N00348:144
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.
5. All Truth tends to make us more spiritual and holy. Purity is an inseparable property of the Truth, Psal. 29. 8, 9. The Commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes: the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Filthiness and Defilement is proper to all error; every falsehood is impure. Truth must needs be it self holy, because it hath for its author, the most immaculate Being; it proceeds from that God who is holiness it self ⟨p. 119⟩and as it is holy in it self, it likewise tends to make all them so who embrace it cordially: and therefore obeying the Truth, is said to purify the Soul, 1 Pet. 1. 22. Seeing you have purified p•ur Souls in obeying the Truth: hence that of our Saviour, John 15. 3. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. There is no Scripture Truth, but it either directs to, or encourageth Holiness, or dissuades from Sin and Uncleanness: and therefore whatsoever Doctrine savours of the Lust of the Elesh, or gives a latitude to men to live as they list, & bolsters them up in their impurities, is contradictory to the Truth, and destructive to the souls of men: and if we shall well apply and rightly improve these few Characters thus laid down, we shall have a good help to find out the treasure which we seek, and not be cheated in it, which is the second general Direction.
5. All Truth tends to make us more spiritual and holy. Purity is an inseparable property of the Truth, Psal. 29. 8, 9. The Commandement of the Lord is pure, enlightning the eyes: the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. Filthiness and Defilement is proper to all error; every falshood is inpure. Truth must needs be it self holy, because it hath for its author, the most immaculate Being; it proceeds from that God who is holiness it self ⟨p. 119⟩and as it is holy in it self, it likewise tends to make all them so who embrace it cordially: and therefore obeying the Truth, is said to purify the Soul,