N00747:242
Spiritual desertions discovered and remedied. Being the substance of divers sermons preached for the…
Spiritual desertions discovered and remedied. Being the substance of divers sermons preached for the help of dark souls, labouring under divine withdrawings. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Four lines from Isaiah]
printed by B. Green for Michael Perry and Benjamin Eliot, 1699
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. Know that this is your duty and work. God hath commanded it you, and you cannot neglect it without sin. God, who hath appointed the means of Grace, to advance our salvation by, hath commanded us to wait upon him in them. Conscience of duty then should make you afraid of neglecting them.
2. There is at least a who can tell? and that should stimulate you; whiles there is a possibility, hope is not •ut off. You find an Heathen King could so argue, Jonah 3.9. Who can tell if God will turn and repent? &c. and the Prophet urgeth this on Gods professing people as an encouragement. Joel 2.14. Who knows if he will turn, and repent, and leave a blessing behind him? to be sur•, all your reasonings against it, are nothing but the suggestions of a misgiving heart, without any Scripture evidence to confirm them; for that plead• the quite contrary.
3. Nay, this is the way to recover out of Desertion, and to be supported under it. God is wont to stir up in his Children a resolution to seek, and follow hard after him, in order to his gracious returning to them: and this will be an argument of a sincere soul, to say as David, Psal 63.8. my soul follows hard after thee; and it was in thi• way that the Spouse so found her beloved again, Cant. 5, & 6.