N00303:182
The child's portion
The child's portion: or The unseen glory of the children of God, asserted, and proved: together with several other sermons occasionally preached, and now published. / By Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston, New-England. ; [Five lines from Psalms]
printed by Samuel Green, 1684
Title page typeset from the transcription.
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.
1. Not to judge of our selves, or of our own state by our present sense: It is the delight of Satan to be keeping the thoughts of the Children of God looking, and poring upon their present sinful and sorrowful condition, that they may be held under discouragement by thinking themselves miserable, but we live by hope, and Hope that is seen is not hope, Rom. 8.24. As often then as your sense would dishearten you, now betake your selves to, and stir up your Faith; set your selves to meditate upon the unknown ⟨p. 71⟩Glories which are coming; and think them not less but greater, because they appear not; this being one main reason why they do not as yet appear, because they are too big for our present comprehension.
1. Not to judge of our selves, or of our own state by our present sense: It is the delight of Satan to be keeping the thoughts of the Children of God looking, and poring upon their present sinful and sorrowful condition, that they may be held under discouragement by thinking themselves miserable, but we live by hope, and Hope that is seen is not hope, Rom. 8.24. As often then as your sense would dishearten you, now betake your selves to, and stirr up your Faith; set your selves to meditate upon the unknown ⟨p. 71⟩Gloryes which are coming; and think them not less but greater, because they appear not; this being one main reason why they do not as yet appear, because they are too big for our present comprehension.
2. Think it not hard that God should call you to present sufferings for his Name, but let the consideration of that unseen Glory that is a coming, arm and animate you for whatsoever Days of trouble you may have good reason to think are not afar off, that when they do come, they may not be burdensome, but may weigh light: Learn therefore of Paul, to place the scales right, that you may be able to draw the same conclusion which he doth, when you come to weigh your future felicities, that you have in hope, against all the present sorrows and sufferings you are at the present undergoing for Christ,