door to one Turnback. {374} CHR. Right, he dwelt under the same roof with him. Well, that man was much awakened once; I believe that then he had some sight of his sins, and of the wages that were due thereto. HOPE. I am of your mind, for, my house not being above three miles from him, he would ofttimes come to me, and that with many tears. Truly I pitied the man, and was no
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   >>  



Top keywords:

stifle

 

convictions

 

resist

 

things

 

wrought

 

question

 

profitable

 
presumptuously
 

confident

 

neighbour


holiness
 

pitiful

 

Ignorance

 

forward

 
awakened
 
thereto
 

pitied

 

ofttimes

 

Temporary

 

religion


Turnback

 

Honesty

 

Graceless

 

dishonour

 
grieve
 

Spirit

 

Enchanted

 
reproachfully
 

afraid

 

making


driveth

 

saving

 

caused

 

Christ

 

keeping

 

tender

 

reverence

 

salvation

 
begetteth
 

continueth


Ground

 

directly

 

overthrow

 

thinking

 

spoiling

 

harden

 

hearts

 

presume

 
verily
 

discourse