N00802:1217
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
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. That which puts a man upon seeking deliverance, is a desire to obtain it. The end of Desire in man, is to instigate him to the pursuit of his Object; and it gives rise to all his rational actions. Now desire is raised by the consideration of the goodness of the Object, and his want of it, and this is the spring of all his endeavours to compass it; it will not let him lie still, but pricks him forward to the use of means, Prov. 18.1.
1. That which puts a man upon seeking deliverance, is a desire to obtain it. The end of Desire in man, is to instigate him to the pursuit of his Object; and it gives rise to all his rational actions. Now desire is raised by the consideration of the goodness of the Object, and his want of it, and this is the spring of all his endeavours to compass it; it will not let him ly still, but pricks him forward to the use of means, Prov. 18.1.
2. That which encourageth to use these particular means, is hope by them to obtain the thing desired. Desire puts men upon seeking means, but that which fixeth them upon these courses rather than others, is an apprehension of the suitableness of them to the purpose, and the probability at least of gaining the thing in the use of them: and this hope putteth life into endeavour: for if men did not expect success in the undertaking, they would either not begin, or presently tire and give out: and therefore hope deferred makes the heart to faint, ⟨p. 406⟩Prov 13.12. And that which nourisheth hope is a rational connection between the means and the end
2. That which encourageth to use these particular means, is hope by them to obtain the thing desired. Desire puts men upon seeking means, but that which fixeth them upon these courses rather than others, is an apprehension of the suitableness of them to the purpose, and the probability at least of gaining the thing in the use of them: and this hope putteth life into endeavour: for if men did not expect success in the undertaking, they would either not begin, or presently tire and give out: and therefore hope deferred makes the heart to faint,