N00348:117
Heavenly merchandiseHeavenly merchandize
Heavenly merchandise; or The purchasing of truth recommended and the selling of it dissuaded; as it was delivered in several sermons upon Prov. 23. 23. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Three lines of Scripture text]Heavenly merchandize; or The purchasing of truth recommended and the selling of it disswaded; as it was delivered in several sermons upon Prov. 23. 23. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Three lines of Scripture text]
printed by Samuel Green, 1686
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.
2. These Impostors have a wonderful art of palliating ⟨p. 93⟩and setting off their false Wares: they have gotten such a strange faculty to make a lie to look so like unto the Truth that without an exceeding diligent inspection into it, it will not be discovered; they can readily and fearlessly father all their falsehoods upon God, and call him in to patronize them, as they Ezek 13. 7. Ye say, the Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken. They can horribly wrest the Scriptures. and loudly plead them to be of their mind; 2 Pet. 3. 16. They that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as also they do the other Scriptures. But their main and most pernicious cunning of all is, by insinuation, and stealing into the hearts and affections of men; and so to collogue them into an admiration of their persons, which (when obtained) will mightily draw them to the approbation of their Doctrines`: they can cunningly carry before them a great deal of seeming Mortification, and look as if they were the most zealous men breathing for the keeping up to the highest pitch of Holiness and Worship, Col. 2. 23. and they are often making very great pretences, how much they are concerned for the good of Souls; how grieved they are to see such numbers deluded and misled by such as pretend to direct them; how mightily their notions (if embraced) ⟨p. 94⟩would tend to magnify God, and encourage sinners: thus the Apostle describes them, Rom. 16. 18. They that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 2 Cor. 11. 13, 14, 15. Such are false Apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ, &c. 2 Tim. 3. 6. Of this sort are they which creep into houses, & lead captive silly Women laden with sins And one main engine which they make use of further to promote their design, is a strange faculty that they have gotten of undermining & scandalizing the true and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, of which sort Paul met with not a few, in the pursuit of his Ministry: there is therefore need of a great deal of wisdom and caution to be used by all those that would not be deceived.