N00800:78
The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with…
The peril of the times displayed. Or The danger of mens taking up with a form of godliness, but denying the power of it. Being the substance of several sermons preached: / by Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. N.E. ; [One line from Augustine in Latin]
Boston: printed by B. Green, 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.
2. Scandalous Sins will grow apace among such a people. A mere form, let it be never so fondly insisted on, is no fence against the growth of iniquity; but indeed an inlet and introduction to it. It is so far from making men take heed to themselves, ⟨p. 52⟩lest they should […] cover u••der which they seek to hide their abominations. It is the power of Godliness in men, which maketh them afraid to sin themselves, and puts them upon doing the utmost they can in their places, to stop the breaking of it forth in others▪ whereas a mere form makes them cold and careless on these accounts; and a• they will take very little heed to themselves, so others will grow bold upon it, when they see that there is but a very little of zeal appearing in their bearing witness against them. If Professors be cold in the life of Godliness, Profane persons will thereupon grow bold in all manner of exorbitances; yea, and Professors themselves will grow drowsy and careless, and take little heed to their lives, but grow licentious, whiles they place their whole Religion in their formalities; the abounding of iniquity, and growing cold of love, are •oyned together by our Saviour as things concomitant, Mat. 24.12. and indeed, if strict enquiry be made into this affair, we shall find, that evermore Apostasy hath in this way crept into the Church of God: ⟨p. 53⟩men have been very much in the maintaining of their forms, and spent their heat there, and so have grown lukewarm in their respects unto God, and hearty love of him, and thought all was well, because Religion carried a fair outside among them; and thereupon scandals▪ have broken forth, and one •in after another, hath dared to look abroad bare-faced: and when the first love hath been lost, the first works have been neglected.
2. Scandalous Sins will grow apace among such a people. A meer form, let it be never so fondly insisted on, is no fence against the growth of iniquity; but indeed an inlet and introduction to it. It is so far fom making men take heed to themselves,