The Application of Redemption — Thomas Hooker

The Application of Redemption · Thomas Hooker

The Contents.

BOOK IX. On Isa. 57. 15. I dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit.

DOCT.

THe Heart must be contrite and humble before the Lord will take up his dwelling in it.	5
Reasons two. In regard,
1 Of our selves, there be two Hindrances	7
1 Contentedness in a Natural … ibid … removes ….
2 Sufficiency to help a mans self Humiliation removes that	9
2 Of God, his Word will not, cannot take place till the soul … contrite and …	10
Uses … ….
1 Terror to hard-hearted sinners, God wil not dwell with them	11
2 Instruction, teaching us to delight in, chuse and dwel with such as are contrite and humble	13
3 Exhortation, to seek for … in Gods way and order, viz. … and ….	14

BOOK X. On Acts, 2. 37. When they heard this, they were pricked to the heart, and said to Peter, and the rest of the Apostles, Men and Brethren, what shall we do? 15

DOCT. 1.

Stubborn and bloody sinners may be made broken-hearted.	20
Reasons three, taken from
1 The infinite Mercy of God	22
2 The infinite … of Christs Merits	23
3 The Almighty. Power of the Spirit	24
Uses three, hence
1 Matter of Admiration at the riches of Grace	25
2 Encouragement to keep distressed sinners from despair, yet no ground of presumption	26
3 Instruction, shewing the … nature of despair, It's	29
1 Injurious to God	30
2 Dangerous to the Soul	32
Helps against Despair are two,
1 Listen not to … Conclusions	34
2 Attend not our own …, but Gods Mercy and Power	34

DOCT. 2.

There must be a true sight of sin, before the heart can be broken for it	35
For Explication, four things:
1 How God works this sight of sin	37
1 The Law of God discovers our sins	ibid
2 There is a new Light put into the mind	38
3 The Spirit takes … the Rule of darkness out of the mind	41
4 The Spirit leaves a set upon the understanding God-ward	42
2 How far the sinner is … in this sight of sin	43
1 There is an insufficiency in the Understanding to reach the right discovery of sin	1 ibid
2 An incapability also to receive Spiritual Light.	45
3 Christ forceth the Understanding to bear the … of his Spirit, whereby …	47
1 Destroyes the Soveraignty of … Reason	48
2 Fits it to receive the impression of Spiritual Light	50
4 This Light received, the Understanding is acted by it, and so acts in vertue of it, and so the sinner comes truly to see his sins.	51
3 Wherein this true sight of sin is discovered	52
1 It is a cleer sight of sin	53
1 In regard of God, as	54
1 It would dispossess God of his Soveraignty	55
2 It smites at the Essence of God	57
3 It spoils all the Works of God	59
2 In regard of our selves, as	ibid
1 It separates … God and …	ibid
2 It makes us uncapable of any good	60
3 It's the Cause of all other evils	62
4 It brings a Curse upon all Blessings	ibid
Hence sin is the greatest evil	ibid
Why do not men see sin thus?	166
The Causes are	ibid
1 The Delusions of Satan	ibid
2 Men judg of sin by present sence	67
3 Or by present pleasure and profit	68
4 Or by the long suffering of God	70
5 Want of Spiritual Light	71
The Cure of these mistakes	72
1 Look upon sin so as it will look upon thee at death and Judgment	ibid
2 Get a cleer sight of God	73
2 It is a convicting …	75
That implies
1 A particular application to our selves	ibid
1 A man must reflect upon his own sins	ibid
2 And pass an impartial Sentence against them	78
1 An over-powring settling of them upon the Conscience, and that	79
1 Undeniably	80
2 Immovably	82
3 Invincibly	85
Reasons two. Because
1 Nothing comes to the heart but by the Understanding	86
2 Ignorance frustrates all our Endeavors in the use of means	88
Uses five, hence
1 Instruction: An ignorant heart is a naughty heart	90
Such a one
1 Is liable to all evil	92
2 He can receive no good	ibid
3 He can expect no mercy	93
2 To be hard to be convinced, is	94
1 A dangerous sin	ibid
1 Against a mans own soul	ibid
2 Against Gods Ordinances	95
3 Against the Spirit of God	ibid
2 A dreadful Curse	97
1 It makes way for Satan	ibid
2 God delivers up such a one to Satan	ibid
3 He will deal no more with him	ibid
4 Such a one is every day ripening for ruine	98
3 See the reason why men of deepest understanding are hardliest brought to brokenness of heart, because so hardly brought to see their sins	ibid
4 Tryal	101
1 Whether we have been brought to see sin cleerly. Such a one will not, dare not carelesly adventure upon sin	ibid
2 Whether we have seen sin convictingly	105
Four Evidences of persons not convinced of sin	ibid
1 When a man is unwilling to attend that Truth that would discover … sins	105
2 When he … to gain-saying when he cannot avoid the light	107
3 When he is restless to raise quarrels against the determination of the Truth	109
4 When he sets himself against the Truth	110
5 Exhortation to get this true … of sin	111
The Means are six,
1 Labor to see the excellency of the holiness of the Lord and his Word	114
2 When the Lordlets in any light by his Word, … Conscience attend both	117
3 Take off, and cast away all cavils and shifts which … the work of …	ibid
Shifts and Excuses for sin referred to three Heads
1 To lighten the evil of sin	ibid
1 By the commonness of it	ibid
Answ. This shews
1 The sin is the more …	120
2 Thy Curse more dreadful	ibid
3 Thy self destitute of Grace	121
2 By the Naturalness of it	122
Answ. Hence it appears
1 Thou hast no Grace	122
2 Thy Disease is incurable	223
3 Thy person is abborred of the Lord	124
3 By Example and Companionship in sin	125
Answ. Hereby thou dost
1 Prefer men before God	126
2 Encourage the wicked	128
3 Thou shalt be damned as well as they	129
4 By strength of provocations	131
Answ. Whereas
1 Though Nature cannot hold out, yet Grace oan	132
2 This is unreasonable in thee	133
3 It's dishonorable to God	ibid
5 By forgetfulness	134
Answ. This argues thou hast
1 No love to Gods …	137
2 A slight esteem of them	138
3 An Atheistical heart	139
6 By their straights	ibid
Answ. These cannot excuse	…
For the Scriptures require Obedience notwithstanding these.
7 By the Holiness of the Law	141
Answ. This will not excuse. …
1 Thou dost not what thou canst	142
2 Thou art … to be made able	143
3 Thou art the Cause of thine inability	145
8 By the littleness of sins, as but	145
1 Either sinful words	146
Answ. Thy words
1 Will condemn thee.	ibid.
2 In some regard are worse than evil in thy heart, because they	150
1 Bring … the evil of the heart.	148
2 Sometimes hold forth more than is in the heart.	149
3 Are more hurtful to others	151
3 In some regard worse than evil in thy practice, because they taint more	151
1 Universally	ibid.
2 …	ibid.
3 The Tongue is untamable.	152
4 It is a world of evil.	154
2 Or sinful thoughts	155
Answ. See the … of them	ibid.
1 In regard of God, they	156
1 Estrange them from God	156
2 Carry thy heart to oppose him.	158
2 They are the Causes of all thy other sins.	161
3 In the large extent of them	164
4 They do nourish all other evils	165
5 They keep off the power of the Word.	166
3 Or a smal matter in practice	167
Answ. The less the thing is
1 The more hainous thy sin	168
2 The less care and conscience hast thou.	170
3 The greater the wickedness of thy heart.	171
2 The second sort of Shifts and Excuses, whereby a man thinks the danger of sin may some waies be prevented	174
Conceiving that
1 Either God takes no notice of their sins.	175 duplicate page duplicate page
2 Or he will not call them to account	176
3 Or they can satisfie for them	177
4 Or the Lord will not be so rigorous, but will abate	179
All these confuted	ibid.
3 The third sort of Shifts, whereby if a man can neither lessen the danger, nor prevent it, he saies he will, and thinks he can bear it.	179
This also confuted, and the impossibility of bearing Gods wrath is shewed	ibid.
1 The dreadfulness of Gods wrath	180
2 The weakness of man.	181
3 The sufferings of Christ	ibid.
4 Means, Yield to the Evidence of the truth when it's cleer and cónvincing	182
5 Means, All those truths we hear or read in the Word which concerns our corruption, we must take home, and apply to our selves, as the special portion the Lord hath appointed to us	185
6 Means, Make and keep the evil of sin ever really present with us	186
1 See it in the execution of it upon others	187
2 Act that upon thy self by present consideration	189
Motives to perswade to this endeavor to see our sins.
1 The danger of the mistake here	190
2 It's the easiest way to see sin now.	191
3 It's a safe and sure way	192

DOCT. 3.

Application of special sins by the Ministry, is a means to bring men to sight of, and sorrow for them.	193
Reasons three, taken from
1 The Office of Ministers.	195
2 The necessity of sinners	196
3 The Nature of the Word	197
Uses four, hence.
1 See the Reason why so little good is done by the Ministry, viz. Want of Application	198
2 See the Reason why the best kind of Preaching finds the worst acceptance	200
3 It's the Duty of Ministers as the Text suits, and the condition of the Hearers requires, to use Particular
Application of special sins.	202
…
1 To the Ministers, what they should do	204
2 To the People, what they should desire	206

DOCT. 4.

Meditation of sin, a special means to break the heart	208
What Meditation is, viz.	210
A serious … of the mind, whereby we search out the Truth, and settle it effectually upon the heart.	ibid.
Reasons three. Because Meditation
1 Causes the sting of sin to pierce more deeply	217
2 Holds the heart under the pressures of it	219
3 Encreaseth and presseth down the weight of it upon the Conscience	221
Uses three, hence
1 Humiliation that there is so little Meditation.	223
This in special concerns
1 Such as studiously avoid it.	224
Terror to such; they take the way to encrease their misery when they would avoid it.	225
Advice to such: Be afraid to commit sin, but never be afraid to see it	226
2 Such … approve the Practice, but plead Excuses why they may neglect it	ibid.
1 Meditation is but a matter of indifferency, not of Duty	227
2 The want of time	229
3 Unsteadiness of their thoughts	ibid.
4 … in the Service	238
All these confuted, and Remedies prescribed	239
2 Caution: Loose Company an Enemy to the Conversion of a sinner, because a hindrance of Meditation	240
3 Exhortation to attend this duty of Meditation	241
Motives four,
1 It's a Duty belonging to all	244
2 How far we are cast behind hand for want of it.	245
3 What need we have of it	ibid.
4 The Soveraign vertue of it	247
Directions to help in the practice of Meditation.	249
1 Enquire after the Nature of a sin.	ibid.
In this Enquiry
1 Look to the Rule, to Authorize us to the work.	ib.
2 For the manner of proceeding	250
1 Survey particular sins	251
1 In the Root	ibid.
2 In the fruits of them.	ibid.
2 Sum them up joyntly	262
2 Fasten it upon the soul	265
1 By grappling with the heart	ibid.
2 By getting the better of the heart	ibid.
Here take heed of three extreams	272
1 Desperate discouragements	273
2 Hellish provocations	274
3 False conceivings of the measure and manner of Gods work	275
Directions to help here, are three:
1 Possess the heart with the fear of thy sinful and dangerous estate	276
2 Awaken and call for the help of Conscience	279
3 Seek to the Lord for the Almighty hand of his Spirit to set on thy Meditations	282

DOCT. 5.

The same Word is profitable to some, not to others	283
Reasons two. Because
1 God hath several ends to attain by the dispensations of his Word	284
2 God will shew the Soveraignty of his good pleasure.	ibid.
Uses four, hence
1 Learn to fear in the enjoyment of greatest means.	285
2 The profitable fruit of the means, is not in the means.	ibid.
3 Exhortation: Use means in dependance upon God.	386
4 Be thankful when thou dost profit by them.	ibid.

DOCT. 6.

The Lord somtimes makes the Word prevail most, when it's most opposed	287
The Lord works many times
1 Upon men when they seek not ….	289
2 Upon the worst of men.	294
3 In the height of Rebellion	ibid.
Reasons four. Because
1 The greatness of his Power, is hereby discovered.	292
2 The … of his mercy … is …	294
3 The Lord will stain the Glory of all flesh	295
4 And discovers the depths of his ….	296
… Three, hence.
1 Instruction: The work of Conversion depends … upon any preparation that man can make	297
Hence that's a dangerous Error.	…
If a man do what he can, God will give … Grace	300
1 It undermines the Soveraign good pleasure of God	ibid.
2 It cuts the sinews of the Covenant of Grace	301
3 It crosseth the end of the means of Grace	302
2 To support the hearts of the most wretched sinners with some hopes of good, notwithstanding all their wickedness. God may and can if he will work upon them.
Cautions here	309
1 God will do thee good in his own way	316
2 Fear lest thou make an escape from the hand of the Lord	317
If thou doest
1 It's suspicious the Lord hath lest thee	ibid.
2 He will deliver thee up to thy sins again	219
3 Exhortation to quicken our desires and endeavors in the use of the means	320
4 Admiration at the riches and freeness of Grace.	323

DOCT. 7.

Sins unrepented of, make way for piercing Terrors	325
Reas. Because the heart is more estranged from God, and bardened in sin	327
Uses Three, hence.
1 Judg not of sin by the present sweetness, but by the after sorrows.	ibid.
2 It should be our greatest care to rise presently after falls into sin	329
3 Terror to such as continue in their sins	330

DOCT. 8.

The Truth is terrible to a guilty Conscience.	332
Reas. Because it's a Witness to accuse; a Judg to condemn; an Executioner to torment	ibid.
Use. It discovers the guiltiness and falsness of such as are afraid of the Truth	ibid.
Differences between the Saints trembling at the Truth, and an Hypocrite	333
1 Though the Word speaks against the corruption, yet it speaks for the condition of the Saints	ibid.
2 The Saints … sweetness in the sharpest Truths, and close with God in them.	ibid.

DOCT. 9.

Gross and scandalous sinners, God usually exerciseth with heavy breakings of heart before they be brought to Christ	334
Reasons Three:
1 From the Holiness of Gods Nature	340
2 That sinners may not be encouraged in their sins.	341
3 That the sinner himself may be	342
1 Throughly recovered from … sin for the present.	ibid.
2 Preserved from sin for the time to come	ibid.
Uses Five, hence.
1 The easie and sudden Conversion of scandalous sinners, is to be suspected. God doth not use to save men per ….	343
2 Support to scandalous sinners when they meet with … ….	347
1 Such are in the way of Mercy.	349
2 The workmay prove speedy and successful	350
3 This makes way for Comforts	351
4 It's honorable for such to be under heavy breakings of heart	353
3 Advice to Ministers, who by their Calling are to deal with scandalous sinners in such horrors	354
1 Be not … in the search	355
2 Nor … to heal the wound	ibid.
3 Nor suddenly confident of the Cure	356
4 Direction to such persons who have had experience of such heart-breakings	ibid.
Be not weary of Gods Dispensations.
5 Exhortation to keep our selves and ours from scandalous sins	357

DOCT. 10.

Sorrow for sin rightly set on, pierceth the heart of the sinner through, that is rightly affected therewith.	358
For Explication, four Things:	362
1 The Manner how Sorrow for … … on the soul.	363
1 Either successively, or by degrees in some	ibid.
1 The evil and danger of his sin, is … in the general	ibid.
2 He is surprized and pursued with fear	364
3 The Curses and Punishments of sin are fastened upon him	366
4 He is made to feel the evil of sin … sin, and that as his greatest evil	368
2 Or suddenly and throughly … once in some others	372
3 Or secretly and insensibly in others.	374
1 Some are Sanctified in the Womb,	375
2 Some wrought upon in Child-hood	ibid.
3 Some under good Education, Counsels, Means, are gradually, yet really wrought upon.	ibid.
Cautions here.
1 Though the manner and measure of Contrition differ in most, yet the substance of the Work is the same in all.	ibid.
2 Though some may not know the time, yet every one should, and if gracious, can give evidence of the Workwrought	360
3 It's a safe way often to review, and to act over the first workings of Contrition.	377
For
1 A wound here is never recovered	378
2 Clear this, and cleer all.	ibid.
2 How this Sorrow comes to be set on, and the soul made to feel sin its greatest evil	379
1 Sin is cross to the Nature of the soul as such.	380
2 If the evil of sin be discovered to the Nature of the soul, it may be made sensible thereof.	382
3 While the soul is fully and only possessed with sin, it cannot feel the evil of it.	ibid.
4 The Spirit countermands the Authority of sin.	383
5 Christ by the vertue of his death, puts an end to the Commission of sin.	384
3 How far the soul is active in Contrition.	385
1 There is no power in man to remove the resistance of his heart against God and Grace.	385
2 The Lord must put a Spiritual power into the will before it can put forth an act for removing this resistance.	386
3 The influence of this spiritual power, is not by a gracious habit, but by the motion of the spirit upon the soul	388
4 In removing this resistance, the will is a meer Patient.	…
5 This resistance being removed, the will consents to a divorce between it self and sin	393
4 The behavior of the heart under this work	396
1 The contrite sinner hath the loath somness of fin ever in sight	ibid.
2 He is tender and easie to be convinced	399
3 He loaths himself for his sins.	404
4 He fears all fin, and provocations thereunto.	406
5 He delights most in those means that discover and remove corruptions	407
6 He is restlesly importunate in seeking Christ and mercy.	411
Reasons four: Because
1 Such a sorrow for sin, is only true in Gods account	414
2 Without this, the heart can never be separated from fin	415
3 By this the resistance of the heart against Christ, is removed.	416
4 Without this, he cannot receive Christ.	ibid.
Uses four, hence.
1 Humiliation for the want of this saving sorrow.	ibid.
Five sorts want it.
1 The heedless Professor	417
2 The treacherous …	419
3 The self-conceited Pharisee	423
4 The complaining …	425
5 The discouraged Hypocrite.	427
2 Terror to … sinners. As	428
1 Secure sinners that never were … to … and feel their sins	429
1 Such are out of the way of God	431
2 So continuing, God hath appointed no good for them.	432
3 Christ came not to save such	434
2 Relapsed sinners, who have been awakened to see and feel their sins, but have fallen back again, and their hearts grown harder than before.	ibid.
1 It is suspicious the day of Grace is past with such a one	436
2 Their Judgment hastens	438
3 Comfort	ibid.
1 To broken-hearted sinners themselves, their sorrows are not to death, but in the way to deliver from death, and so to bring unto life	439
2 To their friends and well-wishers: they are now, and were never before in the way of mercy	444
4 Exhortation: Labor for this saving sorrow of Contrition	447
1 Do not tug with the resistance of thy heart by thine own power	449
2 Do not fear the terror of the Truth so as to step aside from under it, but think of the goodness of it.	450
3 Possess thy soul with the ticklishness and danger of miscarrying in this work.	451

DOCT. 11.

They whose hearts are pierced by the VVord, are carried with Love and respect to the Ministers of it.	453
Reasons two: Because
1 They know more now than they did before.	454
2 … hath more Liberty now to express what they know	455
Uses two, hence.
1 Sound Contrition makes a strange and sudden …	557
2 Terror to such as after Conviction, hate both the Word and Ministers of it	558

DOCT. 12.

He that is pierced by the Word truly, is busie to enquire, and ready to submit to the mind of God.	560
1 He is busie to enquire.	ibid
Reasons two. Because
1 He now finds the evil of sin.	562
2 And the folly of his former conceits	563
Uses two, hence.
1 Terror to hard-hearted sinners, who never enquire after the mind of God	564
2 Direction, teaching the way to make men serious in their enquiries after Christ, viz. Maintain the work of Contrition	570
2 He is ready to submit to the Ministers, making known the mind of God	ibid.
Reasons three. Because
1 The pride of their carnal Reason is conquered.	572
2 The stubbornness of their wills is tamed	573
3 They have found the truth and terror of the Word	ibid.
Uses two, hence.
1 See the Reason of that unreadiness and unwillingness of man to submit to the evidence of the Word, they want broken-heartedness.	ibid.
2 Tryal, discovering such as were never brokenhearted at all.	574
1 Open Rebels.	ibid.
2 Secret Traytors.	575

DOCT. 13.

Sinners in distress of Conscience, are ignorant what they should do	576
Reasons two, taken from
1 The Secrecy of the waies of God	577
2 The blindness of the distraction of their minds.	579
Uses two, hence.
1 Instruction: Men in distress of Conscience are apt to be mis-led	580
2 Advice to mourners in Sion; Be careful to whose Counsel you commit your selves.	582

DOCT. 14.

A Contrite sinner sees a necessity of coming out of his sinful Condition	583
1 He propounds no terms of tolleration	584
2 He maintains no reservation	ibid.
3 He admits no case of exception	385
Reasons three. Because
1 He hath felt the severity of Gods Justice against every sin.	ibid.
2 He finds it impossible to bear the weight of the least sin	587
3 He perceives the combination of all Lusts. So that any one sin	589
1 Keeps possession for Satan	ibid.
2 Keeps off the power of Gods Ordinances.	590
Uses three, hence.
1 Tryal, whether we have found this absolute necessity of parting with all sin	ibid.
It discovers the falshood of
1 Neuters	593
2 Formal Professors	594
2 Instruction: See the reason of mens un-even and unsteady walking. viz. The want of …	593
3 Direction how to keep the heart opposite to every sin.	ibid.
1 Be convinced sin is the greatest evil	ibid.
2 Confider not of any cavil to the contrary.	ibid.

DOCT. 15.

There is a secret Hope wherewith the Lord supports the hearts of contrite sinners.	596
This Hope differs from that which a Beleever hath, in two things
1 In the ground of it	598
2 In the uncertainty	600
Reasons two. That so he may thereby
1 Secretly support the …	601
2 Make way for the work of the means	ibid.
Uses three, hence.
1 Instruction: See the reason why Satan so much endeavors to dead the hopes of the Contrite by suggesting	602
1 He is not elected	ibid.
2 The day of Grace is past	606
3 He hath sinned against the holy Ghost All which are answered.	ibid.
2 Observe how easie it is with the Lord to confound a sinner with his own imagination	607
3 Exhortation to nourish this Hope	ibid.
Therefore be perswaded
1 Of thine own ignorance, and inability to relieve thy self	608
2 Of Gods All-sufficiency, who can do beyond what thou canst conceive.	ibid.

DOCT. 16.

They who are truly pierced for their sins, do prize and covet deliverance from their sins.	ibid.
1 In the want of this, the soul is not quieted	610
2 He is content with this, though he want other things	611
3 He is resolved to submit to any Counsel	613
4 His … is upon it, his prayers dayly about it.	614
Reasons three. Because he finds that
1 The presence of other evils will not hinder him in his spiritual estate	615
2 The presence of sin alone poysons all good things to him	616
3 The removal of this would set open the floodgates of mercy.	617
Uses two, hence.
1 See the reason why most men prize not Salvation, because never broken-hearted.	ibid
2 Reproof to
1 Secure sinners	618
2 … Professors.	ibid.

DOCT. 17.

True Contrition is accompanied with Confession of sin, when God calls thereunto.	619
For Explication, three things.
1 When a sinner is called to Confession	619
1 Publick sins must be publickly confessed	621
2 Private sins to the persons wronged	624
3 Secret sins	625
1 If a man hath confessed them to God, and he hath pardoned, he need not, should not confess them to men.	626
2 If the Lord deny pardon and power, then he calls him to confess unto man	628
3 In case restitution cannot otherwise be made, he must confess to man	629
2 When is Confession serious and hearty	630
1 When it is free; that is, when a man is,
1 Easie to be convinced	ibid.
2 Ready to acknowledg	633
3 And takes the evil to himself	636
2 When it is full, and that in regard of	ibid.
1 Relating sins as they are	638
2 The opposition of the heart against them.	639
3 When it leaves the sinner base in his own eyes.	640
4 When he intends to take advantage against himself and his sin by it.	ibid.
3 How doth Contrition bring in this Confession?	641
It causeth a man
1 To see the danger of sin	ibid.
2 To feel the bitterness of it	643
3 To be ashamed of himself and sin	645
Uses four, hence.
1 Instruction: See the reason of sinful turnings and windings to hide sin	646
2 Reproof to such as think it weakness and baseness thus to confess a mans sins	647
3 Tryal whether a man hath been brought to this frame of spirit, thus to confess sin when called thereunto.	650
It discovers the falsness of four sorts
1 Such as out of hardness of heart, and custom, are without all sence of sin.	651
2 Such as instead of bearing the shame of their sins, cast shame upon the Truth that discovers sin.	652
3 Such as seek for shameful hidings to cover sin.	653
4 Such as repent of their Confessions.	654
How to know we are content to take shame for sin by a right Confession of it	655
1 He opposeth not the Truth that discovers his sin and shame.	ibid.
2 He is not offended with the man that is the Instrument.	656
3 He is not disquieted in the bearing of it	636
4 He will not chuse unlawful means to be rid of it.	665
4 Exhortation to attend the duty of Confession when thou art called thereunto.	ibid.
Be wise in chusing the Party to whom you confess: He must be
1 Skilful	666
2 Merciful	ibid.
3 Faithful.	667
Motives to Confession,
1 It's an honorable thing	ibid.
2 A matter of safety	668
3 A Means of Secrecy.	ibid.

DOCT. 18.

The soul that is pierced for sin, is carried with a restless dislike against it, and separation from it.	670
Branch 1. Detestation, or hatred of sin.
Concerning which, for Explication two things	672
1 What is the Nature of this hatred of sin here in Contrition, discovered in six Conclusions	673
1 As Adam, and all his departed from God, so Christ brings back all his to God in a contrary way.	673
2 There is nothing in the soul can turn it from sin.	674
3 This first aversion from sin, is not wrought by any habit of Grace put into the soul.	ibid.
Reasons two. Because
1 Gracious habits cannot act before they have being in the soul, as the subject of them.	675
2 The soul in its natural estate, is uncapable of receiving the habit of Grace	ibid.
4 Yet the Spirit puts forth its power upon the soul to turn it from sin to God	ibid.
5 Christ as the Head of the Covenant, takes away the Commission that sin and Satan had to hold the soul.	676
6 The soul in the Nature of it, being forced to find sin bitter, is loosened from it, and so becomes subject to the power of the Spirit, turning of it from sin to God	677
2 How this hatred may be discerned	680
1 It is attended with a continual fear of the deadly infection of sin	ibid.
2 It seeks the destruction of sin. Hence	684
1 He opposeth sin most in himself	ibid.
1 He doth what he can against it.	685
2 He seeks help from God in Christ.	686
2 He seeks the removal of it in others where-ever he finds it	688
3 It admits no terms of agreement	689
Reasons three. Because
1 Without this, there is no room for faith	690
2 Without this no expectation of Salvation from Christ.	ibid.
3 Sin is the only enemy of the Soul.	691
Uses two, hence.
1 Humiliation that there are so few in the world, that know what this hatred against sin means.	ibid.
2 Tryal, discovering such as never had this hatred against sin wrought, were never contrite. As	ibid.
1 Careless, fearless Professors	693
2 Neuters in Religion	696
3 Lazy Hypocrites	697
4 Treacherous Hypocrites	698
Branch 2. Sequestration from sin.
Which discovers it self in two things,
1 No allurements can entice	700
2 Nor miseries force the soul to former sins.	ibid.
Uses two, hence,
1 Instruction: See the reason of all revolts and backslidings, want of this separation.	701
2 Exhortation, to seek to the Lord that he would work this in us.	ibid.

FINIS.

The Application of Redemption, Table of contents 2

The Contents.

BOOK IX. On Isa. 57. 15. I dwell with him that is of an humble and contrite spirit.

DOCT.

BOOK X. On Acts, 2. 37. When they heard this, they were pricked to the heart, and said to Peter, and the rest of the Apostles, Men and Brethren, what shall we do? 15

DOCT. 1.

DOCT. 2.

DOCT. 3.

DOCT. 4.

DOCT. 5.

DOCT. 6.

DOCT. 7.

DOCT. 8.

DOCT. 9.

DOCT. 10.

DOCT. 11.

DOCT. 12.

DOCT. 13.

DOCT. 14.

DOCT. 15.

DOCT. 16.

DOCT. 17.

DOCT. 18.