N00802:1282
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 2: Ular Application, the best way of teaching. DOCTRINE II.
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.
Prop. 1. That for the profitable teaching of Gospel truths, there must be application made of them: And here we may consider the nature, and the necessity of this application.
1. Touching the nature of it, it is properly a making use of these truths for helping a Christians practice. But more particularly, there are two general parts of teaching: viz. Doctrinal and Applicatory which are not to be confounded, but put into due subordination. The first is Doctrinal, consisting in laying open the Truth, so as the understanding may apprehend it, and be made to give its assent to it; we must have a conception and a conviction of it, and this must go before application, being to prepare for it: and therefore to fall to application before the truth be explained, and proved, ⟨p. 424⟩is to make confusion. The second is Applicatory, which takes the Truth so laid open and improves it for our benefit in the Service of God; and this hath to do.
1. With the practical understanding. For, besides that the understanding is to be used for discerning the Truth commended to us, it is also to be improved in judging of the goodness of the Truth so exhibited, and accordingly commend it to the will for practice: this is made by Information, or drawing practical inferences from the general truth, which are for our Instruction; and this improvement may be made of every Gospel Truth.