N00348:147
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. That God, who alone hath the Truth to sell, and can only make a sure conveyance of it to us, hath set a stated market price upon it: God doth not first make the offers of it, to draw men in, and afterwards when they are engaged, come and tell them how much they must give for it; but he deals openly with them, and as he hath determinant ⟨p. 121⟩within himself what it shall certainly cost every one that hath it, so in the sending it out in Gospel Tenders, he hath fairly written the price upon it, so that every one may be able to read it, Prov. 2. begin. If thou criest after knowledge, &c. if thou searchest her as Silver, &c.
2. That God, who alone hath the Truth to sell, and can only make a sure conveyance of it to us, hath set a stated marketprice upon it: God doth not first make the offers of it, to draw men in, and afterwards when they are engaged, come and tell them how much they must give for it; but he deals openly with them, and as he hath determinant ⟨p. 121⟩within himself what it shall certainly cost every one that hath it, so in the sending it out in Gospel Tenders, he hath fairly written the price upon it, so that every one may be able to read it, Prov. 2. begin. If thou criest after knowledge, &c. if thou searchest her as Silver, &c.
3. Hence it is a vain thing for you ever to think to beat down the Market. God is not like unto many men, who have their reserves and abatements, and may be in time brought to take half so much for a Commodity as they did at the first ask for it, rather than lose a good Customer: He is of one mind; He hath positively set the price, and he will never go from it; it is to no purpose at all to use words and arguments with him, who is not to be moved from what he hath determined: if, when you hear what the Truth must cost you, if God and you drive a Bargain, you do find fault with it, and cry out, it is abundantly to hard, if you take a disgust and go away from him, refusing to come to his terms, He matters it not. He hath declared his wonderful good will to the Children of men, in that he hath made the offers of it freely unto them, but yet he will not so undervalue the Truth, as to suffer himself