N00129:386
Useful instructions for a professing people in times of great security and degeneracy
Useful instructions for a professing people in times of great security and degeneracy: delivered in several sermons on solemn occasions: / by Mr. Samuel Willard Pastor of the Church of Christ at Groton. ; [Eight lines of Scripture texts]
printed by Samuel Green, 1673
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.
2. The due improving of these thoughts may be a means to fit us for the Night: Fore-warned (as we say) and fore-armed; the expectation of storms and tempests, drives persons to seek a seasonable shelter and hiding-place from the wind and rain: this makes serious souls prepare to meet with their God. They that never think nor consider of a change, never think of being emptied from vessel to vessel, are like fishes taken in an evil net, are horribly unprepared; but the serious expectation of days of Calamity, will drive us (if any thing) to make our peace with God, to take up our shelter under the wings of the ⟨p. 64⟩Lord Jesus Christ, […] evil of these evils overtake us not.
2. The due improving of these thoughts may be a means to fit us for the Night: Fore-warned (as we say) and fore-armed; the expectation of storms and tempests, drives persons to seek a seasonable shelter and hiding-place from the wind and rain: this makes serious souls prepare to meet with their God. They that never think nor consider of a change, never think of being emptied from vessel to vessel, are like fishes taken in an evil net, are horribly unprepared; but the serious expectation of dayes of Calamity, will drive us (if any thing) to make our peace with God, to take up our shelter under the wings of the ⟨p. 64⟩Lord Jesus Christ, 〈…〉 evil of these evils overtake us not.
3. These thoughts […] make us wise to improve our morning to the best advantage: when we see night coming, and a great deal before us to do, this doubles our diligence, whiles many times we idle away much of the day, as long as we think it a great while to night; as long as we […] the Sun to be in its height, we sleep, but when it is near setting, […] redeem the time. Oh how laborious Christians should we be, how sedulous in the work of God, if we did but carry along with us in our minds the thoughts of the evil day, did we but with a cautious expectation every day look for a change!