N00348:151
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.
1. It will cost you hard labour and great pains to obtain it. It is true, all our pains will signify nothing, without a Divine blessing to crown them with success: but this blessing is not given out to the idle and negligent, but only to such as are up and doing. If we shall look no farther than an head purchase, which is the least and most easily gotten, yet it is certain that a clear understanding and right conception of the form of sound words, and scheme of saving Truths, which is to be gathered up out of the Sacred writings of the Book of God, is not gotten without a great deal of sweat and travail; how much more then will it stand a man in to make an heart purchase of it? It costs a man a double Prenticeship, and many a weary day, and waking night to reach to be Master of those hand maid Truths, which are the Servants of Religion, and are called the liberal Sciences: how long time then, and how much labour must it stand him in to get the mistress of these, I mean the saving Truths of Religion? and the difficulty of getting a right acquaintance with these, will ⟨p. 125⟩appear to be far more than what concerns the other, if we shall consider;
1. It will cost you hard labour and great pains to obtain it. It is true, all our pains will signifie nothing, without a Divine blessing to crown them with success: but this blessing is not given out to the idle and negligent, but only to such as are up and doing. If we shall look no farther than an head purchase, which is the least and most easily gotten, yet it is certain that a clear understanding and right conception of the form of sound words, and skeam of saving Truths, which is to be gathered up out of the Sacred writings of the Book of God, is not gotten without a great deal of sweat and travail; how much more then will it stand a man in to make an heart purchase of it? It costs a man a double Prenticeship, and many a weary day, and waking night to reach to be Master of those hand maid Truths, which are the Servants of Religion, and are called the liberal Sciences: how long time then, and how much labour must it stand him in to get the mistriss of these, I mean the saving Truths of Religion? and the difficulty of getting a right acquaintance with these, will ⟨p. 125⟩appear to be far more than what concerns the other, if we shall consider;