Hooker, Thomas
The Soul's Implantation (Hooker)
Thomas Hooker had an amazing God-given understanding of how the Holy Spirit works in conviction of sin, humbling the sinner, and breaking him of his pride in the conversion process that few before or since have possessed. To Hooker conversion was a process, wrought by Almighty God over a period of time, not something accomplished in a moment by the sinner repeating the words of a prayer. Conversion today in most churches is as easy as 1-2-3. Questions such as: “Do you admit you are a sinner? Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Would you like to accept Jesus as your personal Savior?” are ludicrous nonsense when compared to the Bible and Puritan theology. That a person can “be a Christian on his way to heaven” who does not follow Jesus Christ in obedience is a perversion of the gospel message.
Thomas Hooker in all his works shows clearly that a man must be broken and humbled for his sins before he can saved. In The Soul’s Implantation, Hooker tells us that it is not enough for a man to be sorry for his sins: “As it is with vessels that are old and bruised, a little washing and mending will not serve the turn, but they must be all taken in pieces, and made up new: so we are all vessels of wrath by nature, and a little patching will not serve the turn. It is not enough for a man to say he is sorry for his sins, but his heart must be thoroughly humbled and broken, then he is fit to be made a vessel of grace here, and of glory hereafter.”
There are four separate treatises in The Soul’s Implantation:
1. The Broken Heart, on Isaiah 57:15
2. The Preparation of the Heart, on Luke 1:17
3. The Soul’s Engrafting into Christ, on Malachi 3:1
4. Spiritual Love and Joy, on Galatians 5:22.