N00710:13
Impenitent sinners warned of their misery and summoned to judgment. Delivered in two sermons:…
Impenitent sinners warned of their misery and summoned to judgment. Delivered in two sermons: the former on the Sabbath, Nov. 6. the other on the lecture following, Nov. 10. 1698. : Occasioned by the amazing instance of a miserable creature, who stood condemned for murdering her infant begotten in whoredom. : To which are subjoined the solemn words spoken to her, on those opportunities. : Published for the warning of others. / By Samuel Willard, Minister of the Gospel and teacher of a church in Boston, N.E. ; [Two lines from Deuteronomy]Impenitent sinners warned of their misery and summoned to judgment. Delivered in two sermons: the former on the Sabbath, Nov. 6. the other on the lecture following, Nov. 10. 1698. : Occasioned by the amazing instance of a miserable creature, who stood condemned for murdering her infant begotten in whoredom. : To which are subjoyned the solemn words spoken to her, on those opportunities. : Published for the warning of others. / By Samuel Willard, Minister of the Gospel and teacher of a church in Boston, N.E. ; [Two lines from Deuteronomy]
Boston: printed by B. Green & J. Allen. Sold by Michael Perry, 1698
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.
THE FOLLY and MISERY OF Impenitent Sinners.
PSAL. V.5. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight.
I shall not now spend time in inquiring after the Occasion of the penning of this Psalm, or in Analysing of it. Let it suffice to observe that David in verse 4, 5, 6. represents the miserable condition of wicked men, on the account of the Holiness of God, as it stands engaged against sinners for sin. The sum of it is, that God takes no pleasure in them, but hates & abhors them, and therefore will not admit them into his favour, but will bring destruction on them: and one would think that every word ⟨p. 2⟩should be an envenomed arrow in the Heart or Conscience of the ungodly. Our Text is one of those shafts taken out of Gods quiver, and shot at every unregenerate Soul; and Oh! that they might be throughly wounded by it. The words before us are an assertion delivered by the mouth of Truth it self, and may well terrify and amaze every Christless Soul. In them we may observe two things. 1. The Subject spoken of, the foolish: I shall not insist on the various usages of this word in Scriptures; it is sometimes improved in a good sense; and sometimes it is made use of in a bad sense; and in this latter it is here: and thus it is frequently used for a Fool, or a Mad-man: and therefore many translations read it, Insani; the mad or distracted; men that are out of their wits 2. The thing asserted concerning these, they shall not stand in thy sight. Hebr. before thine eyes, i. e. Gods, for of Him the Psalmist is speaking. Eyes are ascribed to God after the manner of men, for he is a Spiritual being, and hath neither senses, nor organs of sense: and the word [Stand] signifies to be in a settled Condition: and it is in the last conjugation, which farther intends the signification. To stand then in Gods sight, or before his eyes, intends an enjoying of, or being settled in his favour. It is a Metaphor taken from the favourites of Princes, who are admitted into their presence, and stand before them at all times. And in this negative the contrary affirmative is included, i. e. they