N00303:486
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.
Let the wisest men upon earth, and the most knowing Devils in hell, proceed with the most mature deliberation, lay all their heads together, take never so much time to consult, find out the ⟨p. 204⟩most probable ways to effect, and never so curiously contrive to obviate all possible accidents which might otherwise defeat their purposes, and provide the greatest strength of a created […] to put in execution, what they have so plotted against God: Yet all this contrivance and cost shall be to no purpose, these counsels shall be overwhelmed, and resolutions brought to nothing. The Scripture is so full for this both with Testimonies and Examples, that it would be endless to essay the producings of all that is there recorded for the evidence of it. See how the Psalmist expresses it, Psal. 2. begin. Where he brings in the enemies sitting at the Counsel-Table, beating their brains, and contriving how they may prevent God in his design: And God in the mean while deriding and scoffing at all their enterprises, and in despite of them all giving being to his decrees, and accomplishing his word: So true is that of the wise-man, Prov. 19 21. There are many devices in a man's heart, nevertheless the Counsel of the Lord that shall stand. We may take up the explication of the Doctrine in these following propositions.
Let the wisest men upon earth, and the most knowing Devils in hell, proceed with the most mature deliberation, lay all their heads together, take never so much time to consult, find out the ⟨p. 204⟩most probable wayes to effect, and never so curiously contrive to obviate all possible accidents which might otherwise defeat their purposes, and provide the greatest strength of a created 〈…〉 to put in execution, what they have so plotted against God: Yet all this contrivance and cost shall be to no purpose, these counsels shall be overwhelmed, and resolutions brought to nothing. The Scripture is so full for this both with Testimonies and Examples, that it would be endless to essay the producings of all that is there recorded for the evidence of it. See how the Psalmist expresses it,