N00348:171
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.
3. Consider that buying is the only way for you to continue and keep this Market up: if the Merchant comes to a place, and there finds full and free vent for his Wares, he hath his desire, and this will oblige him to fix his abode there, and not to think of a removal; and if there were more of love to the Truth among us, if there were more buying the Truth, and living by the Truth practised, God would never take it away from us: I am fully persuaded, that if the Gospel ⟨p. 145⟩and Ordinances of Jesus Christ were better prized, and the great Truths of the Word of God more carefully improved; if we were more solicitous to acquaint our selves with God, and diligent to make use of that acquaintance to the promoting of holiness in our hearts and lives; that whatever other trials God might exercise the graces of his people withal, we should never want the clear and precious dispensations of the Gospel among us: Our Saviour Christ intimated thus much to them, when he gave that as the reason why these things were hidden from them, Luke 19. 42. If thou hadst known even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! yea Paul and Barnabas render that as the very reason why they went from the Jews, and turned to the Gentiles, Acts 13. 16. Seeing ye put the Word of God from you, and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life, to we turn to the Gentiles: yea, when God always in the Scripture, gives this to be the great provocation for which he cometh out at any time against a Professing people in the way of his Judgments, especially to turn them out of his house, it plainly speaks thus much, viz. that if it had not been for this, that His Word ⟨p. 146⟩was slighted, and his Truth trampled upon, they had never felt the fierceness of his indignation in such a way, as to be stripped of the light, and left without people and vision.
3. Consider that buying is the only way for you to continue and keep this Market up: if the Merchant comes to a place, and there finds full and free vent for his Wares, he hath his desire, and this will oblige him to fix his abode there, and not to think of a removal; and if there were more of love to the Truth among us, if there were more buying the Truth, and living by the Truth practised, God would never take it away from us: I am fully perswaded, that if the Gospel