N00802:1438
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.
3. And there is the highest reason for Duties purely Evangelical. God hath manifested his Sovereign Grace in the Gospel, in that he will treat fallen man in a New Covenant, but the great commands of Faith and Repentance therein required, are most rational. That God will accept of man in this way, is wonderful condescension: but that in order to peace and salvation, they turn from their sins to God, and place their whole trust and reliance on Christ, is so fair and convictive, that sinners who have refused it, shall have nothing to plead for themselves in the day of accounts, Matth. 22.11. Joh. 15.22.
3. And there is the highest reason for Duties purely Evangelical. God hath manifested his Sovereign Grace in the Gospel, in that he will treat fallen man in a New Covenant, but the great commands of Faith and Repentance therein required, are most rational. That God will accept of man in this way, is wonderful condescention: but that in order to peace and salvation, they turn from their sins to God, and place their whole trust and reliance on Christ, is so fair and convictive, that sinners who have refused it, shall have nothing to plead for themselves in the day of accounts, Matth. 22.11. Joh. 15.22.
4. The promises and threatenings are suited to move ⟨p. 470⟩on a Reasonable Creature. Affections in men are the instruments of the will, by which it either embraceth or refuseth a thing; and they are subordinated to his Understanding. Now mans reason directs him to choose good, and refuse evil: it is a note of a person come to the use of his reason,