N00802:1269
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 › Doctrine 1: Experienced Christians fittest to teach others. DOCTRINE I.
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. It greatly establisheth their faith and confidence in these truths; and hereby they are enabled to commend them with the more authority: A man may by study▪ be able to speak largely and distinctly upon Scripture truths; but they can say nothing of their own knowledge, and possibly themselves fluctuate about their credit of them: they take them only upon Tradition; whereas he that hath the record of these truths on his heart, and had them exemplified on him, can with greatest boldness assert them, 1 Joh. 1.1. 2 Pet. 1.16.
4. It hath great influence on the Affections in teaching. Indeed the main thing is information; all that doth us saving good, must come in by the Understanding; they that seek only to raise the affections confusedly, do no good: but still, we have to do with the affections; and the best way to raise them, is to express our own: it is vain to think to make another concerned, with that which we show no concernedness in; whereas experience stirs these affections: that which one feels, he will speak feelingly; he feels the misery of the Unregenerate, & speaks compassionately to them; feels the distress of deserted souls, and applies tenderly; feels the wounds and broken bones of such as have fallen, and handleth them with great caution, &c.
4. It hath great influence on the Affections in teaching. Indeed the main thing is information; all that doth us saving good, must come in by the Understanding; they that seek only to raise the affections confusedly, do no good: but still, we have to do with the affections; and the best way to raise them, is to express our own: it is vain to think to make another concerned, with that which we shew no concernedness in; whereas experience stirs these affections: that which one feels, he will speak feelingly; he feels the misery of the Unregenerate, & speaks compassionately to them; feels the distress of deserted souls, and applies tenderly; feels the wounds and broken bones of such as have fallen, and handleth them with great caution, &c.