N00797:117
The fountain opened: or, The great Gospel privilege of having Christ exhibited to sinful…The fountain opened: or, The great Gospel priviledge of having Christ exhibited to sinfull…
The fountain opened: or, The great Gospel privilege of having Christ exhibited to sinful men. Wherein also is proved that there shall be a national calling of the Jews : From Zech. XIII. 1. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Three lines of quotations]The fountain opened: or, The great Gospel priviledge of having Christ exhibited to sinfull men. Wherein also is proved that there shall be a national calling of the Jews : From Zech. XIII. 1. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. ; [Three lines of quotations]
printed by B. Green for Samuel Sewall Junior, 1700
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 is certain that this fountain is not in any sense opened to all the world. There is a twofold opening of it, which might have been observed, viz there is that which is outward, by the promulgation of the Gospel, and that which is inward, made by the Illumination of the Spirit. In this latte• •ense, none but the Children of God have this discovery made unto them, Rom. 11.7. The Election hath obtained it, the rest were blinded. Hence that awful word of Christ, Mat. 13.11. It is given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given. But we are now considering it in respect to the former sense, though as it aims especially at the ⟨p. 47⟩latter. And here it must be granted, that Christ is not opened unto any, but such to whom there is some signification made, by which they may be informed concerning him, so as to discover him to be a fountain of life; and this must be either by Immediate Revelation, or by the dispensation of the Gospel unto them: The former is not ordinary, and therefore, whatsoever God will do on prerogative, yet he hath given us no other ground to expect it but in the latter, Rom. 10.14. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? But it is notorious that a great part of the World are altogether ignorant of this fountain, and there is none sent to show it to them, and so must remain strangers to it. For men to think that the light of nature can discover, or that the Sun, Moon and Stars can preach a Christ to fallen man, is a vain and groundless opinion; the Apostle is positive in this, 2 Cor. 4.3. If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost.
1. It is certain that this fountain is not in any sense opened to all the world. There is a twofold opening of it, which might have been observed, viz there is that which is outward, by the promulgation of the Gospel, and that which is inward, made by the Illumination of the Spirit. In this latte ense, none but the Children of God have this discovery made unto them,