N00129:425
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.
4. Begin at home in your enquiry: be sure search your own hearts in the first place, whether the Achan, the troubler of Israel be not lodged in your own breast. We keep a great deal of do abroad, searching, enquiring, censuring as if we were true men to God, and resolved to […] but we are like some treacherous Constable, ⟨p. 72⟩that hath a Warrant to search for a Malefactor, he is very busy and strict in his Office, searcheth and ransacks every house in the Town, pries into every corner, as very desirous to find him out, and bring him forth, and yet mean while he lies had at home in his own house: Oh! this will never do, if thou knowest any sin harboured in thy heart, lie not to God by thus enquiring, nay if thou do but suspect it, let that be enough to cause a search: and to that end examine all thy ways and actions, and see whether they have not been provoking to Cod. examine them throughly.
4. Begin at home in your enquiry: be sure search your own hearts in the first place, whether the Achan, the troubler of Israel be not lodged in your own breast. We keep a great deal of do abroad, searching, enquiring, censuring as if we were true men to God, and resolved to 〈…〉 but we are like some treacherous Constable, ⟨p. 72⟩that hath a Warrant to search for a Malefactor, he is very busie and strict in his Office, searcheth and ransacks every house in the Town, pries into every corner, as very desirous to finde him out, and bring him forth, and yet mean while he lyes had at home in his own house: Oh! this will never do, if thou knowest any sin harboured in thy heart, lie not to God by thus enquiring, nay if thou do but suspect it, let that be enough to cause a search: and to that end examine all thy wayes and actions, and see whether they have not been provoking to Cod. examine them throughly.
1. In the matter of them, see whether thou hast not fallen short in many things of the letter of the Law, committed those very sins, neglected those very duties, which the least light of Conscience might have convinced thee to be thy duty to be done or avoided.