N00802:1051
The truly blessed man
The truly blessed man: or, The way to be happy here, and for ever: being the substance of divers sermons preached on, Psalm XXXII. / By Samuel Willard, teacher of a church in Boston. N.E. ; [Five lines from Isaiah]
printed by B. Green for Michael Perry, 1700
Sermon › The safety of pardoned ones in worst times. DOCTRINE.
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. In respect to the personal afflictions they meet with and those very awful, after they are forgiven. And the consistency of this with the Covenant promise ⟨p. 366⟩and fidelity may be considered: and here,
1. Negatively: These afflictions are not properly […] punishments of those Sins. If we take punishment for the execution of Vindictive Justice, this is not to be attributed to that: we must beware of their distinction, who say God forgives the Guilt, but not the punishment: Guilt is nothing else but an obligation to suffer punishment, and if the Guilt be remitted, that obligation is taken off: there is nothing legal on this account. God doth not sit upon them as a Judge to condemn them, for he hath already past an act of Grace upon them in pardoning them.
1. Negatively: These afflictions are not properly 〈…〉 punishments of those Sins. If we take punishment for the execution of Vindictive Justice, this is not to be attributed to that: we must beware of their distinction, who say God forgives the Guilt, but not the punishment: Guilt is nothing else but an obligation to suffer punishment, and if the Guilt be remitted, that obligation is taken off: there is nothing legal on this account. God doth not sit upon them as a Judge to condemn them, for he hath already past an act of Grace upon them in pardoning them.
2. Positively; God in all this hath an […] and respect to the Covenant of Grace, under which he hath taken them. And how consonant it is to […] will be evident if we Consider;