N00348:36
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 they who do intend to have it must buy it; no man is born into the world possest of it: no godly man leaves it as an unfailing inheritance to his children; nor do any of the Sons of men come by it without pains and cost▪ it is a pearl of a vast price, and all that a man hath must go for the purchase; all our lusts, all our lies, all our false opinions, and foolish confidences must be relinquished; it is an hid treasure, and if we would come at it, and find it out, we must dig for it; and it lies deep, and therefore great pains must be taken before we can obtain it; the promise of it is Hypothetical, Hos. 6. 3. Then shall we know, if we fellow on to know; and Dan. 12. 4. They shall run too and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Though all grace be the free gift of God, and a fruit of his mere bounty, and can no way come within the reach of our merit; yet it is the pleasure of God to command men to buy it, if they will have it; which is to let us understand, ⟨p. 22⟩that it is not the negligent, but the diligent and self denying person that is in the way to the obtaining of it: hence buying is recommended, in Isa. 55. 1. Rev. 22. 17. and Prov. 4. 4. Get Wisdom, it is the same word with this which is read, buy, in our Text: and Paul in a parallel expression, tells us that he suffered the loss of all for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ, Phil. 3. 8. he sold every thing; he parted with his esteem of, and renounced his right to all that he had sometimes placed any value upon for this knowledge.
2. That they who do intend to have it must buy it; no man is born into the world possest of it: no godly man leaves it as an unfailing inheritance to his children; nor do any of the Sons of men come by it without pains and cost▪ it is a pearl of a vast price, and all that a man hath must go for the purchase; all our lusts, all our lyes, all our false opinions, and foolish confidences must be relinquished; it is an hid treasure, and if we would come at it, and find it out, we must dig for it; and it lies deep, and therefore great pains must be taken before we can obtain it; the promise of it is Hypothetical,