N00802:1491
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 3: To go no further in Gods Service than forced is an ill sign. DOCTRINE III.
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.
8. That severe providences are used by God to quicken this fear in men. As the promises are of use to excite love, so the threatenings to stir up fear; but the hardness of mens hearts maketh them to despise threatenings; God therefore executeth them, so to make men afraid. Now to these belong the awful judgments which men in this life are exposed to. Hence, when Gods people have declined in their obedience, and would not receive counsel, God hath brought some fearful calamity upon them, and this was to let them see that the threatenings were not mere scare crows, but realities; and that so the terrors of the Lord might frighten them into better manners, and put them upon reformation: and this God expected, and threatened to pursue that course, till it came to this, Levit. 26.23.
8. That severe providences are used by God to quicken this fear in men. As the promises are of use to excite love, so the threatnings to stir up fear; but the hardness of mens hearts maketh them to despise threatnings; God therefore executeth them, so to make men afraid. Now to these belong the awful judgments which men in this life are exposed to. Hence, when Gods people have declined in their obedience, and would not receive counsel, God hath brought some fearful calamity upon them, and this was to let them see that the threatnings were not meer scare crows, but realities; and that so the terrours of the Lord might frighten them into better manners, and put them upon reformation: and this God expected, and threatned to pursue that course, till it came to this, Levit. 26.23.
9 That when God recalls such providences, and giveth them prosperity again, they soon fall from their Obedience. Prosperity hath ever been dangerous to un•ound professors, See Deut. 32.15. Hence their Apostasy under Gods favours, hath procured them their trouble, and now in their distress they bethink themselves of a reformation,