N00129:65
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. Examples of Gods judgements upon his own people for their sins, are evident confirmations and testimonies that he is a God who proceeds impartially according to his own Rule; as when Laws are executed according to the tenor of them upon malefactors in the Kingdom, we now know that such Laws were not mere scare-crows, made only to fright, but not to hurt, but that there was reality in the Law-makers, and that they were really set against such evils to subvert and root them out, and may teach others to expect what to meet with, in the like cases: so, when God punisheth sin in his people according to his threatening in his word, we now see that those threatenings are realities; that his orders and constitutions are not bug-bears, but realities, that sin shall not go unpunished. Hence God declares in his word, that he will be known to be God in his judgements. Exek. 28. 22 if men will not believe the word, that God will do as he hath said, but presume upon his mercy and patience; when he takes his rod into his hand, now he is mad, that believes not.
2. Examples of Gods judgements upon his own people for their sins, are evident confirmations and testimonies that he is a God who proceeds impartially according to his own Rule; as when Laws are executed according to the tenor of them upon malefactors in the Kingdome, we now know that such Laws were not meer scare-crows, made only to fright, but not to hurt, but that there was reality in the Law-makers, and that they were really set against such evils to subvert and root them out, and may teach others to expect what to meet with, in the like cases: so, when God punisheth sin in his people according to his threatning in his word, we now see that those threatnings are realities; that his orders and constitutions are not bug-bears, but realities, that sin shall not go unpunished. Hence God declares in his word, that he will be known to be God in his judgements. Exek. 28. 22 if men will not believe the word, that God will do as he hath said, but presume upon his mercy and patience; when he takes his rod into his hand, now he is mad, that believs not.
3. Hence, Examples have matter of precept in them. Gods judgements are documents, there are doctrinal conclusions to be drawn for our instruction out of them, hence, we shall find God in Scripture calling upon his people to look upon Examples. thus,